Optimizing Imports in python

Question

I have a folder that contains several files with the extension. py and inside each file has a dictionary with the data of the monsters that I need to start. However, the more monsters I create, the bigger this list of Imports gets. Is there any way to import all the folder and all the dictionaries at once?

from units import Monster
from data.creatures.monster_list.rat import rat
from data.creatures.monster_list.snake import snake
from data.creatures.monster_list.scorpion import scorpion
from data.creatures.monster_list.lion import lion
from data.creatures.monster_list.wolf import wolf
from data.creatures.monster_list.warlock import warlock
MONSTERS = [rat,snake,scorpion,lion,wolf,warlock]

Answer 1

The ideal thing is to have a schema to make a dynamic import of files in the same folder. This code can run in the file __init__ from a folder - and as soon as you import that folder as a package, all the files .py of it are read.

Traditionally, the way to import a module from a string (i.e., a data, in contrast to the module name typed directly into the program as a parameter for the command import) is with the call __import__. Historical questions, however, its use is more complicated than it needs to be -with a single parameter it ends up returning the root package of the string you passed (in your example, the package data)

Then, in a generic way, it is possible to make an import that brings everything you have in the directory. In your case, as you want to make the imported classes available in a data structure (a list), it might be worth doing something more targeted:

from importlib import import_module
from pathlib import Path

def import_creatures(package_name):
    root_package = import_module("package_name")
    package_path = Path(root_package.__file__).parent
    creature_classes = []
    for source_file in package_path.glob("*.py"):
        module = import_module(source_file)
        name = source_file.stem
        # Tenta importar a classe se tiver nome comecando com letra maiuscula também
        cls = getattr(module, name, getattr(module, name.title(), None))
        if not cls:
            continue
        creature_classes.append(cls)
    return creature_classes

MONSTERS = import_creatures("data.creatures.monster_list")

This code always tries to get the class that has the same name as the file, as in your example - but it is also possible to insert the module (taking module.__dict__.items() for example), and take all objects that are subclass of a specific class - if all of yours inherit from "Monster" for example - then you can quietly have more than one monster definition per file, and still have freedom to name the classes.

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Changing the subject -and this game? Will be released? Is in public repository? We can contribute?? :-)

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Another note, like the first package of your import name is data, your project is probably not yet structured itself as a Python package that can be installed - and it will only work if you run the main program from the folder where it is (and then, in that folder there is the folder data, but that for Python is an independent package of your project).

Ideally, your project directory has a __init__.py, and you work from a folder above, where with a file setup.py minimum, you can type pip install --editable . so that your game is seen as "all". In this case, the Imports will change to meujogo.data.creatures.... , or a "." in the front - .data.creatures... - but the whole project gets a "feeling" of a single product - it’s much cooler.

The setup.py you need is something like:

from setuptools import setup

setup(
    name='route_optimizer',
    version='0.1',
    author='Thomas Caio',
    py_packages=['meujogo'],
    install_requires=[],

)

Answer 2

A simple way to make Imports is to import all files from the folder:

from data.creatures.monster_list import *

The problem is that it would import the files and to access the classes would need to do Arquivo.Classe. If this isn’t a problem for you, it’s a great solution.