CODEWITHSUNDEEP
pythonpython-packaging
Dave
Dave

Reputation: 3924

Constructing a package for simple imports

The Python standard library has functions designed to be imported and used simply. for example:

import re
m = re.search('foo')

The package documentation https://docs.python.org/3/tutorial/modules.html#packages has an example subpackage layout. But let's simplify that to have only a single package with no subpackages:

sound/                  Top-level package
    __init__.py               Initialize the sound package
    wavread.py
    wavwrite.py
    ...

Our hypothetical wavread.py defines a function:

def read_wav(name):
    return 'Hello ' + name

Functions in this package are called with:

  1. a package name (sound)
  2. a file name (wavread)
  3. a function name defined within the file (read_wav())

for example:

import sound.wavread

sf = sound.wavread.read_wav('foo')

or:

import sound.wavread as sound

sf = sound.read_wav('foo')

Question: How should one create a package so that it can be both imported and used simply, without exposing python filenames (e.g., wavread) to the package user? One could create a "package" that is a single file containing all of its functions, but one huge file isn't very modular. What is the Pythonic way to structure a complex package for both ease of use and ease of maintenance?

Desired user code:

import sound

sf = sound.read_wav('foo')

Upvotes: 1

Views: 47

Answers (1)

Jean-Marc Volle
Jean-Marc Volle

Reputation: 3323

in __init__.py do the following:

from .wavread import * #or only the functions you want to export from  wavread.py
from .wavwrite import *
# and so on for all files that implement function of the sound module

This way user of sound module can do: from sound import * or from sound import read_wav or

import sound
# ...
sf = sound.read_wav('foo')

Upvotes: 4

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