How to use help function in Python

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by vsasikalabe dot icon Updated: Aug 10, 2023

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If the user does not provide an argument, the interpreter console will start the help system. Type quit for getting out of the help console. By passing a parameter to the help () function, we can get the help documentation from the console. It will start the interactive Python's help utility on the interpreter console. This is for running this function with no argument.   

   

The help () function takes an optional parameter to return help information in Python. You can do this without passing any arguments. The interactive help utility starts on the console. If the argument is a string, the function searches the string. You can search it by the name of a module, function, class, method, keyword, or documentation topic. The console prints a help page. The help() function helps when we want to execute the built-in help system. It gets the description of any topic, like method and object.   

   

It is possible to strike the Python interpreter with a large/complex string. Because when compiling to an AST object due to stack depth limitations in AST, the compiler. The function returns the documentation for the class of the keyword. It has done by passing a keyword as a parameter to the help() function. Users can get the Help function output for user-defined functions and classes.   

  • Python File Handling   
  • Python Read Files   
  • Python Write/Create Files   
  • Python Delete Files.   

 

In Python, the help() function returns a help page. It has detailed documentation of a specified object passed as a parameter. Lists Python slice() function Convert List to String Python list. Unindent will not match any outer indentation level. The Python program removes punctuation and compares two lists. It also handles KeyError and works outside a function. 

 

Additionally, it has a program for checking if a sentence is a pangram. The interactive prompt supplies it as a convenience for use. It will supply an interesting set of names. Also, it tries to supply defined names, and its behavior may change across releases.   

   

We open a help utility to get help about objects in an interactive way (if we help without any argument). A class method receives the class as a first argument. It is like an instance method returns the instance.   

  • Optional keyword arguments: .file: a file-like object (stream)   
  • defaults to the current sys.stdout.sep: string inserted between values.   
  • Default a space.end: string appended after the last value.   
  • Default a newline.flush: whether to flush the stream. 

   

A number or string x returns a floating-point number. If the argument is a string, it has a decimal number with a sign, and whitespace surrounds it. When awaited, it returns the next item from the given asynchronous iterator. Or, by default, the iterator exhausts. Once you call the method without argument, it will start in the interactive mode. After clicking the enter key and typing the keyword quit on the console, the user closes the help tab.  

Fig : Preview of the output that you will get on running this code from your IDE.

Code

Instructions

Follow the steps carefully to get the output easily.

  1. Download and Install the PyCharm Community Edition on your computer.
  2. Create a new Python file on your IDE.
  3. Copy the snippet using the 'copy' button and paste it into your Python file.
  4. Write print (out) at the end.
  5. Run the current file to generate the output.


I hope you found this useful.


I found this code snippet by searching for ' Store contents of help() in a variable: Python'in kandi. You can try any such use case!

Environment Tested

I tested this solution in the following versions. Be mindful of changes when working with other versions.

  1. The solution is created in PyCharm 2021.3.
  2. The solution is tested on Python 3.9.7.


Using this solution, we are able to use the help function in Python with simple steps. This process also facilities an easy way to use, hassle-free method to create a hands-on working version of code which would help us to use the help function in Python.

Support

  1. For any support on kandi solution kits, please use the chat
  2. For further learning resources, visit the Open Weaver Community learning page

FAQ:    

1. What is the help utility, and how is it used in Python?    

You can use the Python help() function to get help related to the object passed during the call. It uses an optional parameter and returns helpful information. If you don't give an argument, it will show the Python help console. It calls Python's help function.   

   

2. How does the built-in help system work when you are learning Python Programming?    

Python has an in-built system. This is for help with any module, classes, functions, and keywords. You can process this help utility using Python's help() function in the REPL. When we try to call this function and pass an object, it returns the help page or documentation for the object.   

   

3. How do I access information about specific Python objects using help functions?   

In Python, we use the help() function to get the documentation of specified modules. This method is generally used with a Python interpreter console. It is to get details about Python objects.   

   

4. Is it possible to see output from the Help function? In an interactive console environment within Python?    

Yes, it is possible to see output from the Help function. Users get the Help function output for user-defined functions and classes.   

 

5. Are there any benefits or drawbacks to a super keyword within a Help function call in Python code?    

The super() function creates access to methods and properties of a parent or sibling class. It will return an object which represents the parent class.