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Terry Jan Reedy963a38b2015-09-20 20:03:01 -0400102
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400103 <div class="section" id="idle">
Terry Jan Reedydb40cb52018-10-28 01:21:36 -0400104<span id="id1"></span><h1>IDLE<a class="headerlink" href="#idle" title="Permalink to this headline"></a></h1>
terryjreedy188aedf2017-06-13 21:32:16 -0400105<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 -0400106<hr class="docutils" id="index-0" />
Terry Jan Reedyaf4b0132018-06-10 15:48:41 -0400107<p>IDLE is Python’s Integrated Development and Learning Environment.</p>
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400108<p>IDLE has the following features:</p>
109<ul class="simple">
Terry Jan Reedyaf4b0132018-06-10 15:48:41 -0400110<li>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</li>
Terry Jan Reedy0053c472015-09-24 03:09:43 -0400111<li>cross-platform: works mostly the same on Windows, Unix, and Mac OS X</li>
Terry Jan Reedy6e10ec52015-09-23 20:00:33 -0400112<li>Python shell window (interactive interpreter) with colorizing
113of code input, output, and error messages</li>
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400114<li>multi-window text editor with multiple undo, Python colorizing,
Terry Jan Reedy6e10ec52015-09-23 20:00:33 -0400115smart indent, call tips, auto completion, and other features</li>
116<li>search within any window, replace within editor windows, and search
117through multiple files (grep)</li>
118<li>debugger with persistent breakpoints, stepping, and viewing
119of global and local namespaces</li>
120<li>configuration, browsers, and other dialogs</li>
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400121</ul>
122<div class="section" id="menus">
Terry Jan Reedydb40cb52018-10-28 01:21:36 -0400123<h2>Menus<a class="headerlink" href="#menus" title="Permalink to this headline"></a></h2>
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400124<p>IDLE has two main window types, the Shell window and the Editor window. It is
125possible to have multiple editor windows simultaneously. Output windows, such
126as used for Edit / Find in Files, are a subtype of edit window. They currently
127have the same top menu as Editor windows but a different default title and
128context menu.</p>
Terry Jan Reedyaf4b0132018-06-10 15:48:41 -0400129<p>IDLE’s menus dynamically change based on which window is currently selected.
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400130Each menu documented below indicates which window type it is associated with.</p>
131<div class="section" id="file-menu-shell-and-editor">
Terry Jan Reedydb40cb52018-10-28 01:21:36 -0400132<h3>File menu (Shell and Editor)<a class="headerlink" href="#file-menu-shell-and-editor" title="Permalink to this headline"></a></h3>
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400133<dl class="docutils">
134<dt>New File</dt>
135<dd>Create a new file editing window.</dd>
Terry Jan Reedyaf4b0132018-06-10 15:48:41 -0400136<dt>Open…</dt>
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400137<dd>Open an existing file with an Open dialog.</dd>
138<dt>Recent Files</dt>
139<dd>Open a list of recent files. Click one to open it.</dd>
Terry Jan Reedyaf4b0132018-06-10 15:48:41 -0400140<dt>Open Module…</dt>
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400141<dd>Open an existing module (searches sys.path).</dd>
142</dl>
143<dl class="docutils" id="index-1">
144<dt>Class Browser</dt>
145<dd>Show functions, classes, and methods in the current Editor file in a
146tree structure. In the shell, open a module first.</dd>
147<dt>Path Browser</dt>
148<dd>Show sys.path directories, modules, functions, classes and methods in a
149tree structure.</dd>
150<dt>Save</dt>
151<dd>Save the current window to the associated file, if there is one. Windows
152that have been changed since being opened or last saved have a * before
153and after the window title. If there is no associated file,
154do Save As instead.</dd>
Terry Jan Reedyaf4b0132018-06-10 15:48:41 -0400155<dt>Save As…</dt>
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400156<dd>Save the current window with a Save As dialog. The file saved becomes the
157new associated file for the window.</dd>
Terry Jan Reedyaf4b0132018-06-10 15:48:41 -0400158<dt>Save Copy As…</dt>
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400159<dd>Save the current window to different file without changing the associated
160file.</dd>
161<dt>Print Window</dt>
162<dd>Print the current window to the default printer.</dd>
163<dt>Close</dt>
164<dd>Close the current window (ask to save if unsaved).</dd>
165<dt>Exit</dt>
166<dd>Close all windows and quit IDLE (ask to save unsaved windows).</dd>
167</dl>
168</div>
169<div class="section" id="edit-menu-shell-and-editor">
Terry Jan Reedydb40cb52018-10-28 01:21:36 -0400170<h3>Edit menu (Shell and Editor)<a class="headerlink" href="#edit-menu-shell-and-editor" title="Permalink to this headline"></a></h3>
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400171<dl class="docutils">
172<dt>Undo</dt>
173<dd>Undo the last change to the current window. A maximum of 1000 changes may
174be undone.</dd>
175<dt>Redo</dt>
176<dd>Redo the last undone change to the current window.</dd>
177<dt>Cut</dt>
178<dd>Copy selection into the system-wide clipboard; then delete the selection.</dd>
179<dt>Copy</dt>
180<dd>Copy selection into the system-wide clipboard.</dd>
181<dt>Paste</dt>
182<dd>Insert contents of the system-wide clipboard into the current window.</dd>
183</dl>
184<p>The clipboard functions are also available in context menus.</p>
185<dl class="docutils">
186<dt>Select All</dt>
187<dd>Select the entire contents of the current window.</dd>
Terry Jan Reedyaf4b0132018-06-10 15:48:41 -0400188<dt>Find…</dt>
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400189<dd>Open a search dialog with many options</dd>
190<dt>Find Again</dt>
191<dd>Repeat the last search, if there is one.</dd>
192<dt>Find Selection</dt>
193<dd>Search for the currently selected string, if there is one.</dd>
Terry Jan Reedyaf4b0132018-06-10 15:48:41 -0400194<dt>Find in Files…</dt>
Terry Jan Reedy929d7f82016-05-02 18:30:02 -0400195<dd>Open a file search dialog. Put results in a new output window.</dd>
Terry Jan Reedyaf4b0132018-06-10 15:48:41 -0400196<dt>Replace…</dt>
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400197<dd>Open a search-and-replace dialog.</dd>
198<dt>Go to Line</dt>
199<dd>Move cursor to the line number requested and make that line visible.</dd>
200<dt>Show Completions</dt>
201<dd>Open a scrollable list allowing selection of keywords and attributes. See
202Completions in the Tips sections below.</dd>
203<dt>Expand Word</dt>
204<dd>Expand a prefix you have typed to match a full word in the same window;
205repeat to get a different expansion.</dd>
206<dt>Show call tip</dt>
207<dd>After an unclosed parenthesis for a function, open a small window with
