[Python-bugs-list] [ python-Bugs-715782 ] pydoc support for keywords

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Bugs item #715782, was opened at 2003-04-05 13:36
Message generated for change (Comment added) made by loewis
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Category: Documentation
Group: Feature Request
>Status: Closed
>Resolution: Fixed
Priority: 5
Submitted By: Matthias Klose (doko)
Assigned to: Nobody/Anonymous (nobody)
Summary: pydoc support for keywords

Initial Comment:
[ from http://bugs.debian.org/186775 ]

If one uses $ man perl
one gets on a path that can lead one to eventually find
docs for the
most basic commands like 'while'

However for python one sees one is to use pydoc. But
running pydoc,
one just sees
  pydoc - the Python documentation tool

  /usr/bin/pydoc <name> ...

etc. no hint about how to learn about basics like 'while'.

BTW, I wish it would say pydoc, not /usr/bin/pydoc


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>Comment By: Martin v. Löwis (loewis)
Date: 2003-06-14 11:08

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This is fixed in

pydoc.py 1.85
NEWS 1.783

as far is Python proper is concerned. To get keyword help,
the Python HTML documentation must be found in the locations
in which it is searched for.

The "I wish it would say pydoc" wish will not be granted.
Printing the complete path is deliberate, so that users can
see where in the path pydoc was found.

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Comment By: Tim Peters (tim_one)
Date: 2003-04-24 16:29

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Unassigned (I can't make time for this).

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Comment By: Douglas Napoleone (derivin)
Date: 2003-04-19 06:06

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Could you please include the OS, install, distro for python?

the distrobution from ActiveState has a very detailed 
manpage on linux. The cygwin distrobution (currently 
hosted/maintained by RedHat) has a poor man page (similar 
yet different from your example).

To be honest, I thought there was only a GNU info page, a 
quick find of the source tree didnt turn anything up, (but Im 
building on windows).


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Comment By: Cherniavsky Beni (cben)
Date: 2003-04-06 10:33

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It should suggest to run ``python`` and type ``help()``. 
Then one can type ``topics`` and access the language
documentation itself, e.g. ``LOOPING`` would tell one that
there is a ``while`` whose specific documentation is
accessible by typing the ``while`` keyword itself.  Also
some sentences about the usefulness of the Python prompt,
`dir()` and `help()` for learning might be in order...

BTW, it would be more consistent if pydoc would support the
special topics from the command line (it would require a
non-ambiguos option to avoid shadowing modules in current
directoy that happen to have one of the special name)...

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