[Python-ideas] Small suggestion re help(Exception)
Rob Cliffe
rob.cliffe at btinternet.com
Wed Apr 21 18:17:55 CEST 2010
help() on an Exception class lists the method resolution order (effectively the inheritance hierarchy).
E.g. help(ArithmeticError) displays inter alia:
Method resolution order:
ArithmeticError
StandardError
Exception
BaseException
__builtin__.object
Would it be possible for it also display the Python built-in SUBclasses of the class? E.g. in the same example something like:
Built-in subclasses:
FloatingPointError
OverflowError
ZeroDivisionError
This may seem pointless to grizzled old Python veterans who (maybe) know the inheritance hierarchy backwards, but for those of us with less experience I think it would be helpful, e.g.
(1) It would help to track down an Exception whose name you have forgotten.
(2) It would sometimes be illuminating, e.g. LookupError might be a bit obscure at first, until you see that it is the superclass of the familiar IndexError and KeyError.
Sorry, I'm not sure if I should send this sort of thing to Python-Ideas or Python-Dev, so please let me know gently which one I should (not) have sent it to.
Best wishes
Rob Cliffe
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://mail.python.org/pipermail/python-ideas/attachments/20100421/befb2b58/attachment.html>
More information about the Python-ideas
mailing list