Import python package from local directory into interpreter

See the documentation for sys.path:

http://docs.python.org/library/sys.html#sys.path

To quote:

If the script directory is not available (e.g. if the interpreter is invoked interactively or if the script is read from standard input), path[0] is the empty string, which directs Python to search modules in the current directory first.

So, there's no need to monkey with sys.path if you're starting the python interpreter from the directory containing your module.

Also, to import your package, just do:

import mypackage

Since the directory containing the package is already in sys.path, it should work fine.

You can use relative imports only from in a module that was in turn imported as part of a package -- your script or interactive interpreter wasn't, so of course from . import (which means "import from the same package I got imported from") doesn't work. import mypackage will be fine once you ensure the parent directory of mypackage is in sys.path (how you managed to get your current directory away from sys.path I don't know -- do you have something strange in site.py, or...?)

To get your current directory back into sys.path there is in fact no better way than putting it there.

If you want to run an unmodified python script so it imports libraries from a specific local directory you can set the PYTHONPATH environment variable - e.g. in bash:

export PYTHONPATH=/home/user/my_libs
python myscript.py

If you just want it to import from the current working directory use the . notation:

export PYTHONPATH=.
python myscript.py

Keep it simple:

 try:
     from . import mymodule     # "myapp" case
 except:
     import mymodule            # "__main__" case