How to import module installed in home directory?

Question

I installed Python3.4.3 in my home directory so it is under /home/jdoe/.local/bin/python3 and I pip installed some external modules to this by doing pip install --user package_name . However now when writing my python script the package python looks for is not found because it is looking in the usr/lib but the package is not there. How can I import a module so python looks at the site-packages installed in my personal home directory?

Answer 1

Append the path to your path variable

import sys
sys.path.append("<path>")

However are you sure that your pip install --user actually installed a python3.4 package, usually one does not need to add any paths to the path for pip installed packages?

What is the output of pip --version

Answer 2

As explained in this tutorial , there are basically 2 options: use PYTHONPATH or sys.append .

PYTHONPATH is an environment variable used to extend the directories where Python searches for modules. It can be set in the command line before running python:

$ export PYTHONPATH=$PYTHONPATH:<Path to Module>
$ python

Or adding the line export PYTHONPATH=$PYTHONPATH:<Path to Module> in the bash configuration file (ie .bashrc ). If it is set in the .bashrc , then all python scripts executed in the computer will search for modules there.

sys.append is called from within Python. And it can be added at the beginning of a file that calls the module or called from the Python interpreter with the following lines:

import sys
sys.path.append('<Path to Module>')

Answer 3

Let's say I have a script that falls under $HOME/repo/code/sample.py and I want to import it into $HOME/repo2/code/sample.py one way to do it is:

import os 
import sys 
env=os.path.expanduser(os.path.expandvars($HOME/repo) # "source" directory with python script
sys.path.insert(0, env)
import code.sample 

This will remove the dependency to export PYTHONPATH , and allow you to easily import between files/folders as if they are any other module.