1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189
190
191
192
193
194
195
196
197
198
199
200
201
202
203
204
205
206
207
208
209
210
211
212
213
214
215
216
217
218
219
220
221
222
223
224
225
226
227
228
229
230
231
232
233
234
235
236
237
238
239
240
241
242
243
244
245
246
247
248
249
250
251
252
253
254
255
256
257
258
259
260
261
262
263
264
265
266
267
268
269
270
271
272
273
274
275
276
277
278
279
280
281
282
283
284
285
286
287
288
289
290
291
292
293
294
295
296
297
298
299
300
301
302
303
304
305
306
307
308
309
310
311
312
313
314
315
316
317
318
319
320
321
322
323
324
325
326
327
328
329
330
331
332
333
334
335
336
337
338
339
340
341
342
343
344
345
346
347
348
349
350
351
352
353
354
355
356
357
358
359
360
361
362
363
364
365
366
367
368
369
370
371
372
373
374
375
376
377
378
379
380
381
382
383
384
385
386
387
388
389
390
391
392
393
394
395
396
397
398
399
400
401
402
403
404
405
406
407
408
409
410
411
412
413
414
415
416
417
418
419
420
421
422
423
424
425
426
427
428
429
430
431
432
433
434
435
436
437
438
439
440
441
442
443
444
445
446
447
448
449
450
451
452
453
454
455
456
457
458
459
460
461
462
463
464
465
466
467
468
469
470
471
472
473
474
475
476
477
478
479
480
481
482
483
484
485
486
487
488
489
490
491
492
493
494
495
496
497
498
499
500
501
502
503
504
505
506
507
508
509
510
511
512
513
514
515
516
517
518
519
520
521
522
523
524
525
526
527
528
529
530
531
532
533
534
535
536
537
538
539
540
541
542
543
544
545
546
547
548
549
550
551
552
553
554
555
556
557
558
559
560
561
562
563
564
565
566
567
568
569
570
571
572
573
574
575
576
577
578
579
580
581
582
583
584
585
586
587
588
589
590
591
592
593
594
595
596
597
598
599
600
601
602
603
604
605
606
607
608
609
610
611
612
613
614
615
616
617
618
619
620
621
622
623
624
625
626
627
628
629
630
631
632
633
634
635
636
637
638
639
640
641
642
643
644
645
646
647
648
649
650
651
652
653
654
655
656
657
658
659
660
661
662
663
664
665
666
667
668
669
670
671
672
673
674
675
676
677
678
679
680
681
682
683
684
685
686
687
688
689
690
691
692
693
694
695
696
697
698
699
700
701
702
703
704
705
706
707
708
709
710
711
712
713
714
715
716
717
718
719
720
721
722
723
724
725
726
727
728
729
730
731
732
733
734
735
736
737
738
739
740
741
742
743
744
745
746
747
748
749
750
751
752
753
754
755
756
757
758
759
760
761
762
763
764
765
766
767
768
769
770
771
772
773
774
775
|
<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//IETF//DTD HTML//EN">
<html> <head>
<title>Epydoc Fields</title>
<link rel="stylesheet" href="epydoc.css" type="text/css"/>
</head>
<!-- $Id: fields.html 1575 2007-03-08 21:28:07Z edloper $ -->
<body>
<div class="body">
<h1>Epydoc Fields</h1>
<p> Fields are used to describe specific properties of a documented
object. For example, fields can be used to define the parameters and
return value of a function; the instance variables of a class; and the
author of a module. Each field consists of a <i>tag</i>, an optional
<i>argument</i>, and a <i>body</i>. </p>
<ul>
<li> The <i>tag</i> is a case-insensitive word that indicates what
kind of documentaiton is given by the field. </li>
<li> The optional <i>argument</i> specifies what object, parameter,
or group is documented by the field. </li>
<li> The <i>body</i> contains the main contents of the field. </li>
</ul>
<h2> 1. Field Markup </h2>
<p> Each docstring markup langauge marks fields differently. The
following table shows the basic fields syntax for each markup
language. For more information, see the definition of field syntax
for each markup language. </p>
<center>
<table border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="3">
<tr>
<th width="33%">Epytext</th>
<th width="33%">reStructuredText</th>
<th width="33%">Javadoc</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<code>@<i>tag</i>: <i>body</i></code>...<br/>
<code>@<i>tag</i> <i>arg</i>: <i>body</i></code>...<br/>
</td>
<td>
<code>:<i>tag</i>: <i>body</i></code>...<br/>
<code>:<i>tag</i> <i>arg</i>: <i>body</i></code>...<br/>
</td>
<td>
<code>@<i>tag</i> <i>body</i></code>...<br/>