208function parameter hints.</dd>
209<dt>Show surrounding parens</dt>
210<dd>Highlight the surrounding parenthesis.</dd>
211</dl>
212</div>
213<div class="section" id="format-menu-editor-window-only">
Terry Jan Reedydb40cb52018-10-28 01:21:36 -0400214<h3>Format menu (Editor window only)<a class="headerlink" href="#format-menu-editor-window-only" title="Permalink to this headline"></a></h3>
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400215<dl class="docutils">
216<dt>Indent Region</dt>
217<dd>Shift selected lines right by the indent width (default 4 spaces).</dd>
218<dt>Dedent Region</dt>
219<dd>Shift selected lines left by the indent width (default 4 spaces).</dd>
220<dt>Comment Out Region</dt>
221<dd>Insert ## in front of selected lines.</dd>
222<dt>Uncomment Region</dt>
223<dd>Remove leading # or ## from selected lines.</dd>
224<dt>Tabify Region</dt>
225<dd>Turn <em>leading</em> stretches of spaces into tabs. (Note: We recommend using
2264 space blocks to indent Python code.)</dd>
227<dt>Untabify Region</dt>
228<dd>Turn <em>all</em> tabs into the correct number of spaces.</dd>
229<dt>Toggle Tabs</dt>
230<dd>Open a dialog to switch between indenting with spaces and tabs.</dd>
231<dt>New Indent Width</dt>
232<dd>Open a dialog to change indent width. The accepted default by the Python
233community is 4 spaces.</dd>
234<dt>Format Paragraph</dt>
235<dd>Reformat the current blank-line-delimited paragraph in comment block or
236multiline string or selected line in a string. All lines in the
237paragraph will be formatted to less than N columns, where N defaults to 72.</dd>
238<dt>Strip trailing whitespace</dt>
Terry Jan Reedyff702892017-09-15 13:05:28 -0400239<dd>Remove trailing space and other whitespace characters after the last
240non-whitespace character of a line by applying str.rstrip to each line,
241including lines within multiline strings.</dd>
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400242</dl>
243</div>
244<div class="section" id="run-menu-editor-window-only">
Terry Jan Reedydb40cb52018-10-28 01:21:36 -0400245<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>
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400246<dl class="docutils">
247<dt>Python Shell</dt>
248<dd>Open or wake up the Python Shell window.</dd>
249<dt>Check Module</dt>
250<dd>Check the syntax of the module currently open in the Editor window. If the
251module has not been saved IDLE will either prompt the user to save or
252autosave, as selected in the General tab of the Idle Settings dialog. If
253there is a syntax error, the approximate location is indicated in the
254Editor window.</dd>
255<dt>Run Module</dt>
256<dd>Do Check Module (above). If no error, restart the shell to clean the
Terry Jan Reedy0053c472015-09-24 03:09:43 -0400257environment, then execute the module. Output is displayed in the Shell
Terry Jan Reedyaf4b0132018-06-10 15:48:41 -0400258window. 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 -0400259When execution is complete, the Shell retains focus and displays a prompt.
260At this point, one may interactively explore the result of execution.
Terry Jan Reedyaf4b0132018-06-10 15:48:41 -0400261This 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
Terry Jan Reedy0053c472015-09-24 03:09:43 -0400262line.</dd>
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400263</dl>
264</div>
265<div class="section" id="shell-menu-shell-window-only">
Terry Jan Reedydb40cb52018-10-28 01:21:36 -0400266<h3>Shell menu (Shell window only)<a class="headerlink" href="#shell-menu-shell-window-only" title="Permalink to this headline"></a></h3>
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400267<dl class="docutils">
268<dt>View Last Restart</dt>
269<dd>Scroll the shell window to the last Shell restart.</dd>
270<dt>Restart Shell</dt>
271<dd>Restart the shell to clean the environment.</dd>
Terry Jan Reedy4b736762016-09-12 01:50:03 -0400272<dt>Interrupt Execution</dt>
273<dd>Stop a running program.</dd>
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400274</dl>
275</div>
276<div class="section" id="debug-menu-shell-window-only">
Terry Jan Reedydb40cb52018-10-28 01:21:36 -0400277<h3>Debug menu (Shell window only)<a class="headerlink" href="#debug-menu-shell-window-only" title="Permalink to this headline"></a></h3>
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400278<dl class="docutils">
279<dt>Go to File/Line</dt>
280<dd>Look on the current line. with the cursor, and the line above for a filename
281and line number. If found, open the file if not already open, and show the
282line. Use this to view source lines referenced in an exception traceback
283and lines found by Find in Files. Also available in the context menu of
284the Shell window and Output windows.</dd>
285</dl>
286<dl class="docutils" id="index-3">
287<dt>Debugger (toggle)</dt>
terryjreedy188aedf2017-06-13 21:32:16 -0400288<dd>When activated, code entered in the Shell or run from an Editor will run
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400289under the debugger. In the Editor, breakpoints can be set with the context
290menu. This feature is still incomplete and somewhat experimental.</dd>
291<dt>Stack Viewer</dt>
292<dd>Show the stack traceback of the last exception in a tree widget, with
293access to locals and globals.</dd>
294<dt>Auto-open Stack Viewer</dt>
295<dd>Toggle automatically opening the stack viewer on an unhandled exception.</dd>
296</dl>
297</div>
298<div class="section" id="options-menu-shell-and-editor">
Terry Jan Reedydb40cb52018-10-28 01:21:36 -0400299<h3>Options menu (Shell and Editor)<a class="headerlink" href="#options-menu-shell-and-editor" title="Permalink to this headline"></a></h3>
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400300<dl class="docutils">
301<dt>Configure IDLE</dt>
Terry Jan Reedy93f35422015-10-13 22:03:51 -0400302<dd><p class="first">Open a configuration dialog and change preferences for the following:
303fonts, indentation, keybindings, text color themes, startup windows and
304size, additional help sources, and extensions (see below). On OS X,
305open the configuration dialog by selecting Preferences in the application
306menu. To use a new built-in color theme (IDLE Dark) with older IDLEs,
307save it as a new custom theme.</p>
Terry Jan Reedyaf4b0132018-06-10 15:48:41 -0400308<p class="last">Non-default user settings are saved in a .idlerc directory in the user’s
Terry Jan Reedy93f35422015-10-13 22:03:51 -0400309home directory. Problems caused by bad user configuration files are solved
310by editing or deleting one or more of the files in .idlerc.</p>
311</dd>
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400312<dt>Code Context (toggle)(Editor Window only)</dt>
313<dd>Open a pane at the top of the edit window which shows the block context
Terry Jan Reedyaf4b0132018-06-10 15:48:41 -0400314of the code which has scrolled above the top of the window. Clicking a
