Python Unleashed: Unlock the Potential of Programming — Modules

Chapter 6

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Introduction to Modules

In Python, a module is a file containing Python definitions and statements. The file name is the module name with the suffix .py added. For example, a file named my_module.py would be a module containing Python definitions and statements.

A module can define functions, classes, and variables. A module can also include runnable code. For example, the following my_module.py file defines a function named hello():

def hello():
    print("Hello, World!")

You can use the import statement to include the definitions from a module in your program. Once a module is imported, you can use its functions, classes, and variables like any other Python object. Here is an example that imports the my_module module and calls the hello() function:

import my_module
my_module.hello()

Introduction to Packages

A package is a collection of modules. Packages are a way of structuring Python’s module namespace by using “dotted module names”. For example, the module name A.B designates a submodule named B in a package named A.