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gerrit-public.fairphone.software / platform / external / python / cpython3 / a460d45063844a21c20fa8b0d23878165f99f3b5 / . / Lib / idlelib / help.html
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Tal Einat5bff3c82019-06-17 22:41:00 +0300[diff] [blame]52
Terry Jan Reedyf8cd02d2016-03-01 00:29:57 -0500[diff] [blame]53 <div class="related" role="navigation" aria-label="related navigation">
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400[diff] [blame]54 <h3>Navigation</h3>
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Terry Jan Reedya460d452020-10-20 20:56:01 -0400[diff] [blame^]75 <a href="../index.html">3.10.0a1 Documentation</a> &#187;
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78 <li class="nav-item nav-item-1"><a href="index.html" >The Python Standard Library</a> &#187;</li>
Terry Jan Reedydb40cb52018-10-28 01:21:36 -0400[diff] [blame]79 <li class="nav-item nav-item-2"><a href="tk.html" accesskey="U">Graphical User Interfaces with Tk</a> &#187;</li>
Terry Jan Reedya460d452020-10-20 20:56:01 -0400[diff] [blame^]80 <li class="nav-item nav-item-this"><a href="">IDLE</a></li>
Terry Jan Reedy4b736762016-09-12 01:50:03 -0400[diff] [blame]81 <li class="right">
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99 <div class="document">
100 <div class="documentwrapper">
101 <div class="bodywrapper">
Terry Jan Reedyf8cd02d2016-03-01 00:29:57 -0500[diff] [blame]102 <div class="body" role="main">
Terry Jan Reedy963a38b2015-09-20 20:03:01 -0400[diff] [blame]103
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400[diff] [blame]104 <div class="section" id="idle">
Terry Jan Reedydb40cb52018-10-28 01:21:36 -0400[diff] [blame]105<span id="id1"></span><h1>IDLE<a class="headerlink" href="#idle" title="Permalink to this headline"></a></h1>
terryjreedy188aedf2017-06-13 21:32:16 -0400[diff] [blame]106<p><strong>Source code:</strong> <a class="reference external" href="https://github.com/python/cpython/tree/master/Lib/idlelib/">Lib/idlelib/</a></p>
Terry Jan Reedyfa089b92016-06-11 15:02:54 -0400[diff] [blame]107<hr class="docutils" id="index-0" />
Terry Jan Reedyaf4b0132018-06-10 15:48:41 -0400[diff] [blame]108<p>IDLE is Python’s Integrated Development and Learning Environment.</p>
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400[diff] [blame]109<p>IDLE has the following features:</p>
110<ul class="simple">
Tal Einat580bdb02019-09-03 23:52:58 +0300[diff] [blame]111<li><p>coded in 100% pure Python, using the <a class="reference internal" href="tkinter.html#module-tkinter" title="tkinter: Interface to Tcl/Tk for graphical user interfaces"><code class="xref py py-mod docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">tkinter</span></code></a> GUI toolkit</p></li>
112<li><p>cross-platform: works mostly the same on Windows, Unix, and macOS</p></li>
113<li><p>Python shell window (interactive interpreter) with colorizing
114of code input, output, and error messages</p></li>
115<li><p>multi-window text editor with multiple undo, Python colorizing,
116smart indent, call tips, auto completion, and other features</p></li>
117<li><p>search within any window, replace within editor windows, and search
118through multiple files (grep)</p></li>
119<li><p>debugger with persistent breakpoints, stepping, and viewing
120of global and local namespaces</p></li>
121<li><p>configuration, browsers, and other dialogs</p></li>
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400[diff] [blame]122</ul>
123<div class="section" id="menus">
Terry Jan Reedydb40cb52018-10-28 01:21:36 -0400[diff] [blame]124<h2>Menus<a class="headerlink" href="#menus" title="Permalink to this headline"></a></h2>
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400[diff] [blame]125<p>IDLE has two main window types, the Shell window and the Editor window. It is
Terry Jan Reedy50ff02b2018-11-10 23:26:31 -0500[diff] [blame]126possible to have multiple editor windows simultaneously. On Windows and
127Linux, each has its own top menu. Each menu documented below indicates
128which window type it is associated with.</p>
129<p>Output windows, such as used for Edit =&gt; Find in Files, are a subtype of editor
130window. They currently have the same top menu but a different
131default title and context menu.</p>
Terry Jan Reedyb65413b2018-11-15 13:15:13 -0500[diff] [blame]132<p>On macOS, there is one application menu. It dynamically changes according
Terry Jan Reedy50ff02b2018-11-10 23:26:31 -0500[diff] [blame]133to the window currently selected. It has an IDLE menu, and some entries
Terry Jan Reedy8a533ff2019-05-16 01:20:37 -0400[diff] [blame]134described below are moved around to conform to Apple guidelines.</p>
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400[diff] [blame]135<div class="section" id="file-menu-shell-and-editor">
Terry Jan Reedydb40cb52018-10-28 01:21:36 -0400[diff] [blame]136<h3>File menu (Shell and Editor)<a class="headerlink" href="#file-menu-shell-and-editor" title="Permalink to this headline"></a></h3>
Tal Einat580bdb02019-09-03 23:52:58 +0300[diff] [blame]137<dl class="simple">
138<dt>New File</dt><dd><p>Create a new file editing window.</p>
139</dd>
140<dt>Open…</dt><dd><p>Open an existing file with an Open dialog.</p>
141</dd>
142<dt>Recent Files</dt><dd><p>Open a list of recent files. Click one to open it.</p>
143</dd>
144<dt>Open Module…</dt><dd><p>Open an existing module (searches sys.path).</p>
145</dd>
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400[diff] [blame]146</dl>
Tal Einat580bdb02019-09-03 23:52:58 +0300[diff] [blame]147<dl class="simple" id="index-1">
148<dt>Class Browser</dt><dd><p>Show functions, classes, and methods in the current Editor file in a
149tree structure. In the shell, open a module first.</p>
150</dd>
151<dt>Path Browser</dt><dd><p>Show sys.path directories, modules, functions, classes and methods in a
152tree structure.</p>
153</dd>
154<dt>Save</dt><dd><p>Save the current window to the associated file, if there is one. Windows
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400[diff] [blame]155that have been changed since being opened or last saved have a * before
156and after the window title. If there is no associated file,
Tal Einat580bdb02019-09-03 23:52:58 +0300[diff] [blame]157do Save As instead.</p>
158</dd>
159<dt>Save As…</dt><dd><p>Save the current window with a Save As dialog. The file saved becomes the
160new associated file for the window.</p>
161</dd>
162<dt>Save Copy As…</dt><dd><p>Save the current window to different file without changing the associated
163file.</p>
164</dd>
165<dt>Print Window</dt><dd><p>Print the current window to the default printer.</p>
166</dd>
167<dt>Close</dt><dd><p>Close the current window (ask to save if unsaved).</p>
168</dd>
169<dt>Exit</dt><dd><p>Close all windows and quit IDLE (ask to save unsaved windows).</p>
170</dd>
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400[diff] [blame]171</dl>
172</div>
173<div class="section" id="edit-menu-shell-and-editor">
Terry Jan Reedydb40cb52018-10-28 01:21:36 -0400[diff] [blame]174<h3>Edit menu (Shell and Editor)<a class="headerlink" href="#edit-menu-shell-and-editor" title="Permalink to this headline"></a></h3>
Tal Einat580bdb02019-09-03 23:52:58 +0300[diff] [blame]175<dl class="simple">
176<dt>Undo</dt><dd><p>Undo the last change to the current window. A maximum of 1000 changes may
177be undone.</p>
178</dd>
179<dt>Redo</dt><dd><p>Redo the last undone change to the current window.</p>
180</dd>
181<dt>Cut</dt><dd><p>Copy selection into the system-wide clipboard; then delete the selection.</p>
182</dd>
183<dt>Copy</dt><dd><p>Copy selection into the system-wide clipboard.</p>
184</dd>
185<dt>Paste</dt><dd><p>Insert contents of the system-wide clipboard into the current window.</p>
186</dd>
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400[diff] [blame]187</dl>
188<p>The clipboard functions are also available in context menus.</p>
Tal Einat580bdb02019-09-03 23:52:58 +0300[diff] [blame]189<dl class="simple">
190<dt>Select All</dt><dd><p>Select the entire contents of the current window.</p>
191</dd>
192<dt>Find…</dt><dd><p>Open a search dialog with many options</p>
193</dd>
194<dt>Find Again</dt><dd><p>Repeat the last search, if there is one.</p>
195</dd>
196<dt>Find Selection</dt><dd><p>Search for the currently selected string, if there is one.</p>
197</dd>
198<dt>Find in Files…</dt><dd><p>Open a file search dialog. Put results in a new output window.</p>
199</dd>
200<dt>Replace…</dt><dd><p>Open a search-and-replace dialog.</p>
201</dd>
Terry Jan Reedy2522db12020-03-08 14:32:42 -0400[diff] [blame]202<dt>Go to Line</dt><dd><p>Move the cursor to the beginning of the line requested and make that
203line visible. A request past the end of the file goes to the end.
