How to structure python packages without repeating top level name for import

Question

I'm brand new at python package management, and surely have done something wrong. I was encouraged to create a directory structure as follows:

bagoftricks ├── bagoftricks │   ├── bagoftricks │   │   ├── __init__.py │   │   └── bagoftricks.py │   └── __init__.py ├── README.md └── setup.py 

bagoftricks.py contains two functions, levenshtein() and geofind().

I would like to call these as:

import bagoftricks  x = bagoftricks.levenshtein(arg1,arg2)  

Instead, I find I have to do this:

import bagoftricks  x = bagoftricks.bagoftricks.levenshtein(arg1,arg2)  

Is there a better way to organize my packages in the first place, without the naming redundancy?

UPDATE

So, I followed Avichal Badaya's instructions below, and removed one level of nesting. That is, I now have...

bagoftricks ├── bagoftricks │   ├── __init__.py │   └── bagoftricks.py ├── README.md └── setup.py 

However, to call this package, I still have...

from bagoftricks.bagoftricks import geofind() 

or

import bagoftricks 

then

>>> bagoftricks.bagoftricks.geofind() 

Rather than the desired....

from bagoftricks import geofind() 

or

import bagoftricks  >>> bagoftricks.geofind() 

I cannot remove that extra layer of nesting. When I try, by analogy, to remove one more level of nesting, so that my module is flat, as:

bagoftricks ├── __init__.py ├── bagoftricks.py ├── README.md └── setup.py 

I cannot build the package at all...

$ python setup.py build running build running build_py error: package directory 'bagoftricks' does not exist 

What's the secret for natural imports like standard packages use, without redundant top-level name imports?

Answer 1

The first level "bagoftricks" is fine. That's just the name of your "project" so to speak. In the you have a setup.py, and other files that tell the packaging systems what they need to know.

You can then have the code directly in this module, or in a src directory. You can even go as far as just having this structure:

bagoftricks ├── bagoftricks.py ├── README.md └── setup.py 

But I would not recommend that, mostly because you might want to reorganize things later, and it's easier if you already have a "proper" package. Also most people, tools and docs assume you have a package, so it's easier.

So the minimum would be:

bagoftricks ├── bagoftricks │   └── __init__.py ├── README.md └── setup.py 

With __init__.py containing the functions you want to import. You then use these functions like this:

from bagoftricks import levenshtein, anotherfunction 

Once that __init__.py becomes too big, you want to split it up in several modules, giving you something like this:

bagoftricks ├── bagoftricks │   ├── __init__.py │   ├── anothermodule.py │   └── levenshtein.py ├── README.md └── setup.py 

Your __init__.py should then import the functions from the various modules:

from bagoftricks.levenshtein import levenshtein from bagoftricks.anothermodule import anotherfunction 

And then you can still use them like like you did before.

Answer 2

with the updated structure you posted

bagoftricks ├── bagoftricks │   ├── __init__.py │   └── bagoftricks.py ├── README.md └── setup.py  into bagoftricks/__init__.py import all functions that you need  __init__.py from bagoftricks import geofind, levenshtein 

into a different program you can do the follwing

from bagoftricks import geofind import bagoftricks; bagoftricks.geofind(); bagoftricks.bagoftriks.geofind() 

note that you can import as well a wild card

from bagoftricks import *