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

Nicholas Jacobson nicksjacobson at yahoo.com
Mon Mar 21 19:58:30 CET 2005

Oops, you're right.

What I should have said is to use a blank docstring as follows:

"""""" """Function docstring.""" def foo: ...

or:

"""Module docstring.""" """""" def foo: ...

--- Anthony Baxter <anthony at interlink.com.au> wrote:

On Monday 21 March 2005 20:08, Nicholas Jacobson wrote: > > 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.

Yuk. This is magic taken to a ridiculous level. Note that "blank lines" currently have no meaning in Python, and adding a meaning to them is not my idea of a good thing. -- Anthony Baxter <anthony at interlink.com.au> It's never too late to have a happy childhood.

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