222 lines
6.4 KiB
TeX
222 lines
6.4 KiB
TeX
\chapter{Undocumented Modules \label{undoc}}
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Here's a quick listing of modules that are currently undocumented, but
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that should be documented. Feel free to contribute documentation for
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them! (Send via email to \email{docs@python.org}.)
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The idea and original contents for this chapter were taken
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from a posting by Fredrik Lundh; the specific contents of this chapter
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have been substantially revised.
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\section{Frameworks}
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Frameworks tend to be harder to document, but are well worth the
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effort spent.
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\begin{description}
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\item None at this time.
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\end{description}
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\section{Miscellaneous useful utilities}
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Some of these are very old and/or not very robust; marked with ``hmm.''
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\begin{description}
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\item[\module{bdb}]
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--- A generic Python debugger base class (used by pdb).
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\item[\module{ihooks}]
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--- Import hook support (for \refmodule{rexec}; may become obsolete).
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\end{description}
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\section{Platform specific modules}
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These modules are used to implement the \refmodule{os.path} module,
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and are not documented beyond this mention. There's little need to
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document these.
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\begin{description}
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\item[\module{ntpath}]
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--- Implementation of \module{os.path} on Win32, Win64, WinCE, and
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OS/2 platforms.
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\item[\module{posixpath}]
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--- Implementation of \module{os.path} on \POSIX.
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\item[\module{bsddb185}]
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--- Backwards compatibility module for systems which still use the Berkeley
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DB 1.85 module. It is normally only available on certain BSD Unix-based
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systems. It should never be used directly.
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\end{description}
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\section{Multimedia}
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\begin{description}
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\item[\module{audiodev}]
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--- Platform-independent API for playing audio data.
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\item[\module{linuxaudiodev}]
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--- Play audio data on the Linux audio device. Replaced in Python 2.3
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by the \module{ossaudiodev} module.
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\item[\module{sunaudio}]
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--- Interpret Sun audio headers (may become obsolete or a tool/demo).
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\item[\module{toaiff}]
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--- Convert "arbitrary" sound files to AIFF files; should probably
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become a tool or demo. Requires the external program \program{sox}.
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\end{description}
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\section{Obsolete \label{obsolete-modules}}
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These modules are not normally available for import; additional work
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must be done to make them available.
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Those which are written in Python will be installed into the directory
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\file{lib-old/} installed as part of the standard library. To use
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these, the directory must be added to \code{sys.path}, possibly using
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\envvar{PYTHONPATH}.
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Obsolete extension modules written in C are not built by default.
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Under \UNIX, these must be enabled by uncommenting the appropriate
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lines in \file{Modules/Setup} in the build tree and either rebuilding
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Python if the modules are statically linked, or building and
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installing the shared object if using dynamically-loaded extensions.
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% XXX need Windows instructions!
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\begin{description}
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\item[\module{addpack}]
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--- Alternate approach to packages. Use the built-in package support
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instead.
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\item[\module{cmp}]
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--- File comparison function. Use the newer \refmodule{filecmp} instead.
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\item[\module{cmpcache}]
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--- Caching version of the obsolete \module{cmp} module. Use the
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newer \refmodule{filecmp} instead.
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\item[\module{codehack}]
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--- Extract function name or line number from a function
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code object (these are now accessible as attributes:
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\member{co.co_name}, \member{func.func_name},
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\member{co.co_firstlineno}).
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\item[\module{dircmp}]
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--- Class to build directory diff tools on (may become a demo or tool).
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\deprecated{2.0}{The \refmodule{filecmp} module replaces
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\module{dircmp}.}
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\item[\module{dump}]
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--- Print python code that reconstructs a variable.
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\item[\module{fmt}]
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--- Text formatting abstractions (too slow).
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\item[\module{lockfile}]
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--- Wrapper around FCNTL file locking (use
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\function{fcntl.lockf()}/\function{flock()} instead; see \refmodule{fcntl}).
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\item[\module{newdir}]
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--- New \function{dir()} function (the standard \function{dir()} is
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now just as good).
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\item[\module{Para}]
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--- Helper for \module{fmt}.
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\item[\module{poly}]
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--- Polynomials.
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\item[\module{regex}]
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--- Emacs-style regular expression support; may still be used in some
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old code (extension module). Refer to the
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\citetitle[http://www.python.org/doc/1.6/lib/module-regex.html]{Python
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1.6 Documentation} for documentation.
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\item[\module{regsub}]
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--- Regular expression based string replacement utilities, for use
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with \module{regex} (extension module). Refer to the
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\citetitle[http://www.python.org/doc/1.6/lib/module-regsub.html]{Python
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1.6 Documentation} for documentation.
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\item[\module{tb}]
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--- Print tracebacks, with a dump of local variables (use
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\function{pdb.pm()} or \refmodule{traceback} instead).
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\item[\module{timing}]
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--- Measure time intervals to high resolution (use
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\function{time.clock()} instead). (This is an extension module.)
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\item[\module{tzparse}]
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--- Parse a timezone specification (unfinished; may disappear in the
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future, and does not work when the \envvar{TZ} environment variable is
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not set).
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\item[\module{util}]
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--- Useful functions that don't fit elsewhere.
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\item[\module{whatsound}]
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--- Recognize sound files; use \refmodule{sndhdr} instead.
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\item[\module{zmod}]
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--- Compute properties of mathematical ``fields.''
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\end{description}
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The following modules are obsolete, but are likely to re-surface as
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tools or scripts:
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\begin{description}
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\item[\module{find}]
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--- Find files matching pattern in directory tree.
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\item[\module{grep}]
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--- \program{grep} implementation in Python.
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\item[\module{packmail}]
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--- Create a self-unpacking \UNIX{} shell archive.
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\end{description}
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The following modules were documented in previous versions of this
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manual, but are now considered obsolete. The source for the
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documentation is still available as part of the documentation source
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archive.
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\begin{description}
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\item[\module{ni}]
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--- Import modules in ``packages.'' Basic package support is now
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built in. The built-in support is very similar to what is provided in
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this module.
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\item[\module{rand}]
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--- Old interface to the random number generator.
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\item[\module{soundex}]
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--- Algorithm for collapsing names which sound similar to a shared
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key. The specific algorithm doesn't seem to match any published
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algorithm. (This is an extension module.)
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\end{description}
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\section{SGI-specific Extension modules}
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The following are SGI specific, and may be out of touch with the
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current version of reality.
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\begin{description}
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\item[\module{cl}]
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--- Interface to the SGI compression library.
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\item[\module{sv}]
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--- Interface to the ``simple video'' board on SGI Indigo
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(obsolete hardware).
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\end{description}
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