Tag: create custom modules

Python: Create, Import, and Use a Module

On By Ben Larson Ph.D.In PythonLeave a comment

Today we are going to cover what I consider a flaw in the iPython Notebook environment. Code you write cannot be imported into another program like you can using just a standard Python compiler. At least it cannot under its native .ipynb format.

There is a work around though. Starting jupyter notebooks up with the –script command results in your notebook being saved as both a ipynb file and a .py file. And .py is what we are looking for.

pyModu

note ‘–script‘ is being deprecated in favor of nbconvert. But as of this moment it still works and will work on older versions you have downloaded as well.

Create a Module

I am going to create a little module call add2. This module contains 3 simple functions: sqr2, sub2, and add2

pyModu1

You can see that now along with my add2.ipynb file, I have a add2.py file.

pyModu2

In my instance, my iPython notebooks are stored under my user directory. If you are not sure where you notebooks are, you can use the pwd command (print working directory)

pyModu3.jpg

** note the double \\ are due to a formatting function in Python. \ is a break command that can be used for many purposes. Example \t means to insert a tab.

pyModu4.jpg

So effectively you have to use \\ if you want a \ in Python, making my working directory C:\Users\Benjamin  

Import the Module

Now if I open up a new notebook and try using the functions I have just created, I will error out.

pyModu5.jpg

So, what I need to do is import add2, then I can start calling on the functions I created in add2

pyModu6

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