Problem with Help when using numarray

[Colin J. Williams]

Python advertises some basic service:

C:\Python24>python
Python 2.4.1 (#65, Mar 30 2005, 09:13:57) [MSC v.1310 32 bit (Intel)] on
win32
Type "help", "copyright", "credits" or "license" for more information.
With numarray, help gives unhelpful responses:

import numarray.numarraycore as _n
c= _n.array((1, 2))
print 'rank Value:', c.rank
print 'c.rank Help:', help(c.rank)

Results:
rank Value: 1
c.rank Help:Help on int object:

class int(object)
| int(x[, base]) -> integer
|
| Convert a string or number to an integer, if possible. A floating
point
| argument will be truncated towards zero (this does not include a
.................. etc etc.

Another example:
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "<interactive input>", line 1, in ?
File "site.py", line 328, in __call__
return pydoc.help(*args, **kwds)
File "C:\Python24\lib\pydoc.py", line 1647, in __call__
self.help(request)
File "C:\Python24\lib\pydoc.py", line 1691, in help
else: doc(request, 'Help on %s:')
File "C:\Python24\lib\pydoc.py", line 1475, in doc
pager(title % desc + '\n\n' + text.document(object, name))
File "C:\Python24\lib\pydoc.py", line 297, in document
if inspect.isroutine(object): return self.docroutine(*args)
File "C:\Python24\lib\pydoc.py", line 1226, in docroutine
if object.im_self:
File "C:\Python24\Lib\site-packages\numarray\generic.py", line 537,
in __nonzero__
raise RuntimeError("An array doesn't make sense as a truth value.
Use any(a) or all(a).")
RuntimeError: An array doesn't make sense as a truth value. Use any(a)
or all(a).
c.copy.__doc_ does return the __doc__ string OK:
But c.rank.__doc__ does not:'int(x[, base]) -> integer\n\nConvert a string or number to an integer,
if possible. A floating point\nargument will be truncated towards zero
(this does not include a string\nrepresentation of a floating point
number!) When converting a string, use\nthe optional base. It is an
error to supply a base when converting a\nnon-string. If the argument is
outside the integer range a long object\nwill be returned instead.'
Colin W.

 

[Robert Kern]

Python advertises some basic service:

C:\Python24>python
Python 2.4.1 (#65, Mar 30 2005, 09:13:57) [MSC v.1310 32 bit (Intel)] on
win32
Type "help", "copyright", "credits" or "license" for more information.
With numarray, help gives unhelpful responses:

import numarray.numarraycore as _n
c= _n.array((1, 2))
print 'rank Value:', c.rank
print 'c.rank Help:', help(c.rank)

Results:
rank Value: 1
c.rank Help:Help on int object:

class int(object)
| int(x[, base]) -> integer
|
| Convert a string or number to an integer, if possible. A floating
point
| argument will be truncated towards zero (this does not include a
................. etc etc.

c.rank is an integer, not a method. It doesn't have a docstring. It
can't have a docstring.

Another example:

Traceback (most recent call last):
File "<interactive input>", line 1, in ?
File "site.py", line 328, in __call__
return pydoc.help(*args, **kwds)
File "C:\Python24\lib\pydoc.py", line 1647, in __call__
self.help(request)
File "C:\Python24\lib\pydoc.py", line 1691, in help
else: doc(request, 'Help on %s:')
File "C:\Python24\lib\pydoc.py", line 1475, in doc
pager(title % desc + '\n\n' + text.document(object, name))
File "C:\Python24\lib\pydoc.py", line 297, in document
if inspect.isroutine(object): return self.docroutine(*args)
File "C:\Python24\lib\pydoc.py", line 1226, in docroutine
if object.im_self:
File "C:\Python24\Lib\site-packages\numarray\generic.py", line 537,
in __nonzero__
raise RuntimeError("An array doesn't make sense as a truth value.
Use any(a) or all(a).")
RuntimeError: An array doesn't make sense as a truth value. Use any(a)
or all(a).

c.copy.im_self is c . pydoc is trying to use it as a truth value (I'm
not sure why, you'll have to take it up with pydoc, not numarray), but
numarray has made a decision not to implement __nonzero__.

--
Robert Kern
(e-mail address removed)

"In the fields of hell where the grass grows high
Are the graves of dreams allowed to die."
-- Richard Harter

 

[Fredrik Lundh]

With numarray, help gives unhelpful responses:

import numarray.numarraycore as _n
c= _n.array((1, 2))
print 'rank Value:', c.rank
print 'c.rank Help:', help(c.rank)

c.rank returns a Python integer object.

if you pass in an object to help(), help figures out what that object is,
and tries to tell you what you can do with that object.

the integer itself has no idea whatsoever from where it came; it's just
an integer, and that's all Python knows about it.

cf.
Help on built-in module sys:
NAME
sys
Help on file object:
class file(object)
| file(name[, mode[, buffering]]) -> file object
Help on int object:
class int(object)
Help on method-wrapper object:
__int__ = class method-wrapper(object)

and so on.

