[python] What does if __name__ == "__main__": do?

There are lots of different takes here on the mechanics of the code in question, the "How", but for me none of it made sense until I understood the "Why". This should be especially helpful for new programmers.

Take file "ab.py":

def a():
    print('A function in ab file');
a()

And a second file "xy.py":

import ab
def main():
    print('main function: this is where the action is')
def x():
    print ('peripheral task: might be useful in other projects')
x()
if __name__ == "__main__":
    main()

What is this code actually doing?

When you execute xy.py, you import ab. The import statement runs the module immediately on import, so ab's operations get executed before the remainder of xy's. Once finished with ab, it continues with xy.

The interpreter keeps track of which scripts are running with __name__. When you run a script - no matter what you've named it - the interpreter calls it "__main__", making it the master or 'home' script that gets returned to after running an external script.

Any other script that's called from this "__main__" script is assigned its filename as its __name__ (e.g., __name__ == "ab.py"). Hence, the line if __name__ == "__main__": is the interpreter's test to determine if it's interpreting/parsing the 'home' script that was initially executed, or if it's temporarily peeking into another (external) script. This gives the programmer flexibility to have the script behave differently if it's executed directly vs. called externally.

Let's step through the above code to understand what's happening, focusing first on the unindented lines and the order they appear in the scripts. Remember that function - or def - blocks don't do anything by themselves until they're called. What the interpreter might say if mumbled to itself:

  • Open xy.py as the 'home' file; call it "__main__" in the __name__ variable.
  • Import and open file with the __name__ == "ab.py".
  • Oh, a function. I'll remember that.
  • Ok, function a(); I just learned that. Printing 'A function in ab file'.
  • End of file; back to "__main__"!
  • Oh, a function. I'll remember that.
  • Another one.
  • Function x(); ok, printing 'peripheral task: might be useful in other projects'.
  • What's this? An if statement. Well, the condition has been met (the variable __name__ has been set to "__main__"), so I'll enter the main() function and print 'main function: this is where the action is'.

The bottom two lines mean: "If this is the "__main__" or 'home' script, execute the function called main()". That's why you'll see a def main(): block up top, which contains the main flow of the script's functionality.

Why implement this?

Remember what I said earlier about import statements? When you import a module it doesn't just 'recognize' it and wait for further instructions - it actually runs all the executable operations contained within the script. So, putting the meat of your script into the main() function effectively quarantines it, putting it in isolation so that it won't immediately run when imported by another script.

Again, there will be exceptions, but common practice is that main() doesn't usually get called externally. So you may be wondering one more thing: if we're not calling main(), why are we calling the script at all? It's because many people structure their scripts with standalone functions that are built to be run independent of the rest of the code in the file. They're then later called somewhere else in the body of the script. Which brings me to this:

But the code works without it

Yes, that's right. These separate functions can be called from an in-line script that's not contained inside a main() function. If you're accustomed (as I am, in my early learning stages of programming) to building in-line scripts that do exactly what you need, and you'll try to figure it out again if you ever need that operation again ... well, you're not used to this kind of internal structure to your code, because it's more complicated to build and it's not as intuitive to read.

But that's a script that probably can't have its functions called externally, because if it did it would immediately start calculating and assigning variables. And chances are if you're trying to re-use a function, your new script is related closely enough to the old one that there will be conflicting variables.

In splitting out independent functions, you gain the ability to re-use your previous work by calling them into another script. For example, "example.py" might import "xy.py" and call x(), making use of the 'x' function from "xy.py". (Maybe it's capitalizing the third word of a given text string; creating a NumPy array from a list of numbers and squaring them; or detrending a 3D surface. The possibilities are limitless.)

(As an aside, this question contains an answer by @kindall that finally helped me to understand - the why, not the how. Unfortunately it's been marked as a duplicate of this one, which I think is a mistake.)

Examples related to python

programming a servo thru a barometer Is there a way to view two blocks of code from the same file simultaneously in Sublime Text? python variable NameError Why my regexp for hyphenated words doesn't work? Comparing a variable with a string python not working when redirecting from bash script is it possible to add colors to python output? Get Public URL for File - Google Cloud Storage - App Engine (Python) Real time face detection OpenCV, Python xlrd.biffh.XLRDError: Excel xlsx file; not supported Could not load dynamic library 'cudart64_101.dll' on tensorflow CPU-only installation

Examples related to namespaces

Class 'App\Http\Controllers\DB' not found and I also cannot use a new Model How do I get an object's unqualified (short) class name? socket.error:[errno 99] cannot assign requested address and namespace in python What is the use of "using namespace std"? Visibility of global variables in imported modules Using :: in C++ 'namespace' but is used like a 'type' type object 'datetime.datetime' has no attribute 'datetime' Why am I getting error CS0246: The type or namespace name could not be found? string in namespace std does not name a type

Examples related to main

String method cannot be found in a main class method How to access global variables Maven Error: Could not find or load main class Eclipse error "Could not find or load main class" Error: Main method not found in class Calculate, please define the main method as: public static void main(String[] args) What does "Could not find or load main class" mean? C# importing class into another class doesn't work In Python, can I call the main() of an imported module? Can there exist two main methods in a Java program? Could not find or load main class with a Jar File

Examples related to python-module

ImportError: libSM.so.6: cannot open shared object file: No such file or directory How to write a Python module/package? Python: OSError: [Errno 2] No such file or directory: '' Unable to import a module that is definitely installed Installing python module within code How to import other Python files? How do I find out my python path using python? What does if __name__ == "__main__": do? How to do relative imports in Python? How to import a module given the full path?

Examples related to idioms

String concatenation with Groovy Check whether a variable is a string in Ruby How to implement the factory method pattern in C++ correctly How can I loop through a C++ map of maps? Get the key corresponding to the minimum value within a dictionary How do I reverse an int array in Java? When to use std::size_t? Are one-line 'if'/'for'-statements good Python style? What is the pythonic way to detect the last element in a 'for' loop? Python: most idiomatic way to convert None to empty string?