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To: python-list@python.org
From: Terry Reedy <tjreedy@udel.edu>
Subject: Re: how to inherit docstrings?
Date: Thu, 09 Jun 2011 23:59:08 -0400
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Xref: x330-a1.tempe.blueboxinc.net comp.lang.python:7346

On 6/9/2011 9:12 PM, Carl Banks wrote:

> Presumably, the reason you are overriding a method in a subclass is to change its behavior; I'd expect an inherited docstring to be inaccurate more often than not.  So I'd be -1 on automatically inheriting them.
>
> However, I'd be +1 easily on a little help from the language to explicitly request to inherit the docstring.

An empty docstring "" could be interpreted as 'ditto' ;-)
It would be useless otherwise.

-- 
Terry Jan Reedy