gh-118761: improve optparse import time by delaying textwrap import

eli-schwartz · eli-schwartz · commit 4484efc21e28 · 2025-01-15T19:49:05.000-05:00
The same change was made, and for the same reason, by argparse back in 2017. The textwrap module is only used when printing help text, so most invocations will never need it imported. See: #1269 See: 8110837
diff --git a/Lib/optparse.py b/Lib/optparse.py
@@ -74,7 +74,6 @@
 """
 
 import sys, os
-import textwrap
 from gettext import gettext as _, ngettext
 
 
@@ -254,6 +253,7 @@ def _format_text(self, text):
         """
         text_width = max(self.width - self.current_indent, 11)
         indent = " "*self.current_indent
+        import textwrap
         return textwrap.fill(text,
                              text_width,
                              initial_indent=indent,
@@ -309,6 +309,7 @@ def format_option(self, option):
         result.append(opts)
         if option.help:
             help_text = self.expand_default(option)
+            import textwrap
             help_lines = textwrap.wrap(help_text, self.help_width)
             result.append("%*s%s\n" % (indent_first, "", help_lines[0]))
             result.extend(["%*s%s\n" % (self.help_position, "", line)
diff --git a/Misc/NEWS.d/next/Library/2025-01-15-18-54-48.gh-issue-118761.G1dv6E.rst b/Misc/NEWS.d/next/Library/2025-01-15-18-54-48.gh-issue-118761.G1dv6E.rst
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+Reduce the import time of :mod:`optparse` when no help text is printed.
+Patch by Eli Schwartz.
