[Python-Dev] docstring before function declaration (original) (raw)

Nicholas Jacobson nicksjacobson at yahoo.com
Mon Mar 21 10:08:59 CET 2005

Rule #1: If the docstring is the first line of a module, it's the module's docstring.

Rule #2: If the docstring comes right before a class/function, it's that class/function's docstring.

How do you distinguish between a docstring at the top of a module that's immediately followed by a function? Is it the module docstring or the function docstring?

It's both. The docstring would be assigned to both the module and the function. This is a good thing when there is a module with only one function in it. i.e. there should only be one docstring for both, and this saves repetition of that docstring.

If a programmer wanted a docstring for the function but not the module, a blank first line would do the trick. A docstring for the module but not the function? Put a blank line between the module's docstring and the function.

--Nick Jacobson

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