Python: Essential Reference, Third Edition

Enabling Future Features

New language features that affect compatibility with older versions of Python are often disabled when they first appear in a release. To enable these features, the statement from __future__ import feature can be used. For example:

# Enable new division semantics
from __future__ import division

When used, this statement should appear as the first statement of a module or program. Furthermore, the intent of the __future__ module is to introduce features that will eventually be a standard part of the Python language (in which case the use of __future__ will not be required).