Extending the interactive mode [not really an ANN :) ]

[Tjabo Kloppenburg]

hi,

I use python22 and dreamt about a comfortable way of using the interactive 
mode to find information about what methods/functions a class/module provides 
and what the helpful __doc__ string says (keeping ri [ruby] in my mind).

The annoying way to do this in python interactive mode -- with lots of key 
strokes and many risks of mistypnig -- is to type:
  print mod.__doc__     +Enter
  print dir(mod)    +Enter

So I finally wrote a very small function to be loaded from PYTHONSTARTUP when 
using interactive mode. It is self explanatory and gives you information 
about a module by typing "info(mod)". Fairly easy...

The mighty source:

# Author: tk at bitsex.de aka tapo in #python
#
# this is a small function you can load when starting python interactivly:
#   - put it into ~/.pythonstartup 
#   - do an "export PYTHONSTARTUP=$PYTHONSTARTUP:~/.pythonstartup
#   - restart "python" or "python22" without arguments
#   - now type: "info(info)" +enter :-)

def info(mod):
  "\nThis is a small function to show some info about a module.\nUsage in 
python interactive mode:\n import sys\n info(sys)"
  print "Info for module/class '%s':" % (mod.__name__)
  print mod.__doc__
  print "\nList of methods:"
  print dir(mod)


Always on a mission to save the world,
  tk. :-)

-- 
+ 7jaB0 Kl0ppE|\|8\_/R6 + 7|<@B175Ex.[}E + [}3,3n +