Gets method information from the docstring

get_method_info.py

"""
Returns this:

{
    'help_text': 'Returns a list of sites for which the given user has access.',
    'returns': {'type': 'array', 'desc': 'list of blog dicts'},
    'args': {
        'username': {'type': 'string', 'desc': 'your username'},
        'password': {'type': 'string', 'desc': 'plain text password'}
    }
}

"""

import pydoc
import re

from django.utils.datastructures import SortedDict


def getUsersBlogs(username, password):
    """
    Returns a list of sites for which the given user has access.

    :param username: your username
    :type username: string

    :key password: plain text password
    :type password: string

    :returns: list of blog dicts
    :rtype: array

    """

    return [1, 2, 3]


def get_method_info(method):

    info = {}

    help_text = pydoc.getdoc(method)

    args = SortedDict()
    desc_re = re.compile(':(?P<desc>param|parameter|arg|argument|key|keyword)\s+(?P<name>.+):\s+(?P<value>.+)')
    type_re = re.compile(':(?P<type>type)\s+(?P<name>.+):\s+(?P<value>.+)')
    for expression in (desc_re, type_re):
        for match in expression.finditer(help_text):
            data = match.groupdict()
            if 'desc' in data:
                key = 'desc'
            else:
                key = 'type'
            name = data['name']
            value = data['value']
            args.setdefault(name, {})
            args[name][key] = value
        help_text = expression.sub('', help_text)
    if args:
        info['args'] = args

    desc_re = re.compile(':(?P<desc>returns?):\s+(?P<value>.+)')
    type_re = re.compile(':(?P<type>rtype):\s+(?P<value>.+)')
    for expression in (desc_re, type_re):
        match = expression.search(help_text)
        if match:
            data = match.groupdict()
            if 'desc' in data:
                key = 'desc'
            else:
                key = 'type'
            value = data['value']
            info.setdefault('returns', {})
            info['returns'][key] = value
        help_text = expression.sub('', help_text)

    info['help_text'] = help_text.strip()

    return info


print get_method_info(getUsersBlogs)