<code>@<i>tag</i> <i>arg</i> <i>body</i></code>...<br/>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center"><a
href="epytext.html#fieldlist">Definition of<br/>epytext fields</a></td>
<td align="center"><a
href="http://docutils.sourceforge.net/spec/rst/reStructuredText.html#field-lists">Definition of<br/>reStructuredText fields</a></td>
<td align="center"><a
href="http://java.sun.com/j2se/1.4.2/docs/tooldocs/solaris/javadoc.html#javadoctags">Definition of<br/>Javadoc fields</a></td>
</tr>
</table>
</center>
<a name="fields"></a>
<h2> 2. Supported Fields</h2>
<p> The following table lists the fields that epydoc currently
recognizes. Field tags are written using epytext markup; if you are
using a different markup language, then you should adjust the markup
accordingly. </p>
<table border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="3" width="95%">
<!-- ========== Functions & Methods ========== -->
<tr><th colspan="2" align="left">Functions and Methods
<i>(function or method docstrings)</i></th></tr>
<tr><td width="10%" align="left" valign="top">
<code>@<b>param</b> <i>p</i>:</code> ... </td><td>
A description of the parameter <code><i>p</i></code> for a
function or method. It may appear in the class docstring to describe
a costructor parameter: mostly useful for C extensions.</td></tr>
<tr><td width="10%" align="left" valign="top">
<code>@<b>type</b> <i>p</i>:</code> ... </td><td>
The expected type for the parameter.
<code><i>p</i></code>. </td></tr>
<tr><td width="10%" align="left" valign="top">
<code>@<b>return</b>:</code> ... </td><td>
The return value for a function or method. </td></tr>
<tr><td width="10%" align="left" valign="top">
<code>@<b>rtype</b>:</code> ... </td><td>
The type of the return value for a function or method. </td></tr>
<tr><td width="10%" align="left" valign="top">
<code>@<b>keyword</b> <i>p</i>:</code> ... </td><td>
A description of the keyword parameter <code><i>p</i></code>.
It may appear in the class docstring to describe
a costructor keyword parameter.</td></tr>
<tr><td width="10%" align="left" valign="top">
<code>@<b>raise</b> <i>e</i>:</code> ... </td><td>
A description of the circumstances under which a function or
method raises exception <code><i>e</i></code>.
It may appear in the class docstring to describe
an exception that can be raised by the costructor.</td></tr>
<!-- ========== Variables ========== -->
<tr><th colspan="2" align="left">Variables
<i>(module, class or <a href="#variable-docstring">variable</a> docstrings)</i></th></tr>
<tr><td width="10%" align="left" valign="top">
<code>@<b>ivar</b> <i>v</i>:</code> ... </td><td>
A description of the class instance variable
<code><i>v</i></code>. </td></tr>
<tr><td width="10%" align="left" valign="top">
<code>@<b>cvar</b> <i>v</i>:</code> ... </td><td>
A description of the static class variable
<code><i>v</i></code>. </td></tr>
<tr><td width="10%" align="left" valign="top">
<code>@<b>var</b> <i>v</i>:</code> ... </td><td>
A description of the module variable
<code><i>v</i></code>. </td></tr>
<tr><td width="10%" align="left" valign="top">
<code>@<b>type</b> <i>v</i>:</code> ... </td><td>
The type of the variable
<code><i>v</i></code>. </td></tr>
<!-- This does exist, but leave it out to avoid confusion: -->
<!--
<tr><td width="10%" align="left" valign="top">
<code>@<b>type</b> <i>p</i>:</code> ... </td><td>
The type of the property
<code><i>p</i></code>. </td></tr>
-->
<!-- ========== Properties ========== -->
<tr><th colspan="2" align="left">Properties
<i>(property docstrings)</i></th></tr>
<tr><td width="10%" align="left" valign="top">
<code>@<b>type</b>:</code> ... </td><td>
The type of the property. </td></tr>
<!-- ========== Grouping & Sorting ========== -->
<tr><th colspan="2" align="left">Grouping and Sorting
<i>(module, class, function, or method docstrings)</i></th></tr>
<tr><td width="10%" align="left" valign="top">
<code>@<b>group</b> <i>g</i>: <i>c<sub>1</sub
>,...,c<sub>n</sub></i></code> </td><td>
Organizes a set of related children of a module or class into a group.
