* Add new toplevel chapter, "Using Python." (how to install,
configure and setup python on different platforms -- at least
in theory.)
* Move the Python on Mac docs in that chapter.
* Add a new chapter about the command line invocation, by stargaming.
diff --git a/Doc/contents.rst b/Doc/contents.rst
index 926b411..fc9ff03 100644
--- a/Doc/contents.rst
+++ b/Doc/contents.rst
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@
whatsnew/2.6.rst
tutorial/index.rst
+ using/index.rst
reference/index.rst
library/index.rst
extending/index.rst
diff --git a/Doc/howto/index.rst b/Doc/howto/index.rst
index e668856..68aab60 100644
--- a/Doc/howto/index.rst
+++ b/Doc/howto/index.rst
@@ -14,7 +14,6 @@
:maxdepth: 1
advocacy.rst
- pythonmac.rst
curses.rst
doanddont.rst
functional.rst
diff --git a/Doc/using/cmdline.rst b/Doc/using/cmdline.rst
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8a647af
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Doc/using/cmdline.rst
@@ -0,0 +1,427 @@
+.. highlightlang:: none
+
+Invoking the Python executable
+==============================
+
+The CPython interpreter scans the command line and the environment for various
+settings.
+
+.. note::
+
+ Other implementation's command line schemes may differ. See
+ :ref:`implementations` for further resources.
+
+
+Command line
+------------
+
+When invoking Python, you may specify any of these options::
+
+ python [-dEiOQStuUvxX3?] [-c command | -m module-name | script | - ] [args]
+
+The most common use case is, of course, a simple invocation of a script::
+
+ python myscript.py
+
+
+Interface options
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+The interpreter interface resembles that of the UNIX shell:
+
+* When called with standard input connected to a tty device, it prompts for
+ commands and executes them until an EOF (an end-of-file character, you can
+ produce that with *Ctrl-D* on UNIX or *Ctrl-Z, Enter* on Windows) is read.
+* When called with a file name argument or with a file as standard input, it
+ reads and executes a script from that file.
+* When called with ``-c command``, it executes the Python statement(s) given as
+ *command*. Here *command* may contain multiple statements separated by
+ newlines. Leading whitespace is significant in Python statements!
+* When called with ``-m module-name``, the given module is searched on the
+ Python module path and executed as a script.
+
+In non-interactive mode, the entire input is parsed before it is executed.
+
+An interface option terminates the list of options consumed by the interpreter,
+all consecutive arguments will end up in :data:`sys.argv` -- note that the first
+element, subscript zero (``sys.argv[0]``), is a string reflecting the program's
+source.
+
+.. cmdoption:: -c <command>
+
+ Execute the Python code in *command*. *command* can be one ore more
+ statements separated by newlines, with significant leading whitespace as in
+ normal module code.
+
+ If this option is given, the first element of :data:`sys.argv` will be
+ ``"-c"``.
+
+
+.. cmdoption:: -m <module-name>
+
+ Search :data:`sys.path` for the named module and run the corresponding module
+ file as if it were executed with ``python modulefile.py`` as a script.
+
+ Since the argument is a *module* name, you must not give a file extension
+ (``.py``). However, the ``module-name`` does not have to be a valid Python
+ identifer (e.g. you can use a file name including a hyphen).
+
+ .. note::
+
+ This option cannot be used with builtin modules and extension modules
+ written in C, since they do not have Python module files.
+
+ If this option is given, the first element of :data:`sys.argv` will be the
+ full path to the module file.
+
+ Many standard library modules contain code that is invoked on their execution
+ as a script. An example is the :mod:`timeit` module::
+
+ python -mtimeit -s 'setup here' 'benchmarked code here'
+ python -mtimeit -h # for details
+
+ .. seealso::
+ :func:`runpy.run_module`
+ The actual implementation of this feature.
+
+ :pep:`338` -- Executing modules as scripts
+
+ .. versionchanged:: 2.5
+ The module name can now include packages.
