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To call a function defined in another Python file, import it from that file as a module. For sibling files, use from helpers import greet and call greet(), or use import helpers and call helpers.greet(). The module name is the filename without .py.

Import a function from a sibling file

Python treats a .py file as a module. If both files are in the same directory, the importing file can refer to the other file by its name without the extension.

project/
├── main.py
└── helpers.py

Define the function in helpers.py:

def greet(name):
    return f"Hello, {name}!"

Then import and call it from main.py:

from helpers import greet

print(greet("Ada"))

This binds greet directly in main.py. Alternatively, keep the module name visible in the call:

import helpers

print(helpers.greet("Ada"))

The Python tutorial explains both direct imports and calls qualified by the module name: Python modules.

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Import from a package

When files are arranged in a package, use the package path in the import. For example:

project/
└── my_app/
    ├── __init__.py
    ├── main.py
    └── helpers.py

Inside my_app/main.py, a relative import refers to another module in the same package:

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from .helpers import greet

If you launch the application from the project root as a package, you can instead use an absolute import:

from my_app.helpers import greet

Relative imports need package context. A top-level script run directly does not have a package name for resolving a leading dot; for a main module, use an absolute import. Python’s __main__ documentation shows package imports and running a package with python -m: Python __main__.

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Choose the import syntax that fits

Situation Example How to call it
Import one function directly from helpers import greet greet()
Keep the module visible import helpers helpers.greet()
Import from a package from my_app.helpers import greet greet()
Import from the current package from .helpers import greet greet(); run in package context

For ordinary application code, prefer explicit imports. The tutorial cautions against from helpers import *: it brings an unclear set of names into the current namespace and may hide existing names. See the Python tutorial’s module guidance.

Keep script startup code out of imports

Python executes a module’s top-level code when it is imported. Put work intended only for direct script execution—such as printing output or starting a command-line program—behind the __main__ guard:

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def greet(name):
    return f"Hello, {name}!"

if __name__ == "__main__":
    print(greet("Ada"))

When Python runs this file directly, __name__ is "__main__" and the guarded code runs. When another file imports it, that condition is false, so the guarded block is skipped. The function remains available to import. Details are in the Python tutorial.

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Fix a ModuleNotFoundError

If Python cannot find the module, verify the name and how the project is launched before changing the import path. Python’s import system raises ModuleNotFoundError when a requested module cannot be found; for a dotted name, it tries the parent packages and then the requested submodule. See the Python import system reference.

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  • Check the module name: Use the filename without .py, and match its spelling. For helpers.py, the module is helpers.
  • Check the layout: Sibling files can use a simple module name; nested files require the appropriate package path.
  • Check the launch context: Python’s search path depends on how the program is started. The script directory—or the current directory when no script is specified—is included, along with other configured locations. See the tutorial’s discussion of the module search path.
  • Check for name conflicts: Because the script directory appears early in the search path, a local file with the same name as a standard-library or intended third-party module can be imported instead.

Rather than adding arbitrary sys.path edits as a first fix, align the directory structure, import statement, and launch command.

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