315line in this pane exposes that line at the top of the editor.</dd>
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400316</dl>
317</div>
318<div class="section" id="window-menu-shell-and-editor">
Terry Jan Reedydb40cb52018-10-28 01:21:36 -0400319<h3>Window menu (Shell and Editor)<a class="headerlink" href="#window-menu-shell-and-editor" title="Permalink to this headline"></a></h3>
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400320<dl class="docutils">
321<dt>Zoom Height</dt>
322<dd>Toggles the window between normal size and maximum height. The initial size
323defaults to 40 lines by 80 chars unless changed on the General tab of the
324Configure IDLE dialog.</dd>
325</dl>
326<p>The rest of this menu lists the names of all open windows; select one to bring
327it to the foreground (deiconifying it if necessary).</p>
328</div>
329<div class="section" id="help-menu-shell-and-editor">
Terry Jan Reedydb40cb52018-10-28 01:21:36 -0400330<h3>Help menu (Shell and Editor)<a class="headerlink" href="#help-menu-shell-and-editor" title="Permalink to this headline"></a></h3>
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400331<dl class="docutils">
332<dt>About IDLE</dt>
333<dd>Display version, copyright, license, credits, and more.</dd>
334<dt>IDLE Help</dt>
Terry Jan Reedy18032632018-10-28 16:21:18 -0400335<dd>Display this IDLE document, detailing the menu options, basic editing and
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400336navigation, and other tips.</dd>
337<dt>Python Docs</dt>
338<dd>Access local Python documentation, if installed, or start a web browser
339and open docs.python.org showing the latest Python documentation.</dd>
340<dt>Turtle Demo</dt>
Terry Jan Reedydb40cb52018-10-28 01:21:36 -0400341<dd>Run the turtledemo module with example Python code and turtle drawings.</dd>
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400342</dl>
343<p>Additional help sources may be added here with the Configure IDLE dialog under
Terry Jan Reedy18032632018-10-28 16:21:18 -0400344the General tab. See the “Help sources” subsection below for more
345on Help menu choices.</p>
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400346</div>
347<div class="section" id="context-menus">
Terry Jan Reedydb40cb52018-10-28 01:21:36 -0400348<span id="index-4"></span><h3>Context Menus<a class="headerlink" href="#context-menus" title="Permalink to this headline"></a></h3>
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400349<p>Open a context menu by right-clicking in a window (Control-click on OS X).
350Context menus have the standard clipboard functions also on the Edit menu.</p>
351<dl class="docutils">
352<dt>Cut</dt>
353<dd>Copy selection into the system-wide clipboard; then delete the selection.</dd>
354<dt>Copy</dt>
355<dd>Copy selection into the system-wide clipboard.</dd>
356<dt>Paste</dt>
357<dd>Insert contents of the system-wide clipboard into the current window.</dd>
358</dl>
359<p>Editor windows also have breakpoint functions. Lines with a breakpoint set are
360specially marked. Breakpoints only have an effect when running under the
Terry Jan Reedyaf4b0132018-06-10 15:48:41 -0400361debugger. Breakpoints for a file are saved in the user’s .idlerc directory.</p>
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400362<dl class="docutils">
363<dt>Set Breakpoint</dt>
364<dd>Set a breakpoint on the current line.</dd>
365<dt>Clear Breakpoint</dt>
366<dd>Clear the breakpoint on that line.</dd>
367</dl>
Terry Jan Reedy68d6dc02018-10-28 12:44:44 -0400368<p>Shell and Output windows also have the following.</p>
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400369<dl class="docutils">
370<dt>Go to file/line</dt>
371<dd>Same as in Debug menu.</dd>
372</dl>
Terry Jan Reedy68d6dc02018-10-28 12:44:44 -0400373<p>The Shell window also has an output squeezing facility explained in the
374the <em>Python Shell window</em> subsection below.</p>
375<dl class="docutils">
376<dt>Squeeze</dt>
377<dd>If the cursor is over an output line, squeeze all the output between
378the code above and the prompt below down to a ‘Squeezed text’ label.</dd>
379</dl>
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400380</div>
381</div>
382<div class="section" id="editing-and-navigation">
Terry Jan Reedydb40cb52018-10-28 01:21:36 -0400383<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 -0400384<div class="section" id="editor-windows">
385<h3>Editor windows<a class="headerlink" href="#editor-windows" title="Permalink to this headline"></a></h3>
386<p>IDLE may open editor windows when it starts, depending on settings
387and how you start IDLE. Thereafter, use the File menu. There can be only
388one open editor window for a given file.</p>
389<p>The title bar contains the name of the file, the full path, and the version
390of Python and IDLE running the window. The status bar contains the line
391number (‘Ln’) and column number (‘Col’). Line numbers start with 1;
392column numbers with 0.</p>
393<p>IDLE assumes that files with a known .py* extension contain Python code
394and that other files do not. Run Python code with the Run menu.</p>
395</div>
396<div class="section" id="key-bindings">
397<h3>Key bindings<a class="headerlink" href="#key-bindings" title="Permalink to this headline"></a></h3>
Terry Jan Reedyaf4b0132018-06-10 15:48:41 -0400398<p>In this section, ‘C’ refers to the <kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">Control</kbd> key on Windows and Unix and
399the <kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">Command</kbd> key on Mac OSX.</p>
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400400<ul>
Terry Jan Reedyaf4b0132018-06-10 15:48:41 -0400401<li><p class="first"><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>
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400402</li>
Terry Jan Reedyaf4b0132018-06-10 15:48:41 -0400403<li><p class="first"><kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">C-Backspace</kbd> delete word left; <kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">C-Del</kbd> delete word to the right</p>
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400404</li>
Terry Jan Reedyaf4b0132018-06-10 15:48:41 -0400405<li><p class="first">Arrow keys and <kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">Page Up</kbd>/<kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">Page Down</kbd> to move around</p>
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400406</li>
Terry Jan Reedyaf4b0132018-06-10 15:48:41 -0400407<li><p class="first"><kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">C-LeftArrow</kbd> and <kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">C-RightArrow</kbd> moves by words</p>
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400408</li>
Terry Jan Reedyaf4b0132018-06-10 15:48:41 -0400409<li><p class="first"><kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">Home</kbd>/<kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">End</kbd> go to begin/end of line</p>