<code><i>g</i></code> is the name of the group; and
<code><i>c<sub>1</sub>,...,c<sub>n</sub></i></code> are the names
of the children in the group. To define multiple groups, use
multiple <code>group</code> fields.</td></tr>
<tr><td width="10%" align="left" valign="top">
<code>@<b>sort</b>: <i>c<sub>1</sub
>,...,c<sub>n</sub></i></code> </td><td>
Specifies the sort order for the children of a module or class.
<code><i>c<sub>1</sub>,...,c<sub>n</sub></i></code> are the names
of the children, in the order in which they should appear. Any
children that are not included in this list will appear after
the children from this list, in alphabetical order.
</td></tr>
<!-- ========== Related Topics ========== -->
<tr><th colspan="2" align="left">Related Topics</th></tr>
<tr><td width="10%" align="left" valign="top"> <code>@<b>see</b>:</code> ... </td><td>
A description of a related topic. <code>see</code> fields
typically use documentation crossreference links or external
hyperlinks that link to the related topic. </td></tr>
<!-- ========== Notes & Warnings ========== -->
<tr><th colspan="2" align="left">Notes and Warnings</th></tr>
<tr><td width="10%" align="left" valign="top">
<code>@<b>note</b>:</code> ... </td><td>
A note about an object. Multiple
<code>note</code> fields may be used to list separate
notes.</td></tr>
<tr><td width="10%" align="left" valign="top">
<code>@<b>attention</b>:</code> ... </td><td>
An important note about an object. Multiple
<code>attention</code> fields may be used to list separate
notes.</td></tr>
<tr><td width="10%" align="left" valign="top">
<code>@<b>bug</b>:</code> ... </td><td>
A description of a bug in an object.
Multiple <code>bug</code> fields may be used to report separate
bugs.</td></tr>
<tr><td width="10%" align="left" valign="top">
<code>@<b>warning</b>:</code> ... </td><td>
A warning about an object. Multiple
<code>warning</code> fields may be used to report separate
warnings.</td></tr>
<!-- ========== Status ========== -->
<tr><th colspan="2" align="left">Status</th></tr>
<tr><td width="10%" align="left" valign="top">
<code>@<b>version</b>:</code> ... </td><td>
The current version of an object. </td></tr>
<tr><td width="10%" align="left" valign="top">
<code>@<b>todo</b> [<i>ver</i>]:</code> ... </td><td> A planned
change to an object. If the optional argument <code><i>ver</i></code>
is given, then it specifies the version for which the change will be
made. Multiple <code>todo</code> fields may be used if multiple
changes are planned. </td></tr>
<tr><td width="10%" align="left" valign="top">
<code>@<b>deprecated</b>:</code> ... </td><td>
Indicates that an object is
deprecated. The body of the field describe the reason why
the object is deprecated.</td></tr>
<tr><td width="10%" align="left" valign="top">
<code>@<b>since</b>:</code> ... </td><td>
The date or version when an object was
first introduced.</td></tr>
<tr><td width="10%" align="left" valign="top">
<code>@<b>status</b>:</code> ... </td><td>
The current status of an object.</td></tr>
<tr><td width="10%" align="left" valign="top">
<code>@<b>change</b>:</code> ... </td><td>
A change log entry for this object.</td></tr>
<tr><td width="10%" align="left" valign="top">
<code>@<b>permission</b>:</code> ... </td><td>
The object access permission, for systems such Zope/Plone supporting
this concept. It may be used more than once to specify multiple
permissions.</td></tr>
<!-- ========== Formal Conditions ========== -->
<tr><th colspan="2" align="left">Formal Conditions</th></tr>
<tr><td width="10%" align="left" valign="top">
<code>@<b>requires</b>:</code> ... </td><td>
A requirement for using an object. Multiple <code>requires</code>
fields may be used if an object has multiple
requirements.</td></tr>
<tr><td width="10%" align="left" valign="top">
<code>@<b>precondition</b>:</code> ... </td><td>
A condition that must be true before an object is used. Multiple
<code>precondition</code> fields may be used if an object has
multiple preconditions.</td></tr>
<tr><td width="10%" align="left" valign="top">
<code>@<b>postcondition</b>:</code> ... </td><td>
A condition that is guaranteed to be true after an object is used.
