import module failed

Question

The version I used is python2.7, error occurs when I used script, but it works in command line.

from twisted.internet import protocol, reactor 

and the errors:

ravjqpejcnngpig.eqo/re/fgh/ocr
Traceback (most recent call last):
 File "./tsTclntTW.py", line 5, in <module>
 from twisted.internet import protocol, reactor
 File "/usr/local/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/twisted/__init__.py", line 18, in <module>
 from zope.interface import Interface
 File "/usr/local/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/zope.interface-4.0.1-py2.7-linux-x86_64.egg/zope/__init__.py", line 3, in <module>
 import pkg_resources
 File "/usr/local/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/setuptools-0.6c11-py2.7.egg/pkg_resources.py", line 698, in <module>
 self.callbacks.append(callback)
 File "/usr/local/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/setuptools-0.6c11-py2.7.egg/pkg_resources.py", line 701, in Environment
 File "/usr/local/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/setuptools-0.6c11-py2.7.egg/pkg_resources.py", line 96, in get_supported_platform
 distutils.util.get_platform() normally reports the minimum version
 File "/usr/local/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/setuptools-0.6c11-py2.7.egg/pkg_resources.py", line 222, in get_build_platform
 # fallback for MacPorts
 File "/usr/lib/python2.7/distutils/util.py", line 65, in get_platform
 osname = string.lower(osname)
AttributeError: 'module' object has no attribute 'lower'
Error in sys.excepthook:
Traceback (most recent call last):
 File "/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/apport_python_hook.py", line 64, in apport_excepthook
 from apport.fileutils import likely_packaged, get_recent_crashes
 File "/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/apport/__init__.py", line 1, in <module>
 from apport.report import Report
 File "/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/apport/report.py", line 18, in <module>
 import problem_report
 File "/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/problem_report.py", line 16, in <module>
 from email.mime.multipart import MIMEMultipart
 File "/usr/lib/python2.7/email/mime/multipart.py", line 9, in <module>
 from email.mime.base import MIMEBase
 File "/usr/lib/python2.7/email/mime/base.py", line 9, in <module>
 from email import message
 File "/usr/lib/python2.7/email/message.py", line 16, in <module>
 import email.charset
 File "/usr/lib/python2.7/email/charset.py", line 14, in <module>
 import email.quoprimime
 File "/usr/lib/python2.7/email/quoprimime.py", line 48, in <module>
 from string import hexdigits
ImportError: cannot import name hexdigits
Original exception was:
Traceback (most recent call last):
 File "./tsTclntTW.py", line 5, in <module>
 from twisted.internet import protocol, reactor
 File "/usr/local/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/twisted/__init__.py", line 18, in <module>
 from zope.interface import Interface
 File "/usr/local/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/zope.interface-4.0.1-py2.7-linux-x86_64.egg/zope/__init__.py", line 3, in <module>
 import pkg_resources
 File "/usr/local/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/setuptools-0.6c11-py2.7.egg/pkg_resources.py", line 698, in <module>
 self.callbacks.append(callback)
 File "/usr/local/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/setuptools-0.6c11-py2.7.egg/pkg_resources.py", line 701, in Environment
 File "/usr/local/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/setuptools-0.6c11-py2.7.egg/pkg_resources.py", line 96, in get_supported_platform
 distutils.util.get_platform() normally reports the minimum version
 File "/usr/local/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/setuptools-0.6c11-py2.7.egg/pkg_resources.py", line 222, in get_build_platform
 # fallback for MacPorts
 File "/usr/lib/python2.7/distutils/util.py", line 65, in get_platform
 osname = string.lower(osname)
AttributeError: 'module' object has no attribute 'lower'

I have re-installed the Python I used and it doesn't work, I'm in Ubuntu 12.04. Also I have do

grep ravjqpejcnngpig.eqo/re/fgh/ocr . -R -n

under /usr/lib/python2.7 but nothing returned.

• Matthew Trevor: ravjqpejcnngpig.eqo/re/fgh/ocr looks like output from tsTclntTW.py, it has nothing to do with your error. It's part of the Python Challenge, which you appear to be doing.
• kyon: @MatthewTrevor Yes, it's stupid to name my own script as 'string.py'. and indeed I was doing the python challenge.

Answer 1

Perhaps you have a module named string in your project, and it shadows the library module of the same name.

---

EDIT: To find out, add this to your script just before the failing import statement:

import string
print string.__file__

• Jon Clements: @kyon Are you sure? The traceback is almost yelling that the string module isn't the stdlib string module. Double check that in your directory you're running this, there isn't a string.py
• kyon: @JonClements Yes, I find a string.py in my directory. Thanks a lot!