How do I find out why importing failed with PyImportModule?

I have this code in a C application that's embedding Python (2.7.1):

{
PyObject *user_dict;
PyObject *user_func;
PyObject *result;
PyObject *header_tuple;
PyObject *original_recipients;
PyObject *working_recipients;

if (!Py_IsInitialized())
    {
    Py_Initialize();
    }

if (!expy_exim_dict)
    {
    PyObject *module = Py_InitModule(expy_exim_module, expy_exim_method开发者_JS百科s); /* Borrowed reference */
    Py_INCREF(module);                                 /* convert to New reference */
    expy_exim_dict = PyModule_GetDict(module);         /* Borrowed reference */
    Py_INCREF(expy_exim_dict);                         /* convert to New reference */
    }

if (!expy_user_module)
    {
    if (expy_path_add)
        {
        PyObject *sys_module;
        PyObject *sys_dict;
        PyObject *sys_path;
        PyObject *add_value;

        sys_module = PyImport_ImportModule("sys");  /* New Reference */
        if (!sys_module)
            {
            PyErr_Clear();
            *return_text = "Internal error, can't import Python sys module";
            log_write(0, LOG_REJECT, "Couldn't import Python 'sys' module");
            return PYTHON_FAILURE_RETURN;
            }

        sys_dict = PyModule_GetDict(sys_module);               /* Borrowed Reference, never fails */
        sys_path = PyMapping_GetItemString(sys_dict, "path");  /* New reference */

        if (!sys_path || (!PyList_Check(sys_path)))
            {
            PyErr_Clear();  /* in case sys_path was NULL, harmless otherwise */
            *return_text = "Internal error, sys.path doesn't exist or isn't a list";
            log_write(0, LOG_REJECT, "expy: Python sys.path doesn't exist or isn't a list");
            return PYTHON_FAILURE_RETURN;
            }

        add_value = PyString_FromString(expy_path_add);  /* New reference */
        if (!add_value)
            {
            PyErr_Clear();
            log_write(0, LOG_PANIC, "expy: Failed to create Python string from [%s]", expy_path_add);
            return PYTHON_FAILURE_RETURN;
            }

        if (PyList_Append(sys_path, add_value))
            {
            PyErr_Clear();
            log_write(0, LOG_PANIC, "expy: Failed to append [%s] to Python sys.path", expy_path_add);
            }

        Py_DECREF(add_value);
        Py_DECREF(sys_path);
        Py_DECREF(sys_module);
        }

    expy_user_module = PyImport_ImportModule(expy_scan_module);  /* New Reference */

    if (!expy_user_module)
        {
        PyErr_Clear();
        /* Handle error */
        }
    }

When PyImport_ImportModule fails, it returns NULL. How can I find out why it failed to import? (e.g. when importing the module works find outside of the embedding).

(The code is part of py-exim-localscan, and I'm wanting to add more information about failures in the rare cases when they occur).

You do this by looking at the exception that was raised. Currently you wipe the exception (that's what PyErr_Clear() does.) Don't do that, and instead print the traceback or inspect the exception object. See http://docs.python.org/c-api/exceptions.html for information on how to do that from C code, but usually the best idea is to just let the exception propagate.