
"importlib" -- An implementation of "import"
********************************************

New in version 3.1.


Introduction
============

The purpose of the "importlib" package is two-fold. One is to provide
an implementation of the "import" statement (and thus, by extension,
the "__import__()" function) in Python source code. This provides an
implementation of "import" which is portable to any Python
interpreter. This also provides a reference implementation which is
easier to comprehend than one implemented in a programming language
other than Python.

Two, the components to implement "import" are exposed in this package,
making it easier for users to create their own custom objects (known
generically as an *importer*) to participate in the import process.
Details on custom importers can be found in **PEP 302**.

See also: *The import statement*

     The language reference for the "import" statement.

  Packages specification
     Original specification of packages. Some semantics have changed
     since the writing of this document (e.g. redirecting based on
     "None" in "sys.modules").

  The "__import__()" function
     The "import" statement is syntactic sugar for this function.

  **PEP 235**
     Import on Case-Insensitive Platforms

  **PEP 263**
     Defining Python Source Code Encodings

  **PEP 302**
     New Import Hooks

  **PEP 328**
     Imports: Multi-Line and Absolute/Relative

  **PEP 366**
     Main module explicit relative imports

  **PEP 3120**
     Using UTF-8 as the Default Source Encoding

  **PEP 3147**
     PYC Repository Directories


Functions
=========

importlib.__import__(name, globals=None, locals=None, fromlist=(), level=0)

   An implementation of the built-in "__import__()" function.

importlib.import_module(name, package=None)

   Import a module. The *name* argument specifies what module to
   import in absolute or relative terms (e.g. either "pkg.mod" or
   "..mod"). If the name is specified in relative terms, then the
   *package* argument must be set to the name of the package which is
   to act as the anchor for resolving the package name (e.g.
   "import_module('..mod', 'pkg.subpkg')" will import "pkg.mod").

   The "import_module()" function acts as a simplifying wrapper around
   "importlib.__import__()". This means all semantics of the function
   are derived from "importlib.__import__()", including requiring the
   package from which an import is occurring to have been previously
   imported (i.e., *package* must already be imported). The most
   important difference is that "import_module()" returns the
   specified package or module (e.g. "pkg.mod"), while "__import__()"
   returns the top-level package or module (e.g. "pkg").

   Changed in version 3.3: Parent packages are automatically imported.

importlib.find_loader(name, path=None)

   Find the loader for a module, optionally within the specified
   *path*. If the module is in "sys.modules", then
   "sys.modules[name].__loader__" is returned (unless the loader would
   be "None", in which case "ValueError" is raised). Otherwise a
   search using "sys.meta_path" is done. "None" is returned if no
   loader is found.

   A dotted name does not have its parent's implicitly imported as
   that requires loading them and that may not be desired. To properly
   import a submodule you will need to import all parent packages of
   the submodule and use the correct argument to *path*.

importlib.invalidate_caches()

   Invalidate the internal caches of finders stored at
   "sys.meta_path". If a finder implements "invalidate_caches()" then
   it will be called to perform the invalidation.  This function
   should be called if any modules are created/installed while your
   program is running to guarantee all finders will notice the new
   module's existence.

   New in version 3.3.


"importlib.abc" -- Abstract base classes related to import
==========================================================

The "importlib.abc" module contains all of the core abstract base
classes used by "import". Some subclasses of the core abstract base
classes are also provided to help in implementing the core ABCs.

ABC hierarchy:

   object
    +-- Finder (deprecated)
    |    +-- MetaPathFinder
    |    +-- PathEntryFinder
    +-- Loader
         +-- ResourceLoader --------+
         +-- InspectLoader          |
              +-- ExecutionLoader --+
                                    +-- FileLoader
                                    +-- SourceLoader
                                         +-- PyLoader (deprecated)
                                         +-- PyPycLoader (deprecated)

class class importlib.abc.Finder

   An abstract base class representing a *finder*.

   Deprecated since version 3.3: Use "MetaPathFinder" or
   "PathEntryFinder" instead.

   find_module(fullname, path=None)

      An abstact method for finding a *loader* for the specified
      module.  Originally specified in **PEP 302**, this method was
      meant for use in "sys.meta_path" and in the path-based import
      subsystem.

class class importlib.abc.MetaPathFinder

   An abstract base class representing a *meta path finder*. For
   compatibility, this is a subclass of "Finder".

