What is the correct way to import modules for standalone app created using `python -m zipapp`?

Question

I have a module which I'm going to distribute as standalone app. The module has the following structure:

$ tree -L 2 ./
./
├── mymodule
│   ├── __main__.py
│   ├── fun.py
└── mymodule.pyz

mymodule/__main__.py contains next lines:

#!/usr/bin/env python

import argparse
import sys
import os.path
from mymodule.fun import Fun

def main():
    sys.stdout.write('main is running')
    Fun().run()

if __name__ == '__main__':
    main()

mymodule/fun.py contains next lines:

#!/usr/bin/env python

import sys

class Fun:
    """FUN"""

    def __init__(self):
        pass

    def run(self):
        sys.stdout.write("fun")

If I run module using $ python -m mymodule the output is main is runningfun

But if I create a standalone app using $ python -m zipapp -p "/usr/bin/evn python" mymodule and run it $ python mymodule.pyz I got error

Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "/Users/igork/.pyenv/versions/3.6.4/lib/python3.6/runpy.py", line 193, in _run_module_as_main
    "__main__", mod_spec)
  File "/Users/igork/.pyenv/versions/3.6.4/lib/python3.6/runpy.py", line 85, in _run_code
    exec(code, run_globals)
  File "mymodule.pyz/__main__.py", line 6, in <module>
ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'mymodule'

What is wrong with import?

UPD: sys.path output

$ python -m mymodule
['', '/Users/igork/.pyenv/versions/3.6.4/lib/python36.zip', '/Users/igork/.pyenv/versions/3.6.4/lib/python3.6', '/Users/igork/.pyenv/versions/3.6.4/lib/python3.6/lib-dynload', '/Users/igork/.local/lib/python3.6/site-packages', '/Users/igork/.pyenv/versions/3.6.4/lib/python3.6/site-packages']

$ python mymodule.pyz
['mymodule.pyz', '/Users/igork/.pyenv/versions/3.6.4/lib/python36.zip', '/Users/igork/.pyenv/versions/3.6.4/lib/python3.6', '/Users/igork/.pyenv/versions/3.6.4/lib/python3.6/lib-dynload', '/Users/igork/.local/lib/python3.6/site-packages', '/Users/igork/.pyenv/versions/3.6.4/lib/python3.6/site-packages']

I am not familiar with zipapp, but have you tried using relative imports? i.e. `from .fun import Fun` — Jasmijn, Sep 27 '20 at 21:22
@Jasmijn may have something there. It all comes down to "what is the value of your `sys.path`?". I bet you that its value is different for the two environments. I'd suggest that you add a `print(sys.path)` to your program (also `import sys` if you haven't already) and see if in fact I'm right. If so, then what you might want to do is simply append onto `sys.path1` in the mode that isn't working whatever is missing from the `sys.path1` from the mode that is working. — CryptoFool, Sep 27 '20 at 22:14

Ihar Katkavets · Accepted Answer · 2020-10-04T12:37:18.197

First of all I run the app using wrong command, the correct is:

$ python mymodule

To create single file app and run it I need to use:

$ python -m zipapp -p "/usr/bin/evn python" mymodule
$ python mymodule.pyz

To run unit tests I need to use:

$ python -m unittest

But unit tests were failing because of error:

======================================================================                                                          
ERROR: test_fun (unittest.loader._FailedTest)                                                                                   
----------------------------------------------------------------------                                                          
ImportError: Failed to import test module: test_fun                                                                             
Traceback (most recent call last):                                                                                              
  File "/Users/igork/.pyenv/versions/3.6.4/lib/python3.6/unittest/loader.py", line 153, in loadTestsFromName                    
    module = __import__(module_name)                                                                                            
  File "/Users/igork/developer/github/python/testzipapp/tests/test_fun.py", line 2, in <module>                                 
    from mymodule.fun import Fun                                                                                                
  File "/Users/igork/developer/github/python/testzipapp/mymodule/fun.py", line 8, in <module>                                   
    from bar import Bar                                                                                                         
ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'bar'                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
----------------------------------------------------------------------                                                          
Ran 1 test in 0.000s                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
FAILED (errors=1)

To fix the error I added next lines to tests/__init__.py file:

import sys                    
sys.path.append('mymodule')

To summarize: the structure of the project I use is:

testzipapp $ tree -L 2             
.                                             
├── create-pyz.sh                              
├── mymodule                                  
│   ├── __main__.py                            
│   ├── bar.py                                
│   ├── fun.py                                
├── mymodule.pyz                              
└── tests                                     
    ├── __init__.py                           
    ├── test_fun.py

file tests/test_fun.py is:

import unittest                                                 
from mymodule.fun import Fun                                    
                                                                
                                                                
class TestFunImports(unittest.TestCase):                        
    def test_fun_run(self):                                     
        s = Fun()                                               
        s.run()                                                 
        self.assertEqual(2+2,4)

file mymodule/__main__.py is:

#!/usr/bin/env python                                                      
                                                                           
import sys                                                                                                                            
from fun import Fun                                                        
                                                                           
def main():                                                                
    sys.stdout.write('main is running ')                                   
    Fun().run()                                                            
                                                                           
if __name__ == '__main__':                                                 
    main()

What is the correct way to import modules for standalone app created using `python -m zipapp`?

1 Answers1