mirror of https://github.com/python/cpython.git
685 lines
29 KiB
TeX
685 lines
29 KiB
TeX
\documentclass{howto}
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\usepackage{ltxmarkup}
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\title{Documenting Python}
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\input{boilerplate}
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% Now override the stuff that includes author information:
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\author{Fred L. Drake, Jr.}
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\authoraddress{
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Corporation for National Research Initiatives (CNRI) \\
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1895 Preston White Drive, Reston, Va 20191, USA \\
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E-mail: \email{fdrake@acm.org}
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}
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\date{\today}
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\begin{document}
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\maketitle
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\begin{abstract}
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\noindent
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The Python language documentation has a substantial body of
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documentation, much of it contributed by various authors. The markup
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used for the Python documentation is based on \LaTeX{} and requires a
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significant set of macros written specifically for documenting Python.
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Maintaining the documentation requires substantial effort, in part
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because selecting the correct markup to use is not always easy.
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This document describes the document classes and special markup used
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in the Python documentation. Authors may use this guide, in
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conjunction with the template files provided with the
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distribution, to create or maintain whole documents or sections.
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[Notes and questions in brackets, like this, are notes to myself while
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developing this document.]
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\end{abstract}
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\tableofcontents
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\section{Introduction}
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Python's documentation has long been considered to be good for a
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free programming language. There are a number of reasons for this,
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the most important being the early commitment of Python's creator,
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Guido van Rossum, to providing documentation on the language and its
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libraries, and the continuing involvement of the user community in
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providing assistance for creating and maintaining documentation.
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The involvement of the community takes many forms, from authoring to
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bug reports to just plain complaining when aspects of the
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documentation could be easier to use. All of these forms of input
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from the community have proved useful during the time I've been
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involved in maintaining the documentation.
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This document is aimed at authors and potential authors of
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documentation for Python. Among this group, it is aimed primarily
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at people contributing to the standard documentation and developing
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additional documents using the same tools as the standard
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documents. This guide will be less useful for authors using the
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Python documentation tools for topics other than Python, and less
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useful still for authors not using the tools at all.
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The material in this guide is intended to assist authors using the
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Python documentation tools. It includes information on the source
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distribution of the standard documentation, a discussion of the
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Python document classes, reference material on the markup defined in
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the document classes, a list of the tools need for processing
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documents, and reference material on the tools provided with the
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documentation resources. At the end, there is also a section
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discussing future directions for the Python documentation.
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\section{Directory Structure}
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The source distribution for the standard Python documentation
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contains a large number of directories. While third-party documents
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do not need to be placed into this structure or need to be placed
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within a similar structure, it can be helpful to know where to look
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for examples and tools when developing new documents using the
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Python documentation tools. This section describes this directory
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structure.
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The documentation sources are usually placed within the Python
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source distribution as the top-level subdirectory \file{Doc/}, but
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are independent of the Python source distribution.
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The \file{Doc/} directory contains a few files and several
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subdirectories. The files are mostly self-explanatory, including a
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\file{README} and a \file{Makefile}. The directories fall into
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three categories:
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\begin{definitions}
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\term{Document Sources}
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The \LaTeX{} sources for each document are placed in a
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separate directory. These directories are given short,
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three-character names.
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\term{Format-Specific Output}
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Most output formats have a directory which contains a
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\file{Makefile} which controls the generation of that format
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and provides storage for the formatted documents. The only
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variations within this category are the Portable Document
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Format (PDF) and PostScript versions are placed in the
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directories \file{paper-a4/} and \file{paper-letter/}.
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\term{Supplemental Files}
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Some additional directories are used to store supplemental
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files used for the various processes. Directories are
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included for the shared \LaTeX{} document classes, the
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\LaTeX2HTML support, template files for various document
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components, and the scripts used to perform various steps in
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the formatting processes.
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\end{definitions}
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\section{\LaTeX{} Syntax Primer \label{latex-primer}}
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[This section will discuss what the markup looks like, and explain
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the difference between an environment and a macro.]
