[Python-Dev] Small suggestion re help(Exception) (original) (raw)

Rob Cliffe rob.cliffe at btinternet.com
Wed Apr 21 18:52:08 CEST 2010


----- Original Message ----- From: "Aurélien Campeas" <aurelien.campeas at logilab.fr> To: "Rob Cliffe" <rob.cliffe at btinternet.com> Sent: Wednesday, April 21, 2010 5:25 PM Subject: Re: [Python-Dev] Small suggestion re help(Exception)

like in

ArithmeticError.subclasses() [<type 'exceptions.FloatingPointError'>, <type_ _'exceptions.OverflowError'>, <type 'exceptions.ZeroDivisionError'>] ?

Yes, exactly like that. I wasn't aware of subclasses (it doesn't appear in dir(ArithmeticError), for example), but if my suggestion were adopted, subclasses would be just what is needed to implement it. Rob Cliffe

Le mercredi 21 avril 2010 à 17:17 +0100, Rob Cliffe a écrit : help() on an Exception class lists the method resolution order (effectively the inheritance hierarchy). E.g. help(ArithmeticError) displays inter alia:

Method resolution order: ArithmeticError StandardError Exception BaseException builtin.object Would it be possible for it also display the Python built-in SUBclasses of the class? E.g. in the same example something like: Built-in subclasses: FloatingPointError OverflowError ZeroDivisionError This may seem pointless to grizzled old Python veterans who (maybe) know the inheritance hierarchy backwards, but for those of us with less experience I think it would be helpful, e.g. (1) It would help to track down an Exception whose name you have forgotten. (2) It would sometimes be illuminating, e.g. LookupError might be a bit obscure at first, until you see that it is the superclass of the familiar IndexError and KeyError. Sorry, I'm not sure if I should send this sort of thing to Python-Ideas or Python-Dev, so please let me know gently which one I should (not) have sent it to. Best wishes Rob Cliffe


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