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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"> <html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"> <head> <meta http-equiv="X-UA-Compatible" content="IE=Edge" /> <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /> <title>24.6. IDLE — Python 2.7.18 documentation</title> <link rel="stylesheet" href="../_static/classic.css" type="text/css" /> <link rel="stylesheet" href="../_static/pygments.css" type="text/css" /> <script type="text/javascript" id="documentation_options" data-url_root="../" src="../_static/documentation_options.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="../_static/jquery.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="../_static/underscore.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="../_static/doctools.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="../_static/language_data.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="../_static/sidebar.js"></script> <link rel="search" type="application/opensearchdescription+xml" title="Search within Python 2.7.18 documentation" href="../_static/opensearch.xml"/> <link rel="author" title="About these documents" href="../about.html" /> <link rel="index" title="Index" href="../genindex.html" /> <link rel="search" title="Search" href="../search.html" /> <link rel="copyright" title="Copyright" href="../copyright.html" /> <link rel="next" title="24.7. Other Graphical User Interface Packages" href="othergui.html" /> <link rel="prev" title="24.5. turtle — Turtle graphics for Tk" href="turtle.html" /> <link rel="shortcut icon" type="image/png" href="../_static/py.png" /> <link rel="canonical" href="file:///usr/share/doc/python2.7/html/library/idle.html" /> <script type="text/javascript" src="../_static/copybutton.js"></script> </head><body> <div id="outdated-warning" style="padding: .5em; text-align: center; background-color: #FFBABA; color: #6A0E0E;"> This document is for an old version of Python that is <a href="https://devguide.python.org/devcycle/#end-of-life-branches">no longer supported</a>. You should install the python3 and python3-doc packages and read the <a href="file:///usr/share/doc/python3-doc/html/library/idle.html"> Python documentation for the Python3 version packaged in this release</a>. </div> <div class="related" role="navigation" aria-label="related navigation"> <h3>Navigation</h3> <ul> <li class="right" style="margin-right: 10px"> <a href="../genindex.html" title="General Index" accesskey="I">index</a></li> <li class="right" > <a href="../py-modindex.html" title="Python Module Index" >modules</a> |</li> <li class="right" > <a href="othergui.html" title="24.7. Other Graphical User Interface Packages" accesskey="N">next</a> |</li> <li class="right" > <a href="turtle.html" title="24.5. turtle — Turtle graphics for Tk" accesskey="P">previous</a> |</li> <li><img src="../_static/py.png" alt="" style="vertical-align: middle; margin-top: -1px"/></li> <li><a href="https://www.python.org/">Python</a> »</li> <li> <a href="../index.html">Python 2.7.18 documentation</a> » </li> <li class="nav-item nav-item-1"><a href="index.html" >The Python Standard Library</a> »</li> <li class="nav-item nav-item-2"><a href="tk.html" accesskey="U">24. Graphical User Interfaces with Tk</a> »</li> </ul> </div> <div class="document"> <div class="documentwrapper"> <div class="bodywrapper"> <div class="body" role="main"> <div class="section" id="idle"> <span id="id1"></span><h1>24.6. IDLE<a class="headerlink" href="#idle" title="Permalink to this headline">¶</a></h1> <p id="index-0">IDLE is Python’s Integrated Development and Learning Environment.</p> <p>IDLE has the following features:</p> <ul class="simple"> <li>coded in 100% pure Python, using the <code class="xref py py-mod docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">tkinter</span></code> GUI toolkit</li> <li>cross-platform: works mostly the same on Windows, Unix, and Mac OS X</li> <li>Python shell window (interactive interpreter) with colorizing of code input, output, and error messages</li> <li>multi-window text editor with multiple undo, Python colorizing, smart indent, call tips, auto completion, and other features</li> <li>search within any window, replace within editor windows, and search through multiple files (grep)</li> <li>debugger with persistent breakpoints, stepping, and viewing of global and local namespaces</li> <li>configuration, browsers, and other dialogs</li> </ul> <div class="section" id="menus"> <h2>24.6.1. Menus<a class="headerlink" href="#menus" title="Permalink to this headline">¶</a></h2> <p>IDLE has two main window types, the Shell window and the Editor window. It is possible to have multiple editor windows simultaneously. Output windows, such as used for Edit / Find in Files, are a subtype of edit window. They currently have the same top menu as Editor windows but a different default title and context menu.