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My major point still stands. 1. It's useless noise for something like help(math.sin). 2. It's everywhere and not well documented. Ironical for a help system!
by emmelaich 2y ago
My major point still stands.
1. It's useless noise for something like help(math.sin).
2. It's everywhere and not well documented. Ironical for a help system!
Damn it's been hard to improve Python's help system. Python2 didn't have an entry for re.MatchObject. When I mentioned this on irc #python the response was to just google it. Talk about not getting the point. help() should help.
- chthonicdaemon 2y agoIt is not useless noise for something like `help(math.sin)`. The signature displayed by help is `sin(x, /)`, which tells you that `sin(x=1)` will fail. If the signature had just been `sin(x)` then `sin(x=1)` would work.
- emmelaich 2y agoOK you're right. But it wouldn't even have occurred to me to try sin(x=2) until I read sibling comment.
- adammarples 2y agoI guess that's because you don't know how function arguments work in python but that's not really the fault of the help documentation
- emmelaich 2y agoAstonishing. As if help() cannot be improved and this is not a 'fault'.
- throwaway127482 2y agohelp() should not have to re-teach you the syntax of the language every time you look up an individual help topic, though. Even though this "/" stuff is uncommonly used, it seems like it should have its own help topic. Otherwise, this means that help() has to re-explain every piece of syntax that might be considered "uncommonly used", which is kind of hard to draw a line for.