where is help file?

[PaulS]

new to Fedora7, typed python in interactive interpreter, then help(). Then
modules to get a list of modules. Then module name to get info on a module
but no help file. What is the help file name? Is there an environmental
variable I have to set? Thanks,
Paul

[Carsten Haese]

On Fri, 2007-09-14 at 10:00 -0400, PaulS wrote:

new to Fedora7, typed python in interactive interpreter, then help(). Then
modules to get a list of modules. Then module name to get info on a module
but no help file. What is the help file name? Is there an environmental
variable I have to set?

There is no help file, and no environment variable. The help text is
stored directly inside each module and function that supplies a help
text. Observe:

>>def f(x):

.... "Calculate the square of x."
.... return x**x
....

>>help(f)

Help on function f in module __main__:

f(x)
Calculate the square of x.
(END)

Providing such a help text is optional, but all standard library modules
do provide help as far as I know. Consequently, the fact that you have a
module that doesn't provide a help text seems to indicate that it's not
a standard library module. What's the name of the module you're trying
to get help on?

Hope this helps (no pun intended),

--
Carsten Haese
http://informixdb.sourceforge.net

[Martin Blume]

"Carsten Haese" schrieb

new to Fedora7, typed python in interactive interpreter, then

help().

Then modules to get a list of modules. Then module name to get

info

on a module but no help file. What is the help file name?
Is there an environmental variable I have to set?

There is no help file, and no environment variable. The help text

is

stored directly inside each module and function that supplies a

help

text. Observe:

>def f(x):

... "Calculate the square of x."
... return x**x
...

>help(f)

Help on function f in module __main__:

f(x)
Calculate the square of x.
(END)

Providing such a help text is optional, but all standard library

modules

do provide help as far as I know. Consequently, the fact that you

have a

module that doesn't provide a help text seems to indicate that

it's not

a standard library module. What's the name of the module you're

trying

to get help on?

Hope this helps (no pun intended),

AFAIK you have to import the module first, before you can get help
on that module.

HTH
Martin

[Carsten Haese]

On Fri, 2007-09-14 at 18:20 +0200, Martin Blume wrote:

AFAIK you have to import the module first, before you can get help
on that module.

While that is true of the help(module_name) form, this is not necessary
in the interactive helper you start by calling help().

--
Carsten Haese
http://informixdb.sourceforge.net

[Neil Cerutti]

On 2007-09-14, Carsten Haese <ca*****@uniqsys.comwrote:

On Fri, 2007-09-14 at 18:20 +0200, Martin Blume wrote:

>AFAIK you have to import the module first, before you can get
help on that module.

While that is true of the help(module_name) form, this is not
necessary in the interactive helper you start by calling
help().

The interactive help function is cool. You need to download and
install the HTML version of the standard docs to take the utmost
advantage of it.

--
Neil Cerutti

[PaulS]

Thanks everyone.
Paul
"Neil Cerutti" <ho*****@yahoo.comwrote in message
news:sl*******************@FIAD06.norwich.edu...

On 2007-09-14, Carsten Haese <ca*****@uniqsys.comwrote:

>On Fri, 2007-09-14 at 18:20 +0200, Martin Blume wrote:

>>AFAIK you have to import the module first, before you can get
help on that module.

While that is true of the help(module_name) form, this is not
necessary in the interactive helper you start by calling
help().

The interactive help function is cool. You need to download and
install the HTML version of the standard docs to take the utmost
advantage of it.

--
Neil Cerutti