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Mastering Object-Oriented Python

You're reading from   Mastering Object-Oriented Python Build powerful applications with reusable code using OOP design patterns and Python 3.7

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Product type Paperback
Published in Jun 2019
Publisher Packt
ISBN-13 9781789531367
Length 770 pages
Edition 2nd Edition
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Author (1):
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Steven F. Lott Steven F. Lott
Author Profile Icon Steven F. Lott
Steven F. Lott
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Table of Contents (25) Chapters Close

Preface 1. Section 1: Tighter Integration Via Special Methods FREE CHAPTER
2. Preliminaries, Tools, and Techniques 3. The __init__() Method 4. Integrating Seamlessly - Basic Special Methods 5. Attribute Access, Properties, and Descriptors 6. The ABCs of Consistent Design 7. Using Callables and Contexts 8. Creating Containers and Collections 9. Creating Numbers 10. Decorators and Mixins - Cross-Cutting Aspects 11. Section 2: Object Serialization and Persistence
12. Serializing and Saving - JSON, YAML, Pickle, CSV, and XML 13. Storing and Retrieving Objects via Shelve 14. Storing and Retrieving Objects via SQLite 15. Transmitting and Sharing Objects 16. Configuration Files and Persistence 17. Section 3: Object-Oriented Testing and Debugging
18. Design Principles and Patterns 19. The Logging and Warning Modules 20. Designing for Testability 21. Coping with the Command Line 22. Module and Package Design 23. Quality and Documentation 24. Other Books You May Enjoy

Writing effective docstrings

When writing docstrings, we need to focus on the essential information that our audience needs. When we look at using a library module, what do we need to know? Whatever questions we ask means that other programmers will often have similar questions. There are two boundaries that we should stay inside when we write docstrings:

  • It's best to avoid abstract overviews, high-level requirements, user stories, or background that is not tied directly to the code. We should provide the background in a separate document. A tool such as Sphinx can combine background material and code in a single document.
  • It's best to also avoid overly detailed how it works implementation trivia. The code is readily available, so there's no point in recapitulating the code in the documentation. If the code is too obscure, perhaps it should be rewritten to make...
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