Module information

Maybe make title "ctypes --- A foreign function library for Python" or use pep reader ?

For example

:Module: ctypes
:Summary: A foreign function library for Python.
:Module Type: standard
:Author: Thomas Heller <theller@python.net>
:Synopsis: A foreign function library for Python.
:Version Added: 2.5

Module and Summary are mandatory.

Problems

• Tables

  • For python documentation are typeset using \tableiii or \longtableiii.

    1. Only tables with two to five columns are supported.

    2. longtables should only be used for longer tables.

    3. Neither multicolumn nor multirow seam to be possible.

    4. All contents are left aligned.

    5. Which options for colfont are there: textrm, exception .

  • An unpatched latex2html might be unable to handle longtable options. Maybe remove the [c] and put the longtable into a center environment.

• Document markup.py and missing.py.

• Inline markup: email, note, pep, rfc, strong, ulink, url, warning might be already possible others require manual markup ? Or maybe seepep, ...

• see also environment.

• standard definition lists for or something else ?:

  Arguments:
    file: a file name
  
    encoding: a encoding

• if a definition has no classifier and starts with class use classdesc ?

• funcdesc arguments with default values should be marked as optional.

Link to Indexes

This is done by informational units (see Documenting Python).

sizeof(type_or_object)

    Returns the size in bytes of a ctypes type or instance memory
    buffer.  Does the same as the C sizeof() function.

should become

\begin{funcdesc}{sizeof}{type_or_object}
    Returns the size in bytes of a ctypes type or instance memory
        buffer.  Does the same as the C sizeof() function.
\end{funcdesc}

this is done with definition lists with classifiers. Plain definition lists are only supported by transaltion to datadescni, this might result in too much white space.

sizeof(type_or_object) : funcdesc
    Returns the size in bytes of a ctypes type or instance memory
    buffer.  Does the same as the C sizeof() function.

Note: the classifier must be preceeded by " : " (blank colon blank) and no

blank line before the descriptional text.

And the definition, e.g. sizeof(...) is processed as text only, any markup like bold or literal is lost.

Environments (sorted by parameters):

\begin{datadesc} {name}
\begin{datadescni} {name}
\begin{excdesc} {name}
\begin{classdesc*} {name}
\begin{csimplemacrodesc} {name}

\begin{ctypedesc} [tag]{name}
\begin{memberdesc} [type name]{name}
\begin{memberdescni} [type name]{name}

\begin{cvardesc} {type}{name}
\begin{funcdesc} {name}{parameters}
\begin{funcdescni} {name}{parameters}
\begin{classdesc} {name}{constructor parameters}
\begin{excclassdesc} {name}{constructor parameters}

\begin{methoddesc} [type name]{name}{parameters}
\begin{methoddescni} [type name]{name}{parameters}

\begin{cmemberdesc} {container}{type}{name}
\begin{cfuncdesc} {type}{name}{args}

The ni-variants do not create index entries.

classdesc* describes a class without describing the constructor.

More beautiful would be to add some translation from rst-classifier to docpy markup. The desc can be skipped, "ni" should be written as "noindex" and the * variant should be detected as it has no parameter. e.g.

SerialAvail : function noindex
  this ...

This requires some thought interrest and feedback.

Change log

• mkpydoc.py:

  • 2006-06-07: rename mkpydoc.py to rst2docpy.py and

    remove informational units via topics.

  • 2006-06-03: add cmemberdesc.

  • 2006-06-02: support more informational units (cmemberdesc missing)

  • 2006-05-25: notice environment.

  • 2006-05-27:

    • parameters in [] are marked optional.

    • definition lists with classifiers for information units.

  • 2006-05-13: Take moduleinfo from docinfo fields.

  • 2006-05-08: Change to generate pydoc tableii.

  • 2006-04-28:

    • Patch for python 2.3.

    • Filenames from command line.

    • Guard definition of locallinewidth against redefinition.

    • latex needs definition of locallinewidth.

  • 2006-04-xx: from theller, ctypes repository.