204Clear any selection and update the line and column status.</p>
Tal Einat580bdb02019-09-03 23:52:58 +0300[diff] [blame]205</dd>
Terry Jan Reedybce2eb42020-07-09 18:08:33 -0400[diff] [blame]206<dt>Show Completions</dt><dd><p>Open a scrollable list allowing selection of existing names. See
Tal Einat580bdb02019-09-03 23:52:58 +0300[diff] [blame]207<a class="reference internal" href="#completions"><span class="std std-ref">Completions</span></a> in the Editing and navigation section below.</p>
208</dd>
209<dt>Expand Word</dt><dd><p>Expand a prefix you have typed to match a full word in the same window;
210repeat to get a different expansion.</p>
211</dd>
212<dt>Show call tip</dt><dd><p>After an unclosed parenthesis for a function, open a small window with
Cheryl Sabella01421be2018-12-20 00:38:54 -0500[diff] [blame]213function parameter hints. See <a class="reference internal" href="#calltips"><span class="std std-ref">Calltips</span></a> in the
Tal Einat580bdb02019-09-03 23:52:58 +0300[diff] [blame]214Editing and navigation section below.</p>
215</dd>
216<dt>Show surrounding parens</dt><dd><p>Highlight the surrounding parenthesis.</p>
217</dd>
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400[diff] [blame]218</dl>
219</div>
220<div class="section" id="format-menu-editor-window-only">
Terry Jan Reedy292cd6e2018-12-20 06:06:29 -0500[diff] [blame]221<span id="format-menu"></span><h3>Format menu (Editor window only)<a class="headerlink" href="#format-menu-editor-window-only" title="Permalink to this headline"></a></h3>
Tal Einat580bdb02019-09-03 23:52:58 +0300[diff] [blame]222<dl class="simple">
223<dt>Indent Region</dt><dd><p>Shift selected lines right by the indent width (default 4 spaces).</p>
224</dd>
225<dt>Dedent Region</dt><dd><p>Shift selected lines left by the indent width (default 4 spaces).</p>
226</dd>
227<dt>Comment Out Region</dt><dd><p>Insert ## in front of selected lines.</p>
228</dd>
229<dt>Uncomment Region</dt><dd><p>Remove leading # or ## from selected lines.</p>
230</dd>
231<dt>Tabify Region</dt><dd><p>Turn <em>leading</em> stretches of spaces into tabs. (Note: We recommend using
2324 space blocks to indent Python code.)</p>
233</dd>
234<dt>Untabify Region</dt><dd><p>Turn <em>all</em> tabs into the correct number of spaces.</p>
235</dd>
236<dt>Toggle Tabs</dt><dd><p>Open a dialog to switch between indenting with spaces and tabs.</p>
237</dd>
238<dt>New Indent Width</dt><dd><p>Open a dialog to change indent width. The accepted default by the Python
239community is 4 spaces.</p>
240</dd>
241<dt>Format Paragraph</dt><dd><p>Reformat the current blank-line-delimited paragraph in comment block or
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400[diff] [blame]242multiline string or selected line in a string. All lines in the
Tal Einat580bdb02019-09-03 23:52:58 +0300[diff] [blame]243paragraph will be formatted to less than N columns, where N defaults to 72.</p>
244</dd>
245<dt>Strip trailing whitespace</dt><dd><p>Remove trailing space and other whitespace characters after the last
Terry Jan Reedyff702892017-09-15 13:05:28 -0400[diff] [blame]246non-whitespace character of a line by applying str.rstrip to each line,
Terry Jan Reedy6bf644e2019-11-24 16:29:29 -0500[diff] [blame]247including lines within multiline strings. Except for Shell windows,
248remove extra newlines at the end of the file.</p>
Tal Einat580bdb02019-09-03 23:52:58 +0300[diff] [blame]249</dd>
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400[diff] [blame]250</dl>
251</div>
252<div class="section" id="run-menu-editor-window-only">
Terry Jan Reedydb40cb52018-10-28 01:21:36 -0400[diff] [blame]253<span id="index-2"></span><h3>Run menu (Editor window only)<a class="headerlink" href="#run-menu-editor-window-only" title="Permalink to this headline"></a></h3>
Tal Einat580bdb02019-09-03 23:52:58 +0300[diff] [blame]254<dl class="simple" id="run-module">
255<dt>Run Module</dt><dd><p>Do <a class="reference internal" href="#check-module"><span class="std std-ref">Check Module</span></a>. If no error, restart the shell to clean the
Terry Jan Reedy0053c472015-09-24 03:09:43 -0400[diff] [blame]256environment, then execute the module. Output is displayed in the Shell
Terry Jan Reedyaf4b0132018-06-10 15:48:41 -0400[diff] [blame]257window. Note that output requires use of <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">print</span></code> or <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">write</span></code>.
Terry Jan Reedy0053c472015-09-24 03:09:43 -0400[diff] [blame]258When execution is complete, the Shell retains focus and displays a prompt.
259At this point, one may interactively explore the result of execution.
Terry Jan Reedyaf4b0132018-06-10 15:48:41 -0400[diff] [blame]260This is similar to executing a file with <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">python</span> <span class="pre">-i</span> <span class="pre">file</span></code> at a command
Tal Einat580bdb02019-09-03 23:52:58 +0300[diff] [blame]261line.</p>
262</dd>
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400[diff] [blame]263</dl>
Tal Einat580bdb02019-09-03 23:52:58 +0300[diff] [blame]264<dl class="simple" id="run-custom">
265<dt>Run… Customized</dt><dd><p>Same as <a class="reference internal" href="#run-module"><span class="std std-ref">Run Module</span></a>, but run the module with customized
Cheryl Sabella201bc2d2019-06-17 22:24:10 -0400[diff] [blame]266settings. <em>Command Line Arguments</em> extend <a class="reference internal" href="sys.html#sys.argv" title="sys.argv"><code class="xref py py-data docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">sys.argv</span></code></a> as if passed
Tal Einat580bdb02019-09-03 23:52:58 +0300[diff] [blame]267on a command line. The module can be run in the Shell without restarting.</p>
268</dd>
Cheryl Sabella201bc2d2019-06-17 22:24:10 -0400[diff] [blame]269</dl>
Tal Einat580bdb02019-09-03 23:52:58 +0300[diff] [blame]270<dl class="simple" id="check-module">
271<dt>Check Module</dt><dd><p>Check the syntax of the module currently open in the Editor window. If the
Terry Jan Reedy14070292019-08-04 16:45:15 -0400[diff] [blame]272module has not been saved IDLE will either prompt the user to save or
273autosave, as selected in the General tab of the Idle Settings dialog. If
274there is a syntax error, the approximate location is indicated in the
Tal Einat580bdb02019-09-03 23:52:58 +0300[diff] [blame]275Editor window.</p>
276</dd>
Terry Jan Reedy14070292019-08-04 16:45:15 -0400[diff] [blame]277</dl>
Tal Einat580bdb02019-09-03 23:52:58 +0300[diff] [blame]278<dl class="simple" id="python-shell">
279<dt>Python Shell</dt><dd><p>Open or wake up the Python Shell window.</p>
280</dd>
Terry Jan Reedy14070292019-08-04 16:45:15 -0400[diff] [blame]281</dl>
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400[diff] [blame]282</div>
283<div class="section" id="shell-menu-shell-window-only">
Terry Jan Reedydb40cb52018-10-28 01:21:36 -0400[diff] [blame]284<h3>Shell menu (Shell window only)<a class="headerlink" href="#shell-menu-shell-window-only" title="Permalink to this headline"></a></h3>
Tal Einat580bdb02019-09-03 23:52:58 +0300[diff] [blame]285<dl class="simple">
286<dt>View Last Restart</dt><dd><p>Scroll the shell window to the last Shell restart.</p>
287</dd>
288<dt>Restart Shell</dt><dd><p>Restart the shell to clean the environment.</p>
289</dd>
290<dt>Previous History</dt><dd><p>Cycle through earlier commands in history which match the current entry.</p>
291</dd>
292<dt>Next History</dt><dd><p>Cycle through later commands in history which match the current entry.</p>
293</dd>
294<dt>Interrupt Execution</dt><dd><p>Stop a running program.</p>
295</dd>
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400[diff] [blame]296</dl>
297</div>
298<div class="section" id="debug-menu-shell-window-only">
Terry Jan Reedydb40cb52018-10-28 01:21:36 -0400[diff] [blame]299<h3>Debug menu (Shell window only)<a class="headerlink" href="#debug-menu-shell-window-only" title="Permalink to this headline"></a></h3>
Tal Einat580bdb02019-09-03 23:52:58 +0300[diff] [blame]300<dl class="simple">
301<dt>Go to File/Line</dt><dd><p>Look on the current line. with the cursor, and the line above for a filename
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400[diff] [blame]302and line number. If found, open the file if not already open, and show the
303line. Use this to view source lines referenced in an exception traceback
304and lines found by Find in Files. Also available in the context menu of
Tal Einat580bdb02019-09-03 23:52:58 +0300[diff] [blame]305the Shell window and Output windows.</p>
306</dd>
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400[diff] [blame]307</dl>
Tal Einat580bdb02019-09-03 23:52:58 +0300[diff] [blame]308<dl class="simple" id="index-3">
309<dt>Debugger (toggle)</dt><dd><p>When activated, code entered in the Shell or run from an Editor will run
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400[diff] [blame]310under the debugger. In the Editor, breakpoints can be set with the context
Tal Einat580bdb02019-09-03 23:52:58 +0300[diff] [blame]311menu. This feature is still incomplete and somewhat experimental.</p>
312</dd>
313<dt>Stack Viewer</dt><dd><p>Show the stack traceback of the last exception in a tree widget, with
314access to locals and globals.</p>
315</dd>
316<dt>Auto-open Stack Viewer</dt><dd><p>Toggle automatically opening the stack viewer on an unhandled exception.</p>
317</dd>
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400[diff] [blame]318</dl>
319</div>
320<div class="section" id="options-menu-shell-and-editor">
Terry Jan Reedydb40cb52018-10-28 01:21:36 -0400[diff] [blame]321<h3>Options menu (Shell and Editor)<a class="headerlink" href="#options-menu-shell-and-editor" title="Permalink to this headline"></a></h3>
Tal Einat580bdb02019-09-03 23:52:58 +0300[diff] [blame]322<dl class="simple">
323<dt>Configure IDLE</dt><dd><p>Open a configuration dialog and change preferences for the following:
Terry Jan Reedy93f35422015-10-13 22:03:51 -0400[diff] [blame]324fonts, indentation, keybindings, text color themes, startup windows and
Terry Jan Reedy14070292019-08-04 16:45:15 -0400[diff] [blame]325size, additional help sources, and extensions. On macOS, open the
Terry Jan Reedy292cd6e2018-12-20 06:06:29 -0500[diff] [blame]326configuration dialog by selecting Preferences in the application
Terry Jan Reedy14070292019-08-04 16:45:15 -0400[diff] [blame]327menu. For more details, see
Tal Einat580bdb02019-09-03 23:52:58 +0300[diff] [blame]328<a class="reference internal" href="#preferences"><span class="std std-ref">Setting preferences</span></a> under Help and preferences.</p>
329</dd>
Terry Jan Reedy14070292019-08-04 16:45:15 -0400[diff] [blame]330</dl>
331<p>Most configuration options apply to all windows or all future windows.
