Edit File: idle.txt
.. _idle: IDLE ==== .. moduleauthor:: Guido van Rossum <guido@Python.org> .. index:: single: IDLE single: Python Editor single: Integrated Development Environment IDLE is the Python IDE built with the :mod:`tkinter` GUI toolkit. IDLE has the following features: * coded in 100% pure Python, using the :mod:`tkinter` GUI toolkit * cross-platform: works on Windows and Unix * multi-window text editor with multiple undo, Python colorizing and many other features, e.g. smart indent and call tips * Python shell window (a.k.a. interactive interpreter) * debugger (not complete, but you can set breakpoints, view and step) Menus ----- File menu ^^^^^^^^^ New window create a new editing window Open... open an existing file Open module... open an existing module (searches sys.path) Class browser show classes and methods in current file Path browser show sys.path directories, modules, classes and methods .. index:: single: Class browser single: Path browser Save save current window to the associated file (unsaved windows have a \* before and after the window title) Save As... save current window to new file, which becomes the associated file Save Copy As... save current window to different file without changing the associated file Close close current window (asks to save if unsaved) Exit close all windows and quit IDLE (asks to save if unsaved) Edit menu ^^^^^^^^^ Undo Undo last change to current window (max 1000 changes) Redo Redo last undone change to current window Cut Copy selection into system-wide clipboard; then delete selection Copy Copy selection into system-wide clipboard Paste Insert system-wide clipboard into window Select All Select the entire contents of the edit buffer Find... Open a search dialog box with many options Find again Repeat last search Find selection Search for the string in the selection Find in Files... Open a search dialog box for searching files Replace... Open a search-and-replace dialog box Go to line Ask for a line number and show that line Indent region Shift selected lines right 4 spaces Dedent region Shift selected lines left 4 spaces Comment out region Insert ## in front of selected lines Uncomment region Remove leading # or ## from selected lines Tabify region Turns *leading* stretches of spaces into tabs Untabify region Turn *all* tabs into the right number of spaces Expand word Expand the word you have typed to match another word in the same buffer; repeat to get a different expansion Format Paragraph Reformat the current blank-line-separated paragraph Import module Import or reload the current module Run script Execute the current file in the __main__ namespace .. index:: single: Import module single: Run script Windows menu ^^^^^^^^^^^^ Zoom Height toggles the window between normal size (24x80) and maximum height. The rest of this menu lists the names of all open windows; select one to bring it to the foreground (deiconifying it if necessary). Debug menu ^^^^^^^^^^ * in the Python Shell window only Go to file/line Look around the insert point for a filename and line number, open the file, and show the line. Useful to view the source lines referenced in an exception traceback. Debugger Run commands in the shell under the debugger. Stack viewer Show the stack traceback of the last exception. Auto-open Stack Viewer Open stack viewer on traceback. .. index:: single: stack viewer single: debugger Edit context menu ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ * Right-click in Edit window (Control-click on OS X) Cut Copy selection into system-wide clipboard; then delete selection Copy Copy selection into system-wide clipboard Paste Insert system-wide clipboard into window Set Breakpoint Sets a breakpoint. Breakpoints are only enabled when the debugger is open. Clear Breakpoint Clears the breakpoint on that line. .. index:: single: Cut single: Copy single: Paste single: Set Breakpoint single: Clear Breakpoint single: breakpoints Shell context menu ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ * Right-click in Python Shell window (Control-click on OS X) Cut Copy selection into system-wide clipboard; then delete selection Copy Copy selection into system-wide clipboard Paste Insert system-wide clipboard into window Go to file/line Same as in Debug menu. Basic editing and navigation ---------------------------- * :kbd:`Backspace` deletes to the left; :kbd:`Del` deletes to the right * Arrow keys and :kbd:`Page Up`/:kbd:`Page Down` to move around * :kbd:`Home`/:kbd:`End` go to begin/end of line * :kbd:`C-Home`/:kbd:`C-End` go to begin/end of file * Some :program:`Emacs` bindings may also work, including :kbd:`C-B`, :kbd:`C-P`, :kbd:`C-A`, :kbd:`C-E`, :kbd:`C-D`, :kbd:`C-L` Automatic indentation ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ After a block-opening statement, the next line is indented by 4 spaces (in the Python Shell window by one tab). After certain keywords (break, return etc.) the next line is dedented. In leading indentation, :kbd:`Backspace` deletes up to 4 spaces if they are there. :kbd:`Tab` inserts 1-4 spaces (in the Python Shell window one tab). See also the indent/dedent region commands in the edit menu. Python Shell window ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ * :kbd:`C-C` interrupts executing command * :kbd:`C-D` sends end-of-file; closes window if typed at a ``>>>`` prompt * :kbd:`Alt-p` retrieves previous command matching what you have typed * :kbd:`Alt-n` retrieves next * :kbd:`Return` while on any previous command retrieves that command * :kbd:`Alt-/` (Expand word) is also useful here .. index:: single: indentation Syntax colors ------------- The coloring is applied in a background "thread," so you may occasionally see uncolorized text. To change the color scheme, edit the ``[Colors]`` section in :file:`config.txt`. Python syntax colors: Keywords orange Strings green Comments red Definitions blue Shell colors: Console output brown stdout blue stderr dark green stdin black Startup ------- Upon startup with the ``-s`` option, IDLE will execute the file referenced by the environment variables :envvar:`IDLESTARTUP` or :envvar:`PYTHONSTARTUP`. Idle first checks for ``IDLESTARTUP``; if ``IDLESTARTUP`` is present the file referenced is run. If ``IDLESTARTUP`` is not present, Idle checks for ``PYTHONSTARTUP``. Files referenced by these environment variables are convenient places to store functions that are used frequently from the Idle shell, or for executing import statements to import common modules. In addition, ``Tk`` also loads a startup file if it is present. Note that the Tk file is loaded unconditionally. This additional file is ``.Idle.py`` and is looked for in the user's home directory. Statements in this file will be executed in the Tk namespace, so this file is not useful for importing functions to be used from Idle's Python shell. Command line usage ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ :: idle.py [-c command] [-d] [-e] [-s] [-t title] [arg] ... -c command run this command -d enable debugger -e edit mode; arguments are files to be edited -s run $IDLESTARTUP or $PYTHONSTARTUP first -t title set title of shell window If there are arguments: #. If ``-e`` is used, arguments are files opened for editing and ``sys.argv`` reflects the arguments passed to IDLE itself. #. Otherwise, if ``-c`` is used, all arguments are placed in ``sys.argv[1:...]``, with ``sys.argv[0]`` set to ``'-c'``. #. Otherwise, if neither ``-e`` nor ``-c`` is used, the first argument is a script which is executed with the remaining arguments in ``sys.argv[1:...]`` and ``sys.argv[0]`` set to the script name. If the script name is '-', no script is executed but an interactive Python session is started; the arguments are still available in ``sys.argv``.