Fix of issue 246 - Make help and helpdesk more robust

pynest/nest/lib/hl_api_helper.py

@@ -26,8 +26,14 @@
 
 import warnings
 import inspect
+import json
 import functools
 import textwrap
+import subprocess
+import os
+import re
+
+from string import Template
 
 # These variables MUST be set by __init__.py right after importing.
 # There is no safety net, whatsoever.
@@ -111,7 +117,6 @@ def deprecated(alt_func_name, text=None):
     function:
         Decorator function
     """
-
     def deprecated_decorator(func):
         _deprecation_warning[func.__name__] = True
 
@@ -172,6 +177,7 @@ def is_string(obj):
     """
     return isinstance(obj, uni_str)
 
+
 __debug = False
 
 
@@ -229,11 +235,11 @@ def stack_checker_func(*args, **kwargs):
         if not get_debug():
             return f(*args, **kwargs)
         else:
-            sr('count')
-            stackload_before = spp()
+            sr
+            stackload_before = spp
             result = f(*args, **kwargs)
-            sr('count')
-            num_leftover_elements = spp() - stackload_before
+            sr
+            num_leftover_elements = spp - stackload_before
             if num_leftover_elements != 0:
                 eargs = (f.__name__, num_leftover_elements)
                 etext = "Function '%s' left %i elements on the stack."
@@ -389,17 +395,121 @@ def broadcast(item, length, allowed_types, name="item"):
     """
 
     if isinstance(item, allowed_types):
-        return length * (item, )
+        return length * (item,)
     elif len(item) == 1:
         return length * item
     elif len(item) != length:
-        raise TypeError("'%s' must be a single value, a list with " +
-                        "one element or a list with %i elements."
-                        % (name, length))
-
+        raise TypeError("'{0}' must be a single value, a list with " +
+                        "one element or a list with {1} elements.".format(
+                            name, length))
     return item
 
 
+def __check_nb():
+    """Return true if called from a Jupyter notebook."""
+    try:
+        return get_ipython().__class__.__name__.startswith('ZMQ')
+    except NameError:
+        return False
+
+
+def __show_help_in_modal_window(objname, hlptxt):
+    """Open modal window with help text
+
+    Parameters
+    ----------
+    objname :   str
+            filename
+    hlptxt  :   str
+            Full text
+    """
+
+    hlptxt = json.dumps(hlptxt)
+    style = "<style>.modal-body p { display: block;unicode-bidi: embed; " \
+            "font-family: monospace; white-space: pre; }</style>"
+    s = Template("""
+       require(
+           ["base/js/dialog"],
+           function(dialog) {
+               dialog.modal({
+                   title: '$jstitle',
+                   body: $jstext,
+                   buttons: {
+                       'close': {}
+                   }
+               });
+           }
+       );
+       """)
+
+    from IPython.display import HTML, Javascript, display
+    display(HTML(style))
+
+    display(Javascript(s.substitute(jstitle=objname, jstext=hlptxt)))
+
+
+def show_help_with_pager(hlpobj, pager):
+    """Output of doc in python with pager or print
+
+    Parameters
+    ----------
+    hlpobj : object
+        Object to display
+    pager: str, optional
+        pager to use, NO if you explicity do not want to use a pager
+    """
+    if 'NEST_INSTALL_DIR' not in os.environ:
+        print(
+            'NEST help needs to know where NEST is installed.'
+            'Please source nest_vars.sh or define NEST_INSTALL_DIR manually.')
+        return
+
+    helpdir = os.path.join(os.environ['NEST_INSTALL_DIR'], "share", "doc",
+                           "nest", "help")
+    objname = hlpobj + '.hlp'
+    consolepager = ['less', 'more', 'vi', 'vim', 'nano', 'emacs -nw',
+                    'ed', 'editor']
+
+    # reading ~/.nestrc lookink for pager to use.
+    if pager is None:
+        # open ~/.nestrc
+        rc = open(os.environ['HOME'] + '/.nestrc', 'r')
+        for line in rc:
+            rctst = re.match(r'^\s?%', line)
+            if rctst is None:
+                pypagers = re.findall(
+                    r'\s?/page\s?<<\s?/command\s?\((.*)\).*', line)
+                if pypagers:
+                    pager = pypagers[0]
+                    break
+                else:
+                    pager = 'less'
+        rc.close()
+
+    for dirpath, dirnames, files in os.walk(helpdir):
+        for hlp in files:
+            if hlp == objname:
+                objf = os.path.join(dirpath, objname)
+                fhlp = open(objf, 'r')
+                hlptxt = fhlp.read()
+                # only for notebook
+                if __check_nb():
+                    if pager in consolepager:
+                        # only in notebook open modal window
+                        __show_help_in_modal_window(objname, hlptxt)
+                        break
+                    else:
+                        subprocess.call([pager, objf])
+                        break
+                else:
+                    if pager in consolepager:
+                        subprocess.call([pager, objf])
+                        break
+                    else:
+                        subprocess.call([pager, objf])
+                        break
+
+
 @check_stack
 def get_verbosity():
     """Return verbosity level of NEST's messages.
@@ -412,8 +522,8 @@ def get_verbosity():
 
