Import in a DAT, but acting like import in textport

General TouchDesigner Discussion
1

if I import mymodule in the textport, i can use mymodule.foo in the parameters of any OP.

how can trigger this “global” import from a DAT?

2

I wouldn’t rely on that behavior, in fact the namespace of textport has been separated from parameter namespaces in later builds.

Instead consider using import(“name”) function in parameters.

Cheers.

3

Hi Rob

thank you. Unfortunately I didn’t have any success with import(“some_package”) inside a parameter. It always errors with invalid syntax. same in textport.

And if it works, how would I, in the same parameter access an attribute of the package?

Thanks again!

4

Are you using the double underscores? (Sorry, they got formatted earlier).
(No spaces as well)

__ import __(name)

If so, this returns the module object, and you use it the same as if you had just imported that word.

ie:

import X
X.y.func()

becomes

__ import __ (“X”).y.func() (no spaces)

1 Like
5

perfect. that works. thank you ! Hopefully the final question.

With the following code in some_package/__init__.py

# handle relative (tox) paths
Folder = __path__[0]
Tox = f"{Folder}/net.tox"
Icon= f"{Folder}/icon.png"

# handle extension
from some_package import ext 
Ext = ext.Class

I now can do:

  • par.externaltox: __import__("pysubprocess_op").Tox

Is there a way to modify this so i can skip the __import__ for other parameters (in the same op)?

So that I can just type:

  • par.extension1: some_package.Ext(me) or even better just
  • par.Icon: Icon

If I am not mistaken the externaltox parameter is evaluated before all other params (during file load) . Therefore the package is always imported and ready to be referenced from those parameters

6

We can’t guarantee the order the parameters are evaluated in, and if they share a module namespace that may change, so each expression really should include the __import__ call.
However the import call itself, used in this way should be very lightweight if that helps at all.

Cheers,
Rob.