Cannot import Decimal module

Question

I am trying to do some simple decimal math to practice with the Tkinter GUI, but for some reason I cannot import Decimal:

>>> from decimal import Decimal
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "<stdin>", line 1, in <module>
  File "/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/lib/python2.7/decimal.py", line 139, in <module>
    import math as _math
  File "math.py", line 3, in <module>
    from decimal import Decimal
ImportError: cannot import name Decimal

I am using Python 2.7.11 This is making me feel pretty stupid since it seems like a simple thing to do. Is Decimal not supported or am I doing this wrong?

i'll recommend a re-install of python, because this is a local issue — danidee, Oct 14 '16 at 22:12
Could inspect the decimal module and see what names are available `import decimal; dir(decimal)` — chickity china chinese chicken, Oct 14 '16 at 22:16
You should consider [this guide](https://stackoverflow.com/a/50668125/4575793) to troubleshoot problems like this. — Cadoiz, Sep 08 '21 at 12:56

score 4 · Answer 1 · answered Oct 14 '16 at 22:23

4

You called a file math.py, meaning it overrides the built-in math module and breaks everything that uses that module. Pick a different name, and the problem will go away.

answered Oct 14 '16 at 22:23

user2357112

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score 2 · Answer 2 · edited Sep 09 '21 at 08:23

I was having the same issue of Python 3+ not being able to import Decimal. Even some external libraries, like pygal, would not install because the system could not access Decimal and decimal library.

I found accidentally in another site that "there maybe another decimal.py file in your system, shadowing on the decimal library".

I checked and found out that I had named a test file (while I was learning Python) as decimal.py and after I renamed this to decimaltest.py everything is working perfect.

Check if you have done the same or you have any similar wrongly named file in your system.

Hint for the next answer: you should include a reference to the page you're quoting. — Cadoiz, Sep 08 '21 at 12:54

Cannot import Decimal module

2 Answers2