Check if Python Package is installed

Question

What\'s a good way to check if a package is installed while within a Python script? I know it\'s easy from the interpreter, but I need to do it within a script.

I g

Answer 1

I would like to comment to @ice.nicer reply but I cannot, so ... My observations is that packages with dashes are saved with underscores, not only with dots as pointed out by @dwich comment

For example, you do pip3 install sphinx-rtd-theme, but:

• importlib.util.find_spec(sphinx_rtd_theme) returns an Object
• importlib.util.find_spec(sphinx-rtd-theme) returns None
• importlib.util.find_spec(sphinx.rtd.theme) raises ModuleNotFoundError

Moreover, some names are totally changed. For example, you do pip3 install pyyaml but it is saved simply as yaml

I am using python3.8