</p> <p>IDLE’s menus dynamically change based on which window is currently selected. Each menu documented below indicates which window type it is associated with.</p> <div class="section" id="file-menu-shell-and-editor"> <h3>24.6.1.1. File menu (Shell and Editor)<a class="headerlink" href="#file-menu-shell-and-editor" title="Permalink to this headline">¶</a></h3> <dl class="docutils"> <dt>New File</dt> <dd>Create a new file editing window.</dd> <dt>Open…</dt> <dd>Open an existing file with an Open dialog.</dd> <dt>Recent Files</dt> <dd>Open a list of recent files. Click one to open it.</dd> <dt>Open Module…</dt> <dd>Open an existing module (searches sys.path).</dd> </dl> <dl class="docutils" id="index-1"> <dt>Class Browser</dt> <dd>Show functions, classes, and methods in the current Editor file in a tree structure. In the shell, open a module first.</dd> <dt>Path Browser</dt> <dd>Show sys.path directories, modules, functions, classes and methods in a tree structure.</dd> <dt>Save</dt> <dd>Save the current window to the associated file, if there is one. Windows that have been changed since being opened or last saved have a * before and after the window title. If there is no associated file, do Save As instead.</dd> <dt>Save As…</dt> <dd>Save the current window with a Save As dialog. The file saved becomes the new associated file for the window.</dd> <dt>Save Copy As…</dt> <dd>Save the current window to different file without changing the associated file.</dd> <dt>Print Window</dt> <dd>Print the current window to the default printer.</dd> <dt>Close</dt> <dd>Close the current window (ask to save if unsaved).</dd> <dt>Exit</dt> <dd>Close all windows and quit IDLE (ask to save unsaved windows).</dd> </dl> </div> <div class="section" id="edit-menu-shell-and-editor"> <h3>24.6.1.2. Edit menu (Shell and Editor)<a class="headerlink" href="#edit-menu-shell-and-editor" title="Permalink to this headline">¶</a></h3> <dl class="docutils"> <dt>Undo</dt> <dd>Undo the last change to the current window. A maximum of 1000 changes may be undone.</dd> <dt>Redo</dt> <dd>Redo the last undone change to the current window.</dd> <dt>Cut</dt> <dd>Copy selection into the system-wide clipboard; then delete the selection.</dd> <dt>Copy</dt> <dd>Copy selection into the system-wide clipboard.</dd> <dt>Paste</dt> <dd>Insert contents of the system-wide clipboard into the current window.</dd> </dl> <p>The clipboard functions are also available in context menus.</p> <dl class="docutils"> <dt>Select All</dt> <dd>Select the entire contents of the current window.</dd> <dt>Find…</dt> <dd>Open a search dialog with many options</dd> <dt>Find Again</dt> <dd>Repeat the last search, if there is one.</dd> <dt>Find Selection</dt> <dd>Search for the currently selected string, if there is one.</dd> <dt>Find in Files…</dt> <dd>Open a file search dialog. Put results in a new output window.</dd> <dt>Replace…</dt> <dd>Open a search-and-replace dialog.</dd> <dt>Go to Line</dt> <dd>Move cursor to the line number requested and make that line visible.</dd> <dt>Show Completions</dt> <dd>Open a scrollable list allowing selection of keywords and attributes. See Completions in the Tips sections below.</dd> <dt>Expand Word</dt> <dd>Expand a prefix you have typed to match a full word in the same window; repeat to get a different expansion.</dd> <dt>Show call tip</dt> <dd>After an unclosed parenthesis for a function, open a small window with function parameter hints.</dd> <dt>Show surrounding parens</dt> <dd>Highlight the surrounding parenthesis.</dd> </dl> </div> <div class="section" id="format-menu-editor-window-only"> <h3>24.6.1.3. Format menu (Editor window only)<a class="headerlink" href="#format-menu-editor-window-only" title="Permalink to this headline">¶</a></h3> <dl class="docutils"> <dt>Indent Region</dt> <dd>Shift selected lines right by the indent width (default 4 spaces).</dd> <dt>Dedent Region</dt> <dd>Shift selected lines left by the indent width (default 4 spaces).</dd> <dt>Comment Out Region</dt> <dd>Insert ## in front of selected lines.</dd> <dt>Uncomment Region</dt> <dd>Remove leading # or ## from selected lines.