---
title: Get Smarter with Python's Built-In Help
pub_date: 2014-08-01 12:04:25
slug: /blog/2014/08/get-smarter-pythons-built-in-help
metadesc: Sometimes you have to put down the Stack Overflow, step away from the Google and go straight to the docs. Python has great docs, here's how to use them.
tags: Python
code: True

---

One of my favorite things about Python is the `help()` function. Fire up the standard Python interpreter, and import `help` from `pydoc` and you can search Python's official documentation from within the interpreter. Reading the f'ing manual from the interpreter. As it should be[^1].

The `help()` function takes either an object or a keyword. The former must be imported first while the latter needs to be a string like "keyword". Whichever you use Python will pull up the standard Python docs for that object or keyword. Type `help()` without anything and you'll start an interactive help session.

The `help()` function is awesome, but there's one little catch. 

In order for this to work properly you need to make sure you have the `PYTHONDOCS` environment variable set on your system. On a sane operating system this will likely be in '/usr/share/doc/pythonX.X/html'. In mostly sane OSes like Debian (and probably Ubuntu/Mint, et al) you might have to explicitly install the docs with `apt-get install python-doc`, which will put the docs in `/usr/share/doc/pythonX.X-doc/html/`.

If you're using OS X's built-in Python, the path to Python's docs would be:

~~~.language-bash
/System/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.6/Resources/Python.app/Contents/Resources/English.lproj/Documentation/
~~~

Note the 2.6 in that path. As far as I can tell OS X Mavericks does not ship with docs for Python 2.7, which is weird and annoying (like most things in Mavericks). If it's there and you've found it, please enlighten me in the comments below. 

Once you've found the documentation you can add that variable to your bash/zshrc like so:

~~~.language-bash
export PYTHONDOCS=/System/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.6/Resources/Python.app/Contents/Resources/English.lproj/Documentation/
~~~

Now fire up iPython, type `help()` and start learning rather than always hobbling along with [Google, Stack Overflow and other crutches](/blog/2014/08/how-my-two-year-old-twins-made-me-a-better-programmer).

Also, PSA. If you do anything with Python, you really need to check out [iPython](http://ipython.org/). It will save you loads of time, has more awesome features than a Veg-O-Matic and [notebooks](http://ipython.org/notebook.html), don't even get me started on notebooks. And in iPython you don't even have to import help, it's already there, ready to go from the minute it starts.

[^1]: The Python docs are pretty good too. Not Vim-level good, but close.