---
name: "eric5_api"
section: "1"
platform: "linux"
package: "eric"
version: "5.4.5-1"
release: "Debian 8 (Jessie)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/eric5_api"
---

# eric5\_api(1)

eric5 API generator

## NAME

eric5\_api - eric5 API generator

## SYNOPSIS

**eric5\_api** \[*options*\] *files*...

where files can be be either Python modules, package directories or ordinary directories.

## DESCRIPTION

This manual page documents briefly the **eric5\_api** command. This manual page was written for the Debian distribution because the original program does not have a manual page.

**eric5\_api** scans Python source code to generate API descriptions files which are used to as tooltips and autocompletion suggestions by the QScintilla editor widget in eric5.

## OPTIONS

These programs follow the usual GNU command line syntax, with long options starting with two dashes (\`-'). A summary of options is included below. For a complete description, see the Info files.

- **-b name or --base name**

  Use the given name as the name of the base package.

- **-h or --help**

  Show this help and exit.

- **-o filename or --output=filename**

  Write the API information to the named file. A '%L' placeholder is replaced by the language of the API file (see --language).

- **--oldstyle**

  Generate API files for QScintilla prior to 1.7.

- **-p or --private**

  Include private methods and functions.

- **-R, -r or --recursive**

  Perform a recursive search for Python files.

- **-t ext or --extension = ext**

  Add the given extension to the list of file extensions. This option may be given multiple times.

- **-V or --version**

  Show version information and exit.

- **-x directory or --exclude=directory**

  Specify a directory basename to be excluded. This option may be repeated multiple times.

- **--exclude-file=pattern**

  Specify a filename pattern of files to be excluded. This option may be repeated multiple times.

- **-l language or --language=language**

  Generate an API file for the given programming language. Supported programming languages are:\
       \* Python\
       \* Python3\
       \* Ruby The default is 'Python'. This option may be repeated multiple times.

## SEE ALSO

[**eric5**(1)](/eric5/1.md), [**eric5\_compare**(1)](/eric5_compare/1.md), [**eric5\_configure**(1)](/eric5_configure/1.md), [**eric5\_diff**(1)](/eric5_diff/1.md), [**eric5\_doc**(1)](/eric5_doc/1.md), [**eric5\_editor**(1)](/eric5_editor/1.md), [**eric5\_helpviewer**(1)](/eric5_helpviewer/1.md), [**eric5\_iconeditor**(1)](/eric5_iconeditor/1.md), [**eric5\_plugininstall**(1)](/eric5_plugininstall/1.md), [**eric5\_pluginrepository**(1)](/eric5_pluginrepository/1.md), [**eric5\_pluginuninstall**(1)](/eric5_pluginuninstall/1.md), [**eric5\_qregexp**(1)](/eric5_qregexp/1.md), [**eric5\_re**(1)](/eric5_re/1.md), [**eric5\_sqlbrowser**(1)](/eric5_sqlbrowser/1.md), [**eric5\_tray**(1)](/eric5_tray/1.md), [**eric5\_trpreviewer**(1)](/eric5_trpreviewer/1.md), [**eric5\_uipreviewer**(1)](/eric5_uipreviewer/1.md), [**eric5\_unittest**(1)](/eric5_unittest/1.md), [**eric5\_webbrowser**(1)](/eric5_webbrowser/1.md)\

## AUTHOR

This manual page was written by Torsten Marek \<shlomme@gmx.net\>, for the Debian project (but may be used by others).