interactive help in python-mode

[smontanaro]

BPO	545439
Nosy	@smontanaro, @warsaw, @theller
Files	[py-help.el](https://bugs.python.org/file4166/py-help.el "Uploaded as application/octet-stream; name="py-help.el" at 2002-04-18.00:31:08 by @smontanaro") 545439.txt

^{Note: these values reflect the state of the issue at the time it was migrated and might not reflect the current state.}

Show more details

GitHub fields:

assignee = 'https://github.com/warsaw'
closed_at = <Date 2002-04-22.22:03:57.000>
created_at = <Date 2002-04-18.00:31:07.000>
labels = []
title = 'interactive help in python-mode'
updated_at = <Date 2002-04-22.22:03:57.000>
user = 'https://github.com/smontanaro'

bugs.python.org fields:

activity = <Date 2002-04-22.22:03:57.000>
actor = 'barry'
assignee = 'barry'
closed = True
closed_date = None
closer = None
components = ['Demos and Tools']
creation = <Date 2002-04-18.00:31:07.000>
creator = 'skip.montanaro'
dependencies = []
files = ['4166', '4167']
hgrepos = []
issue_num = 545439
keywords = ['patch']
message_count = 6.0
messages = ['39632', '39633', '39634', '39635', '39636', '39637']
nosy_count = 3.0
nosy_names = ['skip.montanaro', 'barry', 'theller']
pr_nums = []
priority = 'normal'
resolution = 'accepted'
stage = None
status = 'closed'
superseder = None
type = None
url = 'https://bugs.python.org/issue545439'
versions = []

[smontanaro]

If you apply the patch from bug 545436 to
python-mode.el, the attached code allows programmers
to get help from pydoc about the current possibly
dotted expression.

This is just a quick-n-dirty hack, but seems at
least marginally useful.

[theller]

Logged In: YES
user_id=11105

FYI, a *somewhat* similar thing can be found at bug 541031.

[warsaw]

Logged In: YES
user_id=12800

One problem with your patch is that symbol-near-point is a
XEmacs-ism. I think we can fix that, and avoid the need to
"regexp-unquote" the return value by just inlining what we
need of symbol-near-point. I'll work out that patch and
check it in if it works.

[warsaw]

Logged In: YES
user_id=12800

Skip, check out the attached patch. This ought to work in
Emacs too. It binds py-help-at-point to C-c C-h.

[smontanaro]

Logged In: YES
user_id=44345

The patch works for me for methods but fails for
symbols. I hadn't tried it for something like
"sys.platform" before, so I'm pretty sure my original
patch failed for that as well. When I ask for help on
sys.platform it complains about "no help for 'linux2'".
That makes sense, since it's asking for

  pydoc.help(sys.platform)

Too bad Python doesn't have Lisp's quote feature! <0.5
wink>

Ooh! Ooh! Pydoc *does* understand quoting! Try

    pydoc.help("sys.platform")
    pydoc.help("sys.exc_info")

Looks like the help arg should always be quoted.

A couple other suggestions:

• How about binding py-help-at-point to [F1]?

• How about adding the following two lines to the
  end of py-help-at-point:

  (set-buffer "Python Output")
  (help-mode)

  That puts point in the P O buffer and makes it
  easy to dump the help buffer when you're through
  with it (just press 'q').

S

[warsaw]

Logged In: YES
user_id=12800

I like the fix for sys.platform, and the binding to [f1].
I'm less sure about the (help-mode) bit because *Python
Output* is overloaded for other things too. Oh well, I'll
add them all and see if anybody complains. :)