Multiple <code>postcondition</code> fields may be used if an
object has multiple postconditions.</td></tr>
<tr><td width="10%" align="left" valign="top">
<code>@<b>invariant</b>:</code> ... </td><td>
A condition which should always be true for an object. Multiple
<code>invariant</code> fields may be used if an object has
multiple invariants.</td></tr>
<!-- ========== Bibliographic Info ========== -->
<tr><th colspan="2" align="left">Bibliographic Information</th></tr>
<tr><td width="10%" align="left" valign="top">
<code>@<b>author</b>:</code> ... </td><td> The author(s) of an
object. Multiple <code>author</code>
fields may be used if an object has multiple authors.</td></tr>
<tr><td width="10%" align="left" valign="top">
<code>@<b>organization</b>:</code> ... </td><td> The
organization that created or maintains an
object. </td></tr>
<tr><td width="10%" align="left" valign="top">
<code>@<b>copyright</b>:</code> ... </td><td> The copyright
information for an object. </td></tr>
<tr><td width="10%" align="left" valign="top">
<code>@<b>license</b>:</code> ... </td><td> The licensing
information for an object. </td></tr>
<tr><td width="10%" align="left" valign="top">
<code>@<b>contact</b>:</code> ... </td><td> Contact information
for the author or maintainer of a module, class, function, or
method. Multiple <code>contact</code> fields may be used if an
object has multiple contacts.</td></tr>
<!-- ========== Summarization ========== -->
<tr><th colspan="2" align="left">Summarization</th></tr>
<tr><td width="10%" align="left" valign="top">
<code>@<b>summary</b>:</code> ... </td><td> A summary
description for an object. This description overrides the default
summary (which is constructed from the first sentence of the
object's description). </td></tr>
</table>
<h3> 2.1. Notes on Supported Fields</h3>
<ul>
<li> <p> <code>@param</code> fields should be used to document any
explicit parameter (including the keyword parameter).
<code>@keyword</code> fields should only be used for non-explicit
keyword parameters: </p>
<div class="screen"><pre>
<code class="keyword">def</code> <code class="function">plant</code>(seed, *tools, **options):
<code class="string">"""</code>
<code class="field">@param seed:</code> The seed that should be planted.
<code class="field">@param tools:</code> Tools that should be used to plant the seed.
<code class="field">@param options:</code> Any extra options for the planting.
<code class="field">@keyword dig_deep:</code> Plant the seed deep under ground.
<code class="field">@keyword soak:</code> Soak the seed before planting it.
