changeset: 74523:93769b8ff40b parent: 74520:2bd7f40108b4 parent: 74522:6d663db63705 user: Sandro Tosi date: Thu Jan 19 11:29:48 2012 +0100 description: Issue #11948: merge with 3.2 diff -r 2bd7f40108b4 -r 93769b8ff40b Doc/tutorial/modules.rst --- a/Doc/tutorial/modules.rst Thu Jan 19 01:08:41 2012 -0600 +++ b/Doc/tutorial/modules.rst Thu Jan 19 11:29:48 2012 +0100 @@ -159,24 +159,22 @@ .. index:: triple: module; search; path -When a module named :mod:`spam` is imported, the interpreter searches for a -file named :file:`spam.py` in the directory containing the input script and -then in the list of directories specified by the environment variable -:envvar:`PYTHONPATH`. This has the same syntax as the shell variable -:envvar:`PATH`, that is, a list of directory names. When :envvar:`PYTHONPATH` -is not set, or when the file is not found there, the search continues in an -installation-dependent default path; on Unix, this is usually -:file:`.:/usr/local/lib/python`. +When a module named :mod:`spam` is imported, the interpreter first searches for +a built-in module with that name. If not found, it then searches for a file +named :file:`spam.py` in a list of directories given by the variable +:data:`sys.path`. :data:`sys.path` is initialized from these locations: -Actually, modules are searched in the list of directories given by the variable -``sys.path`` which is initialized from the directory containing the input script -(or the current directory), :envvar:`PYTHONPATH` and the installation- dependent -default. This allows Python programs that know what they're doing to modify or -replace the module search path. Note that because the directory containing the -script being run is on the search path, it is important that the script not have -the same name as a standard module, or Python will attempt to load the script as -a module when that module is imported. This will generally be an error. See -section :ref:`tut-standardmodules` for more information. +* the directory containing the input script (or the current directory). +* :envvar:`PYTHONPATH` (a list of directory names, with the same syntax as the + shell variable :envvar:`PATH`). +* the installation-dependent default. + +After initialization, Python programs can modify :data:`sys.path`. The +directory containing the script being run is placed at the beginning of the +search path, ahead of the standard library path. This means that scripts in that +directory will be loaded instead of modules of the same name in the library +directory. This is an error unless the replacement is intended. See section +:ref:`tut-standardmodules` for more information. .. % Do we need stuff on zip files etc. ? DUBOIS