What is standard and not ... in python

DanPatterson_Retired

Some more information on finding python, its modules and whether they are built-in, modules of the standard distribution or those in the site-packages folder

References:

  29.12. inspect — Inspect live objects — Python 3.4.4 documentation look at the table on Types and Members

  http://stackoverflow.com/questions/247770/retrieving-python-module-path just one of hundreds of examples.

Type	Attribute	Description
module	__doc__	documentation string
	__file__	filename (missing for built-in modules)

Tips	Example
A standard installation compatible with ArcMap and arcpy is assumed. These: dir(module_name) help(module_name) are your friends. Look for a __file__ property in the function/property list.	The os module does... <SPAN class="operator token">>></SPAN><SPAN class="operator token">></SPAN> <SPAN class="keyword token">import</SPAN>&nbsp; os <SPAN class="operator token">>></SPAN><SPAN class="operator token">></SPAN> dir<SPAN class="punctuation token">(</SPAN>os<SPAN class="punctuation token">)</SPAN> <SPAN class="punctuation token">[</SPAN> <SPAN class="punctuation token">.</SPAN><SPAN class="punctuation token">.</SPAN><SPAN class="punctuation token">.</SPAN> snip <SPAN class="punctuation token">.</SPAN><SPAN class="punctuation token">.</SPAN><SPAN class="punctuation token">.</SPAN> <SPAN class="string token">'__doc__'</SPAN><SPAN class="punctuation token">,</SPAN> <SPAN class="string token">'__file__'</SPAN><SPAN class="punctuation token">,</SPAN> <SPAN class="string token">'__loader__'</SPAN><SPAN class="punctuation token">,</SPAN> <SPAN class="string token">'__name__'</SPAN><SPAN class="punctuation token">,</SPAN> <SPAN class="punctuation token">.</SPAN><SPAN class="punctuation token">.</SPAN><SPAN class="punctuation token">.</SPAN> snip <SPAN class="punctuation token">.</SPAN><SPAN class="punctuation token">.</SPAN><SPAN class="punctuation token">.</SPAN> <SPAN class="punctuation token">]</SPAN> <SPAN class="operator token">>></SPAN><SPAN class="operator token">></SPAN> os<SPAN class="punctuation token">.</SPAN>__file__ <SPAN class="string token">'C:\\Python34\\lib\\os.py'</SPAN> <SPAN class="operator token">>></SPAN><SPAN class="operator token">></SPAN> <SPAN class="line-numbers-rows"><SPAN>‍</SPAN><SPAN>‍</SPAN><SPAN>‍</SPAN><SPAN>‍</SPAN><SPAN>‍</SPAN><SPAN>‍</SPAN><SPAN>‍</SPAN></SPAN> The time module doesn't <SPAN class="operator token">>></SPAN><SPAN class="operator token">></SPAN> <SPAN class="keyword token">import</SPAN> time <SPAN class="operator token">>></SPAN><SPAN class="operator token">></SPAN> dir<SPAN class="punctuation token">(</SPAN>time<SPAN class="punctuation token">)</SPAN> <SPAN class="punctuation token">[</SPAN> <SPAN class="punctuation token">.</SPAN><SPAN class="punctuation token">.</SPAN><SPAN class="punctuation token">.</SPAN> snip <SPAN class="punctuation token">.</SPAN><SPAN class="punctuation token">.</SPAN><SPAN class="punctuation token">.</SPAN> <SPAN class="string token">'__doc__'</SPAN><SPAN class="punctuation token">,</SPAN> <SPAN class="string token">'__file__'</SPAN><SPAN class="punctuation token">,</SPAN> <SPAN class="string token">'__loader__'</SPAN><SPAN class="punctuation token">,</SPAN> <SPAN class="string token">'__name__'</SPAN><SPAN class="punctuation token">,</SPAN> <SPAN class="punctuation token">.