[Python-Dev] dir()/__all__/etc

[Tim Peters]

[Neil Schemenauer]
> I'm -1 on making dir() pay attention to __all__.

Me too.  The original __exports__ idea was an ironclad guarantee about which
names were externally visible for *any* purpose.  Then it made sense to
restrict dir() accordingly.  But if __all__ is just "a hint" (to be ignored
or honored at whim, by whoever chooses), the introspective uses of dir()
must be served too.

> I'm +1 on adding a help() function which pays attention to
> __all__ and (optionally?) prints doc strings.

I can't be +1 on anything that vague -- although I'm +1 on each part of it
if done in exactly the way I envision <wink>.