Import local function from a module housed in another directory with relative imports in Jupyter Notebook using Python 3

I had almost the same example as you in this notebook where I wanted to illustrate the usage of an adjacent module's function in a DRY manner.

My solution was to tell Python of that additional module import path by adding a snippet like this one to the notebook:

import os
import sys
module_path = os.path.abspath(os.path.join('..'))
if module_path not in sys.path:
    sys.path.append(module_path)

This allows you to import the desired function from the module hierarchy:

from project1.lib.module import function
# use the function normally
function(...)

Note that it is necessary to add empty __init__.py files to project1/ and lib/ folders if you don't have them already.

Came here searching for best practices in abstracting code to submodules when working in Notebooks. I'm not sure that there is a best practice. I have been proposing this.

A project hierarchy as such:

├── ipynb
│   ├── 20170609-Examine_Database_Requirements.ipynb
│   └── 20170609-Initial_Database_Connection.ipynb
└── lib
    ├── __init__.py
    └── postgres.py

And from 20170609-Initial_Database_Connection.ipynb:

    In [1]: cd ..

    In [2]: from lib.postgres import database_connection

This works because by default the Jupyter Notebook can parse the cd command. Note that this does not make use of Python Notebook magic. It simply works without prepending %bash.

Considering that 99 times out of a 100 I am working in Docker using one of the Project Jupyter Docker images, the following modification is idempotent

    In [1]: cd /home/jovyan

    In [2]: from lib.postgres import database_connection

So far, the accepted answer has worked best for me. However, my concern has always been that there is a likely scenario where I might refactor the notebooks directory into subdirectories, requiring to change the module_path in every notebook. I decided to add a python file within each notebook directory to import the required modules.

Thus, having the following project structure:

project
|__notebooks
   |__explore
      |__ notebook1.ipynb
      |__ notebook2.ipynb
      |__ project_path.py
   |__ explain
       |__notebook1.ipynb
       |__project_path.py
|__lib
   |__ __init__.py
   |__ module.py

I added the file project_path.py in each notebook subdirectory (notebooks/explore and notebooks/explain). This file contains the code for relative imports (from @metakermit):

import sys
import os

module_path = os.path.abspath(os.path.join(os.pardir, os.pardir))
if module_path not in sys.path:
    sys.path.append(module_path)

This way, I just need to do relative imports within the project_path.py file, and not in the notebooks. The notebooks files would then just need to import project_path before importing lib. For example in 0.0-notebook.ipynb:

import project_path
import lib

The caveat here is that reversing the imports would not work. THIS DOES NOT WORK:

import lib
import project_path

Thus care must be taken during imports.