How solve module name collision in Python?

Question

I have a module named websocket. For this module I want some tests and for these tests I pip install the appropriate module. The problem is that the installed module has the exact same name as my own module.

Project structure:

websocket-server
       |
       |---- websocket.py
       |
       '---- tests
               |
               '---- test.py

test.py:

from websocket import WebSocketsServer  # my module
from websocket import create_connection # installed module

Is there a way to solve this:

Without having to rename my module (websocket.py)
Without polluting my project with ugly __init__()
Needs to work both on Python3 and 2

Why is renaming your module off the table? That is exactly the solution. — kindall, Feb 18 '15 at 18:50
@kindall because I don't want an other name. For me 'websocket' is the perfect name for my single-filed module. — Pithikos, Feb 19 '15 at 10:46

score 5 · Answer 1 · answered Feb 18 '15 at 18:08

5

Can you nest your module in a package?

from mywebsocket.websocket import WebSocketsServer # my module
from websocket import create_connection # installed module

see https://docs.python.org/2/tutorial/modules.html#packages

answered Feb 18 '15 at 18:08

DaveS

895
1
8
20

probably the only proper answer, excluding hacks. If you have tests, you should have a package. – loopbackbee Feb 18 '15 at 18:11
1

@goncalopp The end "product" is a single simple file. Making a package just for a single file feels too much. – Pithikos Feb 19 '15 at 10:51
What if you need to import create_connection to mywebsocket.websocket? – Ledorub Feb 16 '23 at 14:53

score 1 · Answer 2 · answered Feb 19 '15 at 18:38

I solved this in the end as I wanted. The solution is hackish but it doesn't matter since it's only for one specific type of tests.

import websocket as wsclient # importing the installed module

del sys.modules["websocket"]
sys.path.insert(0, '../..')
import websocket             # importing my own module

So I can now refer to my own module as websocket and the installed module as wsclient.

score 1 · Answer 3 · answered Jun 12 '18 at 11:34

1

I have solved a similiar problem with a dirty hack, which works only in UNIX/Linux.

In your root folder, make a soft link to itself:

> ln -s . myroot

Then just import whatever you want with the simple prefix:

import myroot.websocket

answered Jun 12 '18 at 11:34

Mike Dog

74
1
6

score 0 · Answer 4 · answered Feb 18 '15 at 18:10

0

There's an imp module - although it's on the way to be deprecated in Python 3.4. It allows you to import modules dynamically

my_websource = imp.load_source('my_websource', <path to your module.py>')

answered Feb 18 '15 at 18:10

volcano

3,578
21
28

A Python 3.3+ solution here as well: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/67631/how-to-import-a-module-given-the-full-path – Wes Feb 18 '15 at 18:26

score 0 · Answer 5 · answered Feb 22 '15 at 18:28

0

You could choose a different capitalization like webSocket, since the Python resolution is case-sensitive.

answered Feb 22 '15 at 18:28

guidot

5,095
2
25
37

How solve module name collision in Python?

5 Answers5