Python: Importing submodule

Question

I am trying to set up a new Python project with the following structure:

project:
 src:
 app1:
 main.py
 utils:
 __init__.py
 utils1:
 __init__.py
 utils1.py
 tests:

I would like to import utils1 in main.

I tried the following from main.py but it does not work:

main.py
from project.src.utils.utils1 import utils1

This indicates the following error:

(virtualenv)user: /home/user/project/src/app1 $ python main.py
 ImportError: No module named 'project'

How can I import utils1 in main correctly?

• MB-F: First, don't skip src in the import (project . src . utils). Second, you probably need to turn project and src into packages (place __init__.py there). Third, I'm not sure if relative imports beyond the top-level module will work, so you may need to put project in the python search path.

Answer 1

There is no __init__.py in project directory, so project isn't recognised as a package. The same goes with src directory.

Besides, you're running from app1 directory, so directories above it aren't visible in pythonpath.

Change directory to ~/project/src, move utils directory to app1, run ./app1/main.py and import app1.utils.utils1.utils1

In the end:

Your layout should look like:

project:
 src:
 app1:
 main.py
 utils:
 __init__.py
 utils1:
 __init__.py
 utils1.py
 tests:

Execute as:

(virtualenv)user: /home/user/project/src $ python ./app1/main.py

And import as:

from app1.utils.utils1 import utils1

• sajus: (virtualenv) user:/home/user/project/src $ python ./app1/main.py Traceback (most recent call last): File "./app1/main.py", line 1, in <module> from utils.utils1 import utils1 ImportError: No module named 'utils'
• Filip Malczak: At the very beginning of main.py please do: import sys; print sys.path - we'll see if it doesn't see the utils dir, or you have wrong file layout
• sajus: sys.path contains '/home/user/project/src/app1". All other folders are system folders from the virtual environment.
• Filip Malczak: Fair enough. Editing the answer, I'll change the approach a bit - we're gonna move utils to app1 package. See if it works now.
• sajus: That works. But my wish is to maintain the utils in src since I plan to bring more apps into this project which will need the utils.