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Noob: finding my way around the docs...

kj

I'm a Python noob, and haven't yet figured out my way around the
Python documentation.

For example, suppose I learn about some great module foo.bar.baz,
and when I run the python interpreter and type "import foo.bar.baz",
lo and behold, it is already installed on our system, which means
that (knowing that our system is pretty bare-bones as far as python
goes) most likely foo.bar.baz is part of the standard python
installation.

So, if I were an experienced Pythonista, how would I go about
finding the documentation for foo.bar.baz?

This situation happened most recently to me, if we replace foo.bar.baz
with xml.dom.ext. It was indeed installed on our system, but I
could find no mention of it in docs.python.org.

Somehow I have the feeling that there's some major stash of
documentation that I haven't learned about yet...

FWIW, I'm a Perlhead, and I'm very used (maybe too used) to the
fact that if the Perl module Foo::Bar::Baz is installed on our
system, all I need to do to read its full-blown documentation in
all its glory is to type "perldoc Foo::Bar::Baz" at the command
line. Is there anything like this in Python?

TIA!

kj
--
NOTE: In my address everything before the first period is backwards;
and the last period, and everything after it, should be discarded.
Jun 27 '08 #1
2 1026
On Jun 19, 2:06*pm, kj <so...@987jk.com.invalidwrote:
I'm a Python noob, and haven't yet figured out my way around the
Python documentation.

For example, suppose I learn about some great module foo.bar.baz,
and when I run the python interpreter and type "import foo.bar.baz",
lo and behold, it is already installed on our system, which means
that (knowing that our system is pretty bare-bones as far as python
goes) most likely foo.bar.baz is part of the standard python
installation.

So, if I were an experienced Pythonista, how would I go about
finding the documentation for foo.bar.baz?

This situation happened most recently to me, if we replace foo.bar.baz
with xml.dom.ext. *It was indeed installed on our system, but I
could find no mention of it in docs.python.org.

Somehow I have the feeling that there's some major stash of
documentation that I haven't learned about yet...

FWIW, I'm a Perlhead, and I'm very used (maybe too used) to the
fact that if the Perl module Foo::Bar::Baz is installed on our
system, all I need to do to read its full-blown documentation in
all its glory is to type "perldoc Foo::Bar::Baz" at the command
line. *Is there anything like this in Python?

TIA!

kj
--
NOTE: In my address everything before the first period is backwards;
and the last period, and everything after it, should be discarded.
If you are in the interpreter and you type: help(foo.bar.baz) you get
the embeded documentation.

I usually go straight to the `global module index` http://docs.python.org/modindex.html

I don't seem to have a module named "xml.dom.ext", so I don't think it
is standard.

Matt
Jun 27 '08 #2
kj
In <4b**********************************@w7g2000hsa.g ooglegroups.comMatimus <mc******@gmail.comwrites:
>If you are in the interpreter and you type: help(foo.bar.baz) you get
the embeded documentation.
>I usually go straight to the `global module index` http://docs.python.org/m=
odindex.html
Thanks!

kynn
--
NOTE: In my address everything before the first period is backwards;
and the last period, and everything after it, should be discarded.
Jun 27 '08 #3

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