   New in version 3.3.

   find_module(fullname, path)

      An abstract method for finding a *loader* for the specified
      module.  If this is a top-level import, *path* will be "None".
      Otherwise, this is a search for a subpackage or module and
      *path* will be the value of "__path__" from the parent package.
      If a loader cannot be found, "None" is returned.

   invalidate_caches()

      An optional method which, when called, should invalidate any
      internal cache used by the finder. Used by
      "importlib.invalidate_caches()" when invalidating the caches of
      all finders on "sys.meta_path".

class class importlib.abc.PathEntryFinder

   An abstract base class representing a *path entry finder*.  Though
   it bears some similarities to "MetaPathFinder", "PathEntryFinder"
   is meant for use only within the path-based import subsystem
   provided by "PathFinder". This ABC is a subclass of "Finder" for
   compatibility.

   New in version 3.3.

   find_loader(fullname)

      An abstract method for finding a *loader* for the specified
      module.  Returns a 2-tuple of "(loader, portion)" where
      "portion" is a sequence of file system locations contributing to
      part of a namespace package. The loader may be "None" while
      specifying "portion" to signify the contribution of the file
      system locations to a namespace package. An empty list can be
      used for "portion" to signify the loader is not part of a
      package. If "loader" is "None" and "portion" is the empty list
      then no loader or location for a namespace package were found
      (i.e. failure to find anything for the module).

   find_module(fullname)

      A concrete implementation of "Finder.find_module()" which is
      equivalent to "self.find_loader(fullname)[0]".

   invalidate_caches()

      An optional method which, when called, should invalidate any
      internal cache used by the finder. Used by
      "PathFinder.invalidate_caches()" when invalidating the caches of
      all cached finders.

class class importlib.abc.Loader

   An abstract base class for a *loader*. See **PEP 302** for the
   exact definition for a loader.

   load_module(fullname)

      An abstract method for loading a module. If the module cannot be
      loaded, "ImportError" is raised, otherwise the loaded module is
      returned.

      If the requested module already exists in "sys.modules", that
      module should be used and reloaded. Otherwise the loader should
      create a new module and insert it into "sys.modules" before any
      loading begins, to prevent recursion from the import. If the
      loader inserted a module and the load fails, it must be removed
      by the loader from "sys.modules"; modules already in
      "sys.modules" before the loader began execution should be left
      alone. The "importlib.util.module_for_loader()" decorator
      handles all of these details.

      The loader should set several attributes on the module. (Note
      that some of these attributes can change when a module is
      reloaded.)

      * "__name__"

           The name of the module.

      * "__file__"

           The path to where the module data is stored (not set for
           built-in modules).

      * "__cached__"

           The path to where a compiled version of the module
           is/should be stored (not set when the attribute would be
           inappropriate).

      * "__path__"

           A list of strings specifying the search path within a
           package. This attribute is not set on modules.

      * "__package__"

           The parent package for the module/package. If the module is
           top-level then it has a value of the empty string. The
           "importlib.util.set_package()" decorator can handle the
           details for "__package__".

      * "__loader__"

           The loader used to load the module. (This is not set by the
           built-in import machinery, but it should be set whenever a
           *loader* is used.)

   module_repr(module)

      An abstract method which when implemented calculates and returns
      the given module's repr, as a string.

class class importlib.abc.ResourceLoader

   An abstract base class for a *loader* which implements the optional
   **PEP 302** protocol for loading arbitrary resources from the
   storage back-end.

   get_data(path)

      An abstract method to return the bytes for the data located at
      *path*. Loaders that have a file-like storage back-end that
      allows storing arbitrary data can implement this abstract method
      to give direct access to the data stored. "IOError" is to be
      raised if the *path* cannot be found. The *path* is expected to
      be constructed using a module's "__file__" attribute or an item
      from a package's "__path__".

class class importlib.abc.InspectLoader

   An abstract base class for a *loader* which implements the optional
   **PEP 302** protocol for loaders that inspect modules.

   get_code(fullname)

      An abstract method to return the "code" object for a module.
      "None" is returned if the module does not have a code object
      (e.g. built-in module).  "ImportError" is raised if loader
      cannot find the requested module.

   get_source(fullname)

      An abstract method to return the source of a module. It is
      returned as a text string using *universal newlines*,
      translating all recognized line separators into "'\n'"
      characters.  Returns "None" if no source is available (e.g. a
      built-in module). Raises "ImportError" if the loader cannot find
      the module specified.

   is_package(fullname)

      An abstract method to return a true value if the module is a
      package, a false value otherwise. "ImportError" is raised if the
      *loader* cannot find the module.

class class importlib.abc.ExecutionLoader

   An abstract base class which inherits from "InspectLoader" that,
   when implemented, helps a module to be executed as a script. The
   ABC represents an optional **PEP 302** protocol.

   get_filename(fullname)

      An abstract method that is to return the value of "__file__" for
      the specified module. If no path is available, "ImportError" is
      raised.