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400410</li>
Terry Jan Reedyaf4b0132018-06-10 15:48:41 -0400411<li><p class="first"><kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">C-Home</kbd>/<kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">C-End</kbd> go to begin/end of file</p>
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400412</li>
413<li><p class="first">Some useful Emacs bindings are inherited from Tcl/Tk:</p>
414<blockquote>
415<div><ul class="simple">
Terry Jan Reedyaf4b0132018-06-10 15:48:41 -0400416<li><kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">C-a</kbd> beginning of line</li>
417<li><kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">C-e</kbd> end of line</li>
418<li><kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">C-k</kbd> kill line (but doesn’t put it in clipboard)</li>
419<li><kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">C-l</kbd> center window around the insertion point</li>
420<li><kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">C-b</kbd> go backward one character without deleting (usually you can
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400421also use the cursor key for this)</li>
Terry Jan Reedyaf4b0132018-06-10 15:48:41 -0400422<li><kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">C-f</kbd> go forward one character without deleting (usually you can
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400423also use the cursor key for this)</li>
Terry Jan Reedyaf4b0132018-06-10 15:48:41 -0400424<li><kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">C-p</kbd> go up one line (usually you can also use the cursor key for
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400425this)</li>
Terry Jan Reedyaf4b0132018-06-10 15:48:41 -0400426<li><kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">C-d</kbd> delete next character</li>
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400427</ul>
428</div></blockquote>
429</li>
430</ul>
Terry Jan Reedyaf4b0132018-06-10 15:48:41 -0400431<p>Standard keybindings (like <kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">C-c</kbd> to copy and <kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">C-v</kbd> to paste)
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400432may work. Keybindings are selected in the Configure IDLE dialog.</p>
Terry Jan Reedyea9c8bd2018-10-28 20:42:18 -0400433</div>
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400434<div class="section" id="automatic-indentation">
Terry Jan Reedydb40cb52018-10-28 01:21:36 -0400435<h3>Automatic indentation<a class="headerlink" href="#automatic-indentation" title="Permalink to this headline"></a></h3>
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400436<p>After a block-opening statement, the next line is indented by 4 spaces (in the
437Python Shell window by one tab). After certain keywords (break, return etc.)
Terry Jan Reedyaf4b0132018-06-10 15:48:41 -0400438the next line is dedented. In leading indentation, <kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">Backspace</kbd> deletes up
439to 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 -0400440Shell window one tab), number depends on Indent width. Currently, tabs
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400441are restricted to four spaces due to Tcl/Tk limitations.</p>
442<p>See also the indent/dedent region commands in the edit menu.</p>
443</div>
444<div class="section" id="completions">
Terry Jan Reedydb40cb52018-10-28 01:21:36 -0400445<h3>Completions<a class="headerlink" href="#completions" title="Permalink to this headline"></a></h3>
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400446<p>Completions are supplied for functions, classes, and attributes of classes,
447both built-in and user-defined. Completions are also provided for
448filenames.</p>
449<p>The AutoCompleteWindow (ACW) will open after a predefined delay (default is
Terry Jan Reedyaf4b0132018-06-10 15:48:41 -0400450two seconds) after a ‘.’ or (in a string) an os.sep is typed. If after one
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400451of those characters (plus zero or more other characters) a tab is typed
452the ACW will open immediately if a possible continuation is found.</p>
453<p>If there is only one possible completion for the characters entered, a
Terry Jan Reedyaf4b0132018-06-10 15:48:41 -0400454<kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">Tab</kbd> will supply that completion without opening the ACW.</p>
455<p>‘Show Completions’ will force open a completions window, by default the
456<kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">C-space</kbd> will open a completions window. In an empty
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400457string, this will contain the files in the current directory. On a
458blank line, it will contain the built-in and user-defined functions and
terryjreedy188aedf2017-06-13 21:32:16 -0400459classes in the current namespaces, plus any modules imported. If some
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400460characters have been entered, the ACW will attempt to be more specific.</p>
461<p>If a string of characters is typed, the ACW selection will jump to the
Terry Jan Reedyaf4b0132018-06-10 15:48:41 -0400462entry most closely matching those characters. Entering a <kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">tab</kbd> will
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400463cause the longest non-ambiguous match to be entered in the Editor window or
Terry Jan Reedyaf4b0132018-06-10 15:48:41 -0400464Shell. Two <kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">tab</kbd> in a row will supply the current ACW selection, as
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400465will return or a double click. Cursor keys, Page Up/Down, mouse selection,
466and the scroll wheel all operate on the ACW.</p>
Terry Jan Reedyaf4b0132018-06-10 15:48:41 -0400467<p>“Hidden” attributes can be accessed by typing the beginning of hidden
468name after a ‘.’, e.g. ‘_’. This allows access to modules with
469<code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">__all__</span></code> set, or to class-private attributes.</p>
470<p>Completions and the ‘Expand Word’ facility can save a lot of typing!</p>
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400471<p>Completions are currently limited to those in the namespaces. Names in
Terry Jan Reedyaf4b0132018-06-10 15:48:41 -0400472an Editor window which are not via <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">__main__</span></code> and <a class="reference internal" href="sys.html#sys.modules" title="sys.modules"><code class="xref py py-data docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">sys.modules</span></code></a> will
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400473not be found. Run the module once with your imports to correct this situation.
