Python attribute error: type object '_socketobject' has no attribute 'gethostbyname'

Question

I am trying to do this in my program:

dest = socket.gethostbyname(host)

I have included the line:

from socket import * 

in the beginning of the file.

I am getting this error:

AttributeError: type object '_socketobject' has no attribute 'gethostbyname'

I am running Vista 64bit. Could there be a problem with my OS? I have turned down my firewall and everything.

Answer 1

You shoulod either use

import socket
dest = socket.gethostbyname(host)

or use

from socket import *
dest = gethostbyname(host)

Note: the first option is by far the recommended one.

Answer 2

After from socket import *, you'd need to call just the barename gethostbyname -- the barename socket now refers to a type, not to the module. That import * is horrible practice, by the way: do, instead, import socket, and then socket.gethostbyname will work just fine!