How To Import A Module Given The Full Path

Summary: To import a module given the full path, the following methods can be used :

• Using the importlib module
• Using SourceFileLoader class
• Using sys.path.append() function
• Adding __init__ file to the folder containing the module and then importing it

Problem: How to import a module if its full path has been given?

Example: Consider we have the following arrangement of files :

python
     |--main.py
     |calculator
        |-----add.py         

Given the above project environment, we want to import the add module from the calculator package in our main.py class so that we get the desired result. The added module contains a function named add() which returns the sum of two numbers. Hence, in this example, we aim to import the add module and get the sum of the two numbers.

<Code to import the add module from the calculator package>

x = int(input("first no."))
y = int(input("second no."))
r = add(x, y)
print("Sum: ", r)

Desired Output:

first no. 89
second no. 99
Sum:  188

Let us have a look at the various methods that can be used to import the add module from its given path.

Solutions:

Method 1: Using importlib Module

The importlib module in Python serves two purposes:

1. It provides an implementation of the import statement.
2. It exposes the components of the import statement that are responsible for the working of the importstatement. This enables users to create their custom objects and play around with them to use the import process according to their needs.

Therefore, we can leverage the power of the importlib module in our code to import custom packages from a given path.

Have a look at the following program which demonstrates the usage of the importlib module to import packages (Please follow the comments to get a better grip on the given code):

import importlib.util

# function to specify the module that needs to be imported relative to the package and path of the module
spec = importlib.util.spec_from_file_location("add", "C:\\Users\\Shubham-PC\\PycharmProjects\\pythonProject1"
                                                     "\\calculator\\add.py")

# creating a new module based on spec
foo = importlib.util.module_from_spec(spec)

# exec_module :- An abstract method that executes the module in its own namespace when a module is imported or reloaded.
spec.loader.exec_module(foo)

# Program to use the imported add module
x = int(input("first no."))
y = int(input("second no."))
r = foo.add(x, y)
print("Sum: ", r)

Output:

first no. 89
second no. 99
Sum:  188

Disclaimer: The above method will work for Python 3.5 and above

Method 2: Using SourceFileLoader Class

If you are using Python 3.3 or above you might be fascinated to use the SourceFileLoader class. It is an abstract base class that is used to implement source file loading.

Let us have a look at the following code to understand the usage of SourceFileLoader class to import packages from a given path (Please follow the comments in the code for a better grip):

from importlib.machinery import SourceFileLoader

# importing the add module from the calculator package using the path
foo = SourceFileLoader("add",
                       "C:\\Users\\Shubham-PC\\PycharmProjects\\pythonProject1\\calculator\\add.py").load_module()

# code to use the imported add module of the calculator package
x = int(input("first no."))
y = int(input("second no."))
r = foo.add(x, y)
print("Sum: ", r)

Output

first no. 89
second no. 99
Sum:  188

Method 3: Using sys.path.append() Function

To import the module to your Python code, you can use the sys.path.append() function to add the directory of the required module to the environment variable. The list of directories that Python searches for the required modules and files are stored in the path attribute of the sys module. Now path is a list and we can use the append method to add new directories.

The following program demonstrates the above concept:

import sys
sys.path.append("C:\\Users\\Shubham-PC\\PycharmProjects\\pythonProject1\\calculator")
import add
x = int(input("first no."))
y = int(input("second no."))
r= add.add(x,y)
print("Sum: ",r)

Output:

first no. 89
second no. 99
Sum:  188

Method 4: Creating The Package With __init__ File

Considering that the package to be imported is within the same root folder as the class which will import a module of the package, there is another way we can import the module in our code. To import the module you must make sure that the folder containing the module has a file named __init__ added to it. This file is generally empty. Then import the module in your code as from <package_name>.<filename> import <module_name>

Let us have a look at the following code to learn how this works:

from calculator.add import add

x = int(input("first no."))
y = int(input("second no."))
r = add(x, y)
print("Sum: ", r)

Output:

first no. 89
second no. 99
Sum:  188

Caution: The root folder of the class importing the module and the directory that contains the module along with the __init__ file, must be the same. In other words, both of them should be within the project’s root folder.

Relative vs Absolute Imports In Python

Before we conclude this article, we must understand the subtle difference between a relative import and an absolute import in python.

Conclusion

Thus from the above discussion, we can conclude that to import a module given the full path, the following methods can be used:

1. Using the importlib module
2. Using SourceFileLoader class
3. Using sys.path.append() function
4. Adding __init__ file to the folder containing the module and then importing it

Later we also discussed the key differences between relative and absolute imports.

I hope this article was helpful and you managed to gain something out of it. Please stay tuned for more interesting stuff!

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