Turns a dotted name in a string as 'sys.path' into a Python object

dottedname.py

# -*- coding: utf-8 -*-
"""
==========
dottedname
==========

This module may be used when you need to refer to Python objects from non
Python files. For example, in a configuration file.

Resolve a python dotted name (stolen from zope.dottedname)

  >>> int(resolve('math.pi'))
  3

  >>> int(resolve('.e', module='math'))
  2
"""


def resolve(name, module=None):
    name = name.split('.')
    if not name[0]:
        if module is None:
            raise ValueError("relative name without base module")
        module = module.split('.')
        name.pop(0)
        while not name[0]:
            module.pop()
            name.pop(0)
        name = module + name

    used = name.pop(0)
    found = __import__(used)
    for n in name:
        used += '.' + n
        try:
            found = getattr(found, n)
        except AttributeError:
            __import__(used)
            found = getattr(found, n)

    return found

if __name__ == '__main__':
    import doctest
    doctest.testmod()