multielectrode_grasp/code/python-odml/odml/tools/doc_inherit.py

"""
This is a working hack to provide inherited docstrings.
The only other working way I tried would involve metaclasses.

Each method to inherit a docstring is flagged using the @inherit_docstring
decorator.

The actual inheritance is done in the class decorator @allow_inherit_docstring,
which uses the classes base-classes and its mro and copies the first docstring
it finds.
"""

def allow_inherit_docstring(cls):
    bases = cls.__bases__
    for attr, attribute in cls.__dict__.items():
        if hasattr(attribute, "inherit_docstring"):
            if not attribute.__doc__:
                for mro_cls in (mro_cls for base in bases for mro_cls in base.mro()
                                if hasattr(mro_cls, attr)):
                    doc=getattr(getattr(mro_cls,attr),'__doc__')
                    if doc:
                        attribute.__doc__=doc
                        break
    return cls

def inherit_docstring(obj):
    obj.inherit_docstring = True
    return obj