Why do I keep getting this big error in python. Traceback (most recent call last)..... and AttributeError

Question

I have been learning python and getting different things off the internet and putting them all into this game I am making: "You wake up..." It's a text based assci RPG (Roll playing game). It worked until I got this error:

Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "C:\Users\William\Desktop\Programming\Programs\You wake up\main.py", line 16, in <module>
    import helper
  File "C:\Users\William\Desktop\Programming\Programs\You wake up\helper.py", line 13, in <module>
    import main
  File "C:\Users\William\Desktop\Programming\Programs\You wake up\main.py", line 103, in <module>
    init()
  File "C:\Users\William\Desktop\Programming\Programs\You wake up\main.py", line 41, in init
    game_text()
  File "C:\Users\William\Desktop\Programming\Programs\You wake up\main.py", line 77, in game_text
    helper.way_out_quest()
AttributeError: 'module' object has no attribute 'way_out_quest'

This is the main file (main.py):

#-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
# Name:        main.py
# Purpose:     An RPG (Roll playing game) where you wake up in a room and have
#              to figure out text based puzzles to escape.
#              The whole game will be done in a terminal (Shell) and will be
#              completely text and assci code. This will be the main file.
#
# Author:      William
#
# Created:     15/12/2013
# Copyright:   (c) William 2013
#-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

import time
import assci
import helper

#Non-maluable variables:
__name__ = '__main__'
#Maluable variables:

#Error message if main.py is called from a different file
if __name__ != '__main__':
    print("[ERROR]: main.py is the main file and should not be called by any other file.")
    time.sleep(3)
    exit()

#The function that starts/restarts the game
def init():
    """
    Calls all the functions to start the game/ restart the game
    """
    #Display a cool banner
    assci.ywu_banner(2)

    START_INPUT = input("Press ENTER/RETURN on your keyboard to start the game")
    time.sleep(0.7)
    assci.clear()

    #Game text.
    game_text()

#The text which is the main story line after the banner which gives the player
#A sense of what the setting is about
def game_text():
    """
    Prints out a bit of text 2 lines down and clears the screen every 4 or so
    seconds.
    """
    time.sleep(5)

    print("\n\nYour eyes gradually open")
    time.sleep(4)
    assci.clear()
    time.sleep(2)

    print("\n\nAfter waking up, you slowly gather your senses and sit up...")
    time.sleep(4.5)
    assci.clear()
    time.sleep(2)

    print("\n\nYou look around the room, and unexpectidly, you realise your in some sort of a prison cell!")
    time.sleep(4)
    assci.clear()
    time.sleep(2)

    print("\n\nIt's a sqaure room made of iron.")
    time.sleep(4)
    assci.clear()
    time.sleep(2)

    print("\n\nHow did I get here? -You think to yourself")
    time.sleep(4)
    assci.clear()
    time.sleep(2)

    helper.way_out_quest()

    assci.clear()
    time.sleep(2)

    print("\n\nYou see a wooden door with 5 buttons and a handel...  " + assci.WOODEN_DOOR)
    time.sleep(6)
    assci.clear()
    time.sleep(2)

    print("\n\nWhat was that? ...you think to your self.")
    time.sleep(4)
    assci.clear()
    time.sleep(2)

    print("\n\nWhat was that? ...you think to your self.")
    time.sleep(4)
    assci.clear()
    time.sleep(2)

    print("\n\nYou look around the room and walk slowly towards the iron door..")
    time.sleep(4)
    assci.clear()
    time.sleep(2)

#Call init() function to start the game (init = initiate)
init()

helper.py:

#-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
# Name:        helper
# Purpose:     To contain helper functions for the game "Yoy wake up..."
#
# Author:      William
#
# Created:     17/12/2013
# Copyright:   (c) William 2013
#-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

import time
import assci
import main

#Error message if user executes the wrong file.
if __name__ == '__main__':
    print("[ERROR]: Do not run this file. Run main.py - this file should not be executed!")
    time.sleep(4)
    exit()

#Function for the first quest: do you want to find a way out?
def way_out_quest():
    """
    If the question is not answered, then the player can't move on. If they say
    yes, then they continue through the script. If they say no, then the init
    function is called from main.py
    """
    way_out_answered = False
    while way_out_answered == False:
        WAY_OUT_INPUT = input("Quest: Do you want to find a way out? ")
        if WAY_OUT_INPUT in ["yes", "Yes", "YES"]:
            way_out_answered = True

        elif WAY_OUT_INPUT in ["no", "No", "NO"]:
            way_out_answered = True
            time.sleep(2)
            assci.clear()
            print("GAME\nOVER!")
            time.sleep (5)
            assci.clear()
            main.init()

        else:
            print("Type yes or no. ")

        time.sleep(4)

This is the assci file with all the art/clear and text functions and stuff (assci.py):

#-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
# Name:        assci
# Purpose:     To create all the assci art and graphic tools for the game:
#              "you wake up..."
#
# Author:      William Bryant
#
# Created:     15/12/2013
# Copyright:   (c) William 2013
#-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

import time
import os

WOODEN_DOOR = """ ______________________________
/_____/_____/_____/_____/_____/
 ._.                    ._.
 | |                    | |
 |_|   ______   ______  |_|
 |-|  /_____/  /_____/  |-|
 | |                    | |
 |_|                    |_|
 ._.                    ._.
 | |                    | |
 |_|   ______           |_|
 |-|  /_____/           |-|
 | |              /\    | |
 |_|              \/    |_|
 ._.                    ._.
 | |                    | |
 |_|   ______   ______  |_|
 |-|  /_____/  /_____/  |-|
 | |                    | |
 |_|                    |_|

