Reading the Python Official Documentation is rugged (lemm.ee)

submitted 11 months ago by ChrisLicht@lemm.ee to c/python@programming.dev

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I am at a high-beginner/low-intermediate level in Python, and one thing that drives me nuts is how poorly I am able to read the Python official documentation and grok how to use the described code.

What's the secret? Are there any guides/videos/books that can help my understand how to approach reading it? Or, is it just one of those things that I need to just keep coming back to while coding, and eventually I will get the hang of it?

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[-] ryokimball@infosec.pub 10 points 11 months ago

Honestly I still often look up alternate documentation, searching "how do I do x?" instead of reading the actual documentation. I think the official documentation tends to be very technical about everything you need to know about the modules, etc. But if you're trying to get one particular thing done in a hurry, finding something someone else has already done and copying it as much easier.

That said, I do believe the official documentation gets better with age/the more you come back to it.

[-] Bristlerock@kbin.social 2 points 11 months ago

Agreed. The lack of varied examples in documentation is my common tripping point. When I hate myself, I use visit ~~Sarcasm~~StackOverflow to find examples, and then reference those against the module's documentation.

And it's definitely become an easier process as I've read more documentation.