+
+
+.. describe:: <script>
+
+ Execute the Python code contained in *script*, which must be an (absolute or
+ relative) file name.
+
+ If this option is given, the first element of :data:`sys.argv` will be the
+ script file name as given on the command line.
+
+
+.. describe:: -
+
+ Read commands from standard input (:data:`sys.stdin`). If standard input is
+ a terminal, :option:`-i` is implied.
+
+ If this option is given, the first element of :data:`sys.argv` will be
+ ``"-"``.
+
+ .. seealso::
+ :ref:`tut-invoking`
+
+
+If no script name is given, ``sys.argv[0]`` is an empty string (``""``).
+
+
+Generic options
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+.. cmdoption:: -?
+ -h
+ --help
+
+ Print a short description of all command line options.
+
+ .. versionadded:: 2.5
+ The ``--help`` variant.
+
+
+.. cmdoption:: -V
+ --version
+
+ Print the Python version number and exit. Example output could be::
+
+ Python 2.5.1
+
+ .. versionadded:: 2.5
+ The ``--version`` variant.
+
+
+Miscellaneous options
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+.. cmdoption:: -d
+
+ Turn on parser debugging output (for wizards only, depending on compilation
+ options). See also :envvar:`PYTHONDEBUG`.
+
+
+.. cmdoption:: -E
+
+ Ignore environment variables like :envvar:`PYTHONPATH` and
+ :envvar:`PYTHONHOME` that modify the behaviour of the interpreter.
+
+ .. XXX: full list?
+
+
+.. cmdoption:: -i
+
+ When a script is passed as first argument or the :option:`-c` option is used,
+ enter interactive mode after executing the script or the command, even when
+ :data:`sys.stdin` does not appear to be a terminal. The
+ :envvar:`PYTHONSTARTUP` file is not read.
+
+ This can be useful to inspect global variables or a stack trace when a script
+ raises an exception. See also :envvar:`PYTHONINSPECT`.
+
+
+.. cmdoption:: -O
+
+ Turn on basic optimizations. This changes the filename extension for
+ compiled (:term:`byte code`) files from ``.pyc`` to ``.pyo``. See also
+ :envvar:`PYTHONOPTIMIZE`.
+
+
+.. cmdoption:: -OO
+
+ Discard docstrings in addition to the :option:`-O` optimizations.
+
+
+.. cmdoption:: -Q <arg>
+
+ Division control. The argument must be one of the following:
+
+ ``old``
+ division of int/int and long/long return an int or long (*default*)
+ ``new``
+ new division semantics, i.e. division of int/int and long/long returns a
+ float
+ ``warn``
+ old division semantics with a warning for int/int and long/long
+ ``warnall``
+ old division semantics with a warning for all uses of the division operator
+
+ .. seealso::
+ :file:`Tools/scripts/fixdiv.py`
+ for a use of ``warnall``
+
+ :pep:`238` -- Changing the division operator
+
+
+.. cmdoption:: -S
+
+ Disable the import of the module :mod:`site` and the site-dependent
+ manipulations of :data:`sys.path` that it entails.
+
+
+.. cmdoption:: -t
+
+ Issue a warning when a source file mixes tabs and spaces for indentation in a
+ way that makes it depend on the worth of a tab expressed in spaces. Issue an
+ error when the option is given twice (:option:`-tt`).
+
+
+.. cmdoption:: -u
+
+ Force stdin, stdout and stderr to be totally unbuffered. On systems where it
+ matters, also put stdin, stdout and stderr in binary mode.
+
+ Note that there is internal buffering in :func:`file.readlines` and
+ :ref:`bltin-file-objects` (``for line in sys.stdin``) which is not influenced
+ by this option. To work around this, you will want to use
+ :func:`file.readline` inside a ``while 1:`` loop.
+
+ See also :envvar:`PYTHONUNBUFFERED`.
+
+
+.. XXX should the -U option be documented?
