How Can I Retrieve the Path of a Python Module?

Retrieving Module Path in Python

In Python, determining a module's path is essential for various purposes, such as change detection. To achieve this, there are several approaches that you can employ:

Method 1: Using file Attribute

The __file__ attribute is a convenient way to obtain the path to the loaded Python module. However, note that this may return the path to the compiled bytecode file (.pyc) rather than the original source file. To ensure accuracy, you can use the inspect module as follows:

import inspect

module_path = inspect.getfile(a_module)

Method 2: Using os.path.abspath and os.path.dirname

To obtain the absolute path to the module and its directory, you can combine os.path.abspath and os.path.dirname functions:

import os

module_path = os.path.abspath(a_module.__file__)
module_dir = os.path.dirname(module_path)

Additional Considerations:

• If the module is a built-in module, its path may not be available.
• Some modules, such as those specified via paths in sys.path, may return paths that include symbolic links. Therefore, it's advisable to use os.path.realpath to resolve any symbolic links.

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