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\section{Document Classes}
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Two \LaTeX{} document classes are defined specifically for use with
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the Python documentation. The \code{manual} class is for large
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documents which are sectioned into chapters, and the \code{howto}
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class is for smaller documents.
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The \code{manual} documents are larger and are used for most of the
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standard documents. This document class is based on the standard
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\LaTeX{} \code{report} class and is formatted very much like a long
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technical report.
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The \code{howto} documents are shorter, and don't have the large
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structure of the \code{manual} documents. This class is based on
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the standard \LaTeX{} \code{article} class and is formatted somewhat
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like the Linux Documentation Project's ``HOWTO'' series as done
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originally using the LinuxDoc software. The original intent for the
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document class was that it serve a similar role as the LDP's HOWTO
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series, but the applicability of the class turns out to be somewhat
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more broad. This class is used for ``how-to'' documents (this
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document is an example) and for shorter reference manuals for small,
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fairly cohesive module libraries. Examples of the later use include
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the standard \emph{Macintosh Library Modules} and \emph{Using
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Kerberos from Python}, which contains reference material for an
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extension package. These documents are roughly equivalent to a
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single chapter from a larger work.
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\section{Python-specific Markup}
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The Python document classes define a lot of new environments and
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macros. This section contains the reference material for these
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facilities.
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\subsection{Information Units \label{info-units}}
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Most of the environments should be described here: \env{excdesc},
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\env{funcdesc}, etc.
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\begin{envdesc}{datadesc}{\{\var{name}\}}
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\end{envdesc}
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\begin{envdesc}{datadesc}{\{\var{name}\}}
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Like \env{datadesc}, but without creating any index entries.
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\end{envdesc}
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\begin{envdesc}{excdesc}{\{\var{name}\}}
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Describe an exception. This may be either a string exception or
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a class exception.
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\end{envdesc}
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\begin{envdesc}{funcdesc}{\{\var{name}\}\{\var{parameter list}\}}
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\end{envdesc}
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\begin{envdesc}{funcdescni}{\{\var{name}\}\{\var{parameter list}\}}
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Like \env{funcdesc}, but without creating any index entries.
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\end{envdesc}
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\begin{envdesc}{classdesc}{\{\var{name}\}\{\var{constructor parameter list}\}}
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\end{envdesc}
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\begin{envdesc}{memberdesc}{\{\var{name}\}}
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\end{envdesc}
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\begin{envdesc}{memberdescni}{\{\var{name}\}}
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Like \env{memberdesc}, but without creating any index entries.
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\end{envdesc}
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\begin{envdesc}{methoddesc}{{[}\var{class name}{]}\{\var{name}\}\{\var{parameter list}\}}
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\end{envdesc}
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\begin{envdesc}{methoddescni}{{[}\var{class name}{]}\{\var{name}\}\{\var{parameter list}\}}
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Like \env{methoddesc}, but without creating any index entries.
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\end{envdesc}
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\subsection{Inline Markup}
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This is where to explain \macro{code}, \macro{function},
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\macro{email}, etc.
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\subsection{Module-specific Markup}
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The markup described in this section is used to provide information
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about a module being documented. A typical use of this markup
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appears at the top of the section used to document a module. A
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typical example might look like this:
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\begin{verbatim}
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\section{\module{spam} ---
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Access to the SPAM facility}
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\declaremodule{extension}{spam}
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\platform{Unix}
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\modulesynopsis{Access to the SPAM facility of Unix.}
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\moduleauthor{Jane Doe}{jane.doe@frobnitz.org}
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\end{verbatim}
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\begin{macrodesc}{declaremodule}{{[}\var{key}{]}\{\var{type}\}\{\var{name}\}}
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Requires two parameters: module type (standard, builtin,
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extension), and the module name. An optional parameter should be
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given as the basis for the module's ``key'' used for linking to or
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referencing the section. The ``key'' should only be given if the
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module's name contains any underscores, and should be the name
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with the underscores stripped. This should be the first thing
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after the \macro{section} used to introduce the module.
