[TriLUG] making a python module

[Joseph Mack NA3T]

I'm a python newbie

I've got a simple python program with a function and code 
(main?) that does test calls.


#!/usr/bin/python
#volume_sphere.py
def volume_sphere(r):
.
.
 	return volume_sphere

#main()
print volume_sphere(2)
#---

all fine and dandy. I can make it into a module by 
commenting out the call in main() and copying the file into 
volume.py and calling the function from the following code.

#! /usr/bin/python
#demo_volume_sphere.py
from volume import volume_sphere

print volume_sphere(1)
print volume_sphere("-1")
#---

again all fine and dandy.

What I was hoping to do was to leave the calls in the 
original volume_sphere.py (which became volume.py) as test 
cases, so that anyone could test the module without having 
to write a special piece of calling code.

I find that if I leave the test calls in main in the module 
file, that these are executed too when I call the function 
from demo_volume_sphere. I don't understand why the code in 
main() is executed since I called the function, not the 
whole file.

I've looked around with google to see how modules are made, 
but none of the modules have a test main() in them.

Anyone know how to do what I'm trying to do?

Thanks Joe

-- 
Joseph Mack NA3T EME(B,D), FM05lw North Carolina
jmack (at) wm7d (dot) net - azimuthal equidistant map
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