+
+.. cmdoption:: -v
+
+ Print a message each time a module is initialized, showing the place
+ (filename or built-in module) from which it is loaded. When given twice
+ (:option:`-vv`), print a message for each file that is checked for when
+ searching for a module. Also provides information on module cleanup at exit.
+ See also :envvar:`PYTHONVERBOSE`.
+
+
+.. cmdoption:: -W arg
+
+ Warning control. Python's warning machinery by default prints warning
+ messages to :data:`sys.stderr`. A typical warning message has the following
+ form::
+
+ file:line: category: message
+
+ By default, each warning is printed once for each source line where it
+ occurs. This option controls how often warnings are printed.
+
+ Multiple :option:`-W` options may be given; when a warning matches more than
+ one option, the action for the last matching option is performed. Invalid
+ :option:`-W` options are ignored (though, a warning message is printed about
+ invalid options when the first warning is issued).
+
+ Warnings can also be controlled from within a Python program using the
+ :mod:`warnings` module.
+
+ The simplest form of argument is one of the following action strings (or a
+ unique abbreviation):
+
+ ``ignore``
+ Ignore all warnings.
+ ``default``
+ Explicitly request the default behavior (printing each warning once per
+ source line).
+ ``all``
+ Print a warning each time it occurs (this may generate many messages if a
+ warning is triggered repeatedly for the same source line, such as inside a
+ loop).
+ ``module``
+ Print each warning only only the first time it occurs in each module.
+ ``once``
+ Print each warning only the first time it occurs in the program.
+ ``error``
+ Raise an exception instead of printing a warning message.
+
+ The full form of argument is::
+
+ action:message:category:module:line
+
+ Here, *action* is as explained above but only applies to messages that match
+ the remaining fields. Empty fields match all values; trailing empty fields
+ may be omitted. The *message* field matches the start of the warning message
+ printed; this match is case-insensitive. The *category* field matches the
+ warning category. This must be a class name; the match test whether the
+ actual warning category of the message is a subclass of the specified warning
+ category. The full class name must be given. The *module* field matches the
+ (fully-qualified) module name; this match is case-sensitive. The *line*
+ field matches the line number, where zero matches all line numbers and is
+ thus equivalent to an omitted line number.
+
+ .. seealso::
+
+ :pep:`230` -- Warning framework
+
+
+.. cmdoption:: -x
+
+ Skip the first line of the source, allowing use of non-Unix forms of
+ ``#!cmd``. This is intended for a DOS specific hack only.
+
+ .. warning:: The line numbers in error messages will be off by one!
+
+
+.. cmdoption:: -3
+
+ Warn about Python 3.x incompatibilities.
+
+ .. versionadded:: 2.6
+
+
+Related files -- UNIX
+---------------------
+
+These are subject to difference depending on local installation conventions;
+:envvar:`prefix` (``${prefix}``) and :envvar:`exec_prefix` (``${exec_prefix}``)
+are installation-dependent and should be interpreted as for GNU software; they
+may be the same.
+
+For example, on most Linux systems, the default for both is :file:`/usr`.
+
++-----------------------------------------------+------------------------------------------+
+| File/directory | Meaning |
++===============================================+==========================================+
+| :file:`{exec_prefix}/bin/python` | Recommended location of the interpreter. |
++-----------------------------------------------+------------------------------------------+
+| :file:`{prefix}/lib/python{version}`, | Recommended locations of the directories |
+| :file:`{exec_prefix}/lib/python{version}` | containing the standard modules. |
++-----------------------------------------------+------------------------------------------+
+| :file:`{prefix}/include/python{version}`, | Recommended locations of the directories |
+| :file:`{exec_prefix}/include/python{version}` | containing the include files needed for |
+| | developing Python extensions and |
+| | embedding the interpreter. |
++-----------------------------------------------+------------------------------------------+
+| :file:`~/.pythonrc.py` | User-specific initialization file loaded |
+| | by the user module; not used by default |
+| | or by most applications. |
++-----------------------------------------------+------------------------------------------+
+
+
+Environment variables
+---------------------
+
+.. envvar:: PYTHONHOME
+
+ Change the location of the standard Python libraries. By default, the
+ libraries are searched in :file:`{prefix}/lib/python<version>` and
+ :file:`{exec_prefix}/lib/python<version>`, where :file:`{prefix}` and
+ :file:`{exec_prefix}` are installation-dependent directories, both defaulting
+ to :file:`/usr/local`.
