def ProcessImports(fileAsString):
    """
    Checks if the file includes import statements and acts upon them

    Parameters
    ----------------
    fileAsString : str
        The file displayed as a string for search&replace
    """

    foundStatements = re.findall(r"%@import.*", fileAsString)

    if len(foundStatements) == 0:
        print "no %@import hits"
    else:
        print foundStatements

    textblocksToImport = []
    iterator = 0
    for x in foundStatements:
        #splits %@import, the file parameter and the regex statement into separate strings. Makes sure to remove parentheses.
        splittedStatement = re.split(r"\s", x, 2)
        splittedStatement[2] = splittedStatement[2][1:-1]

        fileToImportFrom = open(splittedStatement[1], "r")
        fileToImportFromAsString = fileToImportFrom.read()
        fileToImportFrom.close()

        textToImport = re.search(splittedStatement[2], fileToImportFromAsString)
        latexPreparedString = ""
        if textToImport:
            #TODO? handle multiple hits (group(x))? As-is you have to make sure your regex statement hits the intended code block and not multiple ones, or it will just replace with the first hit.
            latexPreparedString = r"\\begin{verbatim}"+"\n"+textToImport.group(0)+"\n"+r"\end{verbatim}"

        print "regex statement: ", foundStatements[iterator]
        print "string to replace with: \n", latexPreparedString
            #print "string to search&replace in: \n", fileAsString
        print iterator
        processedString = re.sub(re.escape(foundStatements[iterator]), latexPreparedString, fileAsString)
        textblocksToImport.append(latexPreparedString)
        iterator=iterator+1

    #below is alternative solution that is less effective than using re.escape. Keeping it in case it turns out it's needed again
    #processedString = fileAsString
    #iterator = 0
    #for x in foundStatements:
        #processedString = re.sub(r"%@import.*", textblocksToImport[iterator], processedString, 1)
        #iterator = iterator+1
    print processedString
    return processedString