Python file runs, but is not found. Er?

Question

Symptoms: File is apparently being used:

File "/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/salt/renderers/pyobjects.py", line 449, in render
 exec final_template in _globals, _locals
File "<string>", line 6, in <module>
File "/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/salt/utils/pyobjects.py", line 293, in __getattr__
 raise AttributeError

Great. However when I go to /usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/salt/utils/pyobjects.py it isn't in that directory and none of its pyc's are there either:

ls /usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/salt/utils/py*
/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/salt/utils/pydsl.py /usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/salt/utils/pydsl.pyc

Why is this happening? What am I missing about this -- I have tried searching and found nothing useful yet.

Update if this is any use:

$ python -v
>>> import salt.utils.pyobjects
# /usr/local/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/salt/utils/pyobjects.pyc matches /usr/local/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/salt/utils/pyobjects.py
import salt.utils.pyobjects # precompiled from /usr/local/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/salt/utils/pyobjects.pyc

• ha9u63a7: you are running it in salt/renderers/pyobjects.py` whereas you are looking into salt/utils/pyobjects.py
• Martijn Pieters: Perhaps the .pyc file was moved elsewhere and that is now being imported, but the file recorded a full-path filename?. Run python -v and trace all imports.
• Martijn Pieters: @ha9u63ar: they are talking about the last line in the traceback.
• Martijn Pieters: You can only get the verbose output if at the time of import that file actually exists. So when that import takes place, both files are there, both /usr/local/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/salt/utils/pyobjects.pyc and /usr/local/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/salt/utils/pyobjects.py exist according to the OS and have a modification time and can be read.

Answer 1

The python -v verbose output you posted shows that the file is imported from a different location:

/usr/local/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/salt/utils/pyobjects.pyc
# ^^^^^

but you are looking in:

ls /usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/salt/utils/py*
# ^^^^

.pyc files store a filename in the bytecode, and the file must've been moved from /usr/lib to /usr/local/lib. So when a traceback is shown, the filename from the bytecode is still pointing to the old location.

You can force a re-compile (running with sudo or another means to gain write access) with:

python -m compileall -f /usr/local/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/salt

to produce .pyc files that store the new location.