Import python module NOT on path

python import external python-module
Vort3x picture Vort3x · Apr 15, 2012 · Viewed 98.9k times · Source

I have a module foo, containing util.py and bar.py.

I want to import it in IDLE or python session. How do I go about this?

I could find no documentation on how to import modules not in the current directory or the default python PATH. After trying import "<full path>/foo/util.py", and from "<full path>" import util

The closest I could get was

import imp
imp.load_source('foo.util','C:/.../dir/dir2/foo')

Which gave me Permission denied on windows 7.

Answer

phihag picture phihag · Apr 15, 2012

One way is to simply amend your path:

import sys
sys.path.append('C:/full/path')
from foo import util,bar

Note that this requires foo to be a python package, i.e. contain a __init__.py file. If you don't want to modify sys.path, you can also modify the PYTHONPATH environment variable or install the module on your system. Beware that this means that other directories or .py files in that directory may be loaded inadvertently.

Therefore, you may want to use imp.load_source instead. It needs the filename, not a directory (to a file which the current user is allowed to read):

import imp
util = imp.load_source('util', 'C:/full/path/foo/util.py')

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