How to avoid computation every time a python module is reloaded

Question

I have a python module that makes use of a huge dictionary global variable, currently I put the computation code in the top section, every first time import or reload of the mod

Answer 1

You could try using the marshal module instead of the c?Pickle one; it could be faster. This module is used by python to store values in a binary format. Note especially the following paragraph, to see if marshal fits your needs:

Not all Python object types are supported; in general, only objects whose value is independent from a particular invocation of Python can be written and read by this module. The following types are supported: None, integers, long integers, floating point numbers, strings, Unicode objects, tuples, lists, sets, dictionaries, and code objects, where it should be understood that tuples, lists and dictionaries are only supported as long as the values contained therein are themselves supported; and recursive lists and dictionaries should not be written (they will cause infinite loops).

Just to be on the safe side, before unmarshalling the dict, make sure that the Python version that unmarshals the dict is the same as the one that did the marshal, since there are no guarantees for backwards compatibility.