Converting a python package into a single importable file

Question

Is there a way to convert a python package, ie is a folder of python files, into a single file that can be copied and then directly imported into a python script without needing to run any extra shell commands? I know it is possible to zip all of the files and then unzip them from python when they are needed, but I'm hoping that there is a more elegant solution.

Answer 1

It's not totally clear what the question is. I could interpret it two ways.

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If you are looking to manage the symbols from many modules in a more organized way:

You'll want to put an __init__.py file in your directory and make it a package. In it you can define the symbols for your package, and create a graceful import packagename behavior. Details on packages .

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If you are looking to make your code portable to another environment:

One way or the other, the package needs to be accessible in whatever environment it is run in. That means it either needs to be installed in the python environment (likely using pip ), copied into a location that is in a subdirectory relative to the running code, or in a directory that is listed in the PYTHONPATH environment variable.

The most straightforward way to package up code and make it portable is to use setuptools to create a portable package that can be installed into any python environment. The manual page for Packaging Projects gives the details of how to go about building a package archive, and optionally uploading to PyPi for public distribution. If it is for private use, the resulting archive can be passed around without uploading it to the public repository.