332The option items below only apply to the active window.</p>
Tal Einat580bdb02019-09-03 23:52:58 +0300[diff] [blame]333<dl class="simple">
334<dt>Show/Hide Code Context (Editor Window only)</dt><dd><p>Open a pane at the top of the edit window which shows the block context
Cheryl Sabella01421be2018-12-20 00:38:54 -0500[diff] [blame]335of the code which has scrolled above the top of the window. See
Terry Jan Reedy14070292019-08-04 16:45:15 -0400[diff] [blame]336<a class="reference internal" href="#code-context"><span class="std std-ref">Code Context</span></a> in the Editing and Navigation section
Tal Einat580bdb02019-09-03 23:52:58 +0300[diff] [blame]337below.</p>
338</dd>
339<dt>Show/Hide Line Numbers (Editor Window only)</dt><dd><p>Open a column to the left of the edit window which shows the number
Terry Jan Reedy14070292019-08-04 16:45:15 -0400[diff] [blame]340of each line of text. The default is off, which may be changed in the
Tal Einat580bdb02019-09-03 23:52:58 +0300[diff] [blame]341preferences (see <a class="reference internal" href="#preferences"><span class="std std-ref">Setting preferences</span></a>).</p>
342</dd>
343<dt>Zoom/Restore Height</dt><dd><p>Toggles the window between normal size and maximum height. The initial size
Terry Jan Reedydf9b0322019-05-27 19:16:46 -0400[diff] [blame]344defaults to 40 lines by 80 chars unless changed on the General tab of the
Tal Einat5bff3c82019-06-17 22:41:00 +0300[diff] [blame]345Configure IDLE dialog. The maximum height for a screen is determined by
346momentarily maximizing a window the first time one is zoomed on the screen.
Terry Jan Reedy14070292019-08-04 16:45:15 -0400[diff] [blame]347Changing screen settings may invalidate the saved height. This toggle has
Tal Einat580bdb02019-09-03 23:52:58 +0300[diff] [blame]348no effect when a window is maximized.</p>
349</dd>
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400[diff] [blame]350</dl>
351</div>
352<div class="section" id="window-menu-shell-and-editor">
Terry Jan Reedydb40cb52018-10-28 01:21:36 -0400[diff] [blame]353<h3>Window menu (Shell and Editor)<a class="headerlink" href="#window-menu-shell-and-editor" title="Permalink to this headline"></a></h3>
Cheryl Sabellac0381aa2018-12-28 15:11:30 -0500[diff] [blame]354<p>Lists the names of all open windows; select one to bring it to the foreground
355(deiconifying it if necessary).</p>
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400[diff] [blame]356</div>
357<div class="section" id="help-menu-shell-and-editor">
Terry Jan Reedydb40cb52018-10-28 01:21:36 -0400[diff] [blame]358<h3>Help menu (Shell and Editor)<a class="headerlink" href="#help-menu-shell-and-editor" title="Permalink to this headline"></a></h3>
Tal Einat580bdb02019-09-03 23:52:58 +0300[diff] [blame]359<dl class="simple">
360<dt>About IDLE</dt><dd><p>Display version, copyright, license, credits, and more.</p>
361</dd>
362<dt>IDLE Help</dt><dd><p>Display this IDLE document, detailing the menu options, basic editing and
363navigation, and other tips.</p>
364</dd>
365<dt>Python Docs</dt><dd><p>Access local Python documentation, if installed, or start a web browser
366and open docs.python.org showing the latest Python documentation.</p>
367</dd>
368<dt>Turtle Demo</dt><dd><p>Run the turtledemo module with example Python code and turtle drawings.</p>
369</dd>
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400[diff] [blame]370</dl>
371<p>Additional help sources may be added here with the Configure IDLE dialog under
Cheryl Sabella01421be2018-12-20 00:38:54 -0500[diff] [blame]372the General tab. See the <a class="reference internal" href="#help-sources"><span class="std std-ref">Help sources</span></a> subsection below
373for more on Help menu choices.</p>
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400[diff] [blame]374</div>
375<div class="section" id="context-menus">
Terry Jan Reedydb40cb52018-10-28 01:21:36 -0400[diff] [blame]376<span id="index-4"></span><h3>Context Menus<a class="headerlink" href="#context-menus" title="Permalink to this headline"></a></h3>
Terry Jan Reedyb65413b2018-11-15 13:15:13 -0500[diff] [blame]377<p>Open a context menu by right-clicking in a window (Control-click on macOS).
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400[diff] [blame]378Context menus have the standard clipboard functions also on the Edit menu.</p>
Tal Einat580bdb02019-09-03 23:52:58 +0300[diff] [blame]379<dl class="simple">
380<dt>Cut</dt><dd><p>Copy selection into the system-wide clipboard; then delete the selection.</p>
381</dd>
382<dt>Copy</dt><dd><p>Copy selection into the system-wide clipboard.</p>
383</dd>
384<dt>Paste</dt><dd><p>Insert contents of the system-wide clipboard into the current window.</p>
385</dd>
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400[diff] [blame]386</dl>
387<p>Editor windows also have breakpoint functions. Lines with a breakpoint set are
388specially marked. Breakpoints only have an effect when running under the
Tal Einatd6c08db2020-01-06 01:51:48 +0200[diff] [blame]389debugger. Breakpoints for a file are saved in the user’s <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">.idlerc</span></code>
390directory.</p>
Tal Einat580bdb02019-09-03 23:52:58 +0300[diff] [blame]391<dl class="simple">
392<dt>Set Breakpoint</dt><dd><p>Set a breakpoint on the current line.</p>
393</dd>
394<dt>Clear Breakpoint</dt><dd><p>Clear the breakpoint on that line.</p>
395</dd>
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400[diff] [blame]396</dl>
Terry Jan Reedy68d6dc02018-10-28 12:44:44 -0400[diff] [blame]397<p>Shell and Output windows also have the following.</p>
Tal Einat580bdb02019-09-03 23:52:58 +0300[diff] [blame]398<dl class="simple">
399<dt>Go to file/line</dt><dd><p>Same as in Debug menu.</p>
400</dd>
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400[diff] [blame]401</dl>
Terry Jan Reedy55d03512019-04-26 23:22:36 -0400[diff] [blame]402<p>The Shell window also has an output squeezing facility explained in the <em>Python
403Shell window</em> subsection below.</p>
Tal Einat580bdb02019-09-03 23:52:58 +0300[diff] [blame]404<dl class="simple">
405<dt>Squeeze</dt><dd><p>If the cursor is over an output line, squeeze all the output between
406the code above and the prompt below down to a ‘Squeezed text’ label.</p>
407</dd>
Terry Jan Reedy68d6dc02018-10-28 12:44:44 -0400[diff] [blame]408</dl>
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400[diff] [blame]409</div>
410</div>
411<div class="section" id="editing-and-navigation">
Cheryl Sabella01421be2018-12-20 00:38:54 -0500[diff] [blame]412<span id="id2"></span><h2>Editing and navigation<a class="headerlink" href="#editing-and-navigation" title="Permalink to this headline"></a></h2>
Terry Jan Reedyea9c8bd2018-10-28 20:42:18 -0400[diff] [blame]413<div class="section" id="editor-windows">
414<h3>Editor windows<a class="headerlink" href="#editor-windows" title="Permalink to this headline"></a></h3>
415<p>IDLE may open editor windows when it starts, depending on settings
416and how you start IDLE. Thereafter, use the File menu. There can be only
417one open editor window for a given file.</p>
418<p>The title bar contains the name of the file, the full path, and the version
419of Python and IDLE running the window. The status bar contains the line
420number (‘Ln’) and column number (‘Col’). Line numbers start with 1;
421column numbers with 0.</p>
422<p>IDLE assumes that files with a known .py* extension contain Python code
423and that other files do not. Run Python code with the Run menu.</p>
424</div>
425<div class="section" id="key-bindings">
426<h3>Key bindings<a class="headerlink" href="#key-bindings" title="Permalink to this headline"></a></h3>
Terry Jan Reedyaf4b0132018-06-10 15:48:41 -0400[diff] [blame]427<p>In this section, ‘C’ refers to the <kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">Control</kbd> key on Windows and Unix and
Terry Jan Reedyb65413b2018-11-15 13:15:13 -0500[diff] [blame]428the <kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">Command</kbd> key on macOS.</p>
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400[diff] [blame]429<ul>
Tal Einat580bdb02019-09-03 23:52:58 +0300[diff] [blame]430<li><p><kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">Backspace</kbd> deletes to the left; <kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">Del</kbd> deletes to the right</p></li>
Terry Jan Reedya460d452020-10-20 20:56:01 -0400[diff] [blame^]431<li><p><kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate"><kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">C</kbd>-<kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">Backspace</kbd></kbd> delete word left; <kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate"><kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">C</kbd>-<kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">Del</kbd></kbd> delete word to the right</p></li>
432<li><p>Arrow keys and <kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate"><kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">Page</kbd> <kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">Up</kbd></kbd>/<kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate"><kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">Page</kbd> <kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">Down</kbd></kbd> to move around</p></li>
433<li><p><kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate"><kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">C</kbd>-<kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">LeftArrow</kbd></kbd> and <kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate"><kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">C</kbd>-<kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">RightArrow</kbd></kbd> moves by words</p></li>
Tal Einat580bdb02019-09-03 23:52:58 +0300[diff] [blame]434<li><p><kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">Home</kbd>/<kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">End</kbd> go to begin/end of line</p></li>
Terry Jan Reedya460d452020-10-20 20:56:01 -0400[diff] [blame^]435<li><p><kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate"><kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">C</kbd>-<kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">Home</kbd></kbd>/<kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate"><kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">C</kbd>-<kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">End</kbd></kbd> go to begin/end of file</p></li>
Tal Einat580bdb02019-09-03 23:52:58 +0300[diff] [blame]436<li><p>Some useful Emacs bindings are inherited from Tcl/Tk:</p>
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400[diff] [blame]437<blockquote>
438<div><ul class="simple">
Terry Jan Reedya460d452020-10-20 20:56:01 -0400[diff] [blame^]439<li><p><kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate"><kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">C</kbd>-<kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">a</kbd></kbd> beginning of line</p></li>
