Can disable the section headings in docstrings

.github/CONTRIBUTING.md

@@ -93,7 +93,7 @@ The valid options are:
 * `-DPYBIND11_NOPYTHON=ON`: Disable all Python searching (disables tests)
 * `-DBUILD_TESTING=ON`: Enable the tests
 * `-DDOWNLOAD_CATCH=ON`: Download catch to build the C++ tests
-* `-DOWNLOAD_EIGEN=ON`: Download Eigen for the NumPy tests
+* `-DDOWNLOAD_EIGEN=ON`: Download Eigen for the NumPy tests
 * `-DPYBIND11_INSTALL=ON/OFF`: Enable the install target (on by default for the
   master project)
 * `-DUSE_PYTHON_INSTALL_DIR=ON`: Try to install into the python dir

docs/advanced/misc.rst

@@ -329,9 +329,43 @@ For example:
      |
      |      Add two floating points numbers together.
 
-Calling ``options.disable_function_signatures()``, as shown previously,
+Calling ``options.disable_function_signatures()`` as shown previously,
 will cause docstrings to be generated without the prepended function signatures
 and without the section headings.
+To disable only the sections headings, use ``options.disable_section_headings()``:
+
+.. code-block:: cpp
+
+    PYBIND11_MODULE(example, m) {
+        py::options options;
+        options.disable_section_headings();
+
+        m.def("add", [](int a, int b)->int { return a + b; },
+          "A function which adds two numbers.\n");  // Note the additional newline here.
+        m.def("add", [](float a, float b)->float { return a + b; },
+          "Internally, a simple addition is performed.");
+        m.def("add", [](py::none a, py::none b)->py::none { return py::none(); },
+          "Both numbers can be None, and None will be returned.");
+    }
+
+The above example would produce the following docstring:
+
+.. code-block:: pycon
+
+    >>> help(example.add)
+
+    add(...)
+     |      add(arg0: int, arg1: int) -> int
+     |      add(arg0: float, arg1: float) -> float
+     |      add(arg0: None, arg1: None) -> None
+
+     |      A function which adds two numbers.
+     |
+     |      Internally, a simple addition is performed.
+     |      Both numbers can be None, and None will be returned.
+
+Not every overload must supply a docstring.
+You may find it easier for a single overload to supply the entire docstring.
 
 .. [#f4] http://www.sphinx-doc.org
 .. [#f5] http://github.com/pybind/python_example

include/pybind11/options.h

@@ -38,12 +38,18 @@ class options {
 
     options& enable_function_signatures() & { global_state().show_function_signatures = true; return *this; }
 
+    options& disable_section_headings() & { global_state().show_section_headings = false; return *this; }
+
+    options& enable_section_headings() & { global_state().show_section_headings = true; return *this; }
+
     // Getter methods (return the global state):
 
     static bool show_user_defined_docstrings() { return global_state().show_user_defined_docstrings; }
 
     static bool show_function_signatures() { return global_state().show_function_signatures; }
 
+    static bool show_section_headings() { return global_state().show_section_headings; }
+
     // This type is not meant to be allocated on the heap.
     void* operator new(size_t) = delete;
 
@@ -52,6 +58,7 @@ class options {
     struct state {
         bool show_user_defined_docstrings = true;  //< Include user-supplied texts in docstrings.
         bool show_function_signatures = true;      //< Include auto-generated function signatures in docstrings.
+        bool show_section_headings = true;         //< Include section headings in docstrings.
     };
 
