2.3. Documenting Functions
You can document a Python function by giving it a doc string.
Example 2.2. Defining the buildConnectionString Function's doc string
def buildConnectionString(params):
"""Build a connection string from a dictionary of parameters.
Returns string."""Triple quotes signify a multi-line string. Everything between the start and end quotes is part of a single string, including
carriage returns and other quote characters. You can use them anywhere, but you'll see them most often used when defining
a doc string.
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| Triple quotes are also an easy way to define a string with both single and double quotes, like qq/.../ in Perl.
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Everything between the triple quotes is the function's doc string, which documents what the function does. A doc string, if it exists, must be the first thing defined in a function (that is, the first thing after the colon). You don't technically
need to give your function a doc string, but you always should. I know you've heard this in every programming class you've ever taken, but Python gives you an added incentive: the doc string is available at runtime as an attribute of the function.
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| Many Python IDEs use the doc string to provide context-sensitive documentation, so that when you type a function name, its doc string appears as a tooltip. This can be incredibly helpful, but it's only as good as the doc strings you write.
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Further Reading on Documenting Functions
