__import__()
built-in and added to a table that maps Prolog atoms to imported
modules. This predicate explicitly imports a module and allows it to
be associated with a different name. This is useful for loading
nested modules, i.e., a specific module from a Python package as
well as for avoiding conflicts. For example, with the Python
selenium package installed, we can do in Python:
>>> from selenium import webdriver >>> browser = webdriver.Chrome()
Without this predicate, we can do
?- py_call('selenium.webdriver':'Chrome'(), Chrome).
For a single call this is fine, but for making multiple calls it gets cumbersome. With this predicate we can write this.
?- py_import('selenium.webdriver', []).
?- py_call(webdriver:'Chrome'(), Chrome).
By default, the imported module is associated to an atom created from the last segment of the dotted name. Below we use an explicit name.
?- py_import('selenium.webdriver', [as(browser)]).
?- py_call(browser:'Chrome'(), Chrome).
permission_error(import_as, py_module, As) if there is
already a module associated with As.