What is `if __name__ == "__main_

The if __name__ == "__main__": ... trick exists in Python so that our Python files can act as either reusable modules, or as standalone programs. As a toy example, let's say that we have two files:

mumak:~ dyoo$ cat mymath.py
def square(x):
return x * x

if __name__ == '__main__':
print "test: square(42) ==", square(42)

mumak:~ dyoo$ cat mygame.py
import mymath

print "this is mygame."
print mymath.square(17)

In this example, we've written mymath.py to be both used as a utility module, as well as a standalone program. We can run mymath standalone by doing this:
mumak:~ dyoo$ python mymath.py
test: square(42) == 1764
But we can also use mymath.py as a module; let's see what happens when we run mygame.py:
mumak:~ dyoo$ python mygame.py
this is mygame.
289
Notice that here we don't see the 'test' line that mymath.py had near the bottom of its code. That's because, in this context, mymath is not the main program. That's what the if __name__ == "__main__": ... trick is used for.

简单解释一下：if __name__ == "__main__"` 在python程序中的作用是很微妙的。当程序被单独执行时，if __name__ == "__main__"后的内容便会执行；当程序作为模块导入其他模块时，if __name__ == "__main__"后的内容不执行。加上这句话使得调试程序更加方便，容易。

本文参考Python FAQ Wiki http://pyfaq.infogami.com/tutor-what-is-if-name-main-for