How to import a function from a module in the same folder?

Question

I am trying to separate my script into several files with functions, so I moved some functions into separate files and want to import them into one main file. The structure is:

core/
  main.py
  posts_run.py

posts_run.py has two functions, get_all_posts and retrieve_posts, so I try import get_all_posts with:

from posts_run import get_all_posts

Python 3.5 gives the error:

ImportError: cannot import name 'get_all_posts'

Main.py contains following rows of code:

import vk
from configs import client_id, login, password
session = vk.AuthSession(scope='wall,friends,photos,status,groups,offline,messages',   app_id=client_id, user_login=login,
                     user_password=password)
api = vk.API(session)

Then i need to import api to functions, so I have ability to get API calls to vk.

Full stack trace

Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "E:/gited/vkscrap/core/main.py", line 26, in <module>
    from posts_run import get_all_posts
  File "E:\gited\vkscrap\core\posts_run.py", line 7, in <module>
    from main import api, absolute_url, fullname
  File "E:\gited\vkscrap\core\main.py", line 26, in <module>
    from posts_run import get_all_posts
ImportError: cannot import name 'get_all_posts'

api - is a api = vk.API(session) in main.py. absolute_url and fullname are also stored in main.py. I am using PyCharm 2016.1 on Windows 7, Python 3.5 x64 in virtualenv. How can I import this function?

Check out the import docs here, should tell you everything you need to know: https://docs.python.org/3/reference/import.html — Danielle M., Aug 30 '16 at 16:55
@DanielleM.I've read several questions on stack, and read docs for importing, but it has no effect. — Oleksiy, Aug 30 '16 at 16:57
A module is not a module without an __init__.py. Perhaps that is missing? — Ben Beirut, Aug 30 '16 at 16:59
What file has the `from posts_run import get_all_posts` statement in it? Is that the file PyCharm is executing? — martineau, Aug 30 '16 at 17:09
Can we see the full stacktrace? It seems tome you have a circular import, do you import anything from `main.py` in to `posts_run.py`? — kylieCatt, Aug 30 '16 at 17:13
Show us the whole stack trace. It sounds like you have a circular import you're not showing us. — user2357112, Aug 30 '16 at 17:14
@user2357112, you are right, there is one problem with imports. — Oleksiy, Aug 30 '16 at 17:25
@user2357112, should I split functions from main.py if it need api variable from main.py? — Oleksiy, Aug 30 '16 at 17:36
@OleksiyOvdiyenko: Have them take the API object as an argument, and they won't need the variable. — user2357112, Aug 30 '16 at 17:38

Sardorbek Imomaliev · Accepted Answer · 2016-08-30T17:08:52.317

25

You need to add __init__.py in your core folder. You getting this error because python does not recognise your folder as python package

After that do

from .posts_run import get_all_posts
#    ^ here do relative import
# or
from core.posts_run import get_all_posts
# because your package named 'core' and importing looks in root folder

