ev-API cleanups. ev can now be imported also from a non-django initiated python interpreter (it initiates itself). Gave some more info text and made sure wrapped db_ methods correctly forward their doc strings for introspection.

ev.py

@@ -1,14 +1,16 @@
 """
 
-Central API for Evennia MUD/MUX/MU* system.
+Central API for the Evennia MUD/MUX/MU* creation system.
 
 This basically a set of shortcuts to the main modules in src/. Import this 
-from your code or eplore it interactively from ./manage.py shell (or a normal 
+from your code or explore it interactively from ./manage.py shell (or a normal 
 python shell if you set DJANGO_SETTINGS_MODULE manually).
 
- 1) You should import things explicitly from the root of this module - you can generally 
+Notes: 
-    not use dot-notation to import deeper. Hence, to access a default command, you can do
+
-    the following: 
+ 1) You should import things explicitly from the root of this module - you can not use 
+    dot-notation to import deeper. Hence, to access a default command, you can do the 
+    following:
 
        import ev
        ev.default_cmds.CmdLook
@@ -29,7 +31,10 @@ python shell if you set DJANGO_SETTINGS_MODULE manually).
     -not- set up Typeclasses correctly and will lead to errors. Other types of database objects 
     can be created normally, but there are conveniant create_* functions for those too, making
     some more error checking. 
- 4) The API accesses all relevant and most-neeeded functions/classes from src/, but might not 
+ 4) "settings" links to Evennia's game/settings file. "settings_full" shows all of django's available
+    settings. Note that you cannot change settings from here in a meaningful way, you need to update 
+    game/settings.py and restart the server.
+ 5) The API accesses all relevant and most-neeeded functions/classes from src/, but might not 
     always include all helper-functions referenced from each such entity. To get to those, access 
     the modules in src/ directly. You can always do this anyway, if you do not want to go through 
     this API. 
@@ -42,14 +47,30 @@ import sys, os
 #  not yet initialized)
 
 if __name__ == "__main__":
-    print \
+    info = __doc__ + \
 """
-    This module gives access to Evennia's programming API. 
+  | This module gives access to Evennia's programming API.  It should
-    It should not be run on its own, but be imported and accessed as you develop your game.
+  | not be run on its own, but be imported and accessed as described
-    To start the server, see game/manage.py and game/evennia.py. 
+  | above.
-    More help can be found at http://www.evennia.com. 
+  |
+  | To start the Evennia server, see game/manage.py and game/evennia.py.  
+  | More help can be found at http://www.evennia.com.
 """
+    print info
     sys.exit()
+
+# make sure settings is available, also if starting this API stand-alone
+# make settings available, and also the full django settings
+
+sys.path.insert(0, os.path.dirname(os.path.abspath(__file__)))
+from django.core.management import setup_environ
+from game import settings
+setup_environ(settings)
+del setup_environ
+from django.conf import settings as settings_full
+
+# set Evennia version in __version__ property
+
 try:
     f = open(os.path.dirname(os.path.abspath(__file__)) + os.sep + "VERSION", 'r')
     __version__ = "Evennia %s-r%s" % (f.read().strip(), os.popen("hg id -i").read().strip())
@@ -59,9 +80,11 @@ except IOError:
     __version__ = "Evennia (unknown version)"
 del sys, os
 
+#
 # Start Evennia API (easiest is to import this module interactively to explore it)
+#
 
-README = "Evennia flat API. See the module header for usage information."
+README = __doc__
 
 # help entries 
 from src.help.models import HelpEntry

src/players/player.py

@@ -10,9 +10,10 @@ character object, so you should customize that
 instead for most things).
 
 """
+from django.conf import settings
 from src.typeclasses.typeclass import TypeClass
 
-from settings import CMDSET_OOC
+CMDSET_OOC = settings.CMDSET_OOC
 
 class Player(TypeClass):
     """

src/typeclasses/managers.py

@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ This implements the common managers that are used by the
 abstract models in dbobjects.py (and which are thus shared by
 all Attributes and TypedObjects). 
 """
+from functools import update_wrapper
 from django.db import models
 from src.utils import idmapper
 from src.utils.utils import make_iter
@@ -39,9 +40,10 @@ def returns_typeclass_list(method):
     """        
     def func(self, *args, **kwargs):
         "decorator. Returns a list."        
+        self.__doc__ = method.__doc__
         matches = method(self, *args, **kwargs)        
         return [(hasattr(dbobj, "typeclass") and dbobj.typeclass) or dbobj for dbobj in make_iter(matches)]
-    return func    
+    return update_wrapper(func, method)    
 
 def returns_typeclass(method):
     """
@@ -49,12 +51,13 @@ def returns_typeclass(method):
     """
     def func(self, *args, **kwargs):
         "decorator. Returns result or None."
+        self.__doc__ = method.__doc__
         rfunc = returns_typeclass_list(method)
         try:
             return rfunc(self, *args, **kwargs)[0]
         except IndexError: 
             return None 
-    return func
+    return update_wrapper(func, method)
 
 
 #class TypedObjectManager(idmap.CachingManager):