how do you learn python APIs?

[Keith Beattie]

Hello,

I'm relatively new to python and would like to know how more seasoned python programmers learn new APIs.  My inclination (as a recent Java programmer) is to have a javadoc like interface, and pydoc is close, but the lack of types make it difficult so discern what a method does without other documentation.  Doing dir(foo) on objects directly in the interpreter which is helpful but, I guess I'd like to know what the pythonic way of doing things is, or ask how people go about learning a new module.

Thanks,
ksb