474Note that IDLE itself places quite a few modules in sys.modules, so
475much can be found by default, e.g. the re module.</p>
Terry Jan Reedyaf4b0132018-06-10 15:48:41 -0400476<p>If you don’t like the ACW popping up unbidden, simply make the delay
Terry Jan Reedy37f81352015-09-29 01:55:57 -0400477longer or disable the extension.</p>
478</div>
479<div class="section" id="calltips">
Terry Jan Reedydb40cb52018-10-28 01:21:36 -0400480<h3>Calltips<a class="headerlink" href="#calltips" title="Permalink to this headline"></a></h3>
Terry Jan Reedyaf4b0132018-06-10 15:48:41 -0400481<p>A calltip is shown when one types <kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">(</kbd> after the name of an <em>accessible</em>
Terry Jan Reedy37f81352015-09-29 01:55:57 -0400482function. A name expression may include dots and subscripts. A calltip
483remains until it is clicked, the cursor is moved out of the argument area,
Terry Jan Reedyaf4b0132018-06-10 15:48:41 -0400484or <kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">)</kbd> is typed. When the cursor is in the argument part of a definition,
Terry Jan Reedy37f81352015-09-29 01:55:57 -0400485the menu or shortcut display a calltip.</p>
486<p>A calltip consists of the function signature and the first line of the
487docstring. For builtins without an accessible signature, the calltip
488consists of all lines up the fifth line or the first blank line. These
489details may change.</p>
490<p>The set of <em>accessible</em> functions depends on what modules have been imported
491into the user process, including those imported by Idle itself,
492and what definitions have been run, all since the last restart.</p>
Terry Jan Reedyaf4b0132018-06-10 15:48:41 -0400493<p>For example, restart the Shell and enter <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">itertools.count(</span></code>. A calltip
Terry Jan Reedy37f81352015-09-29 01:55:57 -0400494appears because Idle imports itertools into the user process for its own use.
Terry Jan Reedyaf4b0132018-06-10 15:48:41 -0400495(This could change.) Enter <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">turtle.write(</span></code> and nothing appears. Idle does
Terry Jan Reedy37f81352015-09-29 01:55:57 -0400496not import turtle. The menu or shortcut do nothing either. Enter
Terry Jan Reedyaf4b0132018-06-10 15:48:41 -0400497<code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">import</span> <span class="pre">turtle</span></code> and then <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">turtle.write(</span></code> will work.</p>
Terry Jan Reedy37f81352015-09-29 01:55:57 -0400498<p>In an editor, import statements have no effect until one runs the file. One
499might want to run a file after writing the import statements at the top,
500or immediately run an existing file before editing.</p>
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400501</div>
502<div class="section" id="python-shell-window">
Terry Jan Reedydb40cb52018-10-28 01:21:36 -0400503<h3>Python Shell window<a class="headerlink" href="#python-shell-window" title="Permalink to this headline"></a></h3>
Terry Jan Reedy68d6dc02018-10-28 12:44:44 -0400504<p>The editing features described above work when entering code interactively.
505IDLE’s Shell window also responds to the following keys.</p>
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400506<ul>
Terry Jan Reedyaf4b0132018-06-10 15:48:41 -0400507<li><p class="first"><kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">C-c</kbd> interrupts executing command</p>
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400508</li>
Terry Jan Reedyaf4b0132018-06-10 15:48:41 -0400509<li><p class="first"><kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">C-d</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>
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400510</li>
Terry Jan Reedyaf4b0132018-06-10 15:48:41 -0400511<li><p class="first"><kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">Alt-/</kbd> (Expand word) is also useful to reduce typing</p>
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400512<p>Command history</p>
513<ul class="simple">
Terry Jan Reedyaf4b0132018-06-10 15:48:41 -0400514<li><kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">Alt-p</kbd> retrieves previous command matching what you have typed. On
515OS X use <kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">C-p</kbd>.</li>
516<li><kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">Alt-n</kbd> retrieves next. On OS X use <kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">C-n</kbd>.</li>
517<li><kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">Return</kbd> while on any previous command retrieves that command</li>
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400518</ul>
519</li>
520</ul>
Terry Jan Reedy68d6dc02018-10-28 12:44:44 -0400521<p>Shell has a special facility for squeezing output lines down to a
522‘Squeezed text’ label. This is done automatically for output over N lines
523(N = 50 by default). N can be changed in the PyShell section of the General
524page of the Settings dialog. Output with fewer lines can be squeezed by
525right clicking on the output. This can be useful for extra long lines.</p>
526<p>Squeezed output is expanded in place by double-clicking the label.
527It can also be sent to the clipboard or a separate view window by
528right-clicking the label.</p>
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400529</div>
Terry Jan Reedyce021db2015-09-24 23:18:57 -0400530<div class="section" id="text-colors">
Terry Jan Reedydb40cb52018-10-28 01:21:36 -0400531<h3>Text colors<a class="headerlink" href="#text-colors" title="Permalink to this headline"></a></h3>
Terry Jan Reedyce021db2015-09-24 23:18:57 -0400532<p>Idle defaults to black on white text, but colors text with special meanings.
533For the shell, these are shell output, shell error, user output, and
534user error. For Python code, at the shell prompt or in an editor, these are
Terry Jan Reedyaf4b0132018-06-10 15:48:41 -0400535keywords, builtin class and function names, names following <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">class</span></code> and
536<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 -0400537present), found text (when possible), and selected text.</p>
538<p>Text coloring is done in the background, so uncolorized text is occasionally
539visible. To change the color scheme, use the Configure IDLE dialog
540Highlighting tab. The marking of debugger breakpoint lines in the editor and
541text in popups and dialogs is not user-configurable.</p>
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400542</div>
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400543</div>
Terry Jan Reedy0053c472015-09-24 03:09:43 -0400544<div class="section" id="startup-and-code-execution">
Terry Jan Reedydb40cb52018-10-28 01:21:36 -0400545<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 -0400546<p>Upon startup with the <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">-s</span></code> option, IDLE will execute the file referenced by
547the 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>.
