![](https://steemitimages.com/DQmSsFP8BDE1DkXNN9hh1729MRexyqupLEKfWJTsRskjt33/image.png)

There are a few handy functions built into Python to help the developer get more information about an object.

# help()

If you want to get the documentation on an object or function you can use the help() function to look up any documentation available.

```
> help(id)
Help on built-in function id in module builtins:
>>> 
id(obj, /)
    Return the identity of an object.  
    This is guaranteed to be unique among simultaneously existing objects.
    (CPython uses the object's memory address.)
```

This is only useful when using python interactively via **repl** or [bpython](https://steemit.com/programming/@themarkymark/python-tips-a-better-interactive-shell).


# dir()

When you call dir() without any arguments, it will return the names of everything in scope.

```
>>> dir()
['__builtins__', '__doc__', '__name__', 'help']
>>> a = 5
>>> dir()
['__builtins__', '__doc__', '__name__', 'a', 'help']
```

If you call dir on an object, it will return all the available attributes.

```
>>> a = 'Hello World'
>>> dir(a)
['__add__', '__class__', '__contains__', '__delattr__', '__dir__', '__doc__', '__eq__', '__format__', '__ge__', '__getattribute__', '__getitem__', '__getnewargs__', '__gt__', '__hash__', '__init__', '__init
_subclass__', '__iter__', '__le__', '__len__', '__lt__', '__mod__', '__mul__', '__ne__', '__new__', '__reduce__', '__reduce_ex__', '__repr__', '__rmod__', '__rmul__', '__setattr__', '__sizeof__', '__str__',
 '__subclasshook__', 'capitalize', 'casefold', 'center', 'count', 'encode', 'endswith', 'expandtabs', 'find', 'format', 'format_map', 'index', 'isalnum', 'isalpha', 'isdecimal', 'isdigit', 'isidentifier', '
islower', 'isnumeric', 'isprintable', 'isspace', 'istitle', 'isupper', 'join', 'ljust', 'lower', 'lstrip', 'maketrans', 'partition', 'replace', 'rfind', 'rindex', 'rjust', 'rpartition', 'rsplit', 'rstrip', 
'split', 'splitlines', 'startswith', 'strip', 'swapcase', 'title', 'translate', 'upper', 'zfill']
```

dir() is also most useful when using python interactively.

While both of these functions are not typically used on a daily basis, knowing they are available can be helpful when working interactively.  I typically work interactively when doing querying or working with objects I don't understand yet to get a feel for how they work.  This is where [bypython](https://steemit.com/programming/@themarkymark/python-tips-a-better-interactive-shell) shines.

As always, the [Python Online Docs](https://docs.python.org/3/) is a great reference when trying to understand how the built-in functions and objects work.  They can be difficult to understand to new programmers and just doing a Google search for what you need help with and then clicking videos usually yields the best results.  Almost every topic has been covered in detail in a YouTube video.

# Good Python YouTubers I highly recommend.

* [Sentdex](https://www.youtube.com/user/sentdex)
* [Dan Bader](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCI0vQvr9aFn27yR6Ej6n5UA)
* [Data School (Kevin Markham)](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnVzApLJE2ljPZSeQylSEyg)
* [Derek Banas](https://www.youtube.com/user/derekbanas/featured)

If you haven't already, consider opening an account on [StackOverflow](https://stackoverflow.com) the most popular Q&A site for developers across the world.

# My Python Tips Series

* [f-strings in Python 3.6](https://steemit.com/programming/@themarkymark/python-tips-f-strings-in-python-3-6-and-why-you-should-be-using-them)
* [Underscores in numeric literals](https://steemit.com/programming/@themarkymark/python-tips-underscores-in-numeric-literals)
* [A better interactive shell](https://steemit.com/programming/@themarkymark/python-tips-a-better-interactive-shell)
* [Secrets Module - New in 3.6](https://steemit.com/programming/@themarkymark/python-tips-secrets-module-new-in-3-6)
* [PEP 8](https://steemit.com/programming/@themarkymark/python-tips-pep-8)
* [Slices](https://steemit.com/programming/@themarkymark/python-tips-slices)
* [Named Tuples](https://steemit.com/programming/@themarkymark/python-tips-named-tuples)
* [Destructuring](https://steemit.com/programming/@themarkymark/python-tips-destructuring)
* [Counter](https://steemit.com/programming/@themarkymark/python-tips-counter)
* [Type Annotation](https://steemit.com/programming/@themarkymark/python-tips-type-annotation)
* [Jupyter Notebooks](https://steemit.com/programming/@themarkymark/python-tips-jupyter-notebooks)


<center><sub><sub> X48EJ </sub></sub></center>

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