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\end{macrodesc}
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\begin{macrodesc}{platform}{\{\var{specifier}\}}
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Specifies the portability of the module. \var{specifier} is a
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comma-separated list of keys that specify what platforms the
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module is available on. The keys are short identifiers;
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examples that are in use include \samp{IRIX}, \samp{Mac},
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\samp{Windows}, and \samp{Unix}. It is important to use a key
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which has already been used when applicable.
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\end{macrodesc}
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\begin{macrodesc}{modulesynopsis}{\{\var{text}\}}
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The \var{text} is a short, ``one line'' description of the
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module that can be used as part of the chapter introduction.
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This is typically placed just after \macro{declaremodule}.
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The synopsis is used in building the contents of the table
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inserted as the \macro{localmoduletable}. No text is
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produced at the point of the markup.
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\end{macrodesc}
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\begin{macrodesc}{moduleauthor}{\{\var{name}\}\{\var{email}\}}
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This macro is used to encode information about who authored a
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module. This is currently not used to generate output, but can be
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used to help determine the origin of the module.
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\end{macrodesc}
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\subsection{Library-level Markup}
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This markup is used when describing a selection of modules. For
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example, the \emph{Macintosh Library Modules} document uses this
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to help provide an overview of the modules in the collection, and
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many chapters in the \emph{Python Library Reference} use it for
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the same purpose.
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\begin{macrodesc}{localmoduletable}{}
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If a \file{.syn} file exists for the current
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chapter (or for the entire document in \code{howto} documents), a
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\env{synopsistable} is created with the contents loaded from the
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\file{.syn} file.
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\end{macrodesc}
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\subsection{Table Markup}
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There are three general-purpose table environments defined which
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should be used whenever possible. These environments are defined
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to provide tables of specific widths and some convenience for
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formatting. These environments are not meant to be general
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replacements for the standard \LaTeX{} table environments, but can
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be used for an advantage when the documents are processed using
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the tools for Python documentation processing. In particular, the
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generated HTML looks good! There is also an advantage for the
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eventual conversion of the documentation to SGML (see Section
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\ref{futures}, ``Future Directions'').
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Each environment is named \env{table\var{cols}}, where \var{cols}
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is the number of columns in the table specified in lower-case
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Roman numerals. Within each of these environments, an additional
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macro, \macro{line\var{cols}}, is defined, where \var{cols}
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matches the \var{cols} value of the corresponding table
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environment. These are supported for \var{cols} values of
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\code{ii}, \code{iii}, and \code{iv}. These environments are all
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built on top of the \env{tabular} environment.
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\begin{envdesc}{tableii}{\{\var{colspec}\}\{\var{col1font}\}\{\var{heading1}\}\{\var{heading2}\}}
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Create a two-column table using the \LaTeX{} column specifier
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\var{colspec}. The column specifier should indicate vertical
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bars between columns as appropriate for the specific table, but
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should not specify vertical bars on the outside of the table
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(that is considered a stylesheet issue). The \var{col1font}
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parameter is used as a stylistic treatment of the first column
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of the table: the first column is presented as
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\code{\e\var{col1font}\{column1\}}. To avoid treating the first
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column specially, \var{col1font} may be \code{textrm}. The
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column headings are taken from the values \var{heading1} and
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\var{heading2}.
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\end{envdesc}
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\begin{macrodesc}{lineii}{\{\var{column1}\}\{\var{column2}\}}
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Create a single table row within a \env{tableii} environment.
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The text for the first column will be generated by applying the
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macro named by the \var{col1font} value when the \env{tableii}
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was opened.
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\end{macrodesc}
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\begin{envdesc}{tableiii}{\{\var{colspec}\}\{\var{col1font}\}\{\var{heading1}\}\{\var{heading2}\}\{\var{heading3}\}}
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Like the \env{tableii} environment, but with a third column.
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The heading for the third column is given by \var{heading3}.
