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Modular Programming with Python

You're reading from   Modular Programming with Python Introducing modular techniques for building sophisticated programs using Python

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Product type Paperback
Published in May 2016
Publisher Packt
ISBN-13 9781785884481
Length 246 pages
Edition 1st Edition
Languages
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Author (1):
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Erik Westra Erik Westra
Author Profile Icon Erik Westra
Erik Westra
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Table of Contents (11) Chapters Close

Preface 1. Introducing Modular Programming 2. Writing Your First Modular Program FREE CHAPTER 3. Using Modules and Packages 4. Using Modules for Real-World Programming 5. Working with Module Patterns 6. Creating Reusable Modules 7. Advanced Module Techniques 8. Testing and Deploying Modules 9. Modular Programming as a Foundation for Good Programming Technique Index

Initializing a package


To initialize a package, you place the Python code inside the package's __init__.py file. This code is then executed when the package is imported. For example, imagine that you have a package named test_package, which contains an __init__.py file and one module named test_module.py:

You can place whatever code you like inside the __init__.py file, and when the package (or a module within the package) is imported for the first time, that code will be executed.

You might be wondering why you might want to do this. Initializing a module makes sense as a module contains various functions that might need to be initialized before they are used (for example, by setting global variables to an initial value). But why initialize a package, rather than just a module within that package?

The answer lies in what happens when you import a package. When you do this, anything you define in the package's __init__.py file becomes available at the package level. For example, imagine that...

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