</dd> <dt>Tabify Region</dt> <dd>Turn <em>leading</em> stretches of spaces into tabs. (Note: We recommend using 4 space blocks to indent Python code.)</dd> <dt>Untabify Region</dt> <dd>Turn <em>all</em> tabs into the correct number of spaces.</dd> <dt>Toggle Tabs</dt> <dd>Open a dialog to switch between indenting with spaces and tabs.</dd> <dt>New Indent Width</dt> <dd>Open a dialog to change indent width. The accepted default by the Python community is 4 spaces.</dd> <dt>Format Paragraph</dt> <dd>Reformat the current blank-line-delimited paragraph in comment block or multiline string or selected line in a string. All lines in the paragraph will be formatted to less than N columns, where N defaults to 72.</dd> <dt>Strip trailing whitespace</dt> <dd>Remove any space characters after the last non-space character of a line.</dd> </dl> </div> <div class="section" id="run-menu-editor-window-only"> <span id="index-2"></span><h3>24.6.1.4. Run menu (Editor window only)<a class="headerlink" href="#run-menu-editor-window-only" title="Permalink to this headline">¶</a></h3> <dl class="docutils"> <dt>Python Shell</dt> <dd>Open or wake up the Python Shell window.</dd> <dt>Check Module</dt> <dd>Check the syntax of the module currently open in the Editor window. If the module has not been saved IDLE will either prompt the user to save or autosave, as selected in the General tab of the Idle Settings dialog. If there is a syntax error, the approximate location is indicated in the Editor window.</dd> <dt>Run Module</dt> <dd>Do Check Module (above). If no error, restart the shell to clean the environment, then execute the module. Output is displayed in the Shell window. 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>. When execution is complete, the Shell retains focus and displays a prompt. At this point, one may interactively explore the result of execution. This 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 line.</dd> </dl> </div> <div class="section" id="shell-menu-shell-window-only"> <h3>24.6.1.5. Shell menu (Shell window only)<a class="headerlink" href="#shell-menu-shell-window-only" title="Permalink to this headline">¶</a></h3> <dl class="docutils"> <dt>View Last Restart</dt> <dd>Scroll the shell window to the last Shell restart.</dd> <dt>Restart Shell</dt> <dd>Restart the shell to clean the environment.</dd> <dt>Interrupt Execution</dt> <dd>Stop a running program.</dd> </dl> </div> <div class="section" id="debug-menu-shell-window-only"> <h3>24.6.1.6. Debug menu (Shell window only)<a class="headerlink" href="#debug-menu-shell-window-only" title="Permalink to this headline">¶</a></h3> <dl class="docutils"> <dt>Go to File/Line</dt> <dd>Look on the current line. with the cursor, and the line above for a filename and line number. If found, open the file if not already open, and show the line. Use this to view source lines referenced in an exception traceback and lines found by Find in Files. Also available in the context menu of the Shell window and Output windows.</dd> </dl> <dl class="docutils" id="index-3"> <dt>Debugger (toggle)</dt> <dd>When activated, code entered in the Shell or run from an Editor will run under the debugger. In the Editor, breakpoints can be set with the context menu. This feature is still incomplete and somewhat experimental.</dd> <dt>Stack Viewer</dt> <dd>Show the stack traceback of the last exception in a tree widget, with access to locals and globals.</dd> <dt>Auto-open Stack Viewer</dt> <dd>Toggle automatically opening the stack viewer on an unhandled exception.</dd> </dl> </div> <div class="section" id="options-menu-shell-and-editor"> <h3>24.6.1.7. Options menu (Shell and Editor)<a class="headerlink" href="#options-menu-shell-and-editor" title="Permalink to this headline">¶</a></h3> <dl class="docutils"> <dt>Configure IDLE</dt> <dd><p class="first">Open a configuration dialog and change preferences for the following: fonts, indentation, keybindings, text color themes, startup windows and size, additional help sources, and extensions (see below). On OS X, open the configuration dialog by selecting Preferences in the application menu. To use a new built-in color theme (IDLE Dark) with older IDLEs, save it as a new custom theme.</p> <p class="last">Non-default user settings are saved in a .idlerc directory in the user’s home directory. Problems caused by bad user configuration files are solved by editing or deleting one or more of the files in .idlerc.</p> </dd> <dt>Code Context (toggle)(Editor Window only)</dt> <dd>Open a pane at the top of the edit window which shows the block context of the code which has scrolled above the top of the window.