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\end{envdesc}
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\begin{macrodesc}{lineiii}{\{\var{column1}\}\{\var{column2}\}\{\var{column3}\}}
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Like the \macro{lineii} macro, but with a third column. The
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text for the third column is given by \var{column3}.
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\end{macrodesc}
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\begin{envdesc}{tableiv}{\{\var{colspec}\}\{\var{col1font}\}\{\var{heading1}\}\{\var{heading2}\}\{\var{heading3}\}\{\var{heading4}\}}
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Like the \env{tableiii} environment, but with a fourth column.
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The heading for the fourth column is given by \var{heading4}.
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\end{envdesc}
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\begin{macrodesc}{lineiv}{\{\var{column1}\}\{\var{column2}\}\{\var{column3}\}\{\var{column4}\}}
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Like the \macro{lineiii} macro, but with a fourth column. The
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text for the fourth column is given by \var{column4}.
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\end{macrodesc}
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An additional table-like environment is \env{synopsistable}. The
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table generated by this environment contains two columns, and each
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row is defined by an alternate definition of
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\macro{modulesynopsis}. This environment is not normally use by
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the user, but is created by the \macro{localmoduletable} macro.
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\subsection{Reference List Markup \label{references}}
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Many sections include a list of references to module documentation
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or external documents. These lists are created using the
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\env{seealso} environment. This environment defines some
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additional macros to support creating reference entries in a
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reasonable manner.
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\begin{envdesc}{seealso}{}
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This environment creates a ``See also:'' heading and defines the
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markup used to describe individual references.
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\end{envdesc}
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\begin{macrodesc}{seemodule}{{[}\var{key}{]}\{\var{name}\}\{\var{why}\}}
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Refer to another module. \var{why} should be a brief
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explanation of why the reference may be interesting. The module
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name is given in \var{name}, with the link key given in
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\var{key} if necessary. In the HTML and PDF conversions, the
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module name will be a hyperlink to the referred-to module.
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\end{macrodesc}
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\begin{macrodesc}{seetext}{\{\var{text}\}}
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Add arbitrary text \var{text} to the ``See also:'' list. This
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can be used to refer to off-line materials or on-line materials
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using the \macro{url} macro.
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\end{macrodesc}
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\subsection{Index-generating Markup \label{indexing}}
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Effective index generation for technical documents can be very
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difficult, especially for someone familliar with the topic but not
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the creation of indexes. Much of the difficulty arises in the
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area of terminology: including the terms an expert would use for a
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concept is not sufficient. Coming up with the terms that a novice
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would look up is fairly difficult for an author who, typically, is
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an expert in the area she is writing on.
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The truly difficult aspects of index generation are not areas with
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which the documentation tools can help. However, ease
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of producing the index once content decisions are make is within
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the scope of the tools. Markup is provided which the processing
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software is able to use to generate a variety of kinds of index
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entry with minimal effort. Additionally, many of the environments
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described in Section \ref{info-units}, ``Information Units,'' will
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generate appropriate entries into the general and module indexes.
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The following macro can be used to control the generation of index
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data, and should be used in the document prologue:
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\begin{macrodesc}{makemodindex}{}
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This should be used in the document prologue if a ``Module
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Index'' is desired for a document containing reference material
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on many modules. This causes a data file
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\code{lib\macro{jobname}.idx} to be created from the
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\macro{declaremodule} macros. This file can be processed by the
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\program{makeindex} program to generate a file which can be
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\macro{input} into the document at the desired location of the
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module index.
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\end{macrodesc}
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There are a number of macros that are useful for adding index
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entries for particular concepts, many of which are specific to
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programming languages or even Python.
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\begin{macrodesc}{bifuncindex}{\{\var{name}\}}
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Add a index entry referring to a built-in function named
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\var{name}; parenthesis should not be included after
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\var{name}.
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\end{macrodesc}
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\begin{macrodesc}{exindex}{\{\var{exception}\}}
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Add a reference to an exception named \var{exception}. The
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exception may be either string- or class-based.
