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How to handle circular imports in Python 3.9 with modular package structure?

👀 Views: 0 đŸ’Ŧ Answers: 1 📅 Created: 2025-06-12
python-3.x import modular-programming python

I'm converting an old project and I'm dealing with After trying multiple solutions online, I still can't figure this out. I'm relatively new to this, so bear with me... I'm working on a Python 3.9 project with a modular package structure, and I've run into a circular import scenario. I have two modules, `module_a.py` and `module_b.py`, that need to interact with each other. However, when I try to import one in the other, I get an `ImportError: want to import name 'X' from partially initialized module 'module_a'`. I've tried restructuring my imports and moving functions around but need to seem to resolve it. Here's a simplified version of my code: In `module_a.py`: ```python from module_b import function_b def function_a(): print("Function A") function_b() ``` And in `module_b.py`: ```python from module_a import function_a def function_b(): print("Function B") function_a() ``` When I run `module_a.py`, it results in the import behavior due to the circular dependency. I've read that using local imports can help, so I tried changing the imports to be inside the functions instead, but now I'm working with a different behavior: `RecursionError: maximum recursion depth exceeded`. What would be the best way to refactor these modules to avoid both circular imports and recursion issues while maintaining the modular design? I'm also considering if there's a more appropriate design pattern I could use here, like dependency injection or a mediator pattern. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Any help would be greatly appreciated! For context: I'm using Python on Windows. What am I doing wrong? Any help would be greatly appreciated! For context: I'm using Python on CentOS. Is there a better approach? This is my first time working with Python 3.9. Any pointers in the right direction? I'm working on a web app that needs to handle this. Hoping someone can shed some light on this. I'm coming from a different tech stack and learning Python.