440<li><p><kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate"><kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">C</kbd>-<kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">e</kbd></kbd> end of line</p></li>
441<li><p><kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate"><kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">C</kbd>-<kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">k</kbd></kbd> kill line (but doesn’t put it in clipboard)</p></li>
442<li><p><kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate"><kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">C</kbd>-<kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">l</kbd></kbd> center window around the insertion point</p></li>
443<li><p><kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate"><kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">C</kbd>-<kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">b</kbd></kbd> go backward one character without deleting (usually you can
Tal Einat580bdb02019-09-03 23:52:58 +0300[diff] [blame]444also use the cursor key for this)</p></li>
Terry Jan Reedya460d452020-10-20 20:56:01 -0400[diff] [blame^]445<li><p><kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate"><kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">C</kbd>-<kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">f</kbd></kbd> go forward one character without deleting (usually you can
Tal Einat580bdb02019-09-03 23:52:58 +0300[diff] [blame]446also use the cursor key for this)</p></li>
Terry Jan Reedya460d452020-10-20 20:56:01 -0400[diff] [blame^]447<li><p><kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate"><kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">C</kbd>-<kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">p</kbd></kbd> go up one line (usually you can also use the cursor key for
Tal Einat580bdb02019-09-03 23:52:58 +0300[diff] [blame]448this)</p></li>
Terry Jan Reedya460d452020-10-20 20:56:01 -0400[diff] [blame^]449<li><p><kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate"><kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">C</kbd>-<kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">d</kbd></kbd> delete next character</p></li>
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400[diff] [blame]450</ul>
451</div></blockquote>
452</li>
453</ul>
Terry Jan Reedya460d452020-10-20 20:56:01 -0400[diff] [blame^]454<p>Standard keybindings (like <kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate"><kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">C</kbd>-<kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">c</kbd></kbd> to copy and <kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate"><kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">C</kbd>-<kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">v</kbd></kbd> to paste)
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400[diff] [blame]455may work. Keybindings are selected in the Configure IDLE dialog.</p>
Terry Jan Reedyea9c8bd2018-10-28 20:42:18 -0400[diff] [blame]456</div>
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400[diff] [blame]457<div class="section" id="automatic-indentation">
Terry Jan Reedydb40cb52018-10-28 01:21:36 -0400[diff] [blame]458<h3>Automatic indentation<a class="headerlink" href="#automatic-indentation" title="Permalink to this headline"></a></h3>
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400[diff] [blame]459<p>After a block-opening statement, the next line is indented by 4 spaces (in the
460Python Shell window by one tab). After certain keywords (break, return etc.)
Terry Jan Reedyaf4b0132018-06-10 15:48:41 -0400[diff] [blame]461the next line is dedented. In leading indentation, <kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">Backspace</kbd> deletes up
462to 4 spaces if they are there. <kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">Tab</kbd> inserts spaces (in the Python
terryjreedy188aedf2017-06-13 21:32:16 -0400[diff] [blame]463Shell window one tab), number depends on Indent width. Currently, tabs
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400[diff] [blame]464are restricted to four spaces due to Tcl/Tk limitations.</p>
Terry Jan Reedy292cd6e2018-12-20 06:06:29 -0500[diff] [blame]465<p>See also the indent/dedent region commands on the
466<a class="reference internal" href="#format-menu"><span class="std std-ref">Format menu</span></a>.</p>
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400[diff] [blame]467</div>
468<div class="section" id="completions">
Cheryl Sabella01421be2018-12-20 00:38:54 -0500[diff] [blame]469<span id="id3"></span><h3>Completions<a class="headerlink" href="#completions" title="Permalink to this headline"></a></h3>
Terry Jan Reedybce2eb42020-07-09 18:08:33 -0400[diff] [blame]470<p>Completions are supplied, when requested and available, for module
471names, attributes of classes or functions, or filenames. Each request
472method displays a completion box with existing names. (See tab
473completions below for an exception.) For any box, change the name
474being completed and the item highlighted in the box by
475typing and deleting characters; by hitting <kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">Up</kbd>, <kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">Down</kbd>,
476<kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">PageUp</kbd>, <kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">PageDown</kbd>, <kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">Home</kbd>, and <kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">End</kbd> keys;
477and by a single click within the box. Close the box with <kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">Escape</kbd>,
478<kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">Enter</kbd>, and double <kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">Tab</kbd> keys or clicks outside the box.
479A double click within the box selects and closes.</p>
480<p>One way to open a box is to type a key character and wait for a
481predefined interval. This defaults to 2 seconds; customize it
482in the settings dialog. (To prevent auto popups, set the delay to a
483large number of milliseconds, such as 100000000.) For imported module
484names or class or function attributes, type ‘.’.
485For filenames in the root directory, type <a class="reference internal" href="os.html#os.sep" title="os.sep"><code class="xref py py-data docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">os.sep</span></code></a> or
Terry Jan Reedy47124712020-09-09 18:53:18 -0400[diff] [blame]486<a class="reference internal" href="os.html#os.altsep" title="os.altsep"><code class="xref py py-data docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">os.altsep</span></code></a> immediately after an opening quote. (On Windows,
Terry Jan Reedybce2eb42020-07-09 18:08:33 -0400[diff] [blame]487one can specify a drive first.) Move into subdirectories by typing a
488directory name and a separator.</p>
Terry Jan Reedy47124712020-09-09 18:53:18 -0400[diff] [blame]489<p>Instead of waiting, or after a box is closed, open a completion box
Terry Jan Reedybce2eb42020-07-09 18:08:33 -0400[diff] [blame]490immediately with Show Completions on the Edit menu. The default hot
Terry Jan Reedya460d452020-10-20 20:56:01 -0400[diff] [blame^]491key is <kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate"><kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">C</kbd>-<kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">space</kbd></kbd>. If one types a prefix for the desired name
Terry Jan Reedy47124712020-09-09 18:53:18 -0400[diff] [blame]492before opening the box, the first match or near miss is made visible.
Terry Jan Reedybce2eb42020-07-09 18:08:33 -0400[diff] [blame]493The result is the same as if one enters a prefix
494after the box is displayed. Show Completions after a quote completes
495filenames in the current directory instead of a root directory.</p>
496<p>Hitting <kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">Tab</kbd> after a prefix usually has the same effect as Show
497Completions. (With no prefix, it indents.) However, if there is only
498one match to the prefix, that match is immediately added to the editor
499text without opening a box.</p>
500<p>Invoking ‘Show Completions’, or hitting <kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">Tab</kbd> after a prefix,
501outside of a string and without a preceding ‘.’ opens a box with
502keywords, builtin names, and available module-level names.</p>
503<p>When editing code in an editor (as oppose to Shell), increase the
504available module-level names by running your code
505and not restarting the Shell thereafter. This is especially useful
506after adding imports at the top of a file. This also increases
507possible attribute completions.</p>
508<p>Completion boxes intially exclude names beginning with ‘_’ or, for
509modules, not included in ‘__all__’. The hidden names can be accessed
510by typing ‘_’ after ‘.’, either before or after the box is opened.</p>
Terry Jan Reedy37f81352015-09-29 01:55:57 -0400[diff] [blame]511</div>
512<div class="section" id="calltips">
Cheryl Sabella01421be2018-12-20 00:38:54 -0500[diff] [blame]513<span id="id4"></span><h3>Calltips<a class="headerlink" href="#calltips" title="Permalink to this headline"></a></h3>
Terry Jan Reedy947adca2020-09-22 13:21:58 -0400[diff] [blame]514<p>A calltip is shown automatically when one types <kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">(</kbd> after the name
515of an <em>accessible</em> function. A function name expression may include
516dots and subscripts. A calltip remains until it is clicked, the cursor
517is moved out of the argument area, or <kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">)</kbd> is typed. Whenever the
518cursor is in the argument part of a definition, select Edit and “Show
519Call Tip” on the menu or enter its shortcut to display a calltip.</p>
520<p>The calltip consists of the function’s signature and docstring up to
521the latter’s first blank line or the fifth non-blank line. (Some builtin
522functions lack an accessible signature.) A ‘/’ or ‘*’ in the signature
523indicates that the preceding or following arguments are passed by
524position or name (keyword) only. Details are subject to change.</p>
525<p>In Shell, the accessible functions depends on what modules have been
526imported into the user process, including those imported by Idle itself,
527and which definitions have been run, all since the last restart.</p>
Terry Jan Reedyaf4b0132018-06-10 15:48:41 -0400[diff] [blame]528<p>For example, restart the Shell and enter <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">itertools.count(</span></code>. A calltip
Terry Jan Reedy947adca2020-09-22 13:21:58 -0400[diff] [blame]529appears because Idle imports itertools into the user process for its own
530use. (This could change.) Enter <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">turtle.write(</span></code> and nothing appears.