      If source code is available, then the method should return the
      path to the source file, regardless of whether a bytecode was
      used to load the module.

class class importlib.abc.FileLoader(fullname, path)

   An abstract base class which inherits from "ResourceLoader" and
   "ExecutionLoader", providing concrete implementations of
   "ResourceLoader.get_data()" and "ExecutionLoader.get_filename()".

   The *fullname* argument is a fully resolved name of the module the
   loader is to handle. The *path* argument is the path to the file
   for the module.

   New in version 3.3.

   name

      The name of the module the loader can handle.

   path

      Path to the file of the module.

   load_module(fullname)

      Calls super's "load_module()".

   get_filename(fullname)

      Returns "path".

   get_data(path)

      Returns the open, binary file for *path*.

class class importlib.abc.SourceLoader

   An abstract base class for implementing source (and optionally
   bytecode) file loading. The class inherits from both
   "ResourceLoader" and "ExecutionLoader", requiring the
   implementation of:

   * "ResourceLoader.get_data()"

   * "ExecutionLoader.get_filename()"

        Should only return the path to the source file; sourceless
        loading is not supported.

   The abstract methods defined by this class are to add optional
   bytecode file support. Not implementing these optional methods
   causes the loader to only work with source code. Implementing the
   methods allows the loader to work with source *and* bytecode files;
   it does not allow for *sourceless* loading where only bytecode is
   provided.  Bytecode files are an optimization to speed up loading
   by removing the parsing step of Python's compiler, and so no
   bytecode-specific API is exposed.

   path_stats(path)

      Optional abstract method which returns a "dict" containing
      metadata about the specifed path.  Supported dictionary keys
      are:

      * "'mtime'" (mandatory): an integer or floating-point number
        representing the modification time of the source code;

      * "'size'" (optional): the size in bytes of the source code.

      Any other keys in the dictionary are ignored, to allow for
      future extensions.

      New in version 3.3.

   path_mtime(path)

      Optional abstract method which returns the modification time for
      the specified path.

      Deprecated since version 3.3: This method is deprecated in
      favour of "path_stats()".  You don't have to implement it, but
      it is still available for compatibility purposes.

   set_data(path, data)

      Optional abstract method which writes the specified bytes to a
      file path. Any intermediate directories which do not exist are
      to be created automatically.

      When writing to the path fails because the path is read-only
      ("errno.EACCES"/"PermissionError"), do not propagate the
      exception.

   get_code(fullname)

      Concrete implementation of "InspectLoader.get_code()".

   load_module(fullname)

      Concrete implementation of "Loader.load_module()".

   get_source(fullname)

      Concrete implementation of "InspectLoader.get_source()".

   is_package(fullname)

      Concrete implementation of "InspectLoader.is_package()". A
      module is determined to be a package if its file path (as
      provided by "ExecutionLoader.get_filename()") is a file named
      "__init__" when the file extension is removed **and** the module
      name itself does not end in "__init__".

class class importlib.abc.PyLoader

   An abstract base class inheriting from "ExecutionLoader" and
   "ResourceLoader" designed to ease the loading of Python source
   modules (bytecode is not handled; see "SourceLoader" for a
   source/bytecode ABC). A subclass implementing this ABC will only
   need to worry about exposing how the source code is stored; all
   other details for loading Python source code will be handled by the
   concrete implementations of key methods.

   Deprecated since version 3.2: This class has been deprecated in
   favor of "SourceLoader" and is slated for removal in Python 3.4.
   See below for how to create a subclass that is compatible with
   Python 3.1 onwards.

