I'd like Python to look into a package first for imports -

i might @ odds python's way of thinking here, me, when comes package (or project folder system), contents of package should always more important anything outside of package, including pythonpath.

take hierarchy example:

somewhere/     foo/         __init__.py     bar/         __init__.py         foo/             __init__.py 

if somewhere in pythonpath, , nothing else here is, , in somewhere/bar/__init__.py simple import foo, feel bar should import child, somewhere/bar/foo, not total stranger, somewhere/foo path variable. path should go if can't find right inside own system.

in tests, though, seems pythonpath trumps direct descendants, shame, because it's less powerful, less flexible system, , doesn't honor dag nature of hierarchies. children come first, not siblings, , not ancestors or complete, non-relations. however, when remove pythonpath, uses foo inside bar.

am doing wrong, or python work way? there can make work way think should? if remove somewhere/bar/foo, then can in path, if explicitly put foo in bar, should use that, instance variable override class variable.

pep 238 absolute , relatve imports.

as understood, from . import bar import right thing. reading pep understanding different ways of importing modules.

they point out, absolut imports default, because can used everything:

import foo import bar.foo import sys 

in contrast to:

import ..foo import .foo import sys #absolute