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\end{macrodesc}
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\begin{macrodesc}{kwindex}{\{\var{keyword}\}}
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Add a reference to a language keyword (not a keyword parameter
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in a function or method call).
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\end{macrodesc}
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\begin{macrodesc}{obindex}{\{\var{object type}\}}
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Add an index entry for a built-in object type.
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\end{macrodesc}
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\begin{macrodesc}{opindex}{\{\var{operator}\}}
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Add a reference to an operator, such as \samp{+}.
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\end{macrodesc}
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\begin{macrodesc}{refmodindex}{{[}\var{key}{]}\{\var{module}\}}
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Add an index entry for module \var{module}; if \var{module}
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contains an underscore, the optional parameter \var{key} should
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be provided as the same string with underscores removed. An
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index entry ``\var{module} (module)'' will be generated. This
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is intended for use with non-standard modules implemented in
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Python.
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\end{macrodesc}
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\begin{macrodesc}{refexmodindex}{{[}\var{key}{]}\{\var{module}\}}
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As for \macro{refmodindex}, but the index entry will be
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``\var{module} (extension module).'' This is intended for use
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with non-standard modules not implemented in Python.
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\end{macrodesc}
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\begin{macrodesc}{refbimodindex}{{[}\var{key}{]}\{\var{module}\}}
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As for \macro{refmodindex}, but the index entry will be
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``\var{module} (built-in module).'' This is intended for use
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with standard modules not implemented in Python.
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\end{macrodesc}
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\begin{macrodesc}{refstmodindex}{{[}\var{key}{]}\{\var{module}\}}
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As for \macro{refmodindex}, but the index entry will be
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``\var{module} (standard module).'' This is intended for use
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with standard modules implemented in Python.
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\end{macrodesc}
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\begin{macrodesc}{stindex}{\{\var{statement}\}}
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Add an index entry for a statement type, such as \keyword{print}
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or \keyword{try}/\keyword{finally}. [XXX Need better examples
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of difference from \macro{kwindex}.
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\end{macrodesc}
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Additional macros are provided which are useful for conveniently
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creating general index entries which should appear at many places
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in the index by rotating a list of words. These are simple macros
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that simply use \macro{index} to build some number of index
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entries. Index entries build using these macros contain both
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primary and secondary text.
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\begin{macrodesc}{indexii}{\{\var{word1}\}\{\var{word2}\}}
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Build two index entries. This is exactly equivalent to using
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|
\code{\e index\{\var{word1}!\var{word2}\}} and
|
|
\code{\e index\{\var{word2}!\var{word1}\}}.
|
|
\end{macrodesc}
|
|
|
|
\begin{macrodesc}{indexiii}{\{\var{word1}\}\{\var{word2}\}\{\var{word3}\}}
|
|
Build three index entries. This is exactly equivalent to using
|
|
\code{\e index\{\var{word1}!\var{word2} \var{word3}\}},
|
|
\code{\e index\{\var{word2}!\var{word3}, \var{word1}\}}, and
|
|
\code{\e index\{\var{word3}!\var{word1} \var{word2}\}}.
|
|
\end{macrodesc}
|
|
|
|
\begin{macrodesc}{indexiv}{\{\var{word1}\}\{\var{word2}\}\{\var{word3}\}\{\var{word4}\}}
|
|
Build four index entries. This is exactly equivalent to using
|
|
\code{\e index\{\var{word1}!\var{word2} \var{word3} \var{word4}\}},
|
|
\code{\e index\{\var{word2}!\var{word3} \var{word4}, \var{word1}\}},
|
|
\code{\e index\{\var{word3}!\var{word4}, \var{word1} \var{word2}\}},
|
|
and
|
|
\code{\e index\{\var{word4}!\var{word1} \var{word2} \var{word3}\}}.
|
|
\end{macrodesc}
|
|
|
|
|
|
\section{Special Names}
|
|
|
|
Many special names are used in the Python documentation, including
|
|
the names of operating systems, programming languages, standards
|
|
bodies, and the like. Many of these were assigned \LaTeX{} macros
|
|
at some point in the distant past, and these macros lived on long
|
|
past their usefulness. In the current markup, these entities are
|
|
not assigned any special markup, but the preferred spellings are
|
|
given here to aid authors in maintaining the consistency of
|
|
presentation in the Python documentation.
