Docstrings are a type of documentation in Python that describe what a function, class, or module does, and how it should be used. They are written as strings at the beginning of the code block, immediately following the declaration of the function, class, or module. Here's an example of a docstring for a simple function:
def add_numbers(a, b): """Return the sum of two numbers.""" return a + b |
In this example, the docstring describes what the function does: it returns the sum of two numbers. It also tells us that the function takes two arguments, a and b.
Docstrings can be accessed using the built-in help() function or by using the __doc__ attribute of a function, class, or module object. For example:
help(add_numbers) |
This will display the docstring for the add_numbers() function.
Docstrings can be written using single or double quotes, and can span multiple lines. The PEP 257 Python style guide recommends using triple quotes for docstrings, as this allows for multiline docstrings.
In addition to describing what a function, class, or module does, docstrings can also include examples, usage instructions, and other information that may be useful to developers using the code. Good docstrings can make it easier for others to understand and use your code, and are considered best practices in Python development.