I am getting familiar with Python and I thought I would do a dir() walk and examine the doc strings.
I started with the "os" module.
Why is the python docstring for os.CLD_CONTINUED the same as int().__doc__?
I first noticed that CLD_CONTINUED had the same doc string as CLD_DUMPED, CLD_KILLED, etc. Then I realized it's the doc string for int().
I imagine this has something to do with object inheritance.
I checked the Python docs and found https://docs.python.org/3/library/os.html#os.CLD_CONTINUED which says this about CLD__*:
These are the possible values for si_code in the result returned by waitid().
I then went to https://docs.python.org/3/library/os.html#os.waitid which links me to https://docs.python.org/3/library/os.html#os.CLD_EXITED and now I've gone full circle.
Is there someplace else I should look?
I'd like to understand why these si_code docstrings tell me about int().
How can I know when the docstring is not for the thing I'm looking at but for something else? I was really confused at first.
According to [Python.Docs]: Built-in Functions - help() (emphasis is mine):
If the argument is a string, then the string is looked up as the name of a module, function, class, method, keyword, or documentation topic, and a help page is printed on the console. If the argument is any other kind of object, a help page on the object is generated.
os.CLD_CONTINUED (and others as well) is an int value so the help for its class is invoked.
(py_pc064_03.10_test0) [cfati@cfati-5510-0:/mnt/c/Users/cfati]> python Python 3.10.11 (main, Apr 5 2023, 14:15:10) [GCC 9.4.0] on linux Type "help", "copyright", "credits" or "license" for more information. >>> >>> help(123) # Help for 'class int(object)' is displayed >>> i = 1 >>> help(i) # Same as above >>> import os >>> os.CLD_CONTINUED, os.CLD_CONTINUED.__class__ (6, <class 'int'>) >>> help(os.CLD_CONTINUED) # Same as above >>> help(os.CLD_CONTINUED.__class__) # Same as above