</SPAN><SPAN class="punctuation token">.</SPAN><SPAN class="punctuation token">.</SPAN> snip <SPAN class="punctuation token">.</SPAN><SPAN class="punctuation token">.</SPAN><SPAN class="punctuation token">.</SPAN> <SPAN class="punctuation token">]</SPAN> <SPAN class="operator token">>></SPAN><SPAN class="operator token">></SPAN> time<SPAN class="punctuation token">.</SPAN>__file__&nbsp;&nbsp; <SPAN class="comment token"># I will try anyway</SPAN> Traceback <SPAN class="punctuation token">(</SPAN>most recent call last<SPAN class="punctuation token">)</SPAN><SPAN class="punctuation token">:</SPAN> &nbsp; File <SPAN class="string token">"<interactive input>"</SPAN><SPAN class="punctuation token">,</SPAN> line <SPAN class="number token">1</SPAN><SPAN class="punctuation token">,</SPAN> <SPAN class="keyword token">in</SPAN> <SPAN class="operator token"><</SPAN>module<SPAN class="operator token">></SPAN> AttributeError<SPAN class="punctuation token">:</SPAN> <SPAN class="string token">'module'</SPAN> object has no attribute <SPAN class="string token">'__file__'</SPAN> <SPAN class="line-numbers-rows"><SPAN>‍</SPAN><SPAN>‍</SPAN><SPAN>‍</SPAN><SPAN>‍</SPAN><SPAN>‍</SPAN><SPAN>‍</SPAN><SPAN>‍</SPAN><SPAN>‍</SPAN></SPAN>
Modules in the C:\PythonXX\lib\ folder will have a __file__ property.	<SPAN class="operator token">>></SPAN><SPAN class="operator token">></SPAN> <SPAN class="comment token"># from ... C:\Python34\Lib&nbsp;&nbsp; ... folder</SPAN> <SPAN class="operator token">>></SPAN><SPAN class="operator token">></SPAN> <SPAN class="keyword token">import</SPAN> collections <SPAN class="operator token">>></SPAN><SPAN class="operator token">></SPAN> collections<SPAN class="punctuation token">.</SPAN>__file__ <SPAN class="string token">'C:\\Python34\\lib\\collections\\__init__.py'</SPAN> <SPAN class="line-numbers-rows"><SPAN>‍</SPAN><SPAN>‍</SPAN><SPAN>‍</SPAN><SPAN>‍</SPAN></SPAN>
Modules that aren't part of the standard distribution and have to be installed via pip or other means, get put in the site-packages folder and they will have a __file__	How about arcpy? <SPAN class="operator token">>></SPAN><SPAN class="operator token">></SPAN> <SPAN class="keyword token">import</SPAN> arcpy <SPAN class="operator token">>></SPAN><SPAN class="operator token">></SPAN> arcpy<SPAN class="punctuation token">.</SPAN>__file__ <SPAN class="string token">'C:\\Program Files\\ArcGIS\\Pro\\Resources\\ArcPy\\arcpy\\__init__.py'</SPAN> <SPAN class="operator token">>></SPAN><SPAN class="operator token">></SPAN> <SPAN class="line-numbers-rows"><SPAN>‍</SPAN><SPAN>‍</SPAN><SPAN>‍</SPAN><SPAN>‍</SPAN></SPAN> And my fav... <SPAN class="operator token">>></SPAN><SPAN class="operator token">></SPAN> <SPAN class="keyword token">import</SPAN> numpy <SPAN class="keyword token">as</SPAN> np <SPAN class="operator token">>></SPAN><SPAN class="operator token">></SPAN> np<SPAN class="punctuation token">.</SPAN>__file__ <SPAN class="string token">'C:\\Python34\\lib\\site-packages\\numpy\\__init__.py'</SPAN> <SPAN class="line-numbers-rows"><SPAN>‍</SPAN><SPAN>‍</SPAN><SPAN>‍</SPAN></SPAN>
