[Tutor] redirecting help -- is this a bad idea?

[Alan Gauld]

> pyhelp = help
>
> assigns pyhelp to that standard help function, and that assignment
> persists even after I have done my thing to make help call my custom
function?

Yes because the old help is a name bound to a help function *object*
The assignment simply binds another new name to that same function
object.

> pyhelp at the prompt will give the old instructions of help?

No problem because pyhelp is still pointing at the original help
object, not your new one.

> work as expected, once I've redirected help.

You redirect the name help but that doesn't change the underlying
original help object. Try some ASCII art:


Before:

pyHelp  ------->  [ original help function ]
                    ^
                    |
help  ---------------


After:

pyHelp  ------->  [ original help function ]


help  --------->  [ New help class ]



Does that help?

> Have I misunderstood your point?

You just got confused about how Python handles names
and function objects.

Alan g.