Module Loading

Describing Module Loading

• Python can import four categories of modules:

  • Code written in Python (.py files)
  • C or C++ extensions
  • Packages containing a collection of modules

  • Built-in modules written in C

    • These are linked into the Python interpreter
• When looking for a module, the interpreter searches each of the directories in sys.path for the following files

• They are listed in search order:

  1. A directory foo defining a package
  2. foo.pyd (compiled extensions)
  3. foo.pyo
  4. foo.pyc
  5. foo.py

References

• Python Essential Reference