-\chapter{Undocumented Modules}
-\label{undoc}
+\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! (The idea and original contents for this chapter were taken
-from a posting by Fredrik Lundh; I have revised some modules' status.)
+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}
\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 module.
+This is a package rather than a single module.
\end{description}
Some of these are very old and/or not very robust; marked with ``hmm.''
\begin{description}
-\item[\module{dircmp}]
---- Class to build directory diff tools on (may become a demo or tool).
-\deprecated{2.0}{The \refmodule{filecmp} module will replace
-\module{dircmp}.}
-
\item[\module{bdb}]
---- A generic Python debugger base class (used by pdb)
+--- A generic Python debugger base class (used by pdb).
\item[\module{ihooks}]
---- Import hook support (for \refmodule{rexec}; may become obsolete)
+--- Import hook support (for \refmodule{rexec}; may become obsolete).
\item[\module{tzparse}]
--- Parse a timezone specification (unfinished; may disappear in the
-future)
+future).
\end{description}
\begin{description}
\item[\module{dospath}]
---- implementation of \module{os.path} on MS-DOS
+--- Implementation of \module{os.path} on MS-DOS.
\item[\module{ntpath}]
---- implementation on \module{os.path} on 32-bit Windows
+--- Implementation on \module{os.path} on Win32, Win64, WinCE, and
+OS/2 platforms.
\item[\module{posixpath}]
---- implementation on \module{os.path} on \POSIX{}
+--- Implementation on \module{os.path} on \POSIX.
\end{description}
\begin{description}
\item[\module{audiodev}]
---- Platform-independent API for playing audio data
+--- Platform-independent API for playing audio data.
\item[\module{sunaudio}]
---- Interpret Sun audio headers (may become obsolete or a tool/demo)
+--- Interpret Sun audio headers (may become obsolete or a tool/demo).
\item[\module{toaiff}]
--- Convert "arbitrary" sound files to AIFF files; should probably
\begin{description}
\item[\module{addpack}]
---- alternate approach to packages
+--- Alternate approach to packages. Use the built-in package support
+instead.
\item[\module{cmp}]
--- File comparison function. Use the newer \refmodule{filecmp} instead.
\member{co.co_firstlineno}).
\item[\module{dircmp}]
---- class to build directory diff tools on (may become a demo or tool)
+--- Class to build directory diff tools on (may become a demo or tool).
+\deprecated{2.0}{The \refmodule{filecmp} module replaces
+\module{dircmp}.}
\item[\module{dump}]
---- Print python code that reconstructs a variable
+--- Print python code that reconstructs a variable.
\item[\module{fmt}]
---- text formatting abstractions (too slow)
+--- Text formatting abstractions (too slow).
\item[\module{lockfile}]
---- wrapper around FCNTL file locking (use
-\function{fcntl.lockf()}/\function{flock()} instead; see \refmodule{fcntl})
+--- 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)
+now just as good).
\item[\module{Para}]
---- helper for fmt.py
+--- Helper for \module{fmt}.
\item[\module{poly}]
---- Polynomials
+--- Polynomials.
\item[\module{tb}]
--- Print tracebacks, with a dump of local variables (use
-\function{pdb.pm()} or \refmodule{traceback} instead)
+\function{pdb.pm()} or \refmodule{traceback} instead).
\item[\module{timing}]
--- Measure time intervals to high resolution (use
\item[\module{util}]
--- Useful functions that don't fit elsewhere.
-\item[\module{wdb}]
---- A primitive windowing debugger based on STDWIN.
-
\item[\module{whatsound}]
--- Recognize sound files; use \refmodule{sndhdr} instead.
\item[\module{zmod}]
---- Compute properties of mathematical "fields"
+--- Compute properties of mathematical ``fields.''
\end{description}
\begin{description}
\item[\module{find}]
---- find files matching pattern in directory tree
+--- Find files matching pattern in directory tree.
\item[\module{grep}]
---- grep
+--- \program{grep} implementation in Python.
\item[\module{packmail}]
---- create a self-unpacking \UNIX{} shell archive
+--- Create a self-unpacking \UNIX{} shell archive.
\end{description}
\begin{description}
\item[\module{ni}]
--- Import modules in ``packages.'' Basic package support is now
-built in.
+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. (This is an extension module.)
+key. The specific algorithm doesn't seem to match any published
+algorithm. (This is an extension module.)
\end{description}
-\section{Extension modules}
-
-\begin{description}
-\item[\module{stdwin}]
---- Interface to STDWIN (an old, unsupported
-platform-independent GUI package). Obsolete; use \module{Tkinter} for
-a platform-independent GUI instead.
-\end{description}
+\section{SGI-specific Extension modules}
The following are SGI specific, and may be out of touch with the
current version of reality.
projects / python / commitdiff