Why does python script throw AttributeError: 'module' object not found, but works when made executable?

Question

I have read through already answered similar questions such as this. I have been facing similar issue in my modules. However, when I make the python script executable with chmod and copy it to /usr/local/bin, I can run the script by calling its name. What changes when I make it executable? Why doesn't it work otherwise?

I did not add anything to .bashrc, but the error vanishes after I make it executable. What exactly is the change? — Chinmay Bhoir, Feb 21 '18 at 11:17
if you add below line to .bashrc you can run your code from anywhere in terminal — Jay Shankar Gupta, Feb 21 '18 at 11:18
when you make it executable then you can access that script as application also. — Jay Shankar Gupta, Feb 21 '18 at 11:21
Yes I know. But why doesn't it throw the error after I make it executable? It only throws error when I run it with `python` — Chinmay Bhoir, Feb 21 '18 at 11:23

score 0 · Answer 1 · answered Feb 26 '18 at 05:15

I found the answer.

My python script was compatible with python 3, but not python 2. When I ran with python 2 (i.e. by command python), it throws AttributeError. The script works when made executable because of #!/usr/bin/env python3 in my script, telling the shell which interpreter to use.

Why does python script throw AttributeError: 'module' object not found, but works when made executable?

1 Answers1