Python __import__() Builtin Function

Python __import__()

Python __import__() builtin function is invoked by the import statement. We may replace the default behaviour of import by importing builtins and assigning a new __import__() function call to builtins.__import__.

Please note that it is advised to use import statement instead of __import__() function.

In this tutorial, we will learn about the syntax of Python __import__() function, and learn how to use this function with the help of examples.

Syntax

The syntax of __import__() function is

import(name, globals=None, locals=None, fromlist=(), level=0)

where

Parameter	Required/ Optional	Description
name	Required	A string. Name of the module to import.
globals	Optional	A dictionary. Default value is None.
locals	Optional	A dictionary. Default value is None.
fromlist	Optional	A list of strings. Names of the objects or submodules that should be imported from the module. Default value is ().
level	Optional	An integer. Specifies whether to use absolute or relative imports. Default value is 0.

Example

In this example, we import math module using __import__() builtin function.

Python Program

math_module = __import__('math', globals(), locals(), [], 0)
print(math_module.sin(-99))

Output

0.9992068341863537

Conclusion

In this Python Tutorial, we have learnt the syntax of Python __import__() builtin function, and also learned how to use this function, with the help of Python example programs.