How Can I Import A Python 3 Module With A Period In The Filename?

Question

What is the proper way to import a script that contains a period, such as program_1.4.py, ideally using importlib?

(Now that the imp module is deprecated, this this answer no longer applies: How to reference python package when filename contains a period .)

Take note that the proper way is most certainly either to fix the module by renaming it, or to run it as an executable as it was meant to be. — MisterMiyagi, Sep 21 '20 at 20:02
As one of the answers to the linked question says, this is not possible. — Seth, Sep 21 '20 at 23:00
@Seth Of course it is possible: Python is Turing-complete. There may not be a very Dutch solution, but I am looking for the simplest, lowest-overhead answer I can get for this real-world use case where stand-alone programs (non-local, read-only, etc—so no renaming) are linked together as part of a larger application. — JBT, Sep 22 '20 at 00:11

score 0 · Accepted Answer · answered Dec 08 '20 at 06:37

After looking through the CPython quite a lot and coming back to some other solutions (especially Import arbitrary python source file. (Python 3.3+)), I realized that I needed to pass the full path to my module. Here is the cross-platform, call-location-independent solution:

"""

import os, sys # For running from Notepad++ shortcut, etc
import importlib.machinery

program_1_4 = importlib.machinery.SourceFileLoader('program_1.4', os.path.join(sys.path[0], 'program_1.4.py')).load_module()

print(program_1_4)
program_1_4.main()

"""

How Can I Import A Python 3 Module With A Period In The Filename?

1 Answers1