[Edu-sig] Looking for a comprehensive Python and Tkinter documentation (like the Java documentation)

[David Handy]

On Wed, Mar 02, 2005 at 05:03:54PM +0100, Florian Reichl wrote:
> before using Python I was using Java at school.
> I really like Python. It has a lot of advantages.
> But I am missing the good documentation provided with Java!
>
> ...
> 
> Is there anything like that made for Python???
> 
> ...
> 
> P.S.: Where do I find the official Tkinter documentation?

Have you ever run pydoc?

On windows: Programs->Python 2.4->Module Docs

Click the "browse" button and look through documentation automatically
extracted from all the module files in your PYTHONPATH -- the standard Python
library plus whatever else you have installed.

Then of course there are the official online docs for the Python standard
library, which I find quite useful and at least as good as the corresponding
online Java API documentation:

http://docs.python.org/

As for Tkinter, well, that happens to be the weakest point. Unlike the other
standard Python packages, it is not fully documented in the "official" docs
-- for example, you won't find a complete description of Tkinter.Canvas
there.  Instead, when you go to http://docs.python.org/lib/module-Tkinter.html
you'll find some general overview and examples, and then you're referred to
other resources. I found John Grayson's "Python and Tkinter Programming"
book most useful; I wouldn't be using Tkinter without it.

I wouldn't complain too much about them not filling up the online docs with
hundreds of pages of Tkinter material. Most graphical frameworks are complex
enough to merit a book of some kind; I wouldn't try to learn Swing from the
online Java API documents!

David H.