   If compatibility with Python 3.1 is required, then use the
   following idiom to implement a subclass that will work with Python
   3.1 onwards (make sure to implement
   "ExecutionLoader.get_filename()"):

      try:
          from importlib.abc import SourceLoader
      except ImportError:
          from importlib.abc import PyLoader as SourceLoader


      class CustomLoader(SourceLoader):
          def get_filename(self, fullname):
              """Return the path to the source file."""
              # Implement ...

          def source_path(self, fullname):
              """Implement source_path in terms of get_filename."""
              try:
                  return self.get_filename(fullname)
              except ImportError:
                  return None

          def is_package(self, fullname):
              """Implement is_package by looking for an __init__ file
              name as returned by get_filename."""
              filename = os.path.basename(self.get_filename(fullname))
              return os.path.splitext(filename)[0] == '__init__'

   source_path(fullname)

      An abstract method that returns the path to the source code for
      a module. Should return "None" if there is no source code.
      Raises "ImportError" if the loader knows it cannot handle the
      module.

   get_filename(fullname)

      A concrete implementation of
      "importlib.abc.ExecutionLoader.get_filename()" that relies on
      "source_path()". If "source_path()" returns "None", then
      "ImportError" is raised.

   load_module(fullname)

      A concrete implementation of
      "importlib.abc.Loader.load_module()" that loads Python source
      code. All needed information comes from the abstract methods
      required by this ABC. The only pertinent assumption made by this
      method is that when loading a package "__path__" is set to
      "[os.path.dirname(__file__)]".

   get_code(fullname)

      A concrete implementation of
      "importlib.abc.InspectLoader.get_code()" that creates code
      objects from Python source code, by requesting the source code
      (using "source_path()" and "get_data()") and compiling it with
      the built-in "compile()" function.

   get_source(fullname)

      A concrete implementation of
      "importlib.abc.InspectLoader.get_source()". Uses
      "importlib.abc.ResourceLoader.get_data()" and "source_path()" to
      get the source code.  It tries to guess the source encoding
      using "tokenize.detect_encoding()".

class class importlib.abc.PyPycLoader

   An abstract base class inheriting from "PyLoader". This ABC is
   meant to help in creating loaders that support both Python source
   and bytecode.

   Deprecated since version 3.2: This class has been deprecated in
   favor of "SourceLoader" and to properly support **PEP 3147**. If
   compatibility is required with Python 3.1, implement both
   "SourceLoader" and "PyLoader"; instructions on how to do so are
   included in the documentation for "PyLoader". Do note that this
   solution will not support sourceless/bytecode-only loading; only
   source *and* bytecode loading.

   Changed in version 3.3: Updated to parse (but not use) the new
   source size field in bytecode files when reading and to write out
   the field properly when writing.

   source_mtime(fullname)

      An abstract method which returns the modification time for the
      source code of the specified module. The modification time
      should be an integer. If there is no source code, return "None".
      If the module cannot be found then "ImportError" is raised.

   bytecode_path(fullname)

      An abstract method which returns the path to the bytecode for
      the specified module, if it exists. It returns "None" if no
      bytecode exists (yet). Raises "ImportError" if the loader knows
      it cannot handle the module.

   get_filename(fullname)

      A concrete implementation of "ExecutionLoader.get_filename()"
      that relies on "PyLoader.source_path()" and "bytecode_path()".
      If "source_path()" returns a path, then that value is returned.
      Else if "bytecode_path()" returns a path, that path will be
      returned. If a path is not available from both methods,
      "ImportError" is raised.

   write_bytecode(fullname, bytecode)

      An abstract method which has the loader write *bytecode* for
      future use. If the bytecode is written, return "True". Return
      "False" if the bytecode could not be written. This method should
      not be called if "sys.dont_write_bytecode" is true. The
      *bytecode* argument should be a bytes string or bytes array.


"importlib.machinery" -- Importers and path hooks
=================================================

This module contains the various objects that help "import" find and
load modules.

importlib.machinery.SOURCE_SUFFIXES

   A list of strings representing the recognized file suffixes for
   source modules.

   New in version 3.3.

importlib.machinery.DEBUG_BYTECODE_SUFFIXES

   A list of strings representing the file suffixes for non-optimized
   bytecode modules.

   New in version 3.3.

importlib.machinery.OPTIMIZED_BYTECODE_SUFFIXES

   A list of strings representing the file suffixes for optimized
   bytecode modules.

   New in version 3.3.

importlib.machinery.BYTECODE_SUFFIXES

   A list of strings representing the recognized file suffixes for
   bytecode modules. Set to either "DEBUG_BYTECODE_SUFFIXES" or
   "OPTIMIZED_BYTECODE_SUFFIXES" based on whether "__debug__" is true.