548IDLE 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
549referenced is run. If <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">IDLESTARTUP</span></code> is not present, IDLE checks for
550<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 -0400551convenient places to store functions that are used frequently from the IDLE
552shell, or for executing import statements to import common modules.</p>
Terry Jan Reedyaf4b0132018-06-10 15:48:41 -0400553<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
554Tk file is loaded unconditionally. This additional file is <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">.Idle.py</span></code> and is
555looked for in the user’s home directory. Statements in this file will be
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400556executed in the Tk namespace, so this file is not useful for importing
Terry Jan Reedyaf4b0132018-06-10 15:48:41 -0400557functions to be used from IDLE’s Python shell.</p>
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400558<div class="section" id="command-line-usage">
Terry Jan Reedydb40cb52018-10-28 01:21:36 -0400559<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 -0400560<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 -0400561
Terry Jan Reedy968e2852015-09-23 03:52:23 -0400562-c command run command in the shell window
563-d enable debugger and open shell window
564-e open editor window
Terry Jan Reedy3399e1e2016-08-30 16:58:01 -0400565-h print help message with legal combinations and exit
Terry Jan Reedy968e2852015-09-23 03:52:23 -0400566-i open shell window
567-r file run file in shell window
568-s run $IDLESTARTUP or $PYTHONSTARTUP first, in shell window
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400569-t title set title of shell window
Terry Jan Reedy968e2852015-09-23 03:52:23 -0400570- run stdin in shell (- must be last option before args)
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400571</pre></div>
572</div>
573<p>If there are arguments:</p>
Terry Jan Reedy968e2852015-09-23 03:52:23 -0400574<ul class="simple">
Terry Jan Reedyaf4b0132018-06-10 15:48:41 -0400575<li>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
576<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>,
577or <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">'-r'</span></code>. No editor window is opened, even if that is the default
Terry Jan Reedy968e2852015-09-23 03:52:23 -0400578set in the Options dialog.</li>
579<li>Otherwise, arguments are files opened for editing and
Terry Jan Reedyaf4b0132018-06-10 15:48:41 -0400580<code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">sys.argv</span></code> reflects the arguments passed to IDLE itself.</li>
Terry Jan Reedy968e2852015-09-23 03:52:23 -0400581</ul>
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400582</div>
terryjreedy188aedf2017-06-13 21:32:16 -0400583<div class="section" id="startup-failure">
Terry Jan Reedydb40cb52018-10-28 01:21:36 -0400584<h3>Startup failure<a class="headerlink" href="#startup-failure" title="Permalink to this headline"></a></h3>
terryjreedy188aedf2017-06-13 21:32:16 -0400585<p>IDLE uses a socket to communicate between the IDLE GUI process and the user
586code execution process. A connection must be established whenever the Shell
587starts or restarts. (The latter is indicated by a divider line that says
Terry Jan Reedyaf4b0132018-06-10 15:48:41 -0400588‘RESTART’). If the user process fails to connect to the GUI process, it
589displays 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 -0400590user here. It then exits.</p>
591<p>A common cause of failure is a user-written file with the same name as a
592standard library module, such as <em>random.py</em> and <em>tkinter.py</em>. When such a
593file is located in the same directory as a file that is about to be run,
594IDLE cannot import the stdlib file. The current fix is to rename the
595user file.</p>
596<p>Though less common than in the past, an antivirus or firewall program may
597stop the connection. If the program cannot be taught to allow the
598connection, then it must be turned off for IDLE to work. It is safe to
599allow this internal connection because no data is visible on external
600ports. A similar problem is a network mis-configuration that blocks
601connections.</p>
602<p>Python installation issues occasionally stop IDLE: multiple versions can
603clash, or a single installation might need admin access. If one undo the
604clash, or cannot or does not want to run as admin, it might be easiest to
605completely remove Python and start over.</p>
606<p>A zombie pythonw.exe process could be a problem. On Windows, use Task
607Manager to detect and stop one. Sometimes a restart initiated by a program
608crash or Keyboard Interrupt (control-C) may fail to connect. Dismissing
609the error box or Restart Shell on the Shell menu may fix a temporary problem.</p>
610<p>When IDLE first starts, it attempts to read user configuration files in
Terry Jan Reedyaf4b0132018-06-10 15:48:41 -0400611~/.idlerc/ (~ is one’s home directory). If there is a problem, an error
terryjreedy188aedf2017-06-13 21:32:16 -0400612message should be displayed. Leaving aside random disk glitches, this can
613be prevented by never editing the files by hand, using the configuration
614dialog, under Options, instead Options. Once it happens, the solution may
615be to delete one or more of the configuration files.</p>
616<p>If IDLE quits with no message, and it was not started from a console, try
Terry Jan Reedyaf4b0132018-06-10 15:48:41 -0400617starting from a console (<code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">python</span> <span class="pre">-m</span> <span class="pre">idlelib)</span></code> and see if a message appears.</p>
terryjreedy188aedf2017-06-13 21:32:16 -0400618</div>
Terry Jan Reedy0053c472015-09-24 03:09:43 -0400619<div class="section" id="idle-console-differences">
Terry Jan Reedydb40cb52018-10-28 01:21:36 -0400620<h3>IDLE-console differences<a class="headerlink" href="#idle-console-differences" title="Permalink to this headline"></a></h3>
Terry Jan Reedy98758bc2017-09-12 09:05:16 -0400621<p>With rare exceptions, the result of executing Python code with IDLE is
622intended to be the same as executing the same code in a console window.
623However, the different interface and operation occasionally affect
Terry Jan Reedyaf4b0132018-06-10 15:48:41 -0400624visible results. For instance, <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">sys.modules</span></code> starts with more entries.</p>
625<p>IDLE also 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> with
Terry Jan Reedy929d7f82016-05-02 18:30:02 -0400626objects that get input from and send output to the Shell window.