  ______   ______   ______   ______   ______   ______   ______   ______
 /_____/  /_____/  /_____/  /_____/  /_____/  /_____/  /_____/  /_____/
 /_____/  /_____/  /_____/  /_____/  /_____/  /_____/  /_____/  /_____/"""

#Error message if user executes the wrong file.
if __name__ == '__main__':
    print("[ERROR]: Do not run this file. Run main.py - this file should not be executed!")
    time.sleep(4)
    exit()

#Clear function
def clear():
    """
    Clears the console screen using the built in commands on a operating
    system (here linux and windows)
    """
    os.system(['clear','cls', "^L"][os.name == 'nt'])

#"Wake up..." title/banner at the start
def ywu_banner(num_of_times):
    """
    Prints You wake up...(the game name) in ascii code big letters into a
    console and clears the screen using the clear function above and reprints
    the message to make the dots at the end appear to be moving.
    """
    print("__     __                         _")
    time.sleep(0.25)
    print("\ \   / /                        | |")
    time.sleep(0.25)
    print(" \ \_/ /__  _   _  __      ____ _| | _____   _   _ _ __")
    time.sleep(0.25)
    print("  \   / _ \| | | | \ \ /\ / / _` | |/ / _ \ | | | | '_ \ ")
    time.sleep(0.25)
    print("   | | (_) | |_| |  \ V  V / (_| |   <  __/ | |_| | |_) | _ _ ")
    time.sleep(0.25)
    print("   |_|\___/ \__,_|   \_/\_/ \__,_|_|\_\___|  \__,_| .__(_|_|_)")
    time.sleep(0.25)
    print("                                                  | |    ")
    time.sleep(0.25)
    print("                                                  |_| ")
    time.sleep(0.25)
    clear()

    for foo in range(num_of_times):
        print("__     __                         _")
        print("\ \   / /                        | |")
        print(" \ \_/ /__  _   _  __      ____ _| | _____   _   _ _ __")
        print("  \   / _ \| | | | \ \ /\ / / _` | |/ / _ \ | | | | '_ \ ")
        print("   | | (_) | |_| |  \ V  V / (_| |   <  __/ | |_| | |_) | _  ")
        print("   |_|\___/ \__,_|   \_/\_/ \__,_|_|\_\___|  \__,_| .__(_|_)")
        print("                                                  | |    ")
        print("                                                  |_| ")
        time.sleep(0.7)
        clear()

        print("__     __                         _")
        print("\ \   / /                        | |")
        print(" \ \_/ /__  _   _  __      ____ _| | _____   _   _ _ __")
        print("  \   / _ \| | | | \ \ /\ / / _` | |/ / _ \ | | | | '_ \ ")
        print("   | | (_) | |_| |  \ V  V / (_| |   <  __/ | |_| | |_) |  ")
        print("   |_|\___/ \__,_|   \_/\_/ \__,_|_|\_\___|  \__,_| .__(_)")
        print("                                                  | |    ")
        print("                                                  |_| ")
        time.sleep(0.7)
        clear()

        print("__     __                         _")
        print("\ \   / /                        | |")
        print(" \ \_/ /__  _   _  __      ____ _| | _____   _   _ _ __")
        print("  \   / _ \| | | | \ \ /\ / / _` | |/ / _ \ | | | | '_ \ ")
        print("   | | (_) | |_| |  \ V  V / (_| |   <  __/ | |_| | |_) |  ")
        print("   |_|\___/ \__,_|   \_/\_/ \__,_|_|\_\___|  \__,_| .___/")
        print("                                                  | |    ")
        print("                                                  |_| ")
        time.sleep(0.7)
        clear()

        print("__     __                         _")
        print("\ \   / /                        | |")
        print(" \ \_/ /__  _   _  __      ____ _| | _____   _   _ _ __")
        print("  \   / _ \| | | | \ \ /\ / / _` | |/ / _ \ | | | | '_ \ ")
        print("   | | (_) | |_| |  \ V  V / (_| |   <  __/ | |_| | |_) | _ _ ")
        print("   |_|\___/ \__,_|   \_/\_/ \__,_|_|\_\___|  \__,_| .__(_|_|_)")
        print("                                                  | |    ")
        print("                                                  |_| ")
        time.sleep(0.7)
        clear()

    START = input("Press ENTER/RETURN on your keyboard to start the game")
    time.sleep(0.7)
    clear()

Answer 1

Your init() call in main.py needs to be in an if __name__ == '__main__': block, and you should not set __name__ yourself - Python will do that automatically.

Otherwise your circular imports will cause helper to not be imported properly before init() is called. The sequence as it stands is going like this:

1. You run main.py, which starts main.py being evaluated.
2. The import helper line in main.py starts helper.py being evaluated.
3. The import main line in helper.py starts another evaluation of main.py because the main module has not been previously imported.
4. The import helper line in the second evaluation of main.py imports the existing helper object that was created when #2 started helper being imported, so this doesn't create an infinite loop - but the existing helper object hasn't fully loaded yet; it's still waiting for the main import to resolve.
5. The second evaluation of main hits the init() call at the bottom of main.py, which tries to run init() - but helper still isn't done loading, and thus the way_out_quest function in helper.py hasn't been evaluated yet and thus is not defined.

In general, it's best to avoid circular imports in the first place - then you don't have to worry about problems like this.