</dd> </dl> </div> <div class="section" id="window-menu-shell-and-editor"> <h3>24.6.1.8. Window menu (Shell and Editor)<a class="headerlink" href="#window-menu-shell-and-editor" title="Permalink to this headline">¶</a></h3> <dl class="docutils"> <dt>Zoom Height</dt> <dd>Toggles the window between normal size and maximum height. The initial size defaults to 40 lines by 80 chars unless changed on the General tab of the Configure IDLE dialog.</dd> </dl> <p>The rest of this menu lists the names of all open windows; select one to bring it to the foreground (deiconifying it if necessary).</p> </div> <div class="section" id="help-menu-shell-and-editor"> <h3>24.6.1.9. Help menu (Shell and Editor)<a class="headerlink" href="#help-menu-shell-and-editor" title="Permalink to this headline">¶</a></h3> <dl class="docutils"> <dt>About IDLE</dt> <dd>Display version, copyright, license, credits, and more.</dd> <dt>IDLE Help</dt> <dd>Display a help file for IDLE detailing the menu options, basic editing and navigation, and other tips.</dd> <dt>Python Docs</dt> <dd>Access local Python documentation, if installed, or start a web browser and open docs.python.org showing the latest Python documentation.</dd> <dt>Turtle Demo</dt> <dd>Run the turtledemo module with example python code and turtle drawings.</dd> </dl> <p>Additional help sources may be added here with the Configure IDLE dialog under the General tab.</p> </div> <div class="section" id="context-menus"> <span id="index-4"></span><h3>24.6.1.10. Context Menus<a class="headerlink" href="#context-menus" title="Permalink to this headline">¶</a></h3> <p>Open a context menu by right-clicking in a window (Control-click on OS X). Context menus have the standard clipboard functions also on the Edit menu.</p> <dl class="docutils"> <dt>Cut</dt> <dd>Copy selection into the system-wide clipboard; then delete the selection.</dd> <dt>Copy</dt> <dd>Copy selection into the system-wide clipboard.</dd> <dt>Paste</dt> <dd>Insert contents of the system-wide clipboard into the current window.</dd> </dl> <p>Editor windows also have breakpoint functions. Lines with a breakpoint set are specially marked. Breakpoints only have an effect when running under the debugger. Breakpoints for a file are saved in the user’s .idlerc directory.</p> <dl class="docutils"> <dt>Set Breakpoint</dt> <dd>Set a breakpoint on the current line.</dd> <dt>Clear Breakpoint</dt> <dd>Clear the breakpoint on that line.</dd> </dl> <p>Shell and Output windows have the following.</p> <dl class="docutils"> <dt>Go to file/line</dt> <dd>Same as in Debug menu.</dd> </dl> </div> </div> <div class="section" id="editing-and-navigation"> <h2>24.6.2. Editing and navigation<a class="headerlink" href="#editing-and-navigation" title="Permalink to this headline">¶</a></h2> <p>In this section, ‘C’ refers to the <kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">Control</kbd> key on Windows and Unix and the <kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">Command</kbd> key on Mac OSX.</p> <ul> <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> </li> <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> </li> <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> </li> <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> </li> <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> </li> <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> </li> <li><p class="first">Some useful Emacs bindings are inherited from Tcl/Tk:</p> <blockquote> <div><ul class="simple"> <li><kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">C-a</kbd> beginning of line</li> <li><kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">C-e</kbd> end of line</li> <li><kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">C-k</kbd> kill line (but doesn’t put it in clipboard)</li> <li><kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">C-l</kbd> center window around the insertion point</li> <li><kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">C-b</kbd> go backward one character without deleting (usually you can also use the cursor key for this)</li> <li><kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">C-f</kbd> go forward one character without deleting (usually you can also use the cursor key for this)</li> <li><kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">C-p</kbd> go up one line (usually you can also use the cursor key for this)</li> <li><kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">C-d</kbd> delete next character</li> </ul> </div></blockquote> </li> </ul> <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) may work. Keybindings are selected in the Configure IDLE dialog.