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Clarify inspect.is<callable> method docs #49218

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terryjreedy opened this issue Jan 17, 2009 · 4 comments
Closed

Clarify inspect.is<callable> method docs #49218

terryjreedy opened this issue Jan 17, 2009 · 4 comments
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docs Documentation in the Doc dir

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@terryjreedy
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BPO 4968
Nosy @birkenfeld, @terryjreedy

Note: these values reflect the state of the issue at the time it was migrated and might not reflect the current state.

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GitHub fields:

assignee = None
closed_at = <Date 2010-10-15.16:53:38.086>
created_at = <Date 2009-01-17.03:26:08.466>
labels = ['docs']
title = 'Clarify inspect.is<callable> method docs'
updated_at = <Date 2010-10-15.16:53:38.085>
user = 'https://github.com/terryjreedy'

bugs.python.org fields:

activity = <Date 2010-10-15.16:53:38.085>
actor = 'georg.brandl'
assignee = 'docs@python'
closed = True
closed_date = <Date 2010-10-15.16:53:38.086>
closer = 'georg.brandl'
components = ['Documentation']
creation = <Date 2009-01-17.03:26:08.466>
creator = 'terry.reedy'
dependencies = []
files = []
hgrepos = []
issue_num = 4968
keywords = []
message_count = 4.0
messages = ['79999', '109272', '109968', '118802']
nosy_count = 4.0
nosy_names = ['georg.brandl', 'terry.reedy', 'docs@python', 'BreamoreBoy']
pr_nums = []
priority = 'normal'
resolution = 'fixed'
stage = None
status = 'closed'
superseder = None
type = None
url = 'https://bugs.python.org/issue4968'
versions = ['Python 3.1', 'Python 3.2']
@terryjreedy
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inspect module in 3.0

.isclass: says "Return true if the object is a class." Since the issue
of builtin versus Python coded is involved in all the other methods
below, I would expand this to
"Return true if the object is a class, whether built-in or Python-coded."
to emphasize that this is not an issue for this one.

.isfunction: current "Return true if the object is a Python function or
unnamed (lambda) function." falsely implies that there is such a thing
as 'unnamed (lambda) function; different from 'Python function'. By
test, it just returns True for 'function' objects. Suggestion:

"Return true for Python-coded functions, including unbound Python-coded
methods." or possibly
"Return true for functions created by def statements and lambda
expressions, including unbound Python-coded methods.

.ismethod: "Return true if the object is a method." should be specified
to something like
"Return true if the object is a bound method written in Python."

.isbuiltin: says "Return true if the object is a built-in function."
but actually tests for membership in class 'builtin_function_or_method'.
I believe that truth is
"Return true if the object is a built-in function (but not a class) or a
bound built-in non-special method."
It is True, for instance, for [].append but not [].__hash__. I am
assuming that this behavior is intended and not a bug.

.ismethoddescriptor: "Return true if the object is a method descriptor,
but not if ismethod() or isclass() or isfunction() are true." begs the
question of what a method descriptor is. I believe the following is
both true and clearer.
"Return true if the object is a built-in method and isbuiltin() is false.

I would follow with
"The methods isclass, isfunction, ismethod, isbuiltin, and
ismethoddescriptor are mutually exclusive."
I believe the following is true, and could be added also.
"Exact one is true for any instance of a built-in callable class."

@terryjreedy terryjreedy added the docs Documentation in the Doc dir label Jan 17, 2009
@BreamoreBoy
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BreamoreBoy mannequin commented Jul 4, 2010

Has this issue simply slipped under the radar?

@birkenfeld
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No, I've just had no time to review the suggested changes.

@birkenfeld birkenfeld assigned docspython and unassigned birkenfeld Jul 11, 2010
@birkenfeld
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Committed suggestions with a few changes in r85541.

@ezio-melotti ezio-melotti transferred this issue from another repository Apr 10, 2022
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