|
|
|
|
\begin{description}
|
|
\item[POSIX]
|
|
The name assigned to a particular group of standards. This is
|
|
always uppercase.
|
|
|
|
\item[Python]
|
|
The name of our favorite programming language is always
|
|
capitalized.
|
|
\end{description}
|
|
|
|
|
|
\section{Processing Tools}
|
|
|
|
\subsection{External Tools}
|
|
|
|
Many tools are needed to be able to process the Python
|
|
documentation if all supported formats are required. This
|
|
section lists the tools used and when each is required.
|
|
|
|
\begin{description}
|
|
\item[\program{dvips}]
|
|
This program is a typical part of \TeX{} installations. It is
|
|
used to generate PostScript from the ``device independent''
|
|
\file{.dvi} files. It is needed for the conversion to
|
|
PostScript.
|
|
|
|
\item[\program{emacs}]
|
|
Emacs is the kitchen sink of programmers' editors, and a damn
|
|
fine kitchen sink it is. It also comes with some of the
|
|
processing needed to support the proper menu structures for
|
|
Texinfo documents when an info conversion is desired. This is
|
|
needed for the info conversion. Using \program{xemacs}
|
|
instead of FSF \program{emacs} may lead to instability in the
|
|
conversion, but that's because nobody seems to maintain the
|
|
Emacs Texinfo code in a portable manner.
|
|
|
|
\item[\program{latex}]
|
|
This is a world-class typesetter by Donald Knuth. It is used
|
|
for the conversion to PostScript, and is needed for the HTML
|
|
conversion as well (\LaTeX2HTML requires one of the
|
|
intermediate files it creates).
|
|
|
|
\item[\program{latex2html}]
|
|
Probably the longest Perl script anyone ever attempted to
|
|
maintain. This converts \LaTeX{} documents to HTML documents,
|
|
and does a pretty reasonable job. It is required for the
|
|
conversions to HTML and GNU info.
|
|
|
|
\item[\program{lynx}]
|
|
This is a text-mode Web browser which includes an
|
|
HTML-to-plain text conversion. This is used to convert
|
|
\code{howto} documents to text.
|
|
|
|
\item[\program{make}]
|
|
Just about any version should work for the standard documents,
|
|
but GNU \program{make} is required for the experimental
|
|
processes in \file{Doc/tools/sgmlconv/}, at least while
|
|
they're experimental.
|
|
|
|
\item[\program{makeindex}]
|
|
This is a standard program for converting \LaTeX{} index data
|
|
to a formatted index; it should be included with all \LaTeX{}
|
|
installations. It is needed for the PDF and PostScript
|
|
conversions.
|
|
|
|
\item[\program{makeinfo}]
|
|
GNU \program{makeinfo} is used to convert Texinfo documents to
|
|
GNU info files. Since Texinfo is used as an intermediate
|
|
format in the info conversion, this program is needed in that
|
|
conversion.
|
|
|
|
\item[\program{pdflatex}]
|
|
pdf\TeX{} is a relatively new variant of \TeX, and is used to
|
|
generate the PDF version of the manuals. It is typically
|
|
installed as part of most of the large \TeX{} distributions.
|
|
\program{pdflatex} is PDF\TeX{} using the \LaTeX{} format.
|
|
|
|
\item[\program{perl}]
|
|
Perl is required for \LaTeX2HTML{} and one of the scripts used
|
|
to post-process \LaTeX2HTML output, as well as the
|
|
HTML-to-Texinfo conversion. This is required for
|
|
the HTML and GNU info conversions.
|
|
|
|
\item[\program{python}]
|
|
Python is used for many of the scripts in the
|
|
\file{Doc/tools/} directory; it is required for all
|
|
conversions. This shouldn't be a problem if you're interested
|
|
in writing documentation for Python!
