How to print module documentation in Python
Question:
I know this question is very simple, I know it must have been asked a lot of times and I did my search on both SO and Google but I could not find the answer, probably due to my lack of ability of putting what I seek into a proper sentence.
I want to be able to read the docs of what I import.
For example if I import x by “import x”, I want to run this command, and have its docs printed in Python or ipython.
What is this command-function?
Thank you.
PS. I don’t mean dir(), I mean the function that will actually print the docs for me to see and read what functionalities etc. this module x has.
Answers:
pydoc foo.bar
from the command line or help(foo.bar)
or help('foo.bar')
from Python.
You can use the .__doc__
attribute of the module of function:
In [14]: import itertools
In [15]: print itertools.__doc__
Functional tools for creating and using iterators..........
In [18]: print itertools.permutations.__doc__
permutations(iterable[, r]) --> permutations object
Return successive r-length permutations of elements in the iterable.
permutations(range(3), 2) --> (0,1), (0,2), (1,0), (1,2), (2,0), (2,1)
Both of help()
and __doc__
work fine on both inbuilt and on our own modules:
file: foo.py
def myfunc():
"""
this is some info on myfunc
"""
foo=2
bar=3
In [4]: help(so27.myfunc)
In [5]: import foo
In [6]: print foo.myfunc.__doc__
this is some info on func
In [7]: help(foo.myfunc)
Help on function myfunc in module foo:
myfunc()
this is some info on func
You can use help()
function to display the documentation. or you can choose method.__doc__
descriptor.
Eg: help(input)
will give the documentation on input() method.
I know this question is very simple, I know it must have been asked a lot of times and I did my search on both SO and Google but I could not find the answer, probably due to my lack of ability of putting what I seek into a proper sentence.
I want to be able to read the docs of what I import.
For example if I import x by “import x”, I want to run this command, and have its docs printed in Python or ipython.
What is this command-function?
Thank you.
PS. I don’t mean dir(), I mean the function that will actually print the docs for me to see and read what functionalities etc. this module x has.
pydoc foo.bar
from the command line or help(foo.bar)
or help('foo.bar')
from Python.
You can use the .__doc__
attribute of the module of function:
In [14]: import itertools
In [15]: print itertools.__doc__
Functional tools for creating and using iterators..........
In [18]: print itertools.permutations.__doc__
permutations(iterable[, r]) --> permutations object
Return successive r-length permutations of elements in the iterable.
permutations(range(3), 2) --> (0,1), (0,2), (1,0), (1,2), (2,0), (2,1)
Both of help()
and __doc__
work fine on both inbuilt and on our own modules:
file: foo.py
def myfunc():
"""
this is some info on myfunc
"""
foo=2
bar=3
In [4]: help(so27.myfunc)
In [5]: import foo
In [6]: print foo.myfunc.__doc__
this is some info on func
In [7]: help(foo.myfunc)
Help on function myfunc in module foo:
myfunc()
this is some info on func
You can use help()
function to display the documentation. or you can choose method.__doc__
descriptor.
Eg: help(input)
will give the documentation on input() method.