Python: how to cleanup up the messy pop-up list

Question

Quick demonstration of the problem:
Define a module and name it functions.py containing: (this is just an example)

from __future__ import division
from scipy import *

def a():
    return sin(1)

Now try to use it in a separate file as follows:

import functions as f

If you type f the pop-up list shows all scipy contents while it should be only a! See:

How to solve this?

This problem makes difficult to see what in the module functions exist.

Note:
1) Think that the module function will have numerous user-defined-functions.
2) There is no problem why scipy function are available globally. That's OK. The problem is why do they appear as member of f?!
It perhaps is a bug in Pyscripter, I am not sure!

Answer 1

Your module functions will contain references to everything imported globally and declared inside its scope.

As you're doing from scipy import * inside the module it will import everything, as it well should, and you will be able to access all the scipy functions from your functions module.

If you only wanted to see a() after importing functions, change it to this

# functions.py
def a():
    from scipy import sin
    return sin(1)

which will ensure that no references to your import will exist for the person importing your module.

Here's some reading on imports you can go through.

Answer 2

First of all, you should avoid import *, thus your code should look like:

from __future__ import division
from scipy import sin

def a():
    return sin(1)

or

from __future__ import division
import scipy

def a():
    return scipy.sin(1)

Another alternative is to add this to your module:

__all__ = ['a']