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How to import python file located in same subdirectory in a pycharm project

I have an input error in pycharm when debugging and running.
My project structure is rooted properly, etc./HW3/. so that HW3 is the root directory.
I have a subfolder in HW3, util, and a file, util/util.py. I have another file in util called run_tests.py.
In run_tests.py, I have the following import structure,
from util.util import my_functions, etc.
This yields an input error, from util.util import load_dataset,proportionate_sample
ImportError: No module named 'util.util'; 'util' is not a package
However, in the exact same project, in another directory (same level as util) called data, I have a file data/data_prep.py, which also imports functions from util/util.py using a similar import statement...and it runs without any problems.
Obviously, I am doing this in the course of doing a homework, so please understand: this is ancillary to the scope of the homework.
The problem goes away when I move the file to another directory. So I guess this question is How do I import a python file located in the same directory in a pycharm project? Because pycharm raises an error if I just do import util and prompts me to use the full name from the root.

Recommended Way:
Make sure to set the working folder as Sources.
You can do it in Pycharm -> Preferences -> Project: XYZ -> Project Structure
Select your working folder and mark it as Sources. Then Pycharm recognize the working folder as a Source folder for the project and you will be able to simply add other files within that folder by using
import filename.py
or
from filename.py import mudule1
=================
Not recommended way:
In Pycharmyou can simply add . before the .py file which you are going to import it from the same folder. In your case it will be
from .util import my_functions
Resource
There is a good reference also for more information with example how to implement Package Relative Imports. I would highly recommend to check this page.
Package Relative Imports

If you don't have an __init__.py create one and add this line
from util.util import my_function
then you can easily import the module in your scripts
the __init__.py tells python that it should treat that folder as a python package, it can also be used to import/load modules too.
in most cases the __init__.py is empty.
Quoting the docs:
The __init__.py files are required to make Python treat the
directories as containing packages; this is done to prevent
directories with a common name, such as string, from unintentionally
hiding valid modules that occur later on the module search path. In
the simplest case, __init__.py can just be an empty file, but it can
also execute initialization code for the package or set the __all__
variable, described later.

Right-click on the folder which you want to be marked as the source > Mark Directory as > Source root.

In my case, it worked only when I omit the extension. Example:
import filename

Note: May be a bit unrelated.
I was facing the same issue but I was unable to import a module in the same directory (rather than subdirectory as asked by OP) when running a jupyter notebook (here the directory didn't have __init__.py). Strangely, I had setup python path and interpreter location and everything. None of the other answers helped but changing the directory in python did.
import os
os.chdir(/path/to/your/directory/)
I'm using PyCharm 2017.3 on Ubuntu 16.04

I had the same issue with pycharm, but the actual mistake was that the file I was trying to import didn't have a .py extension, even though I was able to run it as a standalone script. Look in the explorer window and make sure it has a .py extension. If not, right click on the file in the explorer window, pick refactor, and then rename it with a .py extension.

In Pycharm go to "Run - Configuration" and uncheck
'Add Content root to Pythonpath' and
'Add source roots to Pythonpath',
then use
from filename import functionname

For me the issue was, the source directory was marked correctly, but my file to import was named starting with numeric value. Resolved by renaming it.
import 01_MyModuleToImport
to
import MyModuleToImport

Import own .py files in anaconda spyder

I've written my own mail.py module in spider (anaconda). I want to import this py file in other python (spider) files just by 'import mail'
I searched on the internet and couldn't find a clearly solution.

To import any python script, it should exist in the PYTHONPATH. You can check this with the following code:
import sys
print sys.path
To import your Python script:
Put both the scripts (main and the imported python script) in the
same directory.
Add the location of the file to be imported to the
sys.path.
For example, if the script is located as '/location/to/file/script.py':
import sys
sys.path.append('/location/to/file/')
import script

I had the same problem, my files were in same folder, yet it was throwing an error while importing the "to_be_imported_file.py".
I had to run the "to_be_imported_file.py" seperately before importing it to another file.
I hope it works for you too.

