Interview Q&A / Python
Python interview questions
Lists, dictionaries, generators, decorators and the Python questions asked in service-company and data roles.
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- How does Python find a module when you write import?
Python checks sys.modules for an already-loaded copy, then searches the directories in sys.path in order: the script's folder, PYTHONPATH entries, the standard library and site-packages. The first match wins, which is why a local file can shadow a library.
IntermediateQuick answer1 min read - What does "from module import *" do, and what is __all__?
import * brings every public name of a module into your namespace, which can silently overwrite existing names. A module can control what it exports by defining __all__, a list of names. Without __all__, names starting with an underscore are skipped.
IntermediateQuick answer1 min read - What is the difference between absolute and relative imports in Python?
An absolute import gives the full path from the project root, like from shop.billing import total. A relative import uses dots to start from the current package, like from .billing import total. Relative imports work only inside packages.
IntermediateQuick answer1 min read