edited Aug 30 '16 at 17:08

answered Aug 30 '16 at 16:58

Sardorbek Imomaliev

14,861
2
51
63

2

I did this, it also had no effect. Python raises same error – Oleksiy Aug 30 '16 at 16:59
@OleksiyOvdiyenko are you sure your python module is in your **local directory**? – Christian Dean Aug 30 '16 at 17:02
@Mr.goosberry, yes, it is in local dir – Oleksiy Aug 30 '16 at 17:08
@OleksiyOvdiyenko well Sardorbek's answer shouldn't be giving you a import error. Is your other file in the same folder as your main file, or is it in another sub-folder? – Christian Dean Aug 30 '16 at 17:11
@Mr.goosberry in same folder – Oleksiy Aug 30 '16 at 17:13
@OleksiyOvdiyenko well something else is wrong. Try running the python IDLE. open your main script and try running it from there. The problem may lie with Pycharm. – Christian Dean Aug 30 '16 at 17:15
when I ```from core.posts_run import get_all_posts``` it raises ```ImportError: No module named 'core'```. For relative import with ```.posts_run''' it raises ```SystemError: Parent module '' not loaded, cannot perform relative import``` – Oleksiy Aug 30 '16 at 17:16
@OleksiyOvdiyenko this means your `core` package is not loaded to your `PYTHONPATH`. this may help http://stackoverflow.com/questions/16981921/relative-imports-in-python-3 – Sardorbek Imomaliev Aug 30 '16 at 17:21
This answer gets many things wrong. [Since 3.3](https://peps.python.org/pep-0420/), `__init__.py` is **not necessary** for this and is **not used** to decide that a folder represents a package. The error **does not** occur "because Python does not recognize the folder as a package"; it occurs because the code attempts **absolute rather than relative** import and because the package root folder **is not on the `sys.path`**. – Karl Knechtel Jan 13 '23 at 10:45

Danielle M. · Answer 2 · 2016-08-30T17:02:32.410

6

MyFile.py:

def myfunc():
    return 12

start python interpreter:

>>> from MyFile import myFunc
>>> myFunc()
12

Alternatively:

>>> import MyFile
>>> MyFile.myFunc()
12

Does this not work on your machine?

edited Aug 30 '16 at 17:02

answered Aug 30 '16 at 17:00

Danielle M.

3,607
1
14
31

He might not have his custom python module in his local directory. – Christian Dean Aug 30 '16 at 17:01
I'm not sure of the exact rules or order, but python will look in the current directory as well as sys.path, $PYTHONPATH, etc. – Danielle M. Aug 30 '16 at 17:05
Yes, it works with this func, but when i try to call ```import posts_run``` it raises ```ImportError: cannot import name 'get_all_posts'``` – Oleksiy Aug 30 '16 at 17:07
if you in the core folder, you should be able to reference posts_run directly. If you are in the root folder, try referring to ti as core.posts_run – Danielle M. Aug 30 '16 at 17:09
@DanielleM. No, I don't believe your correct. I believe that you must add the path to your python module at runtime for python to find where it is: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/22955684/how-to-import-py-file-from-another-directory – Christian Dean Aug 30 '16 at 17:09
@DanielleM.if i try to import core.posts_run it says that ```ImportError: No module named 'core'```, __init__ in core folder – Oleksiy Aug 30 '16 at 17:13

theBugger · Answer 3 · 2016-08-30T17:10:40.767

Python doesn't find the module to import because it is executed from another directory.

Open a terminal and cd into the script's folder, then execute python from there.

Run this code in your script to print from where python is being executed from:

import os
print(os.getcwd())

EDIT: This is a demonstration of what I mean

Put the code above in a test.py file located at C:\folder\test.py

open a terminal and type

python3 C:\folder\test.py

This will output the base directory of python executable

now type

cd C:\folder
python3 test.py

This will output C:\folder\. So if you have other modules in folder importing them should not be a problem

I usually write a bash/batch script to cd into the directory and start my programs. This allows to have zero-impact on host machines

I need to add to path every time i make new project with files in folder? — Oleksiy, Aug 30 '16 at 17:10

score 0 · Answer 4 · edited May 23 '17 at 12:32

0

A cheat solution can be found from this question (question is Why use sys.path.append(path) instead of sys.path.insert(1, path)? ). Essentially you do the following

    import sys
    sys.path.insert(1, directory_path_your_code_is_in)
    import file_name_without_dot_py_at_end

This will get round that as you are running it in PyCharm 2016.1, it might be in a different current directory to what you are expecting...

edited May 23 '17 at 12:32

Community

1
1

answered Aug 30 '16 at 17:19

A. N. Other

392
4
14

This article goes into more detail - http://stackoverflow.com/questions/897792/pythons-sys-path-value/38403654#38403654 – A. N. Other Aug 30 '16 at 17:53

How to import a function from a module in the same folder?

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