[IPython-user] (no subject)

[Fernando Perez]

On Sun, Jul 13, 2008 at 6:59 AM, kevin beckford <kevin@lazyweb.ca> wrote:
> I am struggling with a hopefully simple problem in ipython
> .0.8.4.  Basically, I'm finding that I need to exit the interpreter when i
> add a new module to site-packages.  I've tried reload et al, but these do
> not seem to have the effect i want, ( that effect being that i can stay in
> the interpreter, adding new modules to the python path , and having them
> available to me )
> for example:  I have a machine:
> I run ipython and try:
> import django
> This does not work because I've forgotten to actually install it.
> I screen over to my admin screen, install the module and then in order to
> get ipython to re-read the modules, I'm forced to exit and enter ipython
> again.  Since I run ipython out of my .screenrc this is a bit inconvenient.
>  How can i avoid this?

Mmh, I'm afraid that I'll need a more reproducible test case than
that, with the actual tracebacks,  to give you a suggestion.  Because
the generic case of "import foo, foo missing, install foo, repeat
import foo" does work:

#foobarz2.py doesn't exist:

In [5]: import foobarz2
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
ImportError                               Traceback (most recent call last)

/home/fperez/<ipython console> in <module>()

ImportError: No module named foobarz2


# go to admin screen, add foobarz2.py into $PYTHONPATH directory:
In [6]: import foobarz2
Here!

# The 'Here!' was printed by foobarz2.py.

So as you can see, for this simple case, it does work.  What does NOT
work is the following:

1. import foo: raises ImportError because  *IT* imports 'bar', which is missing
2. you go and install 'bar'
3. you repeat the 'foo' import.

That can fail, because a broken, half-imported foo is left in
sys.modules.  At that point you can try to do

import bar
reload(foo)

You can also try IPython's dreload():

dreload(foo)

which attempts a recursive reload.

But yes, in summary, module reloading in python in general is a bit of
an unpleasant  mess.

Cheers,

f