You can use the inspect module as well... all the cool programmers do ...	Numpy was previously imported as np. Notice the results are the same as the np.__file__ approach. <SPAN class="operator token">>></SPAN><SPAN class="operator token">></SPAN> <SPAN class="keyword token">import</SPAN> inspect <SPAN class="operator token">>></SPAN><SPAN class="operator token">></SPAN> inspect<SPAN class="punctuation token">.</SPAN>getfile<SPAN class="punctuation token">(</SPAN>np<SPAN class="punctuation token">)</SPAN> <SPAN class="string token">'C:\\Python34\\lib\\site-packages\\numpy\\__init__.py'</SPAN> <SPAN class="operator token">>></SPAN><SPAN class="operator token">></SPAN> <SPAN class="line-numbers-rows"><SPAN>‍</SPAN><SPAN>‍</SPAN><SPAN>‍</SPAN><SPAN>‍</SPAN></SPAN> Lets try time. <SPAN class="operator token">>></SPAN><SPAN class="operator token">></SPAN> inspect<SPAN class="punctuation token">.</SPAN>getfile<SPAN class="punctuation token">(</SPAN>time<SPAN class="punctuation token">)</SPAN> Traceback <SPAN class="punctuation token">(</SPAN>most recent call last<SPAN class="punctuation token">)</SPAN><SPAN class="punctuation token">:</SPAN> &nbsp; File <SPAN class="string token">"<interactive input>"</SPAN><SPAN class="punctuation token">,</SPAN> line <SPAN class="number token">1</SPAN><SPAN class="punctuation token">,</SPAN> <SPAN class="keyword token">in</SPAN> <SPAN class="operator token"><</SPAN>module<SPAN class="operator token">></SPAN> &nbsp; File <SPAN class="string token">"C:\Python34\lib\inspect.py"</SPAN><SPAN class="punctuation token">,</SPAN> line <SPAN class="number token">518</SPAN><SPAN class="punctuation token">,</SPAN> <SPAN class="keyword token">in</SPAN> getfile &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <SPAN class="keyword token">raise</SPAN> TypeError<SPAN class="punctuation token">(</SPAN><SPAN class="string token">'{!r} is a built-in module'</SPAN><SPAN class="punctuation token">.</SPAN>format<SPAN class="punctuation token">(</SPAN>object<SPAN class="punctuation token">)</SPAN><SPAN class="punctuation token">)</SPAN> TypeError<SPAN class="punctuation token">:</SPAN> <SPAN class="operator token"><</SPAN>module <SPAN class="string token">'time'</SPAN> <SPAN class="punctuation token">(</SPAN>built<SPAN class="operator token">-</SPAN><SPAN class="keyword token">in</SPAN><SPAN class="punctuation token">)</SPAN><SPAN class="operator token">></SPAN> <SPAN class="keyword token">is</SPAN> a built<SPAN class="operator token">-</SPAN><SPAN class="keyword token">in</SPAN> module <SPAN class="operator token">>></SPAN><SPAN class="operator token">></SPAN> <SPAN class="line-numbers-rows"><SPAN>‍</SPAN><SPAN>‍</SPAN><SPAN>‍</SPAN><SPAN>‍</SPAN><SPAN>‍</SPAN><SPAN>‍</SPAN><SPAN>‍</SPAN></SPAN> No... it is a built-in. But... you can another way... <SPAN class="operator token">>></SPAN><SPAN class="operator token">></SPAN> <SPAN class="keyword token">import</SPAN> time <SPAN class="operator token">>></SPAN><SPAN class="operator token">></SPAN> inspect<SPAN class="punctuation token">.</SPAN>getmodule<SPAN class="punctuation token">(</SPAN>time<SPAN class="punctuation token">)</SPAN> <SPAN class="operator token"><</SPAN>module <SPAN class="string token">'time'</SPAN> <SPAN class="punctuation token">(</SPAN>built<SPAN class="operator token">-</SPAN><SPAN class="keyword token">in</SPAN><SPAN class="punctuation token">)</SPAN><SPAN class="operator token">></SPAN> <SPAN class="operator token">>></SPAN><SPAN class="operator token">></SPAN> <SPAN class="line-numbers-rows"><SPAN>‍</SPAN><SPAN>‍</SPAN><SPAN>‍</SPAN><SPAN>‍</SPAN></SPAN>