Seeking help
Overview
Teaching: 5 min
Exercises: 0 minQuestions
Where can I find help?
Objectives
Know where to look for answers and how to ask the right questions
What do I do when I need help?
It is inevitable; at some point, you will need help. For most people, it is impossible to remember every facet of the Python language. As such, you will often need to familiarize yourself with the functionality of some aspect of the Python language. The help panel built into Spyder is an excellent starting resource.
Help pane
The Help pane in Spyder is a feature-rich tool that provides quick access to documentation for Python functions, modules, classes, and methods directly within the IDE. It allows users to search for specific Python objects, view contextual help by hovering over code elements, and navigate through detailed documentation including function signatures, parameters, and examples. Additionally, it integrates with external documentation sources for comprehensive reference, enhancing productivity and facilitating a smoother coding experience for Python developers.
External help
If you have encountered a problem, often your question has already been answered on Stack Overflow. You can search using the [[python-3.x]] tag. If you can’t find the answer you may want to ask your own, first make sure you have read:
Here are a few useful functions to provide the details you may need for asking your question.
pprint will give you an easy-to-copy-and-paste output for your data objects.
from pprint import pprint
pprint(your_variable)
import sys
print(sys.version)
Here we provide some external links providing useful references and cheat sheets for new users of Python. Without context, they may seem a little daunting, but as your knowledge and confidence grow, they will become useful references.
Key Points
You will get stuck at some point; needing help is a case of when, not if.
Help is available, but it is important you have done your due diligence and are asking for help in the correct places and in the correct format.