531Idle does not itself import turtle. The menu entry and shortcut also do
532nothing. Enter <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">import</span> <span class="pre">turtle</span></code>. Thereafter, <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">turtle.write(</span></code>
533will display a calltip.</p>
534<p>In an editor, import statements have no effect until one runs the file.
535One might want to run a file after writing import statements, after
536adding function definitions, or after opening an existing file.</p>
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400[diff] [blame]537</div>
Cheryl Sabella01421be2018-12-20 00:38:54 -0500[diff] [blame]538<div class="section" id="code-context">
539<span id="id5"></span><h3>Code Context<a class="headerlink" href="#code-context" title="Permalink to this headline"></a></h3>
540<p>Within an editor window containing Python code, code context can be toggled
541in order to show or hide a pane at the top of the window. When shown, this
542pane freezes the opening lines for block code, such as those beginning with
543<code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">class</span></code>, <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">def</span></code>, or <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">if</span></code> keywords, that would have otherwise scrolled
544out of view. The size of the pane will be expanded and contracted as needed
545to show the all current levels of context, up to the maximum number of
546lines defined in the Configure IDLE dialog (which defaults to 15). If there
547are no current context lines and the feature is toggled on, a single blank
548line will display. Clicking on a line in the context pane will move that
549line to the top of the editor.</p>
550<p>The text and background colors for the context pane can be configured under
551the Highlights tab in the Configure IDLE dialog.</p>
552</div>
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400[diff] [blame]553<div class="section" id="python-shell-window">
Terry Jan Reedydb40cb52018-10-28 01:21:36 -0400[diff] [blame]554<h3>Python Shell window<a class="headerlink" href="#python-shell-window" title="Permalink to this headline"></a></h3>
Terry Jan Reedy75d9d592018-11-06 12:37:36 -0500[diff] [blame]555<p>With IDLE’s Shell, one enters, edits, and recalls complete statements.
556Most consoles and terminals only work with a single physical line at a time.</p>
557<p>When one pastes code into Shell, it is not compiled and possibly executed
558until one hits <kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">Return</kbd>. One may edit pasted code first.
559If one pastes more that one statement into Shell, the result will be a
560<a class="reference internal" href="exceptions.html#SyntaxError" title="SyntaxError"><code class="xref py py-exc docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">SyntaxError</span></code></a> when multiple statements are compiled as if they were one.</p>
561<p>The editing features described in previous subsections work when entering
562code interactively. IDLE’s Shell window also responds to the following keys.</p>
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400[diff] [blame]563<ul>
Terry Jan Reedya460d452020-10-20 20:56:01 -0400[diff] [blame^]564<li><p><kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate"><kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">C</kbd>-<kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">c</kbd></kbd> interrupts executing command</p></li>
565<li><p><kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate"><kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">C</kbd>-<kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">d</kbd></kbd> sends end-of-file; closes window if typed at a <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">&gt;&gt;&gt;</span></code> prompt</p></li>
566<li><p><kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate"><kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">Alt</kbd>-<kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">/</kbd></kbd> (Expand word) is also useful to reduce typing</p>
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400[diff] [blame]567<p>Command history</p>
568<ul class="simple">
Terry Jan Reedya460d452020-10-20 20:56:01 -0400[diff] [blame^]569<li><p><kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate"><kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">Alt</kbd>-<kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">p</kbd></kbd> retrieves previous command matching what you have typed. On
570macOS use <kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate"><kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">C</kbd>-<kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">p</kbd></kbd>.</p></li>
571<li><p><kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate"><kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">Alt</kbd>-<kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">n</kbd></kbd> retrieves next. On macOS use <kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate"><kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">C</kbd>-<kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">n</kbd></kbd>.</p></li>
Tal Einat580bdb02019-09-03 23:52:58 +0300[diff] [blame]572<li><p><kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">Return</kbd> while on any previous command retrieves that command</p></li>
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400[diff] [blame]573</ul>
574</li>
575</ul>
576</div>
Terry Jan Reedyce021db2015-09-24 23:18:57 -0400[diff] [blame]577<div class="section" id="text-colors">
Terry Jan Reedydb40cb52018-10-28 01:21:36 -0400[diff] [blame]578<h3>Text colors<a class="headerlink" href="#text-colors" title="Permalink to this headline"></a></h3>
Terry Jan Reedyce021db2015-09-24 23:18:57 -0400[diff] [blame]579<p>Idle defaults to black on white text, but colors text with special meanings.
580For the shell, these are shell output, shell error, user output, and
581user error. For Python code, at the shell prompt or in an editor, these are
Terry Jan Reedyaf4b0132018-06-10 15:48:41 -0400[diff] [blame]582keywords, builtin class and function names, names following <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">class</span></code> and
583<code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">def</span></code>, strings, and comments. For any text window, these are the cursor (when
Terry Jan Reedyce021db2015-09-24 23:18:57 -0400[diff] [blame]584present), found text (when possible), and selected text.</p>
585<p>Text coloring is done in the background, so uncolorized text is occasionally
586visible. To change the color scheme, use the Configure IDLE dialog
587Highlighting tab. The marking of debugger breakpoint lines in the editor and
588text in popups and dialogs is not user-configurable.</p>
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400[diff] [blame]589</div>
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400[diff] [blame]590</div>
Terry Jan Reedy0053c472015-09-24 03:09:43 -0400[diff] [blame]591<div class="section" id="startup-and-code-execution">
Terry Jan Reedydb40cb52018-10-28 01:21:36 -0400[diff] [blame]592<h2>Startup and code execution<a class="headerlink" href="#startup-and-code-execution" title="Permalink to this headline"></a></h2>
Terry Jan Reedyaf4b0132018-06-10 15:48:41 -0400[diff] [blame]593<p>Upon startup with the <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">-s</span></code> option, IDLE will execute the file referenced by
594the environment variables <span class="target" id="index-5"></span><code class="xref std std-envvar docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">IDLESTARTUP</span></code> or <span class="target" id="index-6"></span><a class="reference internal" href="../using/cmdline.html#envvar-PYTHONSTARTUP"><code class="xref std std-envvar docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">PYTHONSTARTUP</span></code></a>.
595IDLE first checks for <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">IDLESTARTUP</span></code>; if <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">IDLESTARTUP</span></code> is present the file
596referenced is run. If <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">IDLESTARTUP</span></code> is not present, IDLE checks for
597<code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">PYTHONSTARTUP</span></code>. Files referenced by these environment variables are
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400[diff] [blame]598convenient places to store functions that are used frequently from the IDLE
599shell, or for executing import statements to import common modules.</p>
Terry Jan Reedyaf4b0132018-06-10 15:48:41 -0400[diff] [blame]600<p>In addition, <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">Tk</span></code> also loads a startup file if it is present. Note that the
601Tk file is loaded unconditionally. This additional file is <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">.Idle.py</span></code> and is
602looked for in the user’s home directory. Statements in this file will be
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400[diff] [blame]603executed in the Tk namespace, so this file is not useful for importing
Terry Jan Reedyaf4b0132018-06-10 15:48:41 -0400[diff] [blame]604functions to be used from IDLE’s Python shell.</p>
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400[diff] [blame]605<div class="section" id="command-line-usage">
Terry Jan Reedydb40cb52018-10-28 01:21:36 -0400[diff] [blame]606<h3>Command line usage<a class="headerlink" href="#command-line-usage" title="Permalink to this headline"></a></h3>
Terry Jan Reedyaf4b0132018-06-10 15:48:41 -0400[diff] [blame]607<div class="highlight-none notranslate"><div class="highlight"><pre><span></span>idle.py [-c command] [-d] [-e] [-h] [-i] [-r file] [-s] [-t title] [-] [arg] ...
