diff --git a/Doc/reference/import.rst b/Doc/reference/import.rst index 83f0ee75e7aebd..4c8811560de2e3 100644 --- a/Doc/reference/import.rst +++ b/Doc/reference/import.rst @@ -122,6 +122,12 @@ Importing ``parent.one`` will implicitly execute ``parent/__init__.py`` and ``parent.three`` will execute ``parent/two/__init__.py`` and ``parent/three/__init__.py`` respectively. +A subdirectory inside a regular package that does not contain an +``__init__.py`` file is treated as an implicit +:ref:`namespace package ` (a "namespace +subpackage") rooted in that parent. See :pep:`420` for the underlying +specification. + .. _reference-namespace-package: @@ -153,6 +159,12 @@ physically located next to ``parent/two``. In this case, Python will create a namespace package for the top-level ``parent`` package whenever it or one of its subpackages is imported. +Namespace packages may also be nested inside a regular package. When the +import system searches a regular package's ``__path__`` and encounters a +subdirectory that does not contain an ``__init__.py`` file, that +subdirectory becomes a :term:`portion` contributing to a namespace +subpackage of the enclosing regular package. + See also :pep:`420` for the namespace package specification.