>python -m pydoc sys

gives

No module named tempfile

Hello

I can’t reproduce your bug.

Please specify exact Python version, how you installed it, whether you did something unusual with the lib directory, and any other useful information.

Kind regards

Hi Eric,

I'm using Python 2.5.4 on Windows XP.  I installed pythonxy, which installed 
2.5.4.  I also have PyQt4.4 installed.  I haven't touched anything in the lib 
directory, as far as I know.

A poster on comp.lang.python finds the command works on one machine, but not on 
another.  Look for the post entitled "pyexe and pydocs.Downloads?"

Cheers
Gib

Dr. Gib Bogle
Senior Research Fellow
Auckland Bioengineering Institute
University of Auckland
New Zealand

http://www.bioeng.auckland.ac.nz

g.bogle@auckland.ac.nz
(64-9) 373-7599 Ext. 87030

Éric Araujo wrote:
> Éric Araujo <merwok@netwok.org> added the comment:
> 
> Hello
> 
> I can’t reproduce your bug.
> 
> Please specify exact Python version, how you installed it, whether you did something unusual with the lib directory, and any other useful information.
> 
> Kind regards
> 
> ----------
> nosy: +Merwok
> 
> _______________________________________
> Python tracker <report@bugs.python.org>
> <http://bugs.python.org/issue7749>
> _______________________________________

I'm not seeing this on 2.5, 2.6, or trunk.

Under 2.5 this could be due to various weird issues with your python path and the modules on it.  Try running python from a clean directory and specifying the -E flag and see if the behavior changes, and/or try importing tempfile at the python prompt and see if you get a more useful message.

Under 2.7 I think pydoc handles this better.  Note that even if you find a bug in 2.5 it no longer receives bug fixes, so you'd also have to be able to reproduce it in 2.6.

R. David Murray wrote:
> R. David Murray <rdmurray@bitdance.com> added the comment:
> 
> Under 2.5 this could be due to various weird issues with your python path and the modules on it.  Try running python from a clean directory and specifying the -E flag and see if the behavior changes, and/or try importing tempfile at the python prompt and see if you get a more useful message.
> 
> Under 2.7 I think pydoc handles this better.  Note that even if you find a bug in 2.5 it no longer receives bug fixes, so you'd also have to be able to reproduce it in 2.6.
> 
> ----------
> nosy: +r.david.murray
> 
> _______________________________________
> Python tracker <report@bugs.python.org>
> <http://bugs.python.org/issue7749>
> _______________________________________

I previously had 2.6 installed, removed it for compatibility with something. 
Maybe I did something wrong.  It isn't a big issue for me, I just reported it 
because someone suggested I should.  I plan to upgrade to 2.6 soon anyway.

On Windows, trying with different Python versions:

D:\temp>python24 -m pydoc sys
[works as expected]

D:\temp>python25 -m pydoc sys
No module named tempfile

D:\temp>python26 -m pydoc sys
No module named tempfile

D:\temp>python27 -m pydoc sys
[works as expected]


If tempfile.py is in the current directory, it works:

D:\temp>cd \apps\python26\lib

D:\apps\Python26\Lib>dir /b tempfile.py
tempfile.py

D:\apps\Python26\Lib>python26 -m pydoc sys
Help on built-in module sys:
...


Directly executing pydoc.py works fine too:

D:\temp>d:\apps\Python26\lib\pydoc.py sys
Help on built-in module sys:
...


so this may be a runpy issue, not directly related to pydoc.

Importing tempfile from within python does not produce an error.

This happens to be a duplicate of issue #7328 -- pydoc used to remove the Python standard library from sys.path (!) when run with -m

Fixed in r76312 (2.7). I think the fix should be backported to 2.6

@gib: you may patch your Python 2.5 installation yourself, it's very simple, you'll have to add a single line and reindent a block, that's all. See r76312

Just FYI, it was backported to 2.6 in r76313.