{"id":2736,"date":"2021-11-01T07:35:32","date_gmt":"2021-11-01T07:35:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pythontutorial.net\/?page_id=2736"},"modified":"2021-11-20T15:15:35","modified_gmt":"2021-11-20T15:15:35","slug":"what-is-a-python-module","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.pythontutorial.net\/python-oop\/what-is-a-python-module\/","title":{"rendered":"What is a Python Module"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Summary<\/strong>: in this tutorial, you’ll learn about what a python module is and understand how it works.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is a python module #<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

So far, you learned that a module in Python is a file that contains Python code<\/a>. In fact, everything in Python is an object, including a module. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you import a module using the import<\/code> statement, Python creates a new module<\/code> object. For example, the following imports the math<\/code> built-in module:<\/p>\n\n\n

import<\/span> math<\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> Python<\/span> (<\/span>python<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n
Python creates a new variable called math<\/code> that references a module<\/code> object:<\/p>\n\n\n
import<\/span> math\n\nprint(math)<\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> Python<\/span> (<\/span>python<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n
The math<\/code> is a variable that references a module object:<\/p>\n\n\n
<module 'math'<\/span> (built-in<\/span>)><\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> Python<\/span> (<\/span>python<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n
The module name is math<\/code>. The type of the math module is the class module<\/code>:<\/p>\n\n\n
<class<\/span> 'module<\/span>'><\/span><\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> Python<\/span> (<\/span>python<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n
If you look at the globals()<\/code>, you’ll see the math<\/code> variable in the global namespace:<\/p>\n\n\n
import<\/span> math\nfrom<\/span> pprint import<\/span> pprint\n\npprint(globals())<\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> Python<\/span> (<\/span>python<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n
Output:<\/p>\n\n\n
{'__annotations__'<\/span>: {},\n '__builtins__'<\/span>: <module 'builtins'<\/span> (built-in<\/span>)>,\n '__doc__'<\/span>: None<\/span>,\n '__loader__'<\/span>: <class<\/span> '_frozen_importlib<\/span>.BuiltinImporter<\/span>'>,\n '__name__<\/span>':<\/span> '__main__'<\/span>,\n '__package__'<\/span>: None<\/span>,\n '__spec__'<\/span>: None<\/span>,\n 'math'<\/span>: <module 'math'<\/span> (built-in<\/span>)>,\n 'pprint'<\/span>: <function pprint at 0x0000023FE66491F0<\/span>>}<\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> Python<\/span> (<\/span>python<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n
Since math<\/code> is an object, you can access its attributes. For example, you can get the name of the math<\/code> object using the __name__<\/code> attribute:<\/p>\n\n\n
import<\/span> math\n\nprint(math.__name__)<\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> Python<\/span> (<\/span>python<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n
Output:<\/p>\n\n\n
math<\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> Python<\/span> (<\/span>python<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n
And you can access all of the attributes of the math<\/code> object via the __dict__<\/code> :<\/p>\n\n\n
import<\/span> math\nfrom<\/span> pprint import<\/span> pprint\n\npprint(math.__dict__)<\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> Python<\/span> (<\/span>python<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n
Output:<\/p>\n\n\n
'__doc__'<\/span>: 'This module provides access to the mathematical functions\\n'<\/span>\n            'defined by the C standard.'<\/span>,\n '__loader__'<\/span>: <class<\/span> '_frozen_importlib<\/span>.BuiltinImporter<\/span>'>,\n '__name__<\/span>':<\/span> 'math'<\/span>,\n '__package__'<\/span>: ''<\/span>,\n '__spec__'<\/span>: ModuleSpec(name='math'<\/span>, loader=<class<\/span> '_frozen_importlib<\/span>.BuiltinImporter<\/span>'>, origin<\/span>='built<\/span>-in<\/span>'),\n 'acos<\/span>':<\/span> <built-in<\/span> function acos>,\n\n ...<\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> Python<\/span> (<\/span>python<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n
And you can use math<\/code> as a regular variable. For example, you can set it to None<\/code>:<\/p>\n\n\n
math = None<\/span><\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> Python<\/span> (<\/span>python<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n
This instructs Python to destroy the module object that the math<\/code> variable references.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The math is an instance of the ModuleType<\/code>:<\/p>\n\n\n
import<\/span> math\nfrom<\/span> types import<\/span> ModuleType\n\npprint(isinstance(math,ModuleType))<\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> Python<\/span> (<\/span>python<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n
Output:<\/p>\n\n\n
True<\/span><\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> Python<\/span> (<\/span>python<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n
The math<\/code> module is a built-in module. Let’s examine a non-built-in module.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Non-built-in module  #<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The abc<\/code> module allows you to define abstract base classes. It is not a built-in module:<\/p>\n\n\n
import<\/span> abc\n\nprint(abc)<\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> Python<\/span> (<\/span>python<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n
Output:<\/p>\n\n\n
<module 'abc'<\/span> from<\/span> 'C:\\\\Python\\\\lib\\\\abc.py'<\/span>><\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> Python<\/span> (<\/span>python<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n
The abc<\/code> module is defined in lib\\abc.py<\/code> file in Python’s installation folder. Unlike the math<\/code> module which is a built-in module.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The type of the abc<\/code> is also module:<\/p>\n\n\n
import<\/span> abc\n\nprint(type(abc))<\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> Python<\/span> (<\/span>python<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n
Output:<\/p>\n\n\n
<class<\/span> 'module<\/span>'><\/span><\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> Python<\/span> (<\/span>python<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n
Like the math module, the abc<\/code> is an instance of the ModuleType<\/code> as shown in the following example:<\/p>\n\n\n
import<\/span> abc\nfrom<\/span> types import<\/span> ModuleType\n\npprint(isinstance(abc,ModuleType))<\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> Python<\/span> (<\/span>python<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n
Output:<\/p>\n\n\n
True<\/span><\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> Python<\/span> (<\/span>python<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n
Summary #<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
  • A Python module is an object loaded from a file.<\/li><\/ul>\n
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