NAME

       PDL::Doc::Perldl - commands for accessing PDL doc database from 'perldl' shell

DESCRIPTION

       This module provides a simple set of functions to access the PDL documentation of database, for use from
       the perldl or pdl2 shells as well as the pdldoc command-line program.

       Autoload files are also matched, via a search of the PDLLIB autoloader tree.  That behavior can be
       switched off with the variable $PERLDL::STRICT_DOCS (true: don't search autoload tree; false: search the
       autoload tree.)

       Currently, multiple matches are not handled very well.

SYNOPSIS

        use PDL::Doc::Perldl; # Load all documentation functions

BUGS

       The description contains the misleading word "simple".

FUNCTIONS

   apropos
       Regex search PDL documentation database

        apropos 'text'

        pdl> apropos 'pic'
        rpic            Read images in many formats with automatic format detection.
        rpiccan         Test which image formats can be read/written
        wmpeg           Write an image sequence ((x,y,n) piddle) as an MPEG animation.
        wpic            Write images in many formats with automatic format selection.
        wpiccan         Test which image formats can be read/written

       To find all the manuals that come with PDL, try

         apropos 'manual:'

       and to get quick info about PDL modules say

         apropos 'module:'

       You get more detailed info about a PDL function/module/manual with the "help" function

   PDL::Doc::Perldl::search_docs
       Internal routine to search docs database and autoload files

   PDL::Doc::Perldl::finddoc
       Internal interface to the PDL documentation searcher

   find_autodoc
       Internal helper routine that finds and returns documentation in the autoloader path, if it exists.  You
       feed in a topic and it searches for the file "${topic}.pdl".  If that exists, then the filename gets
       returned in a match structure appropriate for the rest of finddoc.

   usage
       Prints usage information for a PDL function

        Usage: usage 'func'

          pdl> usage 'inner'

          inner           inner prodcuct over one dimension
                          (Module PDL::Primitive)

          Signature: inner(a(n); b(n); [o]c(); )

   sig
       prints signature of PDL function

        sig 'func'

       The signature is the normal dimensionality of the function's arguments.  Calling with different
       dimensions doesn't break -- it causes threading.  See PDL::PP for details.

         pdl> sig 'outer'
           Signature: outer(a(n); b(m); [o]c(n,m); )

   whatis
       Describe a perl and/or PDL variable or expression.  Useful for determining the type of an expression,
       identifying the keys in a hash or a data structure, or examining WTF an unknown object is.

        Usage: whatis $var
               whatis <expression>

   help
       print documentation about a PDL function or module or show a PDL manual

       In the case of multiple matches, the first command found is printed out, and the remaining commands
       listed, along with the names of their modules.

        Usage: help 'func'

        pdl> help 'PDL::Tutorials' # show the guide to PDL tutorials
        pdl> help 'PDL::Slices'    # show the docs in the PDL::Slices module
        pdl> help 'slice'          # show docs on the 'slice' function

   badinfo
       provides information on the bad-value support of a function

       And has a horrible name.

        badinfo 'func'