<code class="string">"""</code>
<i>[...]</i>
</pre></div>
</li>
<li> <p> For the <code>@group</code> and <code>@sort</code> tags,
asterisks (<code>*</code>) can be used to specify multiple children at
once. An asterisk in a child name will match any substring: </p>
<div class="screen"><pre>
<code class="keyword">class</code> <code class="function">widget</code>(size, weight, age):
<code class="string">"""</code>
<code class="field">@group Tools:</code> zip, zap, *_tool
<code class="field">@group Accessors:</code> get_*
<code class="field">@sort:</code> get_*, set_*, unpack_*, cut
<code class="string">"""</code>
<i>[...]</i>
</pre></div>
</li>
<li> <p> Since the <code>@type</code> field allows for arbitrary text,
it does not automatically create a crossreference link to the
specified type, and is not written in fixed-width font by default. If
you want to create a crossreference link to the type, or to write the
type in a fixed-width font, then you must use inline markup: </p>
<div class="screen"><pre>
<code class="keyword">def</code> <code class="function">ponder</code>(person, time):
<code class="string">"""</code>
<code class="field">@param person:</code> Who should think.
<code class="field">@type person:</code> L{Person} or L{Animal}
<code class="field">@param time:</code> How long they should think.
<code class="field">@type time:</code> C{int} or C{float}
<code class="string">"""</code>
<i>[...]</i>
</pre></div>
</li>
</ul>
<a name="locations"></a>
<h2> 3. Where to Write Fields</h2>
<p> Normally the fields are written in the docstring of the documented
objects: this allows you to add fields to modules, classes, function, properties.
Where a docstring is not allowed, usually alternative options do exist.
</p>
<a name="variable-docstring"></a>
<h3> 3.1. Variable docstrings </h3>
<p> Python variables don't support docstrings. The variable can be described
in the module or class where it is defined using the tags <code>@var</code>,
<code>@ivar</code>, <code>@cvar</code>; but this only allows for a textual
description: no further metadata can be added to the variable (except for the
type, using the <code>@type</code> tag. </p>
<p> Epydoc supports <i>variable docstrings</i>: if a variable
assignment statement is immediately followed by a bare string literal,
then that assignment is treated as a docstring for that variable. In
classes, variable assignments at the class definition level are
considered class variables; and assignments to instance variables in
the constructor (<code>__init__</code>) are considered instance variables:<p>
<div class="screen2"><pre>
<code class="prompt">>>></code> <code class="keyword">class</code> A:
<code class="prompt">...</code> x = 22
<code class="prompt">...</code> <code class="string">"""Docstring for class variable A.x"""</code>
<code class="prompt">...</code>
<code class="prompt">...</code> <code class="keyword">def</code> <code class="function">__init__</code>(self, a):
<code class="prompt">...</code> self.y = a
<code class="prompt">...</code> <code class="string">"""Docstring for instance variable A.y</code>
</pre></div>
<p> Variables may also be documented using <i>comment docstrings</i>.
If a variable assignment is immediately preceeded by a comment whose
lines begin with the special marker "<code><b>#:</b></code>", or is
followed on the same line by such a comment, then it is treated as a
docstring for that variable: </p>
<div class="screen2"><pre>
<code class="prompt">>>></code> <code class="comment">#: docstring for x</code>
<code class="prompt">...</code> x = 22
<code class="prompt">>>></code> x = 22 <code class="comment">#: docstring for x</code>
</pre></div>
<p> A common Python idiom is to create instance variables settings their
default value in the class instead of the constructor (hopefully if the default
is immutable...). To avoid Epydoc to interpret such variable as a class
variable, you can describe it using the tag <code>@ivar</code> in the
context of a variable docstring:</p>
<div class="screen2"><pre>
<code class="prompt">>>></code> <code class="keyword">class</code> B:
<code class="prompt">...</code> y = 42
<code class="prompt">...</code> <code class="string">"""@ivar: This is an instance variable."""</code>
</pre></div>
<p> Notice that variable docstrings are only available for documentation
when the source code is available for parsing: it is not possible to retrieve
variable docstrings from introspection informations only. </p>
<h3> 3.2. C Extensions </h3>
<p> In a C extension module, extension classes cannot have a docstring attached
to the <code>__init__</code> function; consequently it is not possible to
document parameters and exceptions raised by the class constructor. To overcome
this shortcoming, the tags <code>@param</code>, <code>@keyword</code>,
<code>@type</code>, <code>@exception</code> are allowed to appear in the class
docstring to refer to constructor parameters.
