-
-

IDLE

+
+

IDLE

Source code: Lib/idlelib/

IDLE is Python’s Integrated Development and Learning Environment.

@@ -119,8 +218,8 @@

Navigation

of global and local namespaces

  • configuration, browsers, and other dialogs

    • - -
    -

    Context Menus

    +
    +
    +

    Context menus

    Open a context menu by right-clicking in a window (Control-click on macOS). Context menus have the standard clipboard functions also on the Edit menu.

    @@ -407,12 +506,12 @@

    Help menu (Shell and Editor) -

    Editing and navigation

    -
    -

    Editor windows

    +

    + +
    +

    Editing and Navigation

    +
    +

    Editor windows

    IDLE may open editor windows when it starts, depending on settings and how you start IDLE. Thereafter, use the File menu. There can be only one open editor window for a given file.

    @@ -422,41 +521,41 @@

    Editor windows -

    Key bindings

    +

    +
    +

    Key bindings

    In this section, ‘C’ refers to the Control key on Windows and Unix and the Command key on macOS.

    • Backspace deletes to the left; Del deletes to the right

      • -

    • C-Backspace delete word left; C-Del delete word to the right

      • -

    • Arrow keys and Page Up/Page Down to move around

      • -

    • C-LeftArrow and C-RightArrow moves by words

      • +

    • C-Backspace delete word left; C-Del delete word to the right

      • +

    • Arrow keys and Page Up/Page Down to move around

      • +

    • C-LeftArrow and C-RightArrow moves by words

    • Home/End go to begin/end of line

      • -

    • C-Home/C-End go to begin/end of file

      • +

    • C-Home/C-End go to begin/end of file

    • Some useful Emacs bindings are inherited from Tcl/Tk:

        -

      • C-a beginning of line

        • -

      • C-e end of line

        • -

      • C-k kill line (but doesn’t put it in clipboard)

        • -

      • C-l center window around the insertion point

        • -

      • C-b go backward one character without deleting (usually you can +

      • C-a beginning of line

        • +

      • C-e end of line

        • +

      • C-k kill line (but doesn’t put it in clipboard)

        • +

      • C-l center window around the insertion point

        • +

      • C-b go backward one character without deleting (usually you can also use the cursor key for this)

        • -

      • C-f go forward one character without deleting (usually you can +

      • C-f go forward one character without deleting (usually you can also use the cursor key for this)

        • -

      • C-p go up one line (usually you can also use the cursor key for +

      • C-p go up one line (usually you can also use the cursor key for this)

        • -

      • C-d delete next character

        • +

      • C-d delete next character

    -

    Standard keybindings (like C-c to copy and C-v to paste) +

    Standard keybindings (like C-c to copy and C-v to paste) may work. Keybindings are selected in the Configure IDLE dialog.

    -
    -
    -

    Automatic indentation

    + +
    +

    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, Backspace deletes up @@ -465,9 +564,9 @@

    Automatic indentation

    See also the indent/dedent region commands on the Format menu.

    -

    - -
    -

    Calltips

    + +
    +

    Calltips

    A calltip is shown automatically when one types ( after the name of an accessible function. A function name expression may include dots and subscripts. A calltip remains until it is clicked, the cursor @@ -535,9 +634,9 @@

    Automatic indentationIn an editor, import statements have no effect until one runs the file. One might want to run a file after writing import statements, after adding function definitions, or after opening an existing file.

    -

    -
    -

    Code Context

    + +
    +

    Code Context

    Within an editor window containing Python code, code context can be toggled in order to show or hide a pane at the top of the window. When shown, this pane freezes the opening lines for block code, such as those beginning with @@ -550,33 +649,44 @@

    Automatic indentation

    The text and background colors for the context pane can be configured under the Highlights tab in the Configure IDLE dialog.

    -

    -
    -

    Python Shell window

    -

    With IDLE’s Shell, one enters, edits, and recalls complete statements. -Most consoles and terminals only work with a single physical line at a time.

    + +
    +

    Shell window

    +

    In IDLE’s Shell, enter, edit, and recall complete statements. (Most +consoles and terminals only work with a single physical line at a time).

