How to dynamically import a module in Python

Question

I'm trying to import files based on their name, for example:

project /
    __init__.py
    log.py
    conf /
        __init__.py
        logger_settings.py
        other_settings.py

In my conf/__init__.py file I want to have something similar to this:

 # -*- coding: utf-8 -*-                                                         
 # vim: tabstop=4 shiftwidth=4 softtabstop=4 expandtab                           

 import os                                                                       
 import sys                                                                         
 import json                                                                        

 def get_settings(identity):                                                             
     """Settings."""                                                                

     try:                                                                       
         from i import *                                                        
     except ImportError as exc:                                                 
         raise Exception('Eror importing config %s' % exc)

So than in log.py file I would be able to do something like this:

 #!/usr/bin/env python -u                                                        
 # -*- coding: utf-8 -*-                                                         
 # vim: tabstop=4 shiftwidth=4 softtabstop=4 expandtab                           

 import os                                                                       
 import logging                                                                  

 from project import conf                                                     

 CONF = conf.get_settings('logger_settings')                                              

 def getLogger(identity ,log_file=CONF.log_file):  
     # Then access CONF to return settings
     # For example:
     # host = CONF.host  would return something like 'localhost'

And I want to have logger_settings.py like this:

log_file = '/mnt/logs/'
host = 'localhost'

How do I need to modify conf/__init__.py in order to achieve this?

[Here is a similar question](http://stackoverflow.com/q/19540482/2183102), and you might find the answer to it to be useful. — Alexander Zhukov, Oct 23 '13 at 14:53

score 1 · Accepted Answer · answered Oct 23 '13 at 14:48

See the __import__ built-in (low level), as well as importlib (high level).

These provide a means of importing modules dynamically (i.e. whose names are given by runtime values).

import importlib
settings = importlib.import_module('conf.%s' % i)

How to dynamically import a module in Python

1 Answers1