Import...

[shing]

What does import do?

Is it the same as copying the imported file into your new program?

for example:

import goodbyeworld
 
print "hello world"
 

so helloworld.py would have all of goodbyeworld then all the rest of helloworld?

[ghostdog74]

What does import do?

Is it the same as copying the imported file into your new program?

for example:

import goodbyeworld
 
print "hello world"
 

so helloworld.py would have all of goodbyeworld then all the rest of helloworld?

don't quite get you. please read the docs here

[bartonc]

What does import do?

Is it the same as copying the imported file into your new program?

for example:

import goodbyeworld
 
print "hello world"
 

so helloworld.py would have all of goodbyeworld then all the rest of helloworld?

Almost like that:

from helloworld import *

copies all the names (variables, function, classes, etc) into the namespace of the current module. So if you have module1:

# file module1.py
def MyFucntion():
    pass

and a second module, module2 imports it:

# file module2.py
import module1 # import the module - actually runs the script
module1.MyFunction() # call a function in an imported module

If you have commands or assignments in a module that you import, those commands and assignments get run just like every other part of the script (don't forget the def is just a command the creates a function). So if module1 has

print "hello world"

that will run when it is imported. I hope that's not too confusing.