    +

    Submit a single-line statement for execution by hitting Return +with the cursor anywhere on the line. If a line is extended with +Backslash (\), the cursor must be on the last physical line. +Submit a multi-line compound statement by entering a blank line after +the statement.

    When one pastes code into Shell, it is not compiled and possibly executed -until one hits Return. One may edit pasted code first. -If one pastes more that one statement into Shell, the result will be a +until one hits Return, as specified above. +One may edit pasted code first. +If one pastes more than one statement into Shell, the result will be a SyntaxError when multiple statements are compiled as if they were one.

    +

    Lines containing`’RESTART’` mean that the user execution process has been +re-started. This occurs when the user execution process has crashed, +when one requests a restart on the Shell menu, or when one runs code +in an editor window.

    The editing features described in previous subsections work when entering code interactively. IDLE’s Shell window also responds to the following keys.

      -

    • C-c interrupts executing command

      • -

    • C-d sends end-of-file; closes window if typed at a >>> prompt

      • -

    • Alt-/ (Expand word) is also useful to reduce typing

      +

    • C-c interrupts executing command

      • +

    • C-d sends end-of-file; closes window if typed at a >>> prompt

      • +

    • Alt-/ (Expand word) is also useful to reduce typing

      Command history

        -

      • Alt-p retrieves previous command matching what you have typed. On -macOS use C-p.

        • -

      • Alt-n retrieves next. On macOS use C-n.

        • -

      • Return while on any previous command retrieves that command

        • +

      • Alt-p retrieves previous command matching what you have typed. On +macOS use C-p.

        • +

      • Alt-n retrieves next. On macOS use C-n.

        • +

      • Return while the cursor is on any previous command +retrieves that command

    -
    -
    -

    Text colors

    + +
    +

    Text colors

    Idle defaults to black on white text, but colors text with special meanings. For the shell, these are shell output, shell error, user output, and user error. For Python code, at the shell prompt or in an editor, these are @@ -592,10 +702,10 @@

    Text colors -

    Startup and code execution

    +

    + +
    +

    Startup and Code Execution

    Upon startup with the -s option, IDLE will execute the file referenced by the environment variables IDLESTARTUP or PYTHONSTARTUP. IDLE first checks for IDLESTARTUP; if IDLESTARTUP is present the file @@ -608,8 +718,8 @@

    Startup and code execution -

    Command line usage

    +
    +

    Command line usage

    idle.py [-c command] [-d] [-e] [-h] [-i] [-r file] [-s] [-t title] [-] [arg] ...
 
 -c command  run command in the shell window
@@ -632,9 +742,9 @@ 
    Command line usagesys.argv reflects the arguments passed to IDLE itself.
    
 
-
    -
    +
    +

    Startup failure

    IDLE uses a socket to communicate between the IDLE GUI process and the user code execution process. A connection must be established whenever the Shell starts or restarts. (The latter is indicated by a divider line that says @@ -684,9 +794,9 @@

    Startup failure -

    Running user code

    +

    +
    +

    Running user code

    With rare exceptions, the result of executing Python code with IDLE is intended to be the same as executing the same code by the default method, directly with Python in a text-mode system console or terminal window. @@ -726,9 +836,9 @@

    Running user code -

    User output in Shell

    +

    +
    +

    User output in Shell

    When a program outputs text, the result is determined by the corresponding output device. When IDLE executes user code, sys.stdout and sys.stderr are connected to the display area of IDLE’s Shell. Some of @@ -780,9 +890,9 @@

    User output in ShellSqueezed output is expanded in place by double-clicking the label. It can also be sent to the clipboard or a separate view window by right-clicking the label.

    -

    -
    -

    Developing tkinter applications

    + +
    +

    Developing tkinter applications

    IDLE is intentionally different from standard Python in order to facilitate development of tkinter programs. Enter import tkinter as tk; root = tk.Tk() in standard Python and nothing appears. Enter the same @@ -800,9 +910,9 @@

    Developing tkinter applications -

    Running without a subprocess

    +

    +
    +

    Running without a subprocess

    By default, IDLE executes user code in a separate subprocess via a socket, which uses the internal loopback interface. This connection is not externally visible and no data is sent to or received from the internet. @@ -825,12 +935,12 @@

    Running without a subprocess

    Deprecated since version 3.4.

    -