Importing External Modules

So far, you’ve used Python’s built-in tools like math, random, and datetime.
But Python also has a massive ecosystem of external modules created by the community.

These modules:

• Add new features like web scraping, plotting, data analysis, and machine learning
• Are shared on the Python Package Index (PyPI)
• Can be installed with a tool called pip

You’ll most often use them when you need functionality not included in the standard library.

For example:

• Need to send an HTTP request? Use the requests module.
• Want to manipulate Excel files? Try openpyxl or pandas.
• Plotting charts? Use matplotlib.

We don’t write these modules from scratch — we import and reuse them, which saves time and reduces bugs.

In the next slides, we’ll walk through:

• How to install a module using pip
• How to import it in your code
• What to watch out for when managing versions

In the next lesson of this chapter, you’ll test your understanding of functions, scope, error handling, files, and modules with a recap quiz!