python local file module not found but with cli finds module

Question

This is my file.py:

import os
os.chdir('/home/python3.10')
print(os.getcwd())
print(os.system('pwd; ls'))
import template
print(template.text)

I have a virtual environment in /home/python3.10.

If I run file like this:

/home/python3.10/venv/bin/python3.10 /home/another_dir/file.py

I get this error:

/home/python3.10
/home/python3.10
__pycache__  file1.txt  requirements.txt  template.py  test.py  venv
0
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "/home/another_dir/file.py", line 5, in <module>
    import template
ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'template'

But if I run /home/python3.10/venv/bin/python3.10 in the shell, then I run all of above lines, it works:

Python 3.10.13 (main, Aug 25 2023, 13:20:03) [GCC 9.4.0] on linux
Type "help", "copyright", "credits" or "license" for more information.
>>> import os
>>>
>>> os.chdir('/home/python3.10')
>>> print(os.getcwd())
/home/python3.10
>>> print(os.system('pwd; ls'))
/home/python3.10
__pycache__  file1.txt  requirements.txt  template.py  test.py  venv
0
>>> import template
>>> print(template.text)
{text}

What's the reason I have this error? I see the getcwd() is the correct directory, but I'm not sure why it cannot see template.py to import as module.

Answer 1

When you run python interactively, the default module import path is the current directory. If you call os.chdir() to change the current directory, the default module import path is also updated.

But when you run a python script like this:

python /some/dir/myscript.py

The default module import path is /some/dir, and it does not change, even if you change the current directory with os.chdir().