</F>

 

[Colin J. Williams]

Colin J. Williams wrote:




c.rank returns a Python integer object.

Fredrik,

Thanks to Robert Kern and yourself.
Yes, you are right. Most of such cases are treated as properties so
that a doc string is available.

I think that the script below shows that there are cases where a doc
string is available but this information is not retrieved by help()

names= [n * int(not ( '_' in n)) for n in dir(c)]
for n in names:
if len(n):
try:
txt= eval('c.'+n+'.__doc__ ')
print n, txt
print 'help:', help('c.'+n)
except:
print n, ' fails'

You give an integer example below, which I have marked <<<<<<<

This gives the basics. help(c.rank) below gives much more and a lot of
it is irrelevant.

Colin W.
Help on int object:

class int(object)
| int(x[, base]) -> integer
|
| Convert a string or number to an integer, if possible. A floating
point
| argument will be truncated towards zero (this does not include a string
| representation of a floating point number!) When converting a
string, use
| the optional base. It is an error to supply a base when converting a
| non-string. If the argument is outside the integer range a long object
| will be returned instead.
|
| Methods defined here:
|
| __abs__(...)
| x.__abs__() <==> abs(x)
|
| __add__(...)
| x.__add__(y) <==> x+y
|
| __and__(...)
| x.__and__(y) <==> x&y
|
| __cmp__(...)
| x.__cmp__(y) <==> cmp(x,y)
|
| __coerce__(...)
| x.__coerce__(y) <==> coerce(x, y)
|
| __div__(...)
| x.__div__(y) <==> x/y
|
| __divmod__(...)
| x.__divmod__(y) <==> xdivmod(x, y)y
|
| __float__(...)
| x.__float__() <==> float(x)
|
| __floordiv__(...)
| x.__floordiv__(y) <==> x//y
|
| __getattribute__(...)
| x.__getattribute__('name') <==> x.name
|
| __getnewargs__(...)
|
| __hash__(...)
| x.__hash__() <==> hash(x)
|
| __hex__(...)
| x.__hex__() <==> hex(x)
|
| __int__(...)
| x.__int__() <==> int(x)
|
| __invert__(...)
| x.__invert__() <==> ~x
|
| __long__(...)
| x.__long__() <==> long(x)
|
| __lshift__(...)
| x.__lshift__(y) <==> x<<y
|
| __mod__(...)
| x.__mod__(y) <==> x%y
|
| __mul__(...)
| x.__mul__(y) <==> x*y
|
| __neg__(...)
| x.__neg__() <==> -x
|
| __nonzero__(...)
| x.__nonzero__() <==> x != 0
|
| __oct__(...)
| x.__oct__() <==> oct(x)
|
| __or__(...)
| x.__or__(y) <==> x|y
|
| __pos__(...)
| x.__pos__() <==> +x
|
| __pow__(...)
| x.__pow__(y[, z]) <==> pow(x, y[, z])
|
| __radd__(...)
| x.__radd__(y) <==> y+x
|
| __rand__(...)
| x.__rand__(y) <==> y&x
|
| __rdiv__(...)
| x.__rdiv__(y) <==> y/x
|
| __rdivmod__(...)
| x.__rdivmod__(y) <==> ydivmod(y, x)x
|
| __repr__(...)
| x.__repr__() <==> repr(x)
|
| __rfloordiv__(...)
| x.__rfloordiv__(y) <==> y//x
|
| __rlshift__(...)
| x.__rlshift__(y) <==> y<<x
|
| __rmod__(...)
| x.__rmod__(y) <==> y%x
|
| __rmul__(...)
| x.__rmul__(y) <==> y*x
|
| __ror__(...)
| x.__ror__(y) <==> y|x
|
| __rpow__(...)
| y.__rpow__(x[, z]) <==> pow(x, y[, z])
|
| __rrshift__(...)
| x.__rrshift__(y) <==> y>>x
|
| __rshift__(...)
| x.__rshift__(y) <==> x>>y
|
| __rsub__(...)
| x.__rsub__(y) <==> y-x
|
| __rtruediv__(...)
| x.__rtruediv__(y) <==> y/x
|
| __rxor__(...)
| x.__rxor__(y) <==> y^x
|
| __str__(...)
| x.__str__() <==> str(x)
|
| __sub__(...)
| x.__sub__(y) <==> x-y
|
| __truediv__(...)
| x.__truediv__(y) <==> x/y
|
| __xor__(...)
| x.__xor__(y) <==> x^y
|
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------
| Data and other attributes defined here:
|

if you pass in an object to help(), help figures out what that object is,
and tries to tell you what you can do with that object.

the integer itself has no idea whatsoever from where it came; it's just
an integer, and that's all Python knows about it.

cf.


Help on built-in module sys:
NAME
sys


Help on file object:
class file(object)
| file(name[, mode[, buffering]]) -> file object


Help on int object: <<<<<<
class int(object)


Help on method-wrapper object:
__int__ = class method-wrapper(object)

and so on.

</F>