# The Python documentation should borrow the idea from the PHP.net

**URL:** <https://discuss.python.org/t/the-python-documentation-should-borrow-the-idea-from-the-php-net/53335>\
**Category:** Documentation\
**Created:** [May 14, 2024, 7:53pm UTC](https://discuss.python.org/t/the-python-documentation-should-borrow-the-idea-from-the-php-net/53335 "2024-05-14T19:53:55Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Showing post:** 48

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**Author:** ![erlendaasland](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/discuss.python.org/erlendaasland/32/4378_2.png) [@erlendaasland](https://discuss.python.org/u/erlendaasland)\
**Post date:** [May 22, 2024, 10:36pm UTC](https://discuss.python.org/t/the-python-documentation-should-borrow-the-idea-from-the-php-net/53335/48 "2024-05-22T22:36:17Z")

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> [@yt87](#):
>
> My preference would be `numpy` style (not necessarily one page per function), like here: [numpy.reshape — NumPy v1.26 Manual](https://numpy.org/doc/stable/reference/generated/numpy.reshape.html)

See the previous discussion:

> [@Explicit parameter list in function documentation](https://discuss.python.org/t/explicit-parameter-list-in-function-documentation/16090):
>
> I prefer the parameters of a function (with their documentation) to be listed explicitly in the function’s documentation. This is in contrast with man-style, which describes the positionals in prose. Compare [open](https://docs.python.org/3/library/functions.html#open) (what I call man-style) with [numpy.linalg.norm](https://numpy.org/doc/stable/reference/generated/numpy.linalg.norm.html#numpy-linalg-norm) (what I say employs an explicit list). I think it’s more than a preference however: I think the available parameters are easier to identify, and typing is obvious. It also reduces the mixing of parameters with side-effects and further fun…

Since that discussion, many functions and methods with lots of arguments have been converted to use this “param list” style\[1\]\[2\]\[3\]\[4\]\[5\]\[6\]\[7\]\[8\], and more will probably follow.

If you spot a good candidate for the param list markup, feel free to submit a PR 🙂

* * *

1. [sqlite3.connect()](https://docs.python.org/3/library/sqlite3.html#sqlite3.connect) 

2. [dbm.open()](https://docs.python.org/3/library/dbm.html#dbm.open) 

3. [eval()](https://docs.python.org/3/library/functions.html#eval) 

4. [ftplib.FTP()](https://docs.python.org/3/library/ftplib.html#ftplib.FTP) 

5. [logging.Formatter()](https://docs.python.org/3/library/logging.html#logging.Formatter) 

6. [multiprocessing.shared\_memory.SharedMemory()](https://docs.python.org/3/library/multiprocessing.shared_memory.html#multiprocessing.shared_memory.SharedMemory) 

7. [turtle.write()](https://docs.python.org/3/library/turtle.html#turtle.write) 

8. [typing.dataclass\_transform()](https://docs.python.org/3/library/typing.html#typing.dataclass_transform)

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