Python module with a dash, or hyphen (-) in its name

Question

I have an existing python module with a dash in its name, foo-bar.py

Changing the module name is something I would prefer to avoid as the module is shared, and I would have to chase down all the places it is used so that my special case will work.

Is there a way to load a module whose name contains the typically forbidden '-'?

(I do understand that this isn't a best practice. But for this situation I would prefer not to redesign and test a much larger set of applications. Also I don't think my corporate masters would approve of my taking the time to implement such a change.)

Solution 1

You can do that using __import__(). For example:

foobar = __import__("foo-bar")

But you really should rename the module instead. That way you can avoid confusion where the filename of the module is different from the identifier used in the program.

Solution 2

I know this question has already been answered to satisfaction of the asker, but here is another answer which I believes has some merit above using __import__().

import importlib
mod = importlib.import_module("path.to.my-module")
# mod.yourmethod()

According to the docs:

"This provides an implementation of import which is portable to any 
Python interpreter. This also provides an implementation which is 
easier to comprehend than one implemented in a programming language 
other than Python."

Python 2.7 + only

Comments

[BenH]

This answer in particular: stackoverflow.com/questions/761519/…

[Georgy]

Does this answer your question? Is it ok to use dashes in Python files when trying to import them?

[Skip Huffman]

Thanks. I do understand that conventions should be followed wherever practical. I will be bringing up this specific issue during a departmental code review.

[Davy M]

I was searching for how to do this and your answer applies better to my situation than the older answer. It's always good if you see a distinct answer to the already existing one to add it as a new answer so that people in a position like myself can find all the relevant information in one place.

[XxJames07-]

in the python documentation, __import__ is discouraged (see the documentation) in the favor of importlib. it could cause a lot of issues. (see also this post)