Searched for an answer for this question to. To use a .py file as a import module from your main folder, you need to place both files in one folder or append a path to the location. If you storage both files in one folder, then check the working directory in the upper right corner of the spyder interface. Because of the wrong working directory you will see a ModuleNotFoundError.

There are many options, e.g.
Place the mail.py file alongside the other python files (this works because the current working dir is on the PYTHONPATH.
Save a copy of mail.py in the anaconda python environment's "/lib/site-packages" folder so it will be available for any python script using that environment.

I did a slightly different solution approach that is less sophisticated. When I start my anaconda terminal it is at a C prompt. I just did a cd d:\mypython\lib in the beginning window before starting python. once I did that I could simply just import my own classes that I put in that library with "import MyClass as my" then I was off and running. It is interesting, I did 2 days of internet searching in my part time and could not find the answer either, until I asked a friend.
cd d:\mypython\lib
python
>>> import MyClass as my
>>> my1=my.MyClass()
>>> my1.doSomething()
worked for me on my anaconda / windows 10 environment python 3.6.6.

when calling any function from another file, it should be noted to not import any library inside the function

I believe the easiest solution is to place the directory containing your Python files into the Anaconda site-packages folder on your machine. I wrote an article outlining the whole process but, in short, you'll need to create a folder containing your python script and an __init__.py file. Then place that folder inside the site-packages folder in the Anaconda directory.
On Windows the site-packages directory is typically located at:
C:\Users\[your_username]\Anaconda3\Lib\site-packages\
On Mac the site-packages directory is typically located located at:
Users/[your_username]/opt/anaconda3/lib/[python3.8]/site-packages/
Notice, on Mac the Python version matters. You'll need to look for the directory that corresponds to the (base) Python version used by Anaconda. Also, anything I've placed inside of square brackets in the file paths above need to be changed according to your particular machine and Python version.
The file structure should look something like this:
~/
|__site-packages/
|__your_folder/
script.py
__init__.py
After you have the folder containing your script.py and __init__.py file moved into the site-packages subdirectory of Anaconda, you'll be able to import it from any script you run on your machine.

Importing Django that resides in project directory

I have Django installed inside of my project directory for a special project, but the imports are looking for Django to be placed somewhere within wherever python is loaded on my system, but
django is situated in
Projname/django
While my apps are in (manage.py is also here)
Projname/apps/
And the individual app directory would look more like:
Projname/apps/individualapp
My settings files are in:
Projname/apps/settings
Based on some reading here on SO, I thought doing this inside of my __init__.py files within each individual app would have worked, but didn't (plus, there are quiet a few apps):
import sys
import os
sys.path.append(os.path.abspath(os.path.join(os.path.dirname(__file__), '..', '..', 'django')))
I'm pretty new to this, so a solution would be great.

You need to add your "projname" directory to your system's Python Path in order for Python to find packages installed inside it. It looks like you're trying to do that with the code you're adding to __init.py__, but that's the hard way to do it - instead of adding every directory's path individually, you can just add the top level directory once.
If you're using Linux or Mac, put a line like this in your .bashrc or whatever shell configuration file you use:
export PYTHONPATH=$PYTHONPATH:/path/to/projname
Note that the directory you add to the Python Path needs to be a Python package directory, with an __init.py__ in it. If it's not, create an __init.py__ in your "projname" directory.