|
|
\end{description}
|
|
|
|
|
|
\subsection{Internal Tools}
|
|
|
|
This section describes the various scripts that are used to
|
|
implement various stages of document processing or to orchestrate
|
|
entire build sequences. Most of these tools are only useful
|
|
in the context of building the standard documentation, but some
|
|
are more general.
|
|
|
|
\begin{description}
|
|
\item[\program{mkhowto}]
|
|
\end{description}
|
|
|
|
|
|
\section{Future Directions \label{futures}}
|
|
|
|
The history of the Python documentation is full of changes, most of
|
|
which have been fairly small and evolutionary. There has been a
|
|
great deal of discussion about making large changes in the markup
|
|
languages and tools used to process the documentation. This section
|
|
deals with the nature of the changes and what appears to be the most
|
|
likely path of future development.
|
|
|
|
\subsection{Structured Documentation \label{structured}}
|
|
|
|
Most of the small changes to the \LaTeX{} markup have been made
|
|
with an eye to divorcing the markup from the presentation, making
|
|
both a bit more maintainable. Over the course of 1998, a large
|
|
number of changes were made with exactly this in mind; previously,
|
|
changes had been made but in a less systematic manner and with
|
|
more concern for not needing to update the existing content. The
|
|
result has been a highly structured and semantically loaded markup
|
|
language implemented in \LaTeX. With almost no basic \TeX{} or
|
|
\LaTeX{} markup in use, however, the markup syntax is about the
|
|
only evidence of \LaTeX{} in the actual document sources.
|
|
|
|
One side effect of this is that while we've been able to use
|
|
standard ``engines'' for manipulating the documents, such as
|
|
\LaTeX{} and \LaTeX2HTML, most of the actual transformations have
|
|
been created specifically for this documentation. The \LaTeX{}
|
|
document classes and \LaTeX2HTML support are both complete
|
|
implementations of the specific markup designed for these
|
|
documents.
|
|
|
|
Combining highly customized markup with the somewhat esoteric
|
|
systems used to process the documents leads us to ask some
|
|
questions: Can we do this more easily? and, Can we do this
|
|
better? After a great deal of discussion with the community, we
|
|
have determined that actively pursuing modern structured
|
|
documentation systems is worth some investment of time.
|
|
|
|
There appear to be two real contenders in this arena: the Standard
|
|
General Markup Language (SGML), and the Extensible Markup Language
|
|
(XML). Both of these standards have advantages and disadvantages,
|
|
and many advantages are shared.
|
|
|
|
SGML offers advantages which may appeal most to authors,
|
|
especially those using ordinary text editors. There are also
|
|
additional abilities to define content models. A number of
|
|
high-quality tools with demonstrated maturity is available, but
|
|
most are not free; for those which are, portability issues remain
|
|
a problem.
|
|
|
|
The advantages of XML include the availability of a large number
|
|
of evolving tools. Unfortunately, many of the associated
|
|
standards are still evolving, and the tools will have to follow
|
|
along. This means that developing a robust tool set that uses
|
|
more than the basic XML 1.0 recommendation is not possible in the
|
|
short term. The promised availability of a wide variety of
|
|
high-quality tools which support some of the most important
|
|
related standards is not immediate. Many tools are likely to be
|
|
free.
|
|
|
|
[Eventual migration to SGML/XML.]
|
|
|
|
\subsection{Discussion Forums \label{discussion}}
|
|
|
|
Discussion of the future of the Python documentation and related
|
|
topics takes place in the ``Doc-SIG'' special interest group.
|
|
Information on the group, including mailing list archives and
|
|
subscriptions, is available at
|
|
\url{http://www.python.org/sigs/doc-sig/}. The SIG is open to all
|
|
interested parties.
|
|
|
|
Comments and bug reports on the standard documents should be sent
|
|
to \email{python-docs@python.org}. This may include comments
|
|
about formatting, content, grammatical errors, or this document.
|
|
|
|
\end{document}
|