     # Defined in hl_api_helper to avoid circular inclusion problem with
     # hl_api_info.py
-    sr('verbosity')
-    return spp()
+    sr
+    return spp
 
 
 @check_stack
@@ -429,7 +539,7 @@ def set_verbosity(level):
 
     # Defined in hl_api_helper to avoid circular inclusion problem with
     # hl_api_info.py
-    sr("%s setverbosity" % level)
+    sr
 
 
 def model_deprecation_warning(model):

pynest/nest/lib/hl_api_info.py

@@ -24,6 +24,9 @@
 """
 
 from .hl_api_helper import *
+import sys
+import os
+import webbrowser
 
 
 @check_stack
@@ -55,23 +58,36 @@ def authors():
 
 
 @check_stack
-def helpdesk(browser="firefox"):
-    """Open the NEST helpdesk in the given browser.
+def helpdesk():
+    """Open the NEST helpdesk in browser.
 
-    The default browser is firefox.
-
-    Parameters
-    ----------
-    browser : str, optional
-        Name of the browser to use
+    Use the system default browser.
     """
+    if 'NEST_DOC_DIR' not in os.environ:
+        print(
+            'NEST help needs to know where NEST is installed.'
+            'Please source nest_vars.sh or define NEST_DOC_DIR manually.')
+        return
 
-    sr("/helpdesk << /command (%s) >> SetOptions" % browser)
-    sr("helpdesk")
+    url = os.path.join(os.environ['NEST_DOC_DIR'] + "/help", "helpindex.html")
+    """
+    Under Windows systems webbrowser.open is incomplete 
+    <https://bugs.python.org/issue8232>
+    """
+    if sys.platform[:3] == "win":
+        os.startfile(url)
+    """
+    Under MacOs we need to ask for the browser explicitly. 
+    See <https://bugs.python.org/issue30392>.
+    """
+    if sys.platform[:3] == "dar":
+        webbrowser.get('safari').open_new(url)
+    else:
+        webbrowser.open_new(url)
 
 
 @check_stack
-def help(obj=None, pager="less"):
+def help(obj=None, pager=None):
     """Show the help page for the given object using the given pager.
 
     The default pager is less.
@@ -83,17 +99,17 @@ def help(obj=None, pager="less"):
     pager : str, optional
         Pager to use
     """
+    hlpobj = obj
+    if hlpobj is not None:
+        show_help_with_pager(hlpobj, pager)
 
-    if obj is not None:
-        sr("/page << /command (%s) >> SetOptions" % pager)
-        sr("/%s help" % obj)
     else:
         print("Type 'nest.helpdesk()' to access the online documentation "
               "in a browser.")
         print("Type 'nest.help(object)' to get help on a NEST object or "
               "command.\n")
         print("Type 'nest.Models()' to see a list of available models "
-              "in NEST.\n")
+              "in NEST.")
         print("Type 'nest.authors()' for information about the makers "
               "of NEST.")
         print("Type 'nest.sysinfo()' to see details on the system "
@@ -115,6 +131,7 @@ def get_argv():
     tuple:
         Argv, as seen by NEST.
     """
+
     sr('statusdict')
     statusdict = spp()
     return statusdict['argv']