   New in version 3.3.

importlib.machinery.EXTENSION_SUFFIXES

   A list of strings representing the recognized file suffixes for
   extension modules.

   New in version 3.3.

importlib.machinery.all_suffixes()

   Returns a combined list of strings representing all file suffixes
   for modules recognized by the standard import machinery. This is a
   helper for code which simply needs to know if a filesystem path
   potentially refers to a module without needing any details on the
   kind of module (for example, "inspect.getmodulename()")

   New in version 3.3.

class class importlib.machinery.BuiltinImporter

   An *importer* for built-in modules. All known built-in modules are
   listed in "sys.builtin_module_names". This class implements the
   "importlib.abc.MetaPathFinder" and "importlib.abc.InspectLoader"
   ABCs.

   Only class methods are defined by this class to alleviate the need
   for instantiation.

class class importlib.machinery.FrozenImporter

   An *importer* for frozen modules. This class implements the
   "importlib.abc.MetaPathFinder" and "importlib.abc.InspectLoader"
   ABCs.

   Only class methods are defined by this class to alleviate the need
   for instantiation.

class class importlib.machinery.WindowsRegistryFinder

   *Finder* for modules declared in the Windows registry.  This class
   implements the "importlib.abc.Finder" ABC.

   Only class methods are defined by this class to alleviate the need
   for instantiation.

   New in version 3.3.

class class importlib.machinery.PathFinder

   A *Finder* for "sys.path" and package "__path__" attributes. This
   class implements the "importlib.abc.MetaPathFinder" ABC.

   Only class methods are defined by this class to alleviate the need
   for instantiation.

   classmethod find_module(fullname, path=None)

      Class method that attempts to find a *loader* for the module
      specified by *fullname* on "sys.path" or, if defined, on *path*.
      For each path entry that is searched, "sys.path_importer_cache"
      is checked. If a non-false object is found then it is used as
      the *path entry finder* to look for the module being searched
      for. If no entry is found in "sys.path_importer_cache", then
      "sys.path_hooks" is searched for a finder for the path entry
      and, if found, is stored in "sys.path_importer_cache" along with
      being queried about the module. If no finder is ever found then
      "None" is both stored in the cache and returned.

   classmethod invalidate_caches()

      Calls "importlib.abc.PathEntryFinder.invalidate_caches()" on all
      finders stored in "sys.path_importer_cache".

class class importlib.machinery.FileFinder(path, *loader_details)

   A concrete implementation of "importlib.abc.PathEntryFinder" which
   caches results from the file system.

   The *path* argument is the directory for which the finder is in
   charge of searching.

   The *loader_details* argument is a variable number of 2-item tuples
   each containing a loader and a sequence of file suffixes the loader
   recognizes. The loaders are expected to be callables which accept
   two arguments of the module's name and the path to the file found.

   The finder will cache the directory contents as necessary, making
   stat calls for each module search to verify the cache is not
   outdated. Because cache staleness relies upon the granularity of
   the operating system's state information of the file system, there
   is a potential race condition of searching for a module, creating a
   new file, and then searching for the module the new file
   represents. If the operations happen fast enough to fit within the
   granularity of stat calls, then the module search will fail. To
   prevent this from happening, when you create a module dynamically,
   make sure to call "importlib.invalidate_caches()".

   New in version 3.3.

   path

      The path the finder will search in.

   find_loader(fullname)

      Attempt to find the loader to handle *fullname* within "path".

   invalidate_caches()

      Clear out the internal cache.

   classmethod path_hook(*loader_details)

      A class method which returns a closure for use on
      "sys.path_hooks". An instance of "FileFinder" is returned by the
      closure using the path argument given to the closure directly
      and *loader_details* indirectly.

      If the argument to the closure is not an existing directory,
      "ImportError" is raised.

class class importlib.machinery.SourceFileLoader(fullname, path)

   A concrete implementation of "importlib.abc.SourceLoader" by
   subclassing "importlib.abc.FileLoader" and providing some concrete
   implementations of other methods.

