emacs python mode from scratch: stage 14 - context sensitive help

Here are the relevant variables and function in the context-sensitive help section

VARS:
(defconst db-python-dotty-syntax-table
(defvar view-return-to-alist)
(defvar db-python-imports)

FUNCS:
python-describe-symbol
python-send-receive
python-eldoc-function

• db-python-dotty-syntax-table
  

  This creates an altered syntax table that treats "." as "symbol constituent". In other words, "." is treated as part of the variable name rather than as an other type of syntax.
  

• view-return-to-alist
  

  Used by python-describe symbol. Consists of a window and help-return-method
  

• db-python-imports
  

  Used below when calling emacs.* helper functions.
  

• python-describe-symbol
  

  C-c C-f is bound to this and will do a python help(module|func|etc) for thing at point. It dumps out the standard python documentation in another temporary buffer. It uses emacs.py to get the help. Somewhat useful, but i usually have a python prompt open already.
  

• python-send-receive
  

  Convenience function for sending a command to the python interpreter and reading the result.
  

• python-eldoc-function
  

  Use emacs's own documentation reader to populate the message line with brief description of function and args. this is something that I had not noticed before and am glad I came across it while perusing the code.
  

  If you have a python session going and you either run M-x eldoc-mode or you set up a hook such as
  

  
    (add-hook 'python-mode-hook 'turn-on-eldoc-mode)
  

  
  

  then this will automatically run the eldoc help facility. Not sure how useful it will be day to day (maybe it's just developer eye candy), but I've seen this sort of thing while running in slime or in the haskell mode and now at least I see where it is coming from. Seems like it only really works with core python libraries. Strangely doesn't seem to know about the functions in the actual file you are currently working in.
  

Only 4 sections left to walk through. I'm actually pretty eager to be done with this, but I definitely want to finish (however shallow my exploration of this mode is).