[issue24898] Documentation for str.find() is confusing
New submission from Ted Lemon: The documentation for str.find() on python.org, for all current versions, says: Return the lowest index in the string where substring sub is found, such that sub is contained in the slice s[start:end]. Optional arguments start and end are interpreted as in slice notation. Return -1 if sub is not found. I think that what is meant here is this: Return the lowest index in a string s where substring sub is found, such that if a is the returned index, and b == a + len(sub), sub is contained in the slice s[a:b]. Optional arguments start and end are interpreted as in slice notation. Return -1 if sub is not found. ---------- assignee: docs@python components: Documentation messages: 248872 nosy: Ted Lemon, docs@python priority: normal severity: normal status: open title: Documentation for str.find() is confusing versions: Python 3.6 _______________________________________ Python tracker <report@bugs.python.org> <http://bugs.python.org/issue24898> _______________________________________
Georg Brandl added the comment: The "slice" clause is talking about the additional arguments. A clearer version could be Return the lowest index in the string where substring sub is found within the slice s[start:end]. Optional arguments start and end are interpreted as in slice notation. Return -1 if sub is not found. ---------- nosy: +georg.brandl _______________________________________ Python tracker <report@bugs.python.org> <http://bugs.python.org/issue24898> _______________________________________
Ted Lemon added the comment: Hm, okay, that explains it. I was previously mystified. How about this as a refinement on your proposal, though: Return the lowest index in the string where substring sub is found within the string. Optional arguments start and end restrict the search to the slice of the string, s[start:end]. Returned index is relative to the beginning of the string, not the beginning of the slice. Return -1 if sub is not found. ---------- _______________________________________ Python tracker <report@bugs.python.org> <http://bugs.python.org/issue24898> _______________________________________
Changes by Ezio Melotti <ezio.melotti@gmail.com>: ---------- keywords: +easy stage: -> needs patch type: -> enhancement versions: +Python 2.7, Python 3.5 _______________________________________ Python tracker <report@bugs.python.org> <http://bugs.python.org/issue24898> _______________________________________
Roundup Robot added the comment: New changeset 7150e8a38c63 by Senthil Kumaran in branch '3.4': Issue24898 - Improve str.find documentation. https://hg.python.org/cpython/rev/7150e8a38c63 New changeset 164b564e3c1a by Senthil Kumaran in branch '3.5': merge from 3.4 https://hg.python.org/cpython/rev/164b564e3c1a New changeset 136adbcefa5f by Senthil Kumaran in branch 'default': merge from 3.5 https://hg.python.org/cpython/rev/136adbcefa5f ---------- nosy: +python-dev _______________________________________ Python tracker <report@bugs.python.org> <http://bugs.python.org/issue24898> _______________________________________
Roundup Robot added the comment: New changeset da934a19855b by Senthil Kumaran in branch '2.7': Backport documentation improvement. https://hg.python.org/cpython/rev/da934a19855b ---------- _______________________________________ Python tracker <report@bugs.python.org> <http://bugs.python.org/issue24898> _______________________________________
Senthil Kumaran added the comment: Updated the docs as per Georg's suggestion. Thank you Ted Lemon for bringing this up. ---------- assignee: docs@python -> orsenthil nosy: +orsenthil resolution: -> fixed stage: needs patch -> resolved status: open -> closed versions: +Python 3.4 _______________________________________ Python tracker <report@bugs.python.org> <http://bugs.python.org/issue24898> _______________________________________
participants (5)
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Ezio Melotti -
Georg Brandl
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Roundup Robot
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Senthil Kumaran
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Ted Lemon