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400[diff] [blame]608
Terry Jan Reedy968e2852015-09-23 03:52:23 -0400[diff] [blame]609-c command run command in the shell window
610-d enable debugger and open shell window
611-e open editor window
Terry Jan Reedy3399e1e2016-08-30 16:58:01 -0400[diff] [blame]612-h print help message with legal combinations and exit
Terry Jan Reedy968e2852015-09-23 03:52:23 -0400[diff] [blame]613-i open shell window
614-r file run file in shell window
615-s run $IDLESTARTUP or $PYTHONSTARTUP first, in shell window
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400[diff] [blame]616-t title set title of shell window
Terry Jan Reedy968e2852015-09-23 03:52:23 -0400[diff] [blame]617- run stdin in shell (- must be last option before args)
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400[diff] [blame]618</pre></div>
619</div>
620<p>If there are arguments:</p>
Terry Jan Reedy968e2852015-09-23 03:52:23 -0400[diff] [blame]621<ul class="simple">
Tal Einat580bdb02019-09-03 23:52:58 +0300[diff] [blame]622<li><p>If <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">-</span></code>, <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">-c</span></code>, or <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">r</span></code> is used, all arguments are placed in
Terry Jan Reedyaf4b0132018-06-10 15:48:41 -0400[diff] [blame]623<code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">sys.argv[1:...]</span></code> and <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">sys.argv[0]</span></code> is set to <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">''</span></code>, <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">'-c'</span></code>,
624or <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">'-r'</span></code>. No editor window is opened, even if that is the default
Tal Einat580bdb02019-09-03 23:52:58 +0300[diff] [blame]625set in the Options dialog.</p></li>
626<li><p>Otherwise, arguments are files opened for editing and
627<code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">sys.argv</span></code> reflects the arguments passed to IDLE itself.</p></li>
Terry Jan Reedy968e2852015-09-23 03:52:23 -0400[diff] [blame]628</ul>
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400[diff] [blame]629</div>
terryjreedy188aedf2017-06-13 21:32:16 -0400[diff] [blame]630<div class="section" id="startup-failure">
Terry Jan Reedydb40cb52018-10-28 01:21:36 -0400[diff] [blame]631<h3>Startup failure<a class="headerlink" href="#startup-failure" title="Permalink to this headline"></a></h3>
terryjreedy188aedf2017-06-13 21:32:16 -0400[diff] [blame]632<p>IDLE uses a socket to communicate between the IDLE GUI process and the user
633code execution process. A connection must be established whenever the Shell
634starts or restarts. (The latter is indicated by a divider line that says
Terry Jan Reedyaf4b0132018-06-10 15:48:41 -0400[diff] [blame]635‘RESTART’). If the user process fails to connect to the GUI process, it
636displays a <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">Tk</span></code> error box with a ‘cannot connect’ message that directs the
terryjreedy188aedf2017-06-13 21:32:16 -0400[diff] [blame]637user here. It then exits.</p>
638<p>A common cause of failure is a user-written file with the same name as a
639standard library module, such as <em>random.py</em> and <em>tkinter.py</em>. When such a
640file is located in the same directory as a file that is about to be run,
641IDLE cannot import the stdlib file. The current fix is to rename the
642user file.</p>
643<p>Though less common than in the past, an antivirus or firewall program may
644stop the connection. If the program cannot be taught to allow the
645connection, then it must be turned off for IDLE to work. It is safe to
646allow this internal connection because no data is visible on external
647ports. A similar problem is a network mis-configuration that blocks
648connections.</p>
649<p>Python installation issues occasionally stop IDLE: multiple versions can
650clash, or a single installation might need admin access. If one undo the
651clash, or cannot or does not want to run as admin, it might be easiest to
652completely remove Python and start over.</p>
653<p>A zombie pythonw.exe process could be a problem. On Windows, use Task
Terry Jan Reedy2522db12020-03-08 14:32:42 -0400[diff] [blame]654Manager to check for one and stop it if there is. Sometimes a restart
655initiated by a program crash or Keyboard Interrupt (control-C) may fail
656to connect. Dismissing the error box or using Restart Shell on the Shell
657menu may fix a temporary problem.</p>
terryjreedy188aedf2017-06-13 21:32:16 -0400[diff] [blame]658<p>When IDLE first starts, it attempts to read user configuration files in
Tal Einatd6c08db2020-01-06 01:51:48 +0200[diff] [blame]659<code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">~/.idlerc/</span></code> (~ is one’s home directory). If there is a problem, an error
terryjreedy188aedf2017-06-13 21:32:16 -0400[diff] [blame]660message should be displayed. Leaving aside random disk glitches, this can
Terry Jan Reedy2522db12020-03-08 14:32:42 -0400[diff] [blame]661be prevented by never editing the files by hand. Instead, use the
662configuration dialog, under Options. Once there is an error in a user
663configuration file, the best solution may be to delete it and start over
664with the settings dialog.</p>
terryjreedy188aedf2017-06-13 21:32:16 -0400[diff] [blame]665<p>If IDLE quits with no message, and it was not started from a console, try
Terry Jan Reedy2522db12020-03-08 14:32:42 -0400[diff] [blame]666starting it from a console or terminal (<code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">python</span> <span class="pre">-m</span> <span class="pre">idlelib</span></code>) and see if
667this results in an error message.</p>
terryjreedy188aedf2017-06-13 21:32:16 -0400[diff] [blame]668</div>
Terry Jan Reedyf1d3efc2018-11-05 22:17:57 -0500[diff] [blame]669<div class="section" id="running-user-code">
670<h3>Running user code<a class="headerlink" href="#running-user-code" title="Permalink to this headline"></a></h3>
Terry Jan Reedy98758bc2017-09-12 09:05:16 -0400[diff] [blame]671<p>With rare exceptions, the result of executing Python code with IDLE is
Terry Jan Reedyf1d3efc2018-11-05 22:17:57 -0500[diff] [blame]672intended to be the same as executing the same code by the default method,
673directly with Python in a text-mode system console or terminal window.
Terry Jan Reedy98758bc2017-09-12 09:05:16 -0400[diff] [blame]674However, the different interface and operation occasionally affect
Terry Jan Reedyf1d3efc2018-11-05 22:17:57 -0500[diff] [blame]675visible results. For instance, <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">sys.modules</span></code> starts with more entries,
676and <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">threading.activeCount()</span></code> returns 2 instead of 1.</p>
677<p>By default, IDLE runs user code in a separate OS process rather than in
678the user interface process that runs the shell and editor. In the execution
679process, it replaces <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">sys.stdin</span></code>, <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">sys.stdout</span></code>, and <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">sys.stderr</span></code>
680with objects that get input from and send output to the Shell window.
681The original values stored in <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">sys.__stdin__</span></code>, <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">sys.__stdout__</span></code>, and
682<code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">sys.__stderr__</span></code> are not touched, but may be <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">None</span></code>.</p>
683<p>When Shell has the focus, it controls the keyboard and screen. This is
Terry Jan Reedy98758bc2017-09-12 09:05:16 -0400[diff] [blame]684normally transparent, but functions that directly access the keyboard
Terry Jan Reedyf1d3efc2018-11-05 22:17:57 -0500[diff] [blame]685and screen will not work. These include system-specific functions that
686determine whether a key has been pressed and if so, which.</p>
687<p>IDLE’s standard stream replacements are not inherited by subprocesses
688created in the execution process, whether directly by user code or by modules
689such as multiprocessing. If such subprocess use <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">input</span></code> from sys.stdin
690or <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">print</span></code> or <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">write</span></code> to sys.stdout or sys.stderr,
691IDLE should be started in a command line window. The secondary subprocess
692will then be attached to that window for input and output.</p>
Tal Einatfcf1d002019-07-06 15:35:24 +0300[diff] [blame]693<p>The IDLE code running in the execution process adds frames to the call stack
694that would not be there otherwise. IDLE wraps <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">sys.getrecursionlimit</span></code> and
Tal Einat7123ea02019-07-23 15:22:11 +0300[diff] [blame]695<code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">sys.setrecursionlimit</span></code> to reduce the effect of the additional stack frames.</p>
Terry Jan Reedyf1d3efc2018-11-05 22:17:57 -0500[diff] [blame]696<p>If <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">sys</span></code> is reset by user code, such as with <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">importlib.reload(sys)</span></code>,
697IDLE’s changes are lost and input from the keyboard and output to the screen
698will not work correctly.</p>
Terry Jan Reedy6d965b32019-05-19 22:52:22 -0400[diff] [blame]699<p>When user code raises SystemExit either directly or by calling sys.exit, IDLE
700returns to a Shell prompt instead of exiting.</p>
Terry Jan Reedy0053c472015-09-24 03:09:43 -0400[diff] [blame]701</div>
Terry Jan Reedy75d9d592018-11-06 12:37:36 -0500[diff] [blame]702<div class="section" id="user-output-in-shell">
703<h3>User output in Shell<a class="headerlink" href="#user-output-in-shell" title="Permalink to this headline"></a></h3>
704<p>When a program outputs text, the result is determined by the
705corresponding output device. When IDLE executes user code, <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">sys.stdout</span></code>
706and <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">sys.stderr</span></code> are connected to the display area of IDLE’s Shell. Some of
707its features are inherited from the underlying Tk Text widget. Others
Terry Jan Reedy76cd0c32018-11-06 23:55:06 -0500[diff] [blame]708are programmed additions. Where it matters, Shell is designed for development
709rather than production runs.</p>
710<p>For instance, Shell never throws away output. A program that sends unlimited
711output to Shell will eventually fill memory, resulting in a memory error.
712In contrast, some system text windows only keep the last n lines of output.
