What is, if __name__ == “__main__”:

I primarily work in JavaScript, and I was confused about this common __name__ check pattern at the bottom of many python files.

# Module code here
...
...

if __name__ == "__main__":
  # some conditional code that usually runs the module's code directly

The __name__ Check Pattern: if __name__ == “__main__”:

The __name__ check provides flexibility to allow .py script files to be run in two modes:

• Run the script as the main program itself.
• Run the script as an imported module by another program.

This is a useful pattern for:

• Allow a library module to be run in script mode. Usually for running unit tests or a demo.
• Allows a main program script to include additional APIs for special use cases.

Background: The Python Interpreter

Setting up Special Variables

When the Python interpreter reads a source file, it:

• Sets a few special variables. One of these is __name__.
• Executes all of the code found in the file.

Running Python Code

There are two ways that .py files are run:

1. Run as the main file
2. Imported as a module from another file

To illustrate this, we have two example python files:

• utils.py
• main.py

def func():
    print("func() in utils.py")

print("top-level in utils.py")

if __name__ == "__main__":
    print("utils.py is being run directly")
else:
    print("utils.py is being imported into another module")

import utils

print("top-level in main.py")
utils.func()

if __name__ == "__main__":
    print("main.py is being run directly")
else:
    print("main.py is being imported into another module")

1. When Your utils.py Module Is the Main Program

If you are running your module (the source file) as the main program, e.g.

$ python utils.py

top-level in utils.py
utils.py is being run directly

The interpreter will assign the hard-coded string "__main__" to the __name__ variable, and the corresponding conditional block will run.

# It's as if the interpreter inserts this at the top
# of your module when run as the main program.
__name__ = "__main__"
...
...



if __name__ == "__main__":    print("utils.py is being run directly")else:
    print("utils.py is being imported into another module")

2. When Your Module Is Imported By Another Program

If you are running your module as an import from another program, e.g.

$ python main.py

top-level in utils.py
utils.py is being imported into another module
top-level in main.py
func() in utils.py
main.py is being run directly

The interpreter will assign the name you import the module by (e.g. "utils") to the __name__ variable.

# It's as if the interpreter inserts this at the top
# of your module when run as an import.
__name__ = "utils"
...
...



if __name__ == "__main__":
    print("utils.py is being run directly")
else:    print("utils.py is being imported into another module")