Toplevel "test()" functions in standard library

[Moshe Zadka]

On Wed, 19 Jul 2000, Rob W. W. Hooft wrote:

> I agree that there can be internal routines in a module. But:
> 
>  - python has a nice way of hiding those routines from the casual user
>    of the library, namely adding an '_' before the name.

Which is a useful convention, but not a bug if not followed.

>  - you already argued that base64.test() provided useful functionality.
>    Why not document it?

Because it is useful only to someone who's reading the module's source,
not to the casual user. It would only add documentation cruft (IOW, do to
the documentation what you tried to prevent it to do to the code -- but
documentation is read by humans)

--
Moshe Zadka <moshez at math.huji.ac.il>
There is no GOD but Python, and HTTP is its prophet.
http://advogato.org/person/moshez