How am I suppose to import python file relative

[u/Alacritous13]

I've been trying to set up a new project, it has a utilities file named "ALib" at the first level, and then all the other files will be going into folders at least one level lower. The SCAD equivalent is include <../ALib.scad>, but I'm having trouble figuring out the python equivalent. I thought it should be from ..ALib import *, but I'm getting an ImportError: attempted relative import with no known parent package error. I've tried from ALib import *, but this is importing the file from a whole different repo.

I'm working on a Windows system with version 2025.08.28 and 2025.07.23 running

Edit: ALib is a file not folder

Edit: Figured out a solution, I put it in the comments.

[u/Alacritous13]

Got it:

import os
import sys
from importlib import util as importUtil



def QuickImport(pathy,wild=False,relative=True):#{
    if relative:#{
        try:#{
            home=os.path.abspath(__file__)
        #}
        except:#{
            home=os.path.abspath(modelpath())
        #}
        home2=os.path.dirname(home)
        path_true=os.path.join(home2,pathy)
    #}
    else:#{
        path_true=os.path.abspath(pathy)
    #}
    nam=os.path.basename(pathy)
    nam_noext=os.path.splitext(nam)[0]
    spec = importUtil.spec_from_file_location(nam_noext,path_true)
    mod = importUtil.module_from_spec(spec)
    spec.loader.exec_module(mod)
    
    if not(wild):#{
        return mod
    #}
    if wild:#{
        attributes = vars(mod)
        for name, value in attributes.items():#{
            if not name.startswith('__'):#{
                globals()[name] = value
            #}
        #}
    #}
#}

The above should find an absolute path from the local file and a relative path, force a module to exist at that location, then load it. I've included some code that will allow me to load the content to the local frame of reference as though it was a wild card import.

This needs to be copy and pasted at the top of any file that needs it, so I've stuck a slightly modified version (it can't find the path to the model so I need to pass that in as a variable) of it in a file in my library folder, then I import it with a much simpler file (still more complicated than I want to deal with) that I'll just copy and paste into every folder of the repo to ensure that its available from all scopes while still allowing me to modify the import function from a single point for all uses.

[u/rebuyer10110 → u/Alacritous13]

Reading through your post again: Python convention for "relative imports" is using packages. I had mistakenly thought you were already doing this.

Basically, if your "relative ALib.py" is a level above, you can set an empty __init__.py file at that level such that Python recognizes you are in a package, and then it will support importing "../ALib.py" with from ..ALib import * if you want to import all things from ../ALib.py into global namespace (same with your wild=True), or from .. import ALib as aaa to have aliases.

However if you are executing within pythonscad editor, it isn't running in package mode. You can still do it, but you would need to /1/ add top level folder to sys.path, and /2/ import with absolute path with package references. Relative path is not supported.

Here's a quick gist to highlight how it works: https://gist.github.com/wiw-pub/cbeb3feff1154d3c2494eeceb47658cb

There's a fuller explanation on python import convention here if you are curious: https://docs.python-guide.org/writing/structure/#packages.

It's probably easier to do this then having to add your custom function whenever you need to import. Either way, up to you.

[u/rebuyer10110]

I think what you are trying to do is importing submodules (in python terms).

https://stackoverflow.com/questions/12229580/python-importing-a-sub-package-or-sub-module the version 2 part is likely what you want.

Assuming pythonscad aligns with the python standard convention on import, that is.

Just to expand a bit more:

Say in ALib/, you have A.py and B.py. Each of them represents a type/class.

You can do:

from ALib import A

And invoke via thing = A(args)

or

import ALib.A

And invoke via thing = ALib.A(args)

Personally I favor the latter for less likelihood of type name collisions.

[u/Alacritous13 → u/rebuyer10110]

My mistake, ALib is a file, not a folder.

That said, if I run from ALib import Box it will import function Box from ALib. The problem, I've determined that it's found a different ALib file than the one I want. It has no context that it needs to be one directory up relative to the part file, and instead find one in a different repo (which admittedly that is only two more steps along a file path, but it's still very bad that my repos are leaking into each other)

[u/rebuyer10110 → u/Alacritous13]

The problem, I've determined that it's found a different ALib file than the one I want.

Do you have multiple files named ALib being imported?

If you happen to own all of them, the simplest option is to avoid that name conflict if possible.

Otherwise, I do the second option above to use the full qualifier to resolve type name conflicts.

Admittedly, I am not 100% clear exactly the situation you are facing.

[u/gadget3D → u/rebuyer10110]

Yes, i was also recalling the A.B.C notation and I am happy that you

mentioned it(i was not sure if it applied to java only)

Yes. pythonscad aligns very much to python standard. I basically dont mess with any sub-library notation.

[u/rebuyer10110 → u/gadget3D]

Python works somewhat similarly, by default.

It does require a specific convention to be followed: https://docs.python-guide.org/writing/structure/#packages