Upper level imports python

Question

I'm using python 3.6 and wondering why I can't import from a package in a parent directory:

project_folder/
   folder_with_code/
         __init__.py
         a.py
         b.py
   examples/ 
         example_1/
             example.py
   tests/
         some_test.py
   execute_tests.py

In the example.py folder I want to import for example the a.py or b.py files, eg. import folder_with_code.a . I have tried using .. and sys.path.append but with no joy.

Answer 1

If your current working directory is project_folder/ then you should be able to import the code from your package like this:

examples/example_1/example.py

import folder_with_code.a

So if your working directory is project_folder/ , then your packages (folders with __init__.py files) will be recognized by the import mechanism of Python, and in that case your imports will be relative from working directory.