Unable to import python file from different directory

Question

I have the following folder hierarchy.

apriltag

    python

        apriltag.py

my_notebook.ipynb

I simply want to import apriltag.py into my Jupyter Notebook. I tried doing it this way..

import sys

import os.path



sys.path.append(os.path.dirname(os.path.realpath('__file__')) + "/apriltag/python")



import apriltag

However, when I try to access a class from

apriltag

, like so:

print(apriltag.Detector)

I get the following error:

AttributeError                            Traceback (most recent call last)

<ipython-input-74-d1254ec9a372> in <module>()

     12 import apriltag

     13 

---> 14 print(apriltag.Detector)



AttributeError: module 'apriltag' has no attribute 'Detector'

Suggesting that the module was not imported correctly. I've tried creating

__init__.py

at the root of the

python

directory as well but the same thing occurred.

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Answer 1

Ok, I'm going to buzz in a little bit early. I may have the solution to your problem. If I don't, we can go back to figuring it out.

As you've probably seen, the docs say

The directory containing the script being run is placed at the beginning of the search path,

Now, you're running my_notebook.ipynb, so it's directory is the very beginning of the search path. And you probably have an __init.py__ file in the apriltag directory that's at the same level. As such, it's being found as a module, and loaded. And there are no .py files in that "module", and nothing in your __init.py__ there, so it's loading as an empty module.

Instead, don't try modifying the sys.path directory. Do make empty __init.py__ files in both the apriltag and the python directories.

Then, you should be able to do the following:

from apriltag.python import apriltag

The apriltag that gets imported should be the one you need. (And dir(apriltag) will give you much nicer results.)

Generally, I always set up all my code in directories with empty init.py and invoke them all with the from syntax. It made modules a lot easier to handle.

Unable to import python file from different directory

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