[Python-Dev] Relative import (original) (raw)

Tim Peters tim.one at comcast.net
Fri Dec 19 23:32:45 EST 2003

[Jack Diederich]

... I like syntax that reads most important left-to-right, so what about from MODULE import NAMES as RENAME searching HOW or import NAMES as RENAME from MODULE searching HOW

searching could be 'asbolute' 'relative' or any of the other suggested words. If you wanted to get fancy it could be a list, if it isn't a list people who truly care could cascade try/except on ImportError.

[Barry Warsaw]

I want to think about that more, but at first glance, it has some appeal. Neat!

Ditto. I think Jack's on to something there. I particularly like the second form, as it's an ongoing irritation to me that some imports begin with "from" and others with "import". In the current "from" form, the most important thing to me is almost never the module I'm importing the thing from, but (of course) the thing I'm importing.

Going from

import math

to

import sin from math

(or vice versa) is also an easier edit than from

import math

to

from math import sin

(because the former doesn't require transposition).

Adding a distinct clause to influence search details seems downright Pythonic. Maybe too Pythonic .

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