I have the following directory structure:
py_test
├── __init__.py
├── dir1
│ ├── __init__.py
│ └── script1.py
└── dir2
├── __init__.py
└── script2.py
In script2
I want to "import ..\script1
".
What I tried in script2
:
-
Does not work
from ..dir1 import script1 ImportError: attempted relative import with no known parent package`
-
Works
import sys, os path2add = os.path.normpath(os.path.abspath(os.path.join(os.path.dirname(__file__), os.path.pardir, 'dir1'))) if (not (path2add in sys.path)) : sys.path.append(path2add)
If I want to go with option 1, what is the simplest (i.e., with the least files) file/dir structure that makes it work?
I am aware of this, but I wonder if creating that directory structure can be avoided, and still use type-1 import
.
I am currently using this workaround, which uses type-2 import
.
Related:
How to import a Python class that is in a directory above?
Import a module from a directory (package) one level up
Using importlib to dynamically import module(s) containing relative imports
Best Answer
As mentioned in the comments, attempting to import modules a directory up will not work if
script2.py
is your entry point.As mentioned in this link you included:
The module's
__name__
is set to__main__
if it is the entry point, or the one that you pass to the interpreter with something likepython script2.py
.Any python module run as such no longer has the information needed to import files from higher directories.
Therefore you have two options:
Option 1: Keep using the workaround with
sys.path.append
This will work how you want it to, but it is rather cumbersome.
Option 2: Make your entry point at the top level
Assuming your package has more than one script that needs to be run, you could create a new file that imports both
script1
andscript2
and then calls the functionality you want based on a command line argument. Then you will be able to keep your current directory structure and have your relative imports work just fine, without any kind of fiddling withsys.path
.