How to search help using python console

Question

Is there any way to search for a particular package/function using keywords in the Python console?

For example, I may want to search \"pdf\" for pdf related tasks.

Answer 1

(Years later) I now use pip search
and yolk -M or -H packagename: -M for metadata, -H to browse to its web page .

---

To search PyPI (Python Package Index) package info locally, try pypi-grep. An example: pypi-grep 'pyqt' -->

# day  status  packagename  version  homepage  summary
2009-06-07  3  "pydee"  0.4.11  http://code.google.com/p/pydee/
    Pydee development environment and its PyQt4-based IDE tools: ...
2009-06-05  4  "Sandbox"  0.9.5  http://www.qtrac.eu/sandbox.html
    A PyQt4-based alternative to IDLE
...

pypi-grep is just a file with one long line per PyPI package, with the info you see above, plus a trivial bash script to egrep the file.
Why ? Grepping a local file is very fast and very simple, for old Unix guys and simple searches: "what's XYZ ?"

hg clone http://bitbucket.org/denisb/pypi-grep/ should download pypi-grep and pypi-grepfile-2009-06-08 or the like; move them to a directory in your PATH. (First easy_install hg if you don't have hg.)

Notes:

the pypi-grepfile has only one version per package, the newest; multiline summaries are folded to one long line (which I chop with pypi-grep | less -iS).

pypi-grep -h lists a few options

The data comes from http://pypi.python.org/pypi xmlrpc, but beware: some packages in list_packages have no package_releases or no releasedata, and a few releasedatas timeout (timeout_xmlrpclib); what you see is All you get.

Feedback is welcome.

Answer 2

Try help() or dir(). AFAIR there's no builtin support for pdf-related tasks in plain Python installation. Another way to find help for Python modules is to google ;)

Docs:

http://docs.python.org/library/functions.html#help

http://docs.python.org/library/functions.html#dir

EDIT:

>>> import os
>>> def search_help(keyword):
...     os.system('python Lib/pydoc.py -k %s' % keyword)
...
>>> search_help('math')
cmath - This module is always available. It provides access to mathematical
math - This module is always available.  It provides access to the
test.test_cmath
test.test_math
>>> search_help('pdf')
>>> _

You have to have main python dir in your path. And it won't work under IDLE. HTH.

Answer 3

Thinking recursively:

>>> help(help)

Help on _Helper in module site object:

class _Helper(builtins.object)
 |  Define the builtin 'help'.
 |  This is a wrapper around **pydoc.help** (with a twist).
 |  

...

from here:

>>> import pydoc
>>> help(pydoc)
Help on module pydoc: ....

lots of essential info on search in python docs there.

Answer 4

You can search for modules containing "pdf" in their description by running the command help("modules pdf").

Answer 5

In console type help(object):

Python 2.6.2 (r262:71600, Apr 21 2009, 15:05:37) [MSC v.1500 32 bit (Intel)] on
win32
Type "help", "copyright", "credits" or "license" for more information.
>>> help(dir)
Help on built-in function dir in module __builtin__:

dir(...)
    dir([object]) -> list of strings
....    

Unfortunatelly there is no help for pdf:

>>> help(pdf)
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "<stdin>", line 1, in <module>
NameError: name 'pdf' is not defined
>>>

As paffnucy said try searching internet (SO works wery well :)

This site can be helpful as well: http://www.gotapi.com/python

Answer 6

The pydoc -k flag searches the documentation.

pydoc -k <keyword>
    Search for a keyword in the synopsis lines of all available modules.

From a terminal, run..

$ pydoc -k pdf

..for example:

$ pydoc -k pdf
PdfImagePlugin 
wx.lib.pdfwin 
PIL.PdfImagePlugin

It doesn't search the contents of the documentation, but it searches all module names - if that's not enough, I'd suggest using Google or StackOverflow to search for "Python PDF module" or similar