Sean wrote:
Then I would have a script that uses the print_this function defined in the module without using the module name in the call.
from module_name import print_this
or, even:
from module_name import print_this as other_nice_name
So what if I have a whole bunch of functions - say 25 of them. Is there a way to do this without naming each function?
You do that like so: "from module import *". But you should avoid that, as stated in the Python help:
Note that in general the practice of importing * from a module or package is frowned upon, since it often causes poorly readable code. However, it is okay to use it to save typing in interactive sessions, and certain modules are designed to export only names that follow certain patterns.
The "certain patterns" usually occur in huge packages, such as in the various GUI toolkits. E.g., all of the exported PyQt classes are prefaced with Q (QButtonGroup, QTabWidget), so doing "from qt import *" is fairly safe.
You can also import a module like so: "import module as m" to save on some typing, if that is your concern. But namespaces are a feature of Python, not a limitation, so the Python way is to use them for clearer code. With a large number of functions like that, it sounds more like you should be inheriting from a class anyway, which I think is what Steven Bethard meant when he suggested refactoring.
For more information on the Python way, go to the Python interpreter and type "import this" ;>)
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