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\chapter{Undocumented Modules \label{undoc}}
Here's a quick listing of modules that are currently undocumented, but
that should be documented. Feel free to contribute documentation for
them! (Send via email to \email{python-docs@python.org}.)
The idea and original contents for this chapter were taken
from a posting by Fredrik Lundh; the specific contents of this chapter
have been substantially revised.
\section{Frameworks}
Frameworks tend to be harder to document, but are well worth the
effort spent.
\begin{description}
\item[\module{Tkinter}]
--- Interface to Tcl/Tk for graphical user interfaces; Fredrik Lundh
is working on this one! See
\citetitle[http://www.pythonware.com/library.htm]{An Introduction to
Tkinter} at \url{http://www.pythonware.com/library.htm} for on-line
reference material.
\item[\module{Tkdnd}]
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--- Drag-and-drop support for \module{Tkinter}.
\item[\module{turtle}]
--- Turtle graphics in a Tk window.
\item[\module{test}]
--- Regression testing framework. This is used for the Python
regression test, but is useful for other Python libraries as well.
This is a package rather than a single module.
\end{description}
\section{Miscellaneous useful utilities}
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Some of these are very old and/or not very robust; marked with ``hmm.''
\begin{description}
\item[\module{bdb}]
--- A generic Python debugger base class (used by pdb).
\item[\module{ihooks}]
--- Import hook support (for \refmodule{rexec}; may become obsolete).
\item[\module{tzparse}]
--- Parse a timezone specification (unfinished; may disappear in the
future).
\end{description}
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\section{Platform specific modules}
These modules are used to implement the \refmodule{os.path} module,
and are not documented beyond this mention. There's little need to
document these.
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\begin{description}
\item[\module{dospath}]
--- Implementation of \module{os.path} on MS-DOS.
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\item[\module{ntpath}]
--- Implementation on \module{os.path} on Win32, Win64, WinCE, and
OS/2 platforms.
\item[\module{posixpath}]
--- Implementation on \module{os.path} on \POSIX.
\end{description}
\section{Multimedia}
\begin{description}
\item[\module{audiodev}]
--- Platform-independent API for playing audio data.
\item[\module{sunaudio}]
--- Interpret Sun audio headers (may become obsolete or a tool/demo).
\item[\module{toaiff}]
--- Convert "arbitrary" sound files to AIFF files; should probably
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become a tool or demo. Requires the external program \program{sox}.
\end{description}
\section{Obsolete \label{obsolete-modules}}
These modules are not normally available for import; additional work
must be done to make them available.
Those which are written in Python will be installed into the directory
\file{lib-old/} installed as part of the standard library. To use
these, the directory must be added to \code{sys.path}, possibly using
\envvar{PYTHONPATH}.
Obsolete extension modules written in C are not built by default.
Under \UNIX, these must be enabled by uncommenting the appropriate
lines in \file{Modules/Setup} in the build tree and either rebuilding
Python if the modules are statically linked, or building and
installing the shared object if using dynamically-loaded extensions.
% XXX need Windows instructions!
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\begin{description}
\item[\module{addpack}]
--- Alternate approach to packages. Use the built-in package support
instead.
\item[\module{cmp}]
--- File comparison function. Use the newer \refmodule{filecmp} instead.
\item[\module{cmpcache}]
--- Caching version of the obsolete \module{cmp} module. Use the
newer \refmodule{filecmp} instead.
\item[\module{codehack}]
--- Extract function name or line number from a function
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code object (these are now accessible as attributes:
\member{co.co_name}, \member{func.func_name},
\member{co.co_firstlineno}).
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\item[\module{dircmp}]
--- Class to build directory diff tools on (may become a demo or tool).
\deprecated{2.0}{The \refmodule{filecmp} module replaces
\module{dircmp}.}
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\item[\module{dump}]
--- Print python code that reconstructs a variable.
\item[\module{fmt}]
--- Text formatting abstractions (too slow).
\item[\module{lockfile}]
--- Wrapper around FCNTL file locking (use
\function{fcntl.lockf()}/\function{flock()} instead; see \refmodule{fcntl}).
\item[\module{newdir}]
--- New \function{dir()} function (the standard \function{dir()} is
now just as good).
\item[\module{Para}]
--- Helper for \module{fmt}.
\item[\module{poly}]
--- Polynomials.
\item[\module{tb}]
--- Print tracebacks, with a dump of local variables (use
\function{pdb.pm()} or \refmodule{traceback} instead).
\item[\module{timing}]
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--- Measure time intervals to high resolution (use
\function{time.clock()} instead). (This is an extension module.)
\item[\module{util}]
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--- Useful functions that don't fit elsewhere.
\item[\module{whatsound}]
--- Recognize sound files; use \refmodule{sndhdr} instead.
\item[\module{zmod}]
--- Compute properties of mathematical ``fields.''
\end{description}
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The following modules are obsolete, but are likely re-surface as tools
or scripts.
\begin{description}
\item[\module{find}]
--- Find files matching pattern in directory tree.
\item[\module{grep}]
--- \program{grep} implementation in Python.
\item[\module{packmail}]
--- Create a self-unpacking \UNIX{} shell archive.
\end{description}
The following modules were documented in previous versions of this
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manual, but are now considered obsolete. The source for the
documentation is still available as part of the documentation source
archive.
\begin{description}
\item[\module{ni}]
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--- Import modules in ``packages.'' Basic package support is now
built in. The built-in support is very similar to what is provided in
this module.
\item[\module{rand}]
--- Old interface to the random number generator.
\item[\module{soundex}]
--- Algorithm for collapsing names which sound similar to a shared
key. The specific algorithm doesn't seem to match any published
algorithm. (This is an extension module.)
\end{description}
\section{SGI-specific Extension modules}
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The following are SGI specific, and may be out of touch with the
current version of reality.
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\begin{description}
\item[\module{cl}]
--- Interface to the SGI compression library.
\item[\module{sv}]
--- Interface to the ``simple video'' board on SGI Indigo
(obsolete hardware).
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\end{description}