Use 'import module' or 'from module import'?

Question

I\'ve tried to find a comprehensive guide on whether it is best to use import module or from module import. I\'ve just started with Python and I\'m

Answer 1

Here is another difference not mentioned. This is copied verbatim from http://docs.python.org/2/tutorial/modules.html

Note that when using

from package import item

the item can be either a submodule (or subpackage) of the package, or some other name defined in the package, like a function, class or variable. The import statement first tests whether the item is defined in the package; if not, it assumes it is a module and attempts to load it. If it fails to find it, an ImportError exception is raised.

Contrarily, when using syntax like

import item.subitem.subsubitem

each item except for the last must be a package; the last item can be a module or a package but can’t be a class or function or variable defined in the previous item.