Terry Jan Reedy98758bc2017-09-12 09:05:16 -0400627When Shell has the focus, it controls the keyboard and screen. This is
628normally transparent, but functions that directly access the keyboard
Terry Jan Reedyaf4b0132018-06-10 15:48:41 -0400629and screen will not work. If <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">sys</span></code> is reset with <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">importlib.reload(sys)</span></code>,
630IDLE’s changes are lost and things like <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">input</span></code>, <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">raw_input</span></code>, and
631<code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">print</span></code> will not work correctly.</p>
632<p>With IDLE’s Shell, one enters, edits, and recalls complete statements.
Terry Jan Reedy1f8cc332016-08-25 01:22:30 -0400633Some consoles only work with a single physical line at a time. IDLE uses
Terry Jan Reedyaf4b0132018-06-10 15:48:41 -0400634<code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">exec</span></code> to run each statement. As a result, <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">'__builtins__'</span></code> is always
Terry Jan Reedy1f8cc332016-08-25 01:22:30 -0400635defined for each statement.</p>
Terry Jan Reedy0053c472015-09-24 03:09:43 -0400636</div>
Terry Jan Reedy98758bc2017-09-12 09:05:16 -0400637<div class="section" id="developing-tkinter-applications">
Terry Jan Reedydb40cb52018-10-28 01:21:36 -0400638<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 -0400639<p>IDLE is intentionally different from standard Python in order to
Terry Jan Reedyaf4b0132018-06-10 15:48:41 -0400640facilitate 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 -0400641<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
642in IDLE and a tk window appears. In standard Python, one must also enter
Terry Jan Reedyaf4b0132018-06-10 15:48:41 -0400643<code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">root.update()</span></code> to see the window. IDLE does the equivalent in the
Terry Jan Reedy98758bc2017-09-12 09:05:16 -0400644background, about 20 times a second, which is about every 50 milleseconds.
Terry Jan Reedyaf4b0132018-06-10 15:48:41 -0400645Next 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,
646nothing visibly changes in standard Python until one enters <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">root.update()</span></code>.</p>
647<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 -0400648return until the tk app is destroyed. If the program is run with
Terry Jan Reedyaf4b0132018-06-10 15:48:41 -0400649<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
650appear 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 -0400651to interact with.</p>
652<p>When running a tkinter program from an IDLE editor, one can comment out
653the mainloop call. One then gets a shell prompt immediately and can
654interact with the live application. One just has to remember to
655re-enable the mainloop call when running in standard Python.</p>
656</div>
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400657<div class="section" id="running-without-a-subprocess">
Terry Jan Reedydb40cb52018-10-28 01:21:36 -0400658<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 -0400659<p>By default, IDLE executes user code in a separate subprocess via a socket,
Terry Jan Reedy6e10ec52015-09-23 20:00:33 -0400660which uses the internal loopback interface. This connection is not
661externally visible and no data is sent to or received from the Internet.
662If firewall software complains anyway, you can ignore it.</p>
663<p>If the attempt to make the socket connection fails, Idle will notify you.
664Such failures are sometimes transient, but if persistent, the problem
terryjreedy188aedf2017-06-13 21:32:16 -0400665may be either a firewall blocking the connection or misconfiguration of
Terry Jan Reedy6e10ec52015-09-23 20:00:33 -0400666a particular system. Until the problem is fixed, one can run Idle with
667the -n command line switch.</p>
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400668<p>If IDLE is started with the -n command line switch it will run in a
669single process and will not create the subprocess which runs the RPC
670Python execution server. This can be useful if Python cannot create
671the subprocess or the RPC socket interface on your platform. However,
672in this mode user code is not isolated from IDLE itself. Also, the
673environment is not restarted when Run/Run Module (F5) is selected. If
674your code has been modified, you must reload() the affected modules and
675re-import any specific items (e.g. from foo import baz) if the changes
676are to take effect. For these reasons, it is preferable to run IDLE
677with the default subprocess if at all possible.</p>
678<div class="deprecated">
679<p><span class="versionmodified">Deprecated since version 3.4.</span></p>
680</div>
681</div>
682</div>
683<div class="section" id="help-and-preferences">
Terry Jan Reedydb40cb52018-10-28 01:21:36 -0400684<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 -0400685<div class="section" id="help-sources">
686<h3>Help sources<a class="headerlink" href="#help-sources" title="Permalink to this headline"></a></h3>
687<p>Help menu entry “IDLE Help” displays a formatted html version of the
688IDLE chapter of the Library Reference. The result, in a read-only
689tkinter text window, is close to what one sees in a web browser.
690Navigate through the text with a mousewheel,
691the scrollbar, or up and down arrow keys held down.
