Import module with non-standard file name

[Ben Finney]

"Patrick Maupin" <pmaupin at gmail.com> writes:

> Ben Finney wrote:
> > Question: I have Python modules named without '.py' as the extension,
> > and I'd like to be able to import them. How can I do that?
> 
> This is a piece of cake in Python.
> 
> >>> from types import ModuleType
> >>> x = ModuleType('myModName')
> >>> data = open('myfilename').read()
> >>> exec data in x.__dict__
> Your output here...
> 
> This won't save a .pyc, but as your message later explains, this is for
> unittesting, so this could probably be considered a feature for this
> usage.

Very nice. Okay, my unit testing scaffold module now has a new function:

    def make_module_from_file(module_name, file_name):
        """ Make a new module object from the code in specified file """

        from types import ModuleType
        module = ModuleType(module_name)

        module_file = open(file_name, 'r')
        exec module_file in module.__dict__

        return module

The unit test now just imports that functionality, and then makes the
module object via that function:

    import scaffold
    module_name =  'frobnicate_foo'
    module_file_under_test = os.path.join(scaffold.code_dir, 'frobnicate-foo')
    frobnicate_foo = scaffold.make_module_from_file(
        module_name, module_file_under_test)

The rest of the unit test then has 'frobnicate_foo' as a module to test.

It's working fine. Does anyone foresee any problems with doing it this way?

-- 
 \     "Injustice is relatively easy to bear; what stings is justice." |
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_o__)                                                                  |
Ben Finney