Namespaces: memory vs 'pollution'

[DL Neil]

How do you remember to from-import- 'everything' that is needed?


I have a 'utility module' which contains a bunch of classes which 
examine/check/log aspects of the execution environment. One of which is 
PythonEnvironment, another relates to the HostSystem (as examples). They 
are most-frequently used to ensure that an application runs within an 
appropriate environment, eg don't use Posix code on MS-Windows and don't 
call for v3.7 features from Python3.5.

Today, I 'grabbed' the module, imported the PythonEnvironment, and 
PyTested the application code's Python version - as much for my 
amusement as anything else I asked for an impossible versionNR. Of 
course, the test failed.

Upon closer inspection, I realised it didn't just fail; it failed badly! 
Some silly, little, boy had imported the PythonEnvironment class but 
failed to ALSO import PythonVersionError. So, the reported error was not 
the expected exception!

Yes, the two classes appear in the module one-above-the-other, and yes, 
in the module's own pytest import-ing both classes is 'right there' in 
front of my nose. So, not my finest hour!


Is there some 'easy way' to make sure that one doesn't just import the 
desired class, but also remembers to import 'everything else' that might 
be necessary. In this case, it'd be rather nice to:

	from environment_module import Python*

NB this is a syntax error, and won't import both the PythonEnvironment 
and PythonVersionError classes.

NBB I could import the module, fish-around in its __dict__, and do 
something like update-ing locals() with every key containing "Python" - 
but that is surely a truly, ugly, hack.


The 'lazy' answer is (purists, look away now!):

	from environment_module import *

but that import-s "everything, including the kitchen sink"!

After you've recovered from the shock-horror of thinking about such 
blatant "namespace pollution", if the module only contains a bunch of 
classes, is it really such an evil act?
(and if the module's import-as-abbreviations are moved 'inside' the 
relevant class, those 'disappear' from the global namespace reducing the 
risk of name-clashes down to the names of the custom-classes and the PSL 
imports, eg os and platform)


What do you do to (respecting purism) ensure 'everything' (necessary) is 
imported (and nothing more), preferably without relying upon (faulty, in 
my case) human-memory or reading through volumes of code/documentation?

-- 
Regards,
=dn