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How to Create a Python Package

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In Brief...

Python packages are very easy to create, but not so easy to design. A Python package is just a group of files (and possibly subfolders) stored in a directory that includes a file named __init__.py.

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Instructions

To create a package in Python:

  1. Create a new folder.
  2. Add a __init__.py file to the folder. It does not need to contain any code. For example, the __init__.py file within Lib/idlelib (the package for the IDLE editor) looks like this: 
    # Dummy file to make this a package.
  3. You can include code in the __init__.py file that will initialize the package.
  4. You can also (but do not have to) set a global __all__ variable, which should contain a list of files to be imported when a file imports your package using 
    from package_name import *
    If you do not set the __all__ variable, then that form of import will not be allowed, which may be just fine.

As you see, the steps involved in creating modules and packages for import is relatively straightforward. However, designing useful and easy-to-use modules and packages takes a lot of planning and thought.

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