# Debug why docstrings not showing in REPL help

**URL:** https://discourse.julialang.org/t/debug-why-docstrings-not-showing-in-repl-help/64198
**Category:** New to Julia
**Tags:** documentation
**Created:** [July 7, 2021, 8:25am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/debug-why-docstrings-not-showing-in-repl-help/64198 "2021-07-07T08:25:54Z")
**Posts on this page:** 5
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![blackeneth](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/blackeneth/32/10353_2.png) [@blackeneth](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/blackeneth)
#### Post date: [July 7, 2021, 8:25am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/debug-why-docstrings-not-showing-in-repl-help/64198/1 "2021-07-07T08:25:55Z")

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How can I debug the docstrings not showing up in my REPL?

```julia

julia> """
       Function Roger() prints Wilco
       """
"Function Roger() prints Wilco\n"

julia> function Roger()
           println("Wilco")
       end
Roger (generic function with 1 method)
julia> Roger()
Wilco

```

Now type ? at the julia\> prompt to get into help:

```julia
help?> Roger
search: Roger RogersTanimoto rogerstanimoto ApproximateSignedRankTest FisherNoncentralHypergeometric PROGRAM_FILE RoundingMode    

  No documentation found.

  Roger is a Function.

  # 1 method for generic function "Roger":
  [1] Roger() in Main at REPL[145]:1

```

Thanks.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![jzr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/eb9ed0/32.png) [@jzr](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/jzr)
#### Post date: [July 7, 2021, 8:31am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/debug-why-docstrings-not-showing-in-repl-help/64198/2 "2021-07-07T08:31:38Z")

</div>

The docstring has to be entered in the same execution. Use alt+enter.

```julia
julia> "adsf"
       function foo()
       2
       end
foo

help?> foo
search: foo floor pointer_from_objref OverflowError RoundFromZero unsafe_copyto! functionloc StackOverflowError

  adsf

```

---

<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![sijo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/da6949/32.png) [@sijo](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/sijo)
#### Post date: [July 7, 2021, 8:36am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/debug-why-docstrings-not-showing-in-repl-help/64198/3 "2021-07-07T08:36:07Z")

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You can also document an existing function with `@doc`:

```julia
julia> function Roger()
                  println("Wilco")
              end
Roger (generic function with 1 method)

julia> @doc """
              Function Roger() prints Wilco
              """ Roger
Roger

help?> Roger
search: Roger PROGRAM_FILE RoundingMode

  Function Roger() prints Wilco

```

---

<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![blackeneth](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/blackeneth/32/10353_2.png) [@blackeneth](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/blackeneth)
#### Post date: [July 7, 2021, 8:47am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/debug-why-docstrings-not-showing-in-repl-help/64198/4 "2021-07-07T08:47:44Z")

</div>

vs. CTRL-enter?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![sijo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/da6949/32.png) [@sijo](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/sijo)
#### Post date: [July 7, 2021, 9:03am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/debug-why-docstrings-not-showing-in-repl-help/64198/5 "2021-07-07T09:03:50Z")

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Use `Alt-Enter` instead of a simple `Enter` (or, yes, vs `CTRL-Enter` since in the REPL that’s the same I think 🙂 ).

But `Alt-Enter` might not work if you’re on Windows apparently, see [PSA: Inserting a new line in the REPL](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/psa-inserting-a-new-line-in-the-repl/3524) and [Pick a different key binding for "Insert new line without executing it" at least on Win · Issue #18295 · JuliaLang/julia · GitHub](https://github.com/JuliaLang/julia/issues/18295).