Improved docstring formatting in call tips.

IPython/frontend/qt/console/call_tip_widget.py

@@ -1,3 +1,7 b''
+# Standard library imports
+import re
+from textwrap import dedent
+
 # System library imports
 from PyQt4 import QtCore, QtGui
 
@@ -57,6 +61,17 b' class CallTipWidget(QtGui.QLabel):'
     # 'CallTipWidget' interface
     #--------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
+    def show_docstring(self, doc, maxlines=20):
+        """ Attempts to show the specified docstring at the current cursor
+            location. The docstring is dedented and possibly truncated for
+            length.
+        """
+        doc = dedent(doc.rstrip()).lstrip()
+        match = re.match("(?:[^\n]*\n){%i}" % maxlines, doc)
+        if match:
+            doc = doc[:match.end()] + '\n[Documentation continues...]'
+        return self.show_tip(doc)
+
     def show_tip(self, tip):
         """ Attempts to show the specified tip at the current cursor location.
         """

IPython/frontend/qt/console/frontend_widget.py

@@ -293,7 +293,7 b' class FrontendWidget(HistoryConsoleWidget):'
                 cursor.position() == self._calltip_pos:
             doc = rep['content']['docstring']
             if doc:
-                self._call_tip_widget.show_tip(doc)
+                self._call_tip_widget.show_docstring(doc)
 
     def _started_listening(self):
         self.clear()