What is causing Import Error: "no module named modules"?

Question

I am working on my first open source project.

While getting everything setup for the project, I followed the README.md step by step.

Now, I run into a problem. When I try to run a test and src scripts, I get the following error,

ImportError: No module named modules

Now, below is the file structure.

../
   /modules
        __init__.py
        /src
            lyrics.py 
        /tests
            test_lyrics.py 

lyrics.py import statements

import modules

def test_lyrics():
    assert('lyrics' == modules.process_query('paradise lyrics')[0])

This is where the error "Import Error: modules not found".

Yes, all the requirements on the README were met.

If you want to take a look at the project, check it out on github.

Answer 1

It could be that your module's directory is not being read by your PYTHONPATH. To check this go to your home directory and look for a .bashrc or some kind of .profile file. You may have to use ls -a to see these hidden files. If you don't see your module's address listed, add this to the file:

export PYTHONPATH="${PYTHONPATH}:/my/module/path"

Make sure the address points to the directory with your highest-level __init__.py file as python uses it to read the directory as a python package.

Answer 2

Use python -m site to conveniently view the effect of the $PYTHONPATH env var on sys.path.

Code authors will often assume that current directory is in your path:

$ export PYTHONPATH=.

If you intend to use . current directory, then pay careful attention to which one's in use at the time the script starts running. You may want to view this value: os.getcwd()