[docs] [issue12902] help("modules") executes module code

Ezio Melotti report at bugs.python.org
Fri Sep 23 01:40:15 CEST 2011


Ezio Melotti <ezio.melotti at gmail.com> added the comment:

> A separate issue would be a feature request to not do that (assuming it really does).

I tried to verify this (the fact that modules get imported with help('modules')).  Here are the results:
  * Lib/foobar.py:
    - help('modules'): foobar in the list, code is *not* executed;
    - help('foobar'): code is executed;
  * Lib/deleteme/__init__.py:
    - help('modules'): deleteme in the list, code is executed;
    - help('deleteme'): code is executed;
  * Lib/deleteme/__init__.py and Lib/deleteme/foobar.py:
    - help('modules'): deleteme in the list, only __init__ code is executed;
    - help('deleteme.foobar'): foobar code is executed;

So it seems the only code that gets executed with help('modules') is the one in packages' __init__s.  It also seems that the code is executed only once, so doing help('deleteme') after help('modules') doesn't execute the code again.

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Python tracker <report at bugs.python.org>
<http://bugs.python.org/issue12902>
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