</p>
<h2>4. Field Synonyms</h2>
<p> Several fields have "synonyms," or alternate tags. The following
table lists all field synonyms. Field tags are written using epytext
markup; if you are using a different markup language, then you should
adjust the markup accordingly. </p>
<center>
<table class="transparent">
<tr valign="top"><td class="transparent">
<table border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="3">
<tr><th width="50%">Name</th><th width="50%">Synonyms</th></tr>
<tr><td align="left" valign="top">
<b><code>@param <i>p</i>:</code> ...</b> </td>
<td><code>@parameter <i>p</i>:</code> ...<br/>
<code>@arg <i>p</i>:</code> ...<br/>
<code>@argument <i>p</i>:</code> ...</td></tr>
<tr><td align="left" valign="top">
<b><code>@return:</code> ...</b> </td><td>
<code>@returns:</code> ... </td></tr>
<tr><td align="left" valign="top">
<b><code>@rtype:</code> ...</b> </td><td>
<code>@returntype:</code> ... </td></tr>
<tr><td align="left" valign="top">
<b><code>@raise <i>e</i>:</code> ...</b> </td>
<td><code>@raises <i>e</i>:</code> ...<br/>
<code>@except <i>e</i>:</code> ...<br/>
<code>@exception <i>e</i>:</code> ...</td></tr>
<tr><td align="left" valign="top">
<b><code>@keyword <i>p</i>:</code> ...</b> </td><td>
<code>@kwarg <i>p</i>:</code> ... <br/>
<code>@kwparam <i>p</i>:</code> ... <br/></td></tr>
<tr><td align="left" valign="top">
<b><code>@ivar <i>v</i>:</code> ...</b> </td><td>
<code>@ivariable <i>v</i>:</code> ... </td></tr>
<tr><td align="left" valign="top">
<b><code>@cvar <i>v</i>:</code> ...</b> </td><td>
<code>@cvariable <i>v</i>:</code> ... </td></tr>
</table></td>
<td width="20" class="transparent"></td>
<td class="transparent">
<table border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="3">
<tr><th width="50%">Name</th><th width="50%">Synonyms</th></tr>
<tr><td align="left" valign="top">
<b><code>@var <i>v</i>:</code> ...</b> </td><td>
<code>@variable <i>v</i>:</code> ... </td></tr>
<tr><td align="left" valign="top">
<b><code>@see:</code> ...</b> </td><td>
<code>@seealso:</code> ... </td></tr>
<tr><td align="left" valign="top">
<b><code>@warning:</code> ...</b> </td><td>
<code>@warn:</code> ... </td></tr>
<tr><td align="left" valign="top">
<b><code>@requires:</code> ...</b> </td><td>
<code>@require:</code> ... <br/>
<code>@requirement:</code> ... </td></tr>
<tr><td align="left" valign="top">
<b><code>@precondition:</code> ...</b> </td><td>
<code>@precond:</code> ... </td></tr>
<tr><td align="left" valign="top">
<b><code>@postcondition:</code> ...</b> </td><td>
<code>@postcod:</code> ... </td></tr>
<tr><td align="left" valign="top">
<b><code>@organization:</code> ...</b> </td><td>
<code>@org:</code> ... </td></tr>
<tr><td align="left" valign="top">
<b><code>@copyright:</code> ...</b> </td><td>
<code>@(c):</code> ... </td></tr>
<tr><td align="left" valign="top">
<b><code>@change:</code> ...</b> </td><td>
<code>@changed:</code> ... </td></tr>
</table>
</td></tr></table>
</center>
<a name="metadata-variable"></a>
<h3> 4.1. Metadata variables </h3>
<p> Some module variables are commonly used as module metadata. Epydoc can
use the value provided by these variables as alternate form for tags. The
following table lists the recognized variables and the tag they replace.