713A Windows console, for instance, keeps a user-settable 1 to 9999 lines,
714with 300 the default.</p>
Terry Jan Reedy55d03512019-04-26 23:22:36 -0400[diff] [blame]715<p>A Tk Text widget, and hence IDLE’s Shell, displays characters (codepoints) in
716the BMP (Basic Multilingual Plane) subset of Unicode. Which characters are
717displayed with a proper glyph and which with a replacement box depends on the
718operating system and installed fonts. Tab characters cause the following text
719to begin after the next tab stop. (They occur every 8 ‘characters’). Newline
720characters cause following text to appear on a new line. Other control
721characters are ignored or displayed as a space, box, or something else,
722depending on the operating system and font. (Moving the text cursor through
723such output with arrow keys may exhibit some surprising spacing behavior.)</p>
724<div class="highlight-python3 notranslate"><div class="highlight"><pre><span></span><span class="gp">&gt;&gt;&gt; </span><span class="n">s</span> <span class="o">=</span> <span class="s1">&#39;a</span><span class="se">\t</span><span class="s1">b</span><span class="se">\a</span><span class="s1">&lt;</span><span class="se">\x02</span><span class="s1">&gt;&lt;</span><span class="se">\r</span><span class="s1">&gt;</span><span class="se">\b</span><span class="s1">c</span><span class="se">\n</span><span class="s1">d&#39;</span> <span class="c1"># Enter 22 chars.</span>
725<span class="gp">&gt;&gt;&gt; </span><span class="nb">len</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="n">s</span><span class="p">)</span>
726<span class="go">14</span>
727<span class="gp">&gt;&gt;&gt; </span><span class="n">s</span> <span class="c1"># Display repr(s)</span>
728<span class="go">&#39;a\tb\x07&lt;\x02&gt;&lt;\r&gt;\x08c\nd&#39;</span>
729<span class="gp">&gt;&gt;&gt; </span><span class="nb">print</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="n">s</span><span class="p">,</span> <span class="n">end</span><span class="o">=</span><span class="s1">&#39;&#39;</span><span class="p">)</span> <span class="c1"># Display s as is.</span>
730<span class="go"># Result varies by OS and font. Try it.</span>
Terry Jan Reedy8a03ff22019-02-08 22:51:51 -0500[diff] [blame]731</pre></div>
732</div>
733<p>The <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">repr</span></code> function is used for interactive echo of expression
734values. It returns an altered version of the input string in which
735control codes, some BMP codepoints, and all non-BMP codepoints are
736replaced with escape codes. As demonstrated above, it allows one to
737identify the characters in a string, regardless of how they are displayed.</p>
Terry Jan Reedy75d9d592018-11-06 12:37:36 -0500[diff] [blame]738<p>Normal and error output are generally kept separate (on separate lines)
739from code input and each other. They each get different highlight colors.</p>
740<p>For SyntaxError tracebacks, the normal ‘^’ marking where the error was
741detected is replaced by coloring the text with an error highlight.
742When code run from a file causes other exceptions, one may right click
743on a traceback line to jump to the corresponding line in an IDLE editor.
744The file will be opened if necessary.</p>
745<p>Shell has a special facility for squeezing output lines down to a
746‘Squeezed text’ label. This is done automatically
747for output over N lines (N = 50 by default).
748N can be changed in the PyShell section of the General
749page of the Settings dialog. Output with fewer lines can be squeezed by
750right clicking on the output. This can be useful lines long enough to slow
751down scrolling.</p>
752<p>Squeezed output is expanded in place by double-clicking the label.
753It can also be sent to the clipboard or a separate view window by
754right-clicking the label.</p>
755</div>
Terry Jan Reedy98758bc2017-09-12 09:05:16 -0400[diff] [blame]756<div class="section" id="developing-tkinter-applications">
Terry Jan Reedydb40cb52018-10-28 01:21:36 -0400[diff] [blame]757<h3>Developing tkinter applications<a class="headerlink" href="#developing-tkinter-applications" title="Permalink to this headline"></a></h3>
Terry Jan Reedy98758bc2017-09-12 09:05:16 -0400[diff] [blame]758<p>IDLE is intentionally different from standard Python in order to
Terry Jan Reedyaf4b0132018-06-10 15:48:41 -0400[diff] [blame]759facilitate development of tkinter programs. Enter <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">import</span> <span class="pre">tkinter</span> <span class="pre">as</span> <span class="pre">tk;</span>
Terry Jan Reedy98758bc2017-09-12 09:05:16 -0400[diff] [blame]760<span class="pre">root</span> <span class="pre">=</span> <span class="pre">tk.Tk()</span></code> in standard Python and nothing appears. Enter the same
761in IDLE and a tk window appears. In standard Python, one must also enter
Terry Jan Reedyaf4b0132018-06-10 15:48:41 -0400[diff] [blame]762<code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">root.update()</span></code> to see the window. IDLE does the equivalent in the
penguindustin96466302019-05-06 14:57:17 -0400[diff] [blame]763background, about 20 times a second, which is about every 50 milliseconds.
Terry Jan Reedyaf4b0132018-06-10 15:48:41 -0400[diff] [blame]764Next enter <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">b</span> <span class="pre">=</span> <span class="pre">tk.Button(root,</span> <span class="pre">text='button');</span> <span class="pre">b.pack()</span></code>. Again,
765nothing visibly changes in standard Python until one enters <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">root.update()</span></code>.</p>
766<p>Most tkinter programs run <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">root.mainloop()</span></code>, which usually does not
Terry Jan Reedy98758bc2017-09-12 09:05:16 -0400[diff] [blame]767return until the tk app is destroyed. If the program is run with
Terry Jan Reedyaf4b0132018-06-10 15:48:41 -0400[diff] [blame]768<code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">python</span> <span class="pre">-i</span></code> or from an IDLE editor, a <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">&gt;&gt;&gt;</span></code> shell prompt does not
769appear until <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">mainloop()</span></code> returns, at which time there is nothing left
Terry Jan Reedy98758bc2017-09-12 09:05:16 -0400[diff] [blame]770to interact with.</p>
771<p>When running a tkinter program from an IDLE editor, one can comment out
772the mainloop call. One then gets a shell prompt immediately and can
773interact with the live application. One just has to remember to
774re-enable the mainloop call when running in standard Python.</p>
775</div>
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400[diff] [blame]776<div class="section" id="running-without-a-subprocess">
Terry Jan Reedydb40cb52018-10-28 01:21:36 -0400[diff] [blame]777<h3>Running without a subprocess<a class="headerlink" href="#running-without-a-subprocess" title="Permalink to this headline"></a></h3>
Terry Jan Reedy0053c472015-09-24 03:09:43 -0400[diff] [blame]778<p>By default, IDLE executes user code in a separate subprocess via a socket,
Terry Jan Reedy6e10ec52015-09-23 20:00:33 -0400[diff] [blame]779which uses the internal loopback interface. This connection is not
780externally visible and no data is sent to or received from the Internet.
781If firewall software complains anyway, you can ignore it.</p>
782<p>If the attempt to make the socket connection fails, Idle will notify you.
783Such failures are sometimes transient, but if persistent, the problem
terryjreedy188aedf2017-06-13 21:32:16 -0400[diff] [blame]784may be either a firewall blocking the connection or misconfiguration of
Terry Jan Reedy6e10ec52015-09-23 20:00:33 -0400[diff] [blame]785a particular system. Until the problem is fixed, one can run Idle with
786the -n command line switch.</p>
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400[diff] [blame]787<p>If IDLE is started with the -n command line switch it will run in a
788single process and will not create the subprocess which runs the RPC
789Python execution server. This can be useful if Python cannot create
790the subprocess or the RPC socket interface on your platform. However,
791in this mode user code is not isolated from IDLE itself. Also, the
792environment is not restarted when Run/Run Module (F5) is selected. If
793your code has been modified, you must reload() the affected modules and
794re-import any specific items (e.g. from foo import baz) if the changes
795are to take effect. For these reasons, it is preferable to run IDLE
796with the default subprocess if at all possible.</p>
797<div class="deprecated">
Tal Einatfcf1d002019-07-06 15:35:24 +0300[diff] [blame]798<p><span class="versionmodified deprecated">Deprecated since version 3.4.</span></p>
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400[diff] [blame]799</div>
800</div>
801</div>
802<div class="section" id="help-and-preferences">
Terry Jan Reedydb40cb52018-10-28 01:21:36 -0400[diff] [blame]803<h2>Help and preferences<a class="headerlink" href="#help-and-preferences" title="Permalink to this headline"></a></h2>
Terry Jan Reedy18032632018-10-28 16:21:18 -0400[diff] [blame]804<div class="section" id="help-sources">
Cheryl Sabella01421be2018-12-20 00:38:54 -0500[diff] [blame]805<span id="id6"></span><h3>Help sources<a class="headerlink" href="#help-sources" title="Permalink to this headline"></a></h3>
Terry Jan Reedy18032632018-10-28 16:21:18 -0400[diff] [blame]806<p>Help menu entry “IDLE Help” displays a formatted html version of the
807IDLE chapter of the Library Reference. The result, in a read-only
808tkinter text window, is close to what one sees in a web browser.
809Navigate through the text with a mousewheel,
810the scrollbar, or up and down arrow keys held down.
811Or click the TOC (Table of Contents) button and select a section
812header in the opened box.</p>
813<p>Help menu entry “Python Docs” opens the extensive sources of help,
Tal Einatd6c08db2020-01-06 01:51:48 +0200[diff] [blame]814including tutorials, available at <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">docs.python.org/x.y</span></code>, where ‘x.y’
Terry Jan Reedy18032632018-10-28 16:21:18 -0400[diff] [blame]815is the currently running Python version. If your system
816has an off-line copy of the docs (this may be an installation option),
817that will be opened instead.</p>
818<p>Selected URLs can be added or removed from the help menu at any time using the
Tal Einatd6c08db2020-01-06 01:51:48 +0200[diff] [blame]819General tab of the Configure IDLE dialog.</p>
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400[diff] [blame]820</div>
821<div class="section" id="setting-preferences">
Terry Jan Reedy292cd6e2018-12-20 06:06:29 -0500[diff] [blame]822<span id="preferences"></span><h3>Setting preferences<a class="headerlink" href="#setting-preferences" title="Permalink to this headline"></a></h3>
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400[diff] [blame]823<p>The font preferences, highlighting, keys, and general preferences can be
Terry Jan Reedy292cd6e2018-12-20 06:06:29 -0500[diff] [blame]824changed via Configure IDLE on the Option menu.
