classification
Title: Document specialness of __doc__, and possibly other "special" attributes
Type: Stage: needs patch
Components: Documentation Versions: Python 3.2, Python 3.1, Python 2.7
process
Status: open Resolution:
Dependencies: Superseder:
Assigned To: docs@python Nosy List: cvrebert, djc, docs@python, eric.araujo, ezio.melotti, flox, georg.brandl, r.david.murray, ssteiner
Priority: normal Keywords: easy

Created on 2009-10-22 19:47 by ssteiner, last changed 2012-08-27 09:03 by cvrebert.

Messages (4)
msg94369 - (view) Author: steve steiner (ssteiner) Date: 2009-10-22 19:47
Around the time of the 2.6.4 release, it was suggested that Python 2.6.3
changed the __doc__ attribute to read-only.  See:
http://bugs.python.org/issue7183

When asked whether this read-only behaviour was intentional, Guido
answered, simply "Yes" and also wrote:

On Oct 22, 2009, at 1:58 PM, Guido van Rossum wrote:

Well __doc__ isn't a normal attribute -- it doesn't follow inheritance
rules.

I suggested that it might be helpful to document this "special"
behaviour and also any other attributes that are "special" though which
ones they might be are unknown at this time.
msg112769 - (view) Author: Florent Xicluna (flox) * (Python committer) Date: 2010-08-04 07:46
This is similar with #9438, about __debug__ being read-only.
msg121001 - (view) Author: Éric Araujo (eric.araujo) * (Python committer) Date: 2010-11-12 00:58
Is this obsoleted by #9451?
msg121229 - (view) Author: R. David Murray (r.david.murray) * (Python committer) Date: 2010-11-15 14:23
No, because that patch doesn't document the special inheritance rules for __doc__ (which are uniquely special even among special methods).  Now, exactly where one would want to document those rules, I'm not sure.
History
Date User Action Args
2012-08-27 09:03:20cvrebertsetnosy: + cvrebert
2010-11-15 14:53:17ezio.melottisetnosy: + ezio.melotti
2010-11-15 14:23:45r.david.murraysetnosy: + r.david.murray
messages: + msg121229
2010-11-12 00:58:49eric.araujosetnosy: + eric.araujo

messages: + msg121001
versions: - Python 2.6
2010-08-04 07:47:05floxsetkeywords: + easy
2010-08-04 07:46:33floxsetversions: + Python 2.6, Python 3.1, Python 2.7, Python 3.2
nosy: + flox

messages: + msg112769

stage: needs patch
2010-08-03 16:50:44BreamoreBoysetassignee: georg.brandl -> docs@python

nosy: + docs@python
2010-08-03 14:16:36djcsetnosy: + djc
2009-10-22 19:47:33ssteinercreate