advice on this little script

[Alex Martelli]

John Salerno <johnjsal at NOSPAMgmail.com> wrote:

> Alex Martelli wrote:
> 
> > I only use the 'from' statement to import specific modules from a
> > package, never to import specific objects (functions, classes, or
> > whatever) from a module.
> 
> I like that. So in my case I'd use 'import time' (which I actually 
> already changed last night). I think especially right now, while I'm new
> to Python, it helps me to see 'time.sleep' instead of just 'sleep', so I
> can begin to associate certain functions with their proper modules.

I'm hardly new to Python, yet it keeps helping me too;-).


> Not to mention, like you said, that importing specific pieces like 
> functions tends to look a little messy in the code when they aren't 
> qualified.

I wouldn't call it messy, but rather potentially "confusing" in a large
module with many imports -- in the middle of the module,

a = b(c)

always gives the strong impression that b and cc are local or global (or
from an intermediate lexical scope), while

a = X.b(Y.c)

contains hints suggesting otherwise (if I had no clue what X and Y were
at this point, I'd _first_ check if they were imported modules, while it
would be my last resort in the former snippet regarding b and c).


Alex