Python Documentation?

[Daniel R. Smorey Jr.]

Re: Python Documentation?

Michael Hudson wrote:[color=blue][color=green]
>>I'm really lost on why it's so hard to find anything when it comes
>>to me looking up a particular function in Python. My example would
>>be the split() function of the string module.[/color]
>
>
> You mean you weren't born knowing what that did? Sheesh, kids these
> days... <wink>.[/color]

haha, yeah, there's only one problem with knowing that function so well,
some crazy programmers change the variable order. Take a look at php's
split() and python's split(). The order's are different and believe me,
split() was only a small example of problems I've had with python
documentation so far. I'm working on a Zaurus problem with PyQT at the
moment. I know "some" C, not a lot though and have never worked with
QT. Man is it hard to find documentation on PyQT. I found a great
online book, but of course it's only a book, can't possibly have every
feature and every snippet of PyQT. So, since there is virtually no
documentation on it, I have to use the C documentation and just convert
it over. Which I'm finding isn't really that hard since Python is such
an object-oriented language.

My main problem is I love learning new languages. However, my boss
loves me getting my work done also. If I had a place where I could go
to find partially what I needed 70% of the time, then I'd like the
language even more. Python hasn't been that way so far. But I'm
learning and thanks to all the posts here, I'll have a better idea of
where to find this documentation.

Thanks all...
[color=blue]
>
> Cheers,
> mwh
>[/color]

[Gerhard Häring]

Re: Python Documentation?

Cameron Laird wrote:[color=blue]
> [...] Pythoneers [...] have a vehicle for sharing code examples,
> commentary, and related matters: the Wiki (complementing,
> incidentally, the Cookbook).[/color]

Well, these are already two places, not one :) My observation is that in
Pythonia, there is quite a diversity in places where code snippets and
tips are collected. In addition to the two big sources you mentioned,
there's also the Python FAQ, for example.

As far as Wikis are concerned, I'd like to humbly suggest that people
really use the Wiki at python.org, instead of putting content that
concerns Python itself into their own wikis. Yes, I also mean you,
Twisted guys! :-P

Decentralisatio n may have its places, but not for documentation and
knowledge bases, IMO. That is, if you want to improve on Google being
your documentation index ;)

-- Gerhard

[Gerhard Häring]

Re: Python Documentation?

Dan Thrue wrote:[color=blue]
> No i wont judge anything a failure in this community :) To say it
> shortly, the wiki doesnt actually fill my requirements.[/color]

I actually find the PHP approach of being able to attach user comments
to doc pages useful. I try to stay clear from PHP ;-), but I do use it
in the PostgreSQL interactive documentation:

Here's an example:

http://www.postgresql.org/docs/7.3/interactive/ddl-alter.html#AEN1984

I find it's a good way to add notes about what's not clear and what
information is wrong or lacking to the docs. Certainly an easier
approach than to file a bug report or a doc patch for the Python docs at
Sourceforge.

The PostgreSQL docs are created from SGML, while the Python docs are
created from a LaTeX subset, so I don't know if there's any solution
that could easily be set up for the Python documentation. I'd like to
see it implemented, though. [1]

-- Gerhard

[1] If nothing else, I could then add "does anybody actually directly
use this cra^wmodule?" to the page for ftplib <0.1 wink>

[Daniel R. Smorey Jr.]

Re: Python Documentation?

Steven Taschuk wrote:
[color=blue]
> Quoth Daniel R. Smorey Jr.:
>
>
> For full-text searches, try <http://www.pydoc.org/>.
>
> For functions and whatnot, there's the index of the Library
> Reference, <http://www.python.org/doc/2.3/lib/genindex.html>.
>[/color]

That's exactly what I was looking for! I didn't even know until now
that you don't have to import string and that split is part of python
now. pydoc.org gave me that in the first page of hits, I think the
second hit. Thanks...

[Gerhard Häring]

Re: Python Documentation?

Cc-ing python-list because it might be of general interest.

Cameron Laird wrote:[color=blue]
> In article <mailman.106242 7383.11085.pyth on-list@python.org > you write:[color=green]
>>[1] If nothing else, I could then add "does anybody actually directly
>>use this cra^wmodule?" to the page for ftplib <0.1 wink>
>>[/color]
>
> What *is* going on there? Do you use Twisted instead?[/color]

I needed a quick way to "stat" files via FTP (it's a mirror script that
synchronizes the maps, etc. on Unreal Tournament 2003 gameservers). As
ftplib lacks any methods whatsoever to parse the output of the LIST
command, I searched for something higher level and found ftputil [1],
which is quite nice to use.

Unfortunately, the stat command of ftputil was very inefficient (it
basically does a LIST for every stat() you call), so I extended it with
a statall() method for my mirror script.

Being annoyed with Python's ftplib I wasn't surprised that the ftpcp
function in the module didn't work for me, while calling the Linux ftp
client (well, whatever /usr/bin/ftp was at that machine ;-) worked fine
when using the appropriate PROXY commands.

My current solution creates a script that is then fed into the ftp
client program. Yes, I need an appropriate ~/.netrc file :-/ It's quite
a hack, but I needed a solution fast ;-)

The good part was [2] that I learnt that FTP actually has one useful
feature: server-to-server copy, which has the additional benefit of not
creating any significant traffic on the controlling client.

-- Gerhard

[1] http://www.ndh.net/home/sschwarzer/p..._software.html
[2] thanks to deltab on #python

[Fredrik Lundh]

Re: Python Documentation?

Gerhard Häring wrote:
[color=blue]
> I needed a quick way to "stat" files via FTP (it's a mirror script that
> synchronizes the maps, etc. on Unreal Tournament 2003 gameservers). As
> ftplib lacks any methods whatsoever to parse the output of the LIST
> command[/color]

which isn't that strange, given that the LIST command can output
anything (it's intended for human readers, not computers).

some useful links:

http://cr.yp.to/ftpparse.html

http://c0re.jp/c0de/ftpparsemodule/

http://effbot.org/downloads/#ftpparse

</F>