     static state &global_state() {

include/pybind11/pybind11.h

@@ -450,6 +450,7 @@ class cpp_function : public function {
 
         std::string signatures;
         int index = 0;
+        bool first_user_def = true;
         /* Create a nice pydoc rec including all signatures and
            docstrings of the functions in the overload chain */
         if (chain && options::show_function_signatures()) {
@@ -458,12 +459,16 @@ class cpp_function : public function {
                 signatures += it->signature;
                 signatures += "\n";
             }
-            signatures += "\nOverloaded function.\n\n";
+            if (options::show_section_headings())
+                signatures += "\nOverloaded function.\n\n";
+            else
+                first_user_def = false;
         }
         // Then specific overload signatures
-        bool first_user_def = true;
+        const bool show_signature_headings = options::show_function_signatures()
+            && options::show_section_headings();
         for (auto it = chain_start; it != nullptr; it = it->next) {
-            if (options::show_function_signatures()) {
+            if (show_signature_headings) {
                 if (index > 0) signatures += "\n";
                 if (chain)
                     signatures += std::to_string(++index) + ". ";
@@ -472,15 +477,14 @@ class cpp_function : public function {
                 signatures += "\n";
             }
             if (it->doc && strlen(it->doc) > 0 && options::show_user_defined_docstrings()) {
-                // If we're appending another docstring, and aren't printing function signatures, we
-                // need to append a newline first:
-                if (!options::show_function_signatures()) {
-                    if (first_user_def) first_user_def = false;
-                    else signatures += "\n";
-                }
-                if (options::show_function_signatures()) signatures += "\n";
+                // If we're appending another docstring, and aren't printing signature headings,
+                // we need to append a newline first:
+                if (!show_signature_headings && first_user_def)
+                     first_user_def = false;
+                else
+                    signatures += "\n";
                 signatures += it->doc;
-                if (options::show_function_signatures()) signatures += "\n";
+                if (show_signature_headings) signatures += "\n";
             }
         }
 

tests/test_factory_constructors.cpp

@@ -171,12 +171,23 @@ TEST_SUBMODULE(factory_constructors, m) {
         .def(py::init([](py::handle, int v, py::handle) { return TestFactoryHelper::construct1(v); }))
         .def_readwrite("value", &TestFactory1::value)
         ;
-    py::class_<TestFactory2>(m, "TestFactory2")
-        .def(py::init([](pointer_tag, int v) { return TestFactoryHelper::construct2(v); }))
-        .def(py::init([](unique_ptr_tag, std::string v) { return TestFactoryHelper::construct2(v); }))
-        .def(py::init([](move_tag) { return TestFactoryHelper::construct2(); }))
-        .def_readwrite("value", &TestFactory2::value)
-        ;
+    {
+        py::options options;
+        options.disable_section_headings();
+
+        py::class_<TestFactory2>(m, "TestFactory2")
+            .def(
+                py::init([](pointer_tag, int v) { return TestFactoryHelper::construct2(v); }),
+                "This is one part of the docstring."
+            )
+            .def(py::init([](unique_ptr_tag, std::string v) { return TestFactoryHelper::construct2(v); }))
+            .def(
+                py::init([](move_tag) { return TestFactoryHelper::construct2(); }),
+                "This is the other part of the docstring."
+            )
+            .def_readwrite("value", &TestFactory2::value)
+            ;
+    }
 
     // Stateful & reused:
     int c = 1;

tests/test_factory_constructors.py

@@ -105,6 +105,18 @@ def test_init_factory_signature(msg):
     """  # noqa: E501 line too long
     )
 
+    assert (
+        msg(m.TestFactory2.__init__.__doc__)
+        == """
+        __init__(self: m.factory_constructors.TestFactory2, arg0: m.factory_constructors.tag.pointer_tag, arg1: int) -> None
+        __init__(self: m.factory_constructors.TestFactory2, arg0: m.factory_constructors.tag.unique_ptr_tag, arg1: str) -> None
+        __init__(self: m.factory_constructors.TestFactory2, arg0: m.factory_constructors.tag.move_tag) -> None
+
+        This is one part of the docstring.
+        This is the other part of the docstring.
+    """  # noqa: E501 line too long
+    )
+
 
 def test_init_factory_casting():
     """Tests py::init_factory() wrapper with various upcasting and downcasting returns"""