   New in version 3.3.

   name

      The name of the module that this loader will handle.

   path

      The path to the source file.

   is_package(fullname)

      Return true if "path" appears to be for a package.

   path_stats(path)

      Concrete implementation of
      "importlib.abc.SourceLoader.path_stats()".

   set_data(path, data)

      Concrete implementation of
      "importlib.abc.SourceLoader.set_data()".

class class importlib.machinery.SourcelessFileLoader(fullname, path)

   A concrete implementation of "importlib.abc.FileLoader" which can
   import bytecode files (i.e. no source code files exist).

   Please note that direct use of bytecode files (and thus not source
   code files) inhibits your modules from being usable by all Python
   implementations or new versions of Python which change the bytecode
   format.

   New in version 3.3.

   name

      The name of the module the loader will handle.

   path

      The path to the bytecode file.

   is_package(fullname)

      Determines if the module is a package based on "path".

   get_code(fullname)

      Returns the code object for "name" created from "path".

   get_source(fullname)

      Returns "None" as bytecode files have no source when this loader
      is used.

class class importlib.machinery.ExtensionFileLoader(fullname, path)

   A concrete implementation of "importlib.abc.InspectLoader" for
   extension modules.

   The *fullname* argument specifies the name of the module the loader
   is to support. The *path* argument is the path to the extension
   module's file.

   New in version 3.3.

   name

      Name of the module the loader supports.

   path

      Path to the extension module.

   load_module(fullname)

      Loads the extension module if and only if *fullname* is the same
      as "name" or is "None".

   is_package(fullname)

      Returns "True" if the file path points to a package's "__init__"
      module based on "EXTENSION_SUFFIXES".

   get_code(fullname)

      Returns "None" as extension modules lack a code object.

   get_source(fullname)

      Returns "None" as extension modules do not have source code.


"importlib.util" -- Utility code for importers
==============================================

This module contains the various objects that help in the construction
of an *importer*.

importlib.util.resolve_name(name, package)

   Resolve a relative module name to an absolute one.

   If  **name** has no leading dots, then **name** is simply returned.
   This allows for usage such as "importlib.util.resolve_name('sys',
   __package__)" without doing a check to see if the **package**
   argument is needed.

   "ValueError" is raised if **name** is a relative module name but
   package is a false value (e.g. "None" or the empty string).
   "ValueError" is also raised a relative name would escape its
   containing package (e.g. requesting "..bacon" from within the
   "spam" package).

   New in version 3.3.

@importlib.util.module_for_loader

   A *decorator* for a *loader* method, to handle selecting the proper
   module object to load with. The decorated method is expected to
   have a call signature taking two positional arguments (e.g.
   "load_module(self, module)") for which the second argument will be
   the module **object** to be used by the loader. Note that the
   decorator will not work on static methods because of the assumption
   of two arguments.

   The decorated method will take in the **name** of the module to be
   loaded as expected for a *loader*. If the module is not found in
   "sys.modules" then a new one is constructed with its "__name__"
   attribute set to **name**, "__loader__" set to **self**, and
   "__package__" set if "importlib.abc.InspectLoader.is_package()" is
   defined for **self** and does not raise "ImportError" for **name**.
   If a new module is not needed then the module found in
   "sys.modules" will be passed into the method.

   If an exception is raised by the decorated method and a module was
   added to "sys.modules" it will be removed to prevent a partially
   initialized module from being in left in "sys.modules". If the
   module was already in "sys.modules" then it is left alone.

   Use of this decorator handles all the details of which module
   object a loader should initialize as specified by **PEP 302** as
   best as possible.

   Changed in version 3.3: "__loader__" and "__package__" are
   automatically set (when possible).

@importlib.util.set_loader

      A *decorator* for a *loader* method, to set the "__loader__"
      attribute on loaded modules. If the attribute is already set the
      decorator does nothing. It is assumed that the first positional
      argument to the wrapped method (i.e. "self") is what
      "__loader__" should be set to.

   Note: It is recommended that "module_for_loader()" be used over
     this decorator as it subsumes this functionality.

@importlib.util.set_package

      A *decorator* for a *loader* to set the "__package__" attribute
      on the module returned by the loader. If "__package__" is set
      and has a value other than "None" it will not be changed. Note
      that the module returned by the loader is what has the attribute
      set on and not the module found in "sys.modules".

      Reliance on this decorator is discouraged when it is possible to
      set "__package__" before importing. By setting it beforehand the
      code for the module is executed with the attribute set and thus
      can be used by global level code during initialization.

   Note: It is recommended that "module_for_loader()" be used over
     this decorator as it subsumes this functionality.
