Unix Programming - Python Doc Problem Example: os.path.split

Author

Python Doc Problem Example: os.path.split

Xah Lee

2005-09-18, 7:47 am

Python Doc Problem Example

Quote from:
http://docs.python.org/lib/module-os.path.html
----------
split( path)
Split the pathname path into a pair, (head, tail) where tail is the
last pathname component and head is everything leading up to that. The
tail part will never contain a slash; if path ends in a slash, tail
will be empty. If there is no slash in path, head will be empty. If
path is empty, both head and tail are empty. Trailing slashes are
stripped from head unless it is the root (one or more slashes only). In
nearly all cases, join(head, tail) equals path (the only exception
being when there were multiple slashes separating head from tail).
----------

Can anyone tell me what this verbiage is trying to XXXXing say?

what the XXXX is with the head and tail thing?

is the doc writer, trying to write the doc with some austereness, but
is confused about the behavior of split, or confused about expressing
it? Did his pretension XXXXed him up?

i was working on a program where i needed to split a path into dirname,
corename, and suffix. But this XXXXing Python doc diverted my work and
wasted my time. It normally isn't a problem to find imperfections in
the world except the XXXXing OpenSourcers XXXX with their XXXXing
moronicity and moronitude and propagate haughtily their XXXXing lies
and stupidity. Die.

Suggested rewrite:

split(path)
returns a pair (dirname,filename), where dirname is the part of path
up to the last slash, and filename is the rest of the string after the
last slash.

Exceptional cases are:
=E2=80=A2 if path is a single slash (or repeated), then path =3D=3D dirname=
and
filename is empty.
=E2=80=A2 If the =E2=80=9Clast=E2=80=9D slash is repeated, they are treated=
as one single
slash.

------------
XXXX the motherXXXXing liers of OpenSourcing XXXXheads.
(Note: my use of OpenSource here does not include people of GNU
community.)

For more about Python Doc problems, see
http://xahlee.org/Periodic_dosage_d...kami_cukta.html

Xah
xah@xahlee.org
=E2=88=91 http://xahlee.org/

Steven D'Aprano

2005-09-18, 7:47 am

On Sun, 18 Sep 2005 03:46:03 -0700, Xah Lee wibbled:

> Can anyone tell me what this verbiage is trying to XXXXing say?

Please don't feed the trolls.

In other words, if everybody ignores this loser, he might crawl back under
the rock he came from.

--
Steven.

Matija Papec

2005-09-18, 5:55 pm

X-Ftn-To: Xah Lee

"Xah Lee" <xah@xahlee.org> wrote:
>Python Doc Problem Example

what makes you sure that this problem would be interesting for groups beside
c.l.python? are you begging to be converted to a true religion? :-)

--
Matija

Julian Fondren

2005-09-18, 5:55 pm

> Please don't feed the trolls.

> In other words, if everybody ignores this loser, he might crawl back under
> the rock he came from.

Well, comp.lang.python people would do better to accept the suggested
rewrite and ignore at the rest at their discretion.

Xah Lee

2005-09-19, 7:50 am

Addendum:

I was working on a program where i needed to split a path into dirname,
corename, and suffix.

I came to this page and took me a while to understand what split() is
about. There are other path related functions splitext(), splitdrive(),
basename(), dirname(). User has to scan the whole page and read
painfully each one to fully understand how to choose and use them for
the task at hand.

As i have explained before (see references at bottom), documentation
should be organized oriented towards programer's tasks, not
alphabetically, compiler view, or computer sciency scheme. On this
os.path module, split(), splittext(), dirname(), basename() should all
be under one section. This way, their usefulness and each's fitness
becomes clearer, and also easier to document as a collective. Other
functions that test files or get info about files should be together.
Don't be afraid that there are functions that doesn't fit into some
=E2=80=9Cclassification=E2=80=9D. For exapmle, the walk() and
supports_unicode_filenames() can be lumped at the bottom as Other. The
need to present materials in some aloof, computer sciency, academic,
precision pretensions way is a major usability problem in the Python
doc.

(the OpenSourcers's need to present materials that way is a backlash of
the willful juvenile sloppiness of unix/perl community. However, they
being the same crowd without significant critical thinking and writing
skills, cannot do better by hiding in formality.)

Also, at the top we see:

Warning: On Windows, many of these functions do not properly
support UNC pathnames. splitunc() and ismount() do handle them
correctly.

As indicated before, this is a exhibition of tech geeking and
jargonizing. If this warning is necessary, place it at the bottom of
the page as a footnote. Also, spell out UNC, and provide a link to its
proper spec.

Tech geekers are very pretentious of tech matters. They are afraid, as
if spelling out UNC would make them unprofessional, that their peers
would deem them inferior. There are a myriad of techincal standards
that any programer could only be familiar with a fraction, confined to
his area of expertise. Standards and its acronyms come and go , and
each with varying degree of precision, actual revelance, and they are
intermingled with de facto =E2=80=9Cstandards=E2=80=9D in the commercial wo=
rld that
may not even have official names. The tech geekers are clouded by their
narrow knowledge. The purpose of documentation is not some cold
academic presentation. Vast majority who came to use os.path wouldn't
know what UNC is. Spell things out when in doubt.

UNC here, isn't really a significant =E2=80=9Cstandard=E2=80=9D. This warni=
ng
should be left out.

-----------
This post is archived at:
http://xahlee.org/perl-python/pytho...path_split.html

Xah
xah@xahlee.org
=E2=88=91 http://xahlee.org/

Xah Lee wrote:
> Python Doc Problem Example
>
> Quote from:
> http://docs.python.org/lib/module-os.path.html
> ----------
> split( path)
> Split the pathname path into a pair, (head, tail) where tail is the
> last pathname component and head is everything leading up to that. The
> tail part will never contain a slash; if path ends in a slash, tail
> will be empty. If there is no slash in path, head will be empty. If
> path is empty, both head and tail are empty. Trailing slashes are
> stripped from head unless it is the root (one or more slashes only). In
> nearly all cases, join(head, tail) equals path (the only exception
> being when there were multiple slashes separating head from tail).
> ----------
>
> Can anyone tell me what this verbiage is trying to XXXXing say?
>
> what the XXXX is with the head and tail thing?
>
> is the doc writer, trying to write the doc with some austereness, but
> is confused about the behavior of split, or confused about expressing
> it? Did his pretension XXXXed him up?
>
> i was working on a program where i needed to split a path into dirname,
> corename, and suffix. But this XXXXing Python doc diverted my work and
> wasted my time. It normally isn't a problem to find imperfections in
> the world except the XXXXing OpenSourcers XXXX with their XXXXing
> moronicity and moronitude and propagate haughtily their XXXXing lies
> and stupidity. Die.
>
> Suggested rewrite:
>
> split(path)
> returns a pair (dirname,filename), where dirname is the part of path
> up to the last slash, and filename is the rest of the string after the
> last slash.
>
> Exceptional cases are:
> =E2=80=A2 if path is a single slash (or repeated), then path =3D=3D dirna=
me and
> filename is empty.
> =E2=80=A2 If the =E2=80=9Clast=E2=80=9D slash is repeated, they are treat=
ed as one single
> slash.
>
> ------------
> XXXX the motherXXXXing liers of OpenSourcing XXXXheads.
> (Note: my use of OpenSource here does not include people of GNU
> community.)
>
> For more about Python Doc problems, see
> http://xahlee.org/Periodic_dosage_d...kami_cukta.html
>=20
> Xah
> xah@xahlee.org
> =E2=88=91 http://xahlee.org/