[Python-Dev] docstring before function declaration

Nicholas Jacobson nicksjacobson at yahoo.com
Tue Mar 22 19:42:52 CET 2005


Oops, you're right.

What I should have said is to use an empty docstring
as
follows:

""""""
"""Function docstring."""
def foo:
    ...

or:

"""Module docstring."""
""""""
def foo:
    ...

So the first docstring is the module docstring, and
the next is the first class/function.  And again, if
there's only one, it will belong to both.

--- Anthony Baxter <anthony at interlink.com.au> wrote:
> On Monday 21 March 2005 20:08, Nicholas Jacobson
> wrote:
> > > How do you distinguish between a docstring at
> the
> > > top of a module
> > > that's immediately followed by a  function? Is
> it
> > > the module docstring
> > > or the function docstring?
> >
> > It's both.  The docstring would be assigned to
> both
> > the module and the function.  This is a *good*
> thing
> > when there is a module with only one function in
> it.
> > i.e. there should only be one docstring for both,
> and
> > this saves repetition of that docstring.
> >
> > If a programmer wanted a docstring for the
> function
> > but not the module, a blank first line would do
> the
> > trick.  A docstring for the module but not the
> > function?  Put a blank line between the module's
> > docstring and the function.
> 
> Yuk. This is magic taken to a ridiculous level. Note
> that
> "blank lines" currently have no meaning in Python,
> and adding
> a meaning to them is not my idea of a good thing.
> 
> -- 
> Anthony Baxter     <anthony at interlink.com.au>
> It's never too late to have a happy childhood.
> 



		
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