.bashrc didn't do the trick, but I think I fixed it based on this answer from another SO post:
https://stackoverflow.com/a/13359322/2899444

Using .pth files

I am trying to make a module discoverable on a system where I don't have write access to the global site-packages directory, and without changing the environment (PYTHONPATH). I have tried to place a .pth file in the same directory as a script I'm executing, but it seems to be ignored. E.g., I created a file extras.pth with the following content:
N:\PythonExtras\lib\site-packages
But the following script, placed and run in the same directory, prints False.
import sys
print r"N:\PythonExtras\lib\site-packages" in sys.paths
The only directory in sys.path to which I have write access is the directory containing the script. Is there another (currently non-existent) directory where I could place extras.pth and have it be seen? Is there a better way to go about this?
I'm using python 2.7 on Windows. All .pth questions I could find here use the system module directories.
Edit: I've tracked down the Windows per-user installation directory, at %APPDATA%\Python\Python27\site-packages. I can place a module there and it will be imported, but if I put a .pth file there, it has no effect. Is this really not supposed to work, or am I doing something wrong?

As described in the documentation, PTH files are only processed if they are in the site-packages directory. (More precisely, they are processed if they are in a "site directory", but "site directory" itself is a setting global to the Python installation and does not depend on the current directory or the directory where the script resides.)
If the directory containing your script is on sys.path, you could create a sitecustomize.py in that directory. This will be loaded when Python starts up. Inside sitecustomize.py, you can do:
import site
site.addsitedir('/some/dir/you/want/on/the/path')
This will not only add that directory, but will add it as a "site directory", causing PTH files there to be processed. This is handy if you want to create your own personal site-packages-like-directory.
If you only need to add one or two directories to the path, you could do so more simply. Just create a tiny Python library that manipulates sys.path, and then import that library from your script. Something like:
# makepath.py
import sys
sys.path.append('/whatever/dir/you/want')
# script.py
import makepath
Edit: Again, according to the documentation, there is the possibility of a site-specific directory in %APPDATA%\Python\PythonXY\site-packages (on Windows). You could try that, if in fact you have write access to that (and not just to your script directory).

You can make a .pth (path) file in a directory already in sys.path so it can be included/

Running Python in CMD not working

I am a Python beginner and I am having trouble running Python from CMD. I have added the Python installation directory as a PATH variable (;C:\Python27). I am able to run the Python Interpreter from CMD, however when I issue a command like "python file.py command" from CMD, it returns "Error2, Python can't open, no such file/directory".
So what I do is go to "cd C:\Folder\Folder2\My_Python_Files", then type the "file.py command" each and every time. Is there faster or more efficient way of doing this? I am currently running Python2.7 on Windows 8.

When you run python <script>, it requires an actual path to the script being provided. You cannot specify "file.py" alone, unless it is right there in your current directory.
In windows, here are two steps you can take:
Associate .py files with python. Then you can run them directly without the python command as: /path/to/file.py
(right click a .py -> properties -> change to associate with python.exe)
Further step: Add a location to your PATH environment which will contain your python scripts. From there, you can just do file.py and it will be found in your search path.
So you could add C:\Folder\Folder2\My_Python_Files to your PATH and that is where you can store your executable python scripts.
Also you can set the PATH variable temporarily during a shell session:
SET PATH=%PATH%;C:\path\to\project

Just like PATH environment variable lists several directories for the system to search for executables, the PYTHONPATH do the same for Python to search for .py files. If you want scripts in a folder to be globally accessible (i.e. you can reference them by name just like you want, or you can import them from other scripts), add that folder to PYTHONPATH (create it if it doesn't exist).
Note that the command to invoke a script that is in your PYTHONPATH is:
python -m file [<script arguments>]
(i.e. use the -m option to treat it as a module, and don't use the extension .py)
Here's an article explaining in more detail how Python finds its source files (both in the command line and through import).
Note that you can also refer to the script by using its full path:
python C:\Folder\Folder2\My_Python_Files\file.py command
But by doing this, other files in the same folder that this script might reference through import might not work (since Python doesn't know where to search for them).

Unless the project's folder is in the PATH, you cannot call the file unless you are inside the project's folder. Don't create PATHs for projects, unless they are needed; it's unnecessary.
Just transverse to the file's directory and run the command inside the directory. That will work.
If the project will be used by other projects/files, you can use PYTHONPATH to set the directory, so the other projects can successfully access it.
Hope that helps.