Tal Einatd6c08db2020-01-06 01:51:48 +0200[diff] [blame]825Non-default user settings are saved in a <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">.idlerc</span></code> directory in the user’s
Terry Jan Reedy292cd6e2018-12-20 06:06:29 -0500[diff] [blame]826home directory. Problems caused by bad user configuration files are solved
Tal Einatd6c08db2020-01-06 01:51:48 +0200[diff] [blame]827by editing or deleting one or more of the files in <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">.idlerc</span></code>.</p>
Terry Jan Reedyd6101162019-02-23 23:04:53 -0500[diff] [blame]828<p>On the Font tab, see the text sample for the effect of font face and size
829on multiple characters in multiple languages. Edit the sample to add
830other characters of personal interest. Use the sample to select
831monospaced fonts. If particular characters have problems in Shell or an
832editor, add them to the top of the sample and try changing first size
833and then font.</p>
Terry Jan Reedy292cd6e2018-12-20 06:06:29 -0500[diff] [blame]834<p>On the Highlights and Keys tab, select a built-in or custom color theme
835and key set. To use a newer built-in color theme or key set with older
836IDLEs, save it as a new custom theme or key set and it well be accessible
837to older IDLEs.</p>
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400[diff] [blame]838</div>
Terry Jan Reedy50ff02b2018-11-10 23:26:31 -0500[diff] [blame]839<div class="section" id="idle-on-macos">
Terry Jan Reedyb65413b2018-11-15 13:15:13 -0500[diff] [blame]840<h3>IDLE on macOS<a class="headerlink" href="#idle-on-macos" title="Permalink to this headline"></a></h3>
Terry Jan Reedy50ff02b2018-11-10 23:26:31 -0500[diff] [blame]841<p>Under System Preferences: Dock, one can set “Prefer tabs when opening
842documents” to “Always”. This setting is not compatible with the tk/tkinter
843GUI framework used by IDLE, and it breaks a few IDLE features.</p>
844</div>
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400[diff] [blame]845<div class="section" id="extensions">
Terry Jan Reedydb40cb52018-10-28 01:21:36 -0400[diff] [blame]846<h3>Extensions<a class="headerlink" href="#extensions" title="Permalink to this headline"></a></h3>
terryjreedy188aedf2017-06-13 21:32:16 -0400[diff] [blame]847<p>IDLE contains an extension facility. Preferences for extensions can be
Terry Jan Reedyadb4cd22017-09-12 07:45:15 -0400[diff] [blame]848changed with the Extensions tab of the preferences dialog. See the
849beginning of config-extensions.def in the idlelib directory for further
850information. The only current default extension is zzdummy, an example
Terry Jan Reedy98758bc2017-09-12 09:05:16 -0400[diff] [blame]851also used for testing.</p>
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400[diff] [blame]852</div>
853</div>
854</div>
855
856
Terry Jan Reedya460d452020-10-20 20:56:01 -0400[diff] [blame^]857 <div class="clearer"></div>
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400[diff] [blame]858 </div>
859 </div>
860 </div>
Terry Jan Reedyf8cd02d2016-03-01 00:29:57 -0500[diff] [blame]861 <div class="sphinxsidebar" role="navigation" aria-label="main navigation">
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400[diff] [blame]862 <div class="sphinxsidebarwrapper">
Terry Jan Reedydb40cb52018-10-28 01:21:36 -0400[diff] [blame]863 <h3><a href="../contents.html">Table of Contents</a></h3>
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400[diff] [blame]864 <ul>
Terry Jan Reedydb40cb52018-10-28 01:21:36 -0400[diff] [blame]865<li><a class="reference internal" href="#">IDLE</a><ul>
866<li><a class="reference internal" href="#menus">Menus</a><ul>
867<li><a class="reference internal" href="#file-menu-shell-and-editor">File menu (Shell and Editor)</a></li>
868<li><a class="reference internal" href="#edit-menu-shell-and-editor">Edit menu (Shell and Editor)</a></li>
869<li><a class="reference internal" href="#format-menu-editor-window-only">Format menu (Editor window only)</a></li>
870<li><a class="reference internal" href="#run-menu-editor-window-only">Run menu (Editor window only)</a></li>
871<li><a class="reference internal" href="#shell-menu-shell-window-only">Shell menu (Shell window only)</a></li>
872<li><a class="reference internal" href="#debug-menu-shell-window-only">Debug menu (Shell window only)</a></li>
873<li><a class="reference internal" href="#options-menu-shell-and-editor">Options menu (Shell and Editor)</a></li>
874<li><a class="reference internal" href="#window-menu-shell-and-editor">Window menu (Shell and Editor)</a></li>
875<li><a class="reference internal" href="#help-menu-shell-and-editor">Help menu (Shell and Editor)</a></li>
876<li><a class="reference internal" href="#context-menus">Context Menus</a></li>
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400[diff] [blame]877</ul>
878</li>
Terry Jan Reedydb40cb52018-10-28 01:21:36 -0400[diff] [blame]879<li><a class="reference internal" href="#editing-and-navigation">Editing and navigation</a><ul>
Terry Jan Reedyea9c8bd2018-10-28 20:42:18 -0400[diff] [blame]880<li><a class="reference internal" href="#editor-windows">Editor windows</a></li>
881<li><a class="reference internal" href="#key-bindings">Key bindings</a></li>
Terry Jan Reedydb40cb52018-10-28 01:21:36 -0400[diff] [blame]882<li><a class="reference internal" href="#automatic-indentation">Automatic indentation</a></li>
883<li><a class="reference internal" href="#completions">Completions</a></li>
884<li><a class="reference internal" href="#calltips">Calltips</a></li>
Cheryl Sabella01421be2018-12-20 00:38:54 -0500[diff] [blame]885<li><a class="reference internal" href="#code-context">Code Context</a></li>
Terry Jan Reedydb40cb52018-10-28 01:21:36 -0400[diff] [blame]886<li><a class="reference internal" href="#python-shell-window">Python Shell window</a></li>
887<li><a class="reference internal" href="#text-colors">Text colors</a></li>
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400[diff] [blame]888</ul>
889</li>
Terry Jan Reedydb40cb52018-10-28 01:21:36 -0400[diff] [blame]890<li><a class="reference internal" href="#startup-and-code-execution">Startup and code execution</a><ul>
891<li><a class="reference internal" href="#command-line-usage">Command line usage</a></li>
892<li><a class="reference internal" href="#startup-failure">Startup failure</a></li>
Terry Jan Reedyf1d3efc2018-11-05 22:17:57 -0500[diff] [blame]893<li><a class="reference internal" href="#running-user-code">Running user code</a></li>
Terry Jan Reedy75d9d592018-11-06 12:37:36 -0500[diff] [blame]894<li><a class="reference internal" href="#user-output-in-shell">User output in Shell</a></li>
Terry Jan Reedydb40cb52018-10-28 01:21:36 -0400[diff] [blame]895<li><a class="reference internal" href="#developing-tkinter-applications">Developing tkinter applications</a></li>
896<li><a class="reference internal" href="#running-without-a-subprocess">Running without a subprocess</a></li>
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400[diff] [blame]897</ul>
898</li>
Terry Jan Reedydb40cb52018-10-28 01:21:36 -0400[diff] [blame]899<li><a class="reference internal" href="#help-and-preferences">Help and preferences</a><ul>
Terry Jan Reedy18032632018-10-28 16:21:18 -0400[diff] [blame]900<li><a class="reference internal" href="#help-sources">Help sources</a></li>
Terry Jan Reedydb40cb52018-10-28 01:21:36 -0400[diff] [blame]901<li><a class="reference internal" href="#setting-preferences">Setting preferences</a></li>
Terry Jan Reedyb65413b2018-11-15 13:15:13 -0500[diff] [blame]902<li><a class="reference internal" href="#idle-on-macos">IDLE on macOS</a></li>
Terry Jan Reedydb40cb52018-10-28 01:21:36 -0400[diff] [blame]903<li><a class="reference internal" href="#extensions">Extensions</a></li>
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400[diff] [blame]904</ul>
905</li>
906</ul>
907</li>
908</ul>
909
910 <h4>Previous topic</h4>
Terry Jan Reedy6bf644e2019-11-24 16:29:29 -0500[diff] [blame]911 <p class="topless"><a href="tkinter.tix.html"
912 title="previous chapter"><code class="xref py py-mod docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">tkinter.tix</span></code> — Extension widgets for Tk</a></p>
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400[diff] [blame]913 <h4>Next topic</h4>
914 <p class="topless"><a href="othergui.html"
Terry Jan Reedydb40cb52018-10-28 01:21:36 -0400[diff] [blame]915 title="next chapter">Other Graphical User Interface Packages</a></p>
Terry Jan Reedy4b736762016-09-12 01:50:03 -0400[diff] [blame]916 <div role="note" aria-label="source link">
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928 </div>
929 <div class="clearer"></div>
Terry Jan Reedy963a38b2015-09-20 20:03:01 -0400[diff] [blame]930 </div>
Terry Jan Reedyf8cd02d2016-03-01 00:29:57 -0500[diff] [blame]931 <div class="related" role="navigation" aria-label="related navigation">
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400[diff] [blame]932 <h3>Navigation</h3>
933 <ul>
934 <li class="right" style="margin-right: 10px">
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Terry Jan Reedydb40cb52018-10-28 01:21:36 -0400[diff] [blame]941 <a href="othergui.html" title="Other Graphical User Interface Packages"
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Terry Jan Reedya460d452020-10-20 20:56:01 -0400[diff] [blame^]953 <a href="../index.html">3.10.0a1 Documentation</a> &#187;
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955
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Terry Jan Reedydb40cb52018-10-28 01:21:36 -0400[diff] [blame]957 <li class="nav-item nav-item-2"><a href="tk.html" >Graphical User Interfaces with Tk</a> &#187;</li>
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