Customized metadata variables can be added using the method described
in <a href="newfield">Adding New Fields</a>.</p>
<center>
<table border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="3">
<tr><th width="50%">Tag</th><th width="50%">Variable</th></tr>
<tr><td align="left" valign="top">
<b><code>@deprecated</code></b></td>
<td><code>__deprecated__</code></td></tr>
<tr><td align="left" valign="top">
<b><code>@version</code></b></td>
<td><code>__version__</code></td></tr>
<tr><td align="left" valign="top">
<b><code>@date</code></b></td>
<td><code>__date__</code></td></tr>
<tr><td align="left" valign="top">
<b><code>@author</code></b><br/>
<b><code>@authors</code></b></td>
<td><code>__author__</code><br/>
<code>__authors__</code></td></tr>
<tr><td align="left" valign="top">
<b><code>@contact</code></b></td>
<td><code>__contact__</code></td></tr>
<tr><td align="left" valign="top">
<b><code>@copyright</code></b></td>
<td><code>__copyright__</code></td></tr>
<tr><td align="left" valign="top">
<b><code>@license</code></b></td>
<td><code>__license__</code></td></tr>
</table>
</center>
<a name="newfield"></a>
<h2> 5. Adding New Fields</h2>
<p> New fields can be defined for the docstrings in a module using the
special <code>@newfield</code> tag (or its synonym,
<code>@deffield</code>). This tag has the following syntax:</p>
<div class="screen"><pre>
<b>@newfield <i>tag</i>:</b> <i>label</i> [, <i>plural</i>]
</pre></div>
<p>Where <code><i>tag</i></code> is the new tag that's being defined;
<code><i>label</i></code> is a string that will be used to mark this
field in the generated output; and <code><i>plural</i></code> is the
plural form of <code><i>label</i></code>, if different.</p>
<p>It will also be possibile to use the module variable
<code>__<i>tag</i>__</code> to set the value for the newly defined tag.</p>
<p>The following
example illustrates how the <code>@newfield</code> can be used: </p>
<table border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="3" width="95%">
<tr><th width="50%">Docstring Input</th><th width="50%">Rendered Output</th>
<tr valign="top"><td>
<pre>
"""
@newfield corpus: Corpus, Corpora
"""
<code class="keyword">def</code> <code class="function">example</code>():
<code class="string">"""</code>
<code class="field">@corpus:</code> Bob's wordlist.
<code class="field">@corpus:</code> The British National Corpus.
<code class="string">"""</code>
<i>[...]</i>
</pre>
</td><td>
<p><b>Corpora:</b>
<ul>
<li> Bob's wordlist. </li>
<li> The British National Corpus. </li>
</ul>
</p>
</td></tr>
</table>
<p><b>Note:</b> The module-level variable
<code>__extra_epydoc_fields__</code> is deprecated; use
<code>@newfield</code> instead.</p>
<h2> 6. Markup-Specific Notes </h2>
<p> For the most part, fields are treated identically, regardless of
what markup language is used to encode them. However, there are a few
minor differences, which are intended to accomodate existing standards
for each markup language. In particular: </p>
<ul>
<li> reStructuredText supports an extra group of fields, called
<i>consolidated fields</i>, which combine the documentation for
several objects into a single field. </li>
<li> Javadoc uses a special syntax for the body of the
<code>@see</code> fields. </li>
<li> Javadoc does not support multi-word arguments. </li>
</ul>
<p> For more information about these differences, read the subsections
below. </p>
<a name="rst"></a>
<h3> 6.1. reStructuredText Fields </h3>
<p> In reStructuredText, a single field can be used to encode the
documentation for a group of related items. For example, a single
<code>:Parameters:</code> field is often used to describe all of the
parameters for a function or method: </p>
<div class="screen"><pre>
<code class="keyword">def</code> <code class="function">fox_speed</code>(size, weight, age):
<code class="string">"""
Return the maximum speed for a fox.
