[Python-Dev] Re: pydoc.py (show docs both inside and outside of Python)

[Ka-Ping Yee]

On Thu, 11 Jan 2001, Martin v. Loewis wrote:
> 
> However, robustness probably needs to be improved:

Agreed.

> Wasn't there even a proposal that
> 
> >>> help
> 
> should do something meaningful (by implementing __repr__)?

There was.  I am planning to incorporate Paul Prescod's mechanism
for doing this; i just didn't have time to throw in that feature
yet, and wanted feedback on the man-like stuff first.

My next two targets are:
    1.  Generating text from the HTML documentation files
        using Paul Prescod's stuff in onlinehelp.py.

    2.  Running a background HTTP server that produces its
        pages using htmldoc.py.

Both are pieces we already have and only need to integrate; i just
wanted to get at least a working candidate done first.

Did using pydoc like "man" work okay for you?

> >>> import string
> >>> help(string)
> Traceback (most recent call last):
...
> TypeError: arg is a built-in class

Mine doesn't do this for me.  I think i may have left up an older version
of inspect.py by mistake.  Try downloading

    http://www.lfw.org/python/inspect.py

again -- apologies for the hassle.

> Also, the tools could use some command line options:
> 
> martin@mira:~/pydoc > ./pydoc.py --help
> Traceback (most recent call last):
>   File "./pydoc.py", line 190, in ?
>     opts[args[i][1:]] = args[i+1]
> IndexError: list index out of range
> 
> At a minimum, I propose -h, --help, -v, -V.

Okay.  There is usage help already; i just failed to make it sufficiently
robust about deciding when to show it.

    skuld[1010]% pydoc
    /home/ping/bin/pydoc <name> ...
        Show documentation on something.
        <name> may be the name of a Python function, module,
        package, or a dotted reference to a class or function
        within a module or module in a package.

    /home/ping/bin/pydoc -k <keyword>
        Search for a keyword in the short descriptions of modules.


-- ?!ng

"If I have seen farther than others, it is because I was standing on a
really big heap of midgets."
    -- K. Eric Drexler