Python Library Reference is tutorial, not reference

aurora aurora00 at gmail.com
Sat Oct 16 13:26:35 EDT 2004


Sometimes it is rather frustrated to use the Python Library Reference. It  
seems each section is hand crafted and it is up to the author decide the  
organization and coverage. For example the os module seems be broken down  
in a somewhat abitrary way. You have to get use to it to find the way  
around.

   http://www.python.org/doc/2.3.4/lib/module-os.html

Some section, I would said, is more a tutorial than a reference. Most  
frustrating is the material sometimes doesn't seem to be comprehensive.  
For example, I was looking for reference on class cgi.FieldStorage. The  
closet thing I found is some sample code in

   http://www.python.org/doc/2.3.4/lib/node403.html

I have to look into source code to find all parameters accepted.

   def __init__(self, fp=None, headers=None, outerboundary="",
          environ=os.environ, keep_blank_values=0, strict_parsing=0):

Is Python going to adopt a more systematic organization of reference  
materials, such as the once presented in:
http://epydoc.sourceforge.net/stdlib/public/cgi.FieldStorage-class.html



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