<code class="field">:Parameters:</code>
- `size`: The size of the fox (in meters)
- `weight`: The weight of the fox (in stones)
- `age`: The age of the fox (in years)
"""</code>
<i>[...]</i>
</pre></div>
<p> Epydoc will automatically extract information about each parameter
from this list. These <i>consolidated fields</i> may be written using
either a bulleted list or a <a
href="http://docutils.sourceforge.net/docs/user/rst/quickref.html#definition-lists">definition
list</a>. If a consolidated field is written as a bulleted list, then
each list item must begin with the field's argument, marked as <a
href="http://docutils.sourceforge.net/docs/user/rst/quickref.html#inline-markup">interpreted
text</a>, and followed by a colon or dash. If a consolidated field is
written as a definition list, then each definition item's term should
contain the field's argument, (it is not mandatory for it being marked as interpreted text). The term
classifier, if present, is used to specify the associated type. The
following example shows the use of a definition list to define a
consolidated field. (Note that docutils requires a space before and
after the ":" used to mark classifiers.)
</p>
<div class="screen"><pre>
<code class="keyword">def</code> <code class="function">fox_speed</code>(size, weight, age):
<code class="string">"""
Return the maximum speed for a fox.
<code class="field">:Parameters:</code>
size
The size of the fox (in meters)
weight : float
The weight of the fox (in stones)
age : int
The age of the fox (in years)
"""</code>
<i>[...]</i>
</pre></div>
<p> The following consolidated
fields are currently supported by epydoc: </p>
<center>
<table class="transparent">
<tr valign="top"><td class="transparent">
<table border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="3">
<tr><th>Consolidated<br />Field Tag</th>
<th>Corresponding<br />Base Field Tag</th></tr>
<tr><td><code>:Parameters:</code></td>
<td><code>:param:</code></td>
<tr><td><code>:Exceptions:</code></td>
<td><code>:except:</code></td>
<tr><td><code>:Groups:</code></td>
<td><code>:group:</code></td>
<tr><td><code>:Keywords:</code></td>
<td><code>:keyword:</code></td>
</table></td>
<td class="transparent" width="20"></td>
<td class="transparent">
<table border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="3">
<tr><th>Consolidated<br />Field Tag</th>
<th>Corresponding<br />Base Field Tag</th></tr>
<tr><td><code>:Variables:</code></td>
<td><code>:var:</code></td>
<tr><td><code>:Ivariables:</code></td>
<td><code>:ivar:</code></td>
<tr><td><code>:Cvariables:</code></td>
<td><code>:cvar:</code></td>
<tr><td><code>:Types:</code></td>
<td><code>:type:</code></td>
</table>
</td></tr></table>
</center>
<h3> 6.2. Javadoc Fields </h3>
<p> For compatibility with Javadoc, every <code>@see</code> field is
assumed to contain a single crossreference link, unless its body
is quoted, or it starts with an HTML tag. See <a
href="http://java.sun.com/j2se/1.4.2/docs/tooldocs/solaris/javadoc.html#@see">the
Javadoc reference manual</a> for more information about how the
<code>@see</code> field is encoded in Javadoc. </p>
<p> Because Javadoc does not mark end of the optional argument, field
arguments must contain exactly one word. Thus, multi-word arguments
are not available in Javadoc. In particular, all group names must
be single words. </p>
</div>
<table width="100%" class="navbox" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0">
<tr>
<a class="nav" href="index.html">
<td align="center" width="20%" class="nav">
<a class="nav" href="index.html">
Home</a></td></a>
<a class="nav" href="installing.html">
<td align="center" width="20%" class="nav">
<a class="nav" href="installing.html">
Installing Epydoc</a></td></a>
<a class="nav" href="using.html">
<td align="center" width="20%" class="nav">
<a class="nav" href="using.html">
Using Epydoc</a></td></a>
<a class="nav" href="epytext.html">
<td align="center" width="20%" class="nav">
<a class="nav" href="epytext.html">
Epytext</a></td></a>
<td align="center" width="20%" class="nav">
<A href="http://sourceforge.net/projects/epydoc">
<IMG src="sflogo.png"
width="88" height="26" border="0" alt="SourceForge"
align="top"/></A></td>
</tr>
</table>
</body>
</html>
|
