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(python2.1-tut.info)dir Function

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The `dir()' Function
====================

The built-in function `dir()' is used to find out which names a module
defines.  It returns a sorted list of strings:

     >>> import fibo, sys
     >>> dir(fibo)
     ['__name__', 'fib', 'fib2']
     >>> dir(sys)
     ['__name__', 'argv', 'builtin_module_names', 'copyright', 'exit',
     'maxint', 'modules', 'path', 'ps1', 'ps2', 'setprofile', 'settrace',
     'stderr', 'stdin', 'stdout', 'version']

Without arguments, `dir()' lists the names you have defined currently:

     >>> a = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
     >>> import fibo, sys
     >>> fib = fibo.fib
     >>> dir()
     ['__name__', 'a', 'fib', 'fibo', 'sys']

Note that it lists all types of names: variables, modules, functions,
etc.

`dir()' does not list the names of built-in functions and variables.
If you want a list of those, they are defined in the standard module
`__builtin__' :

     >>> import __builtin__
     >>> dir(__builtin__)
     ['AccessError', 'AttributeError', 'ConflictError', 'EOFError', 'IOError',
     'ImportError', 'IndexError', 'KeyError', 'KeyboardInterrupt',
     'MemoryError', 'NameError', 'None', 'OverflowError', 'RuntimeError',
     'SyntaxError', 'SystemError', 'SystemExit', 'TypeError', 'ValueError',
     'ZeroDivisionError', '__name__', 'abs', 'apply', 'chr', 'cmp', 'coerce',
     'compile', 'dir', 'divmod', 'eval', 'execfile', 'filter', 'float',
     'getattr', 'hasattr', 'hash', 'hex', 'id', 'input', 'int', 'len', 'long',
     'map', 'max', 'min', 'oct', 'open', 'ord', 'pow', 'range', 'raw_input',
     'reduce', 'reload', 'repr', 'round', 'setattr', 'str', 'type', 'xrange']