Newbie can't figure out documentation practices

[sismex01 at hebmex.com]

> 
> Ok, time for my yearly rant on interpolation ;)  Can anyone 
> tell me how to do cleanly something like (using perl-like
> syntax to indicate my intent, this isn't real code):
> 
> print """
> var x = $x
> var y = $y
> var self.z = $self.z
> fun x+y+self.z = $x+$y+$self.z
> var z from other object = $other.z
> z from self plus other = $self.z + $other.z
> """  % ????
> 

Hmmm... I'd first:

>>> def D(**args): return args

and then:

print """
var x = %(x)s
var y = %(y)s
var self.z = %(self_z)s
fun x+y+self.z = %(x)s+%(y)s+%(self_z)s
var z from other object = %(other_z)s
z from self plus other = %(self_z)s + %(other_z)s
""" % D(x=..., y=..., self_z=self.z, other_z=other.z)

But, I think, I suspect that you don't like %(...)s

>
> I've been told to write the above with tons of print 
> statements (one per line) and even more quotemarks:
> 
> print 'x=',x,'self.z=',self.z,...
> 

ewwww....

> But I _hate_ that kind of output for anything longer than
> two or three lines.  It's nearly impossible to read smoothly
> something which is say 50 lines of the above with many variables.
> 
> Cheers, and TIA,
> 
> f.
>

-gus