+
+ When :envvar:`PYTHONHOME` is set to a single directory, its value replaces
+ both :file:`{prefix}` and :file:`{exec_prefix}`. To specify different values
+ for these, set :envvar:`PYTHONHOME` to :file:`{prefix}:{exec_prefix}``.
+
+
+.. envvar:: PYTHONPATH
+
+ Augments the default search path for module files. The format is the same as
+ the shell's :envvar:`PATH`: one or more directory pathnames separated by
+ colons. Non-existent directories are silently ignored.
+
+ The default search path is installation dependent, but generally begins with
+ :file:`{prefix}/lib/python<version>`` (see :envvar:`PYTHONHOME` above). It
+ is *always* appended to :envvar:`PYTHONPATH`.
+
+ If a script argument is given, the directory containing the script is
+ inserted in the path in front of :envvar:`PYTHONPATH`. The search path can
+ be manipulated from within a Python program as the variable :data:`sys.path`.
+
+
+.. envvar:: PYTHONSTARTUP
+
+ If this is the name of a readable file, the Python commands in that file are
+ executed before the first prompt is displayed in interactive mode. The file
+ is executed in the same name space where interactive commands are executed so
+ that objects defined or imported in it can be used without qualification in
+ the interactive session. You can also change the prompts :data:`sys.ps1` and
+ :data:`sys.ps2` in this file.
+
+
+.. envvar:: PYTHONY2K
+
+ Set this to a non-empty string to cause the :mod:`time` module to require
+ dates specified as strings to include 4-digit years, otherwise 2-digit years
+ are converted based on rules described in the :mod:`time` module
+ documentation.
+
+
+.. envvar:: PYTHONOPTIMIZE
+
+ If this is set to a non-empty string it is equivalent to specifying the
+ :option:`-O` option. If set to an integer, it is equivalent to specifying
+ :option:`-O` multiple times.
+
+
+.. envvar:: PYTHONDEBUG
+
+ If this is set to a non-empty string it is equivalent to specifying the
+ :option:`-d` option. If set to an integer, it is equivalent to specifying
+ :option:`-d` multiple times.
+
+
+.. envvar:: PYTHONINSPECT
+
+ If this is set to a non-empty string it is equivalent to specifying the
+ :option:`-i` option.
+
+
+.. envvar:: PYTHONUNBUFFERED
+
+ If this is set to a non-empty string it is equivalent to specifying the
+ :option:`-u` option.
+
+
+.. envvar:: PYTHONVERBOSE
+
+ If this is set to a non-empty string it is equivalent to specifying the
+ :option:`-v` option. If set to an integer, it is equivalent to specifying
+ :option:`-v` multiple times.
+
+
+.. envvar:: PYTHONCASEOK
+
+ If this is set, Python ignores case in :keyword:`import` statements. This
+ only works on Windows.
+
diff --git a/Doc/using/index.rst b/Doc/using/index.rst
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f8d8ce4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Doc/using/index.rst
@@ -0,0 +1,17 @@
+.. _using-index:
+
+################
+ Using Python
+################
+
+
+This part of the documentation is devoted to general information on the setup
+of the Python environment on different platform, the invocation of the
+interpreter and things that make working with Python easier.
+
+
+.. toctree::
+
+ cmdline.rst
+ mac.rst
+
diff --git a/Doc/howto/pythonmac.rst b/Doc/using/mac.rst
similarity index 100%
rename from Doc/howto/pythonmac.rst
rename to Doc/using/mac.rst