692Or click the TOC (Table of Contents) button and select a section
693header in the opened box.</p>
694<p>Help menu entry “Python Docs” opens the extensive sources of help,
695including tutorials, available at docs.python.org/x.y, where ‘x.y’
696is the currently running Python version. If your system
697has an off-line copy of the docs (this may be an installation option),
698that will be opened instead.</p>
699<p>Selected URLs can be added or removed from the help menu at any time using the
700General tab of the Configure IDLE dialog .</p>
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400701</div>
702<div class="section" id="setting-preferences">
Terry Jan Reedydb40cb52018-10-28 01:21:36 -0400703<h3>Setting preferences<a class="headerlink" href="#setting-preferences" title="Permalink to this headline"></a></h3>
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400704<p>The font preferences, highlighting, keys, and general preferences can be
705changed via Configure IDLE on the Option menu. Keys can be user defined;
terryjreedy188aedf2017-06-13 21:32:16 -0400706IDLE ships with four built-in key sets. In addition, a user can create a
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400707custom key set in the Configure IDLE dialog under the keys tab.</p>
708</div>
709<div class="section" id="extensions">
Terry Jan Reedydb40cb52018-10-28 01:21:36 -0400710<h3>Extensions<a class="headerlink" href="#extensions" title="Permalink to this headline"></a></h3>
terryjreedy188aedf2017-06-13 21:32:16 -0400711<p>IDLE contains an extension facility. Preferences for extensions can be
Terry Jan Reedyadb4cd22017-09-12 07:45:15 -0400712changed with the Extensions tab of the preferences dialog. See the
713beginning of config-extensions.def in the idlelib directory for further
714information. The only current default extension is zzdummy, an example
Terry Jan Reedy98758bc2017-09-12 09:05:16 -0400715also used for testing.</p>
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400716</div>
717</div>
718</div>
719
720
721 </div>
722 </div>
723 </div>
Terry Jan Reedyf8cd02d2016-03-01 00:29:57 -0500724 <div class="sphinxsidebar" role="navigation" aria-label="main navigation">
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400725 <div class="sphinxsidebarwrapper">
Terry Jan Reedydb40cb52018-10-28 01:21:36 -0400726 <h3><a href="../contents.html">Table of Contents</a></h3>
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400727 <ul>
Terry Jan Reedydb40cb52018-10-28 01:21:36 -0400728<li><a class="reference internal" href="#">IDLE</a><ul>
729<li><a class="reference internal" href="#menus">Menus</a><ul>
730<li><a class="reference internal" href="#file-menu-shell-and-editor">File menu (Shell and Editor)</a></li>
731<li><a class="reference internal" href="#edit-menu-shell-and-editor">Edit menu (Shell and Editor)</a></li>
732<li><a class="reference internal" href="#format-menu-editor-window-only">Format menu (Editor window only)</a></li>
733<li><a class="reference internal" href="#run-menu-editor-window-only">Run menu (Editor window only)</a></li>
734<li><a class="reference internal" href="#shell-menu-shell-window-only">Shell menu (Shell window only)</a></li>
735<li><a class="reference internal" href="#debug-menu-shell-window-only">Debug menu (Shell window only)</a></li>
736<li><a class="reference internal" href="#options-menu-shell-and-editor">Options menu (Shell and Editor)</a></li>
737<li><a class="reference internal" href="#window-menu-shell-and-editor">Window menu (Shell and Editor)</a></li>
738<li><a class="reference internal" href="#help-menu-shell-and-editor">Help menu (Shell and Editor)</a></li>
739<li><a class="reference internal" href="#context-menus">Context Menus</a></li>
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400740</ul>
741</li>
Terry Jan Reedydb40cb52018-10-28 01:21:36 -0400742<li><a class="reference internal" href="#editing-and-navigation">Editing and navigation</a><ul>
Terry Jan Reedyea9c8bd2018-10-28 20:42:18 -0400743<li><a class="reference internal" href="#editor-windows">Editor windows</a></li>
744<li><a class="reference internal" href="#key-bindings">Key bindings</a></li>
Terry Jan Reedydb40cb52018-10-28 01:21:36 -0400745<li><a class="reference internal" href="#automatic-indentation">Automatic indentation</a></li>
746<li><a class="reference internal" href="#completions">Completions</a></li>
747<li><a class="reference internal" href="#calltips">Calltips</a></li>
748<li><a class="reference internal" href="#python-shell-window">Python Shell window</a></li>
749<li><a class="reference internal" href="#text-colors">Text colors</a></li>
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400750</ul>
751</li>
Terry Jan Reedydb40cb52018-10-28 01:21:36 -0400752<li><a class="reference internal" href="#startup-and-code-execution">Startup and code execution</a><ul>
753<li><a class="reference internal" href="#command-line-usage">Command line usage</a></li>
754<li><a class="reference internal" href="#startup-failure">Startup failure</a></li>
755<li><a class="reference internal" href="#idle-console-differences">IDLE-console differences</a></li>
756<li><a class="reference internal" href="#developing-tkinter-applications">Developing tkinter applications</a></li>
757<li><a class="reference internal" href="#running-without-a-subprocess">Running without a subprocess</a></li>
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400758</ul>
759</li>
Terry Jan Reedydb40cb52018-10-28 01:21:36 -0400760<li><a class="reference internal" href="#help-and-preferences">Help and preferences</a><ul>
Terry Jan Reedy18032632018-10-28 16:21:18 -0400761<li><a class="reference internal" href="#help-sources">Help sources</a></li>
Terry Jan Reedydb40cb52018-10-28 01:21:36 -0400762<li><a class="reference internal" href="#setting-preferences">Setting preferences</a></li>
763<li><a class="reference internal" href="#extensions">Extensions</a></li>
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400764</ul>
765</li>
766</ul>
767</li>
768</ul>
769
770 <h4>Previous topic</h4>
771 <p class="topless"><a href="tkinter.scrolledtext.html"
Terry Jan Reedydb40cb52018-10-28 01:21:36 -0400772 title="previous chapter"><code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">tkinter.scrolledtext</span></code> — Scrolled Text Widget</a></p>
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400773 <h4>Next topic</h4>
774 <p class="topless"><a href="othergui.html"
Terry Jan Reedydb40cb52018-10-28 01:21:36 -0400775 title="next chapter">Other Graphical User Interface Packages</a></p>
Terry Jan Reedy4b736762016-09-12 01:50:03 -0400776 <div role="note" aria-label="source link">
777 <h3>This Page</h3>
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783 </a>
784 </li>
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786 </div>
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788 </div>
789 <div class="clearer"></div>
Terry Jan Reedy963a38b2015-09-20 20:03:01 -0400790 </div>
Terry Jan Reedyf8cd02d2016-03-01 00:29:57 -0500791 <div class="related" role="navigation" aria-label="related navigation">
Terry Jan Reedy5d46ab12015-09-20 19:57:13 -0400792 <h3>Navigation</h3>
793 <ul>
794 <li class="right" style="margin-right: 10px">
795 <a href="../genindex.html" title="General Index"
796 >index</a></li>
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799 >modules</a> |</li>
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Terry Jan Reedydb40cb52018-10-28 01:21:36 -0400801 <a href="othergui.html" title="Other Graphical User Interface Packages"
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803 <li class="right" >
Terry Jan Reedydb40cb52018-10-28 01:21:36 -0400804 <a href="tkinter.scrolledtext.html" title="tkinter.scrolledtext — Scrolled Text Widget"
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Terry Jan Reedy68d6dc02018-10-28 12:44:44 -0400844 Last updated on Oct 28, 2018.
Terry Jan Reedyaf4b0132018-06-10 15:48:41 -0400845 <a href="https://docs.python.org/3/bugs.html">Found a bug</a>?
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