</p> <div class="section" id="automatic-indentation"> <h3>24.6.2.1. Automatic indentation<a class="headerlink" href="#automatic-indentation" title="Permalink to this headline">¶</a></h3> <p>After a block-opening statement, the next line is indented by 4 spaces (in the Python Shell window by one tab). After certain keywords (break, return etc.) the next line is dedented. In leading indentation, <kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">Backspace</kbd> deletes up to 4 spaces if they are there. <kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">Tab</kbd> inserts spaces (in the Python Shell window one tab), number depends on Indent width. Currently, tabs are restricted to four spaces due to Tcl/Tk limitations.</p> <p>See also the indent/dedent region commands in the edit menu.</p> </div> <div class="section" id="completions"> <h3>24.6.2.2. Completions<a class="headerlink" href="#completions" title="Permalink to this headline">¶</a></h3> <p>Completions are supplied for functions, classes, and attributes of classes, both built-in and user-defined. Completions are also provided for filenames.</p> <p>The AutoCompleteWindow (ACW) will open after a predefined delay (default is two seconds) after a ‘.’ or (in a string) an os.sep is typed. If after one of those characters (plus zero or more other characters) a tab is typed the ACW will open immediately if a possible continuation is found.</p> <p>If there is only one possible completion for the characters entered, a <kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">Tab</kbd> will supply that completion without opening the ACW.</p> <p>‘Show Completions’ will force open a completions window, by default the <kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">C-space</kbd> will open a completions window. In an empty string, this will contain the files in the current directory. On a blank line, it will contain the built-in and user-defined functions and classes in the current namespaces, plus any modules imported. If some characters have been entered, the ACW will attempt to be more specific.</p> <p>If a string of characters is typed, the ACW selection will jump to the entry most closely matching those characters. Entering a <kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">tab</kbd> will cause the longest non-ambiguous match to be entered in the Editor window or Shell. Two <kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">tab</kbd> in a row will supply the current ACW selection, as will return or a double click. Cursor keys, Page Up/Down, mouse selection, and the scroll wheel all operate on the ACW.</p> <p>“Hidden” attributes can be accessed by typing the beginning of hidden name after a ‘.’, e.g. ‘_’. This allows access to modules with <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">__all__</span></code> set, or to class-private attributes.</p> <p>Completions and the ‘Expand Word’ facility can save a lot of typing!</p> <p>Completions are currently limited to those in the namespaces. Names in an 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 not be found. Run the module once with your imports to correct this situation. Note that IDLE itself places quite a few modules in sys.modules, so much can be found by default, e.g. the re module.</p> <p>If you don’t like the ACW popping up unbidden, simply make the delay longer or disable the extension.</p> </div> <div class="section" id="calltips"> <h3>24.6.2.3. Calltips<a class="headerlink" href="#calltips" title="Permalink to this headline">¶</a></h3> <p>A calltip is shown when one types <kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">(</kbd> after the name of an <em>accessible</em> function. A name expression may include dots and subscripts. A calltip remains until it is clicked, the cursor is moved out of the argument area, or <kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">)</kbd> is typed. When the cursor is in the argument part of a definition, the menu or shortcut display a calltip.</p> <p>A calltip consists of the function signature and the first line of the docstring. For builtins without an accessible signature, the calltip consists of all lines up the fifth line or the first blank line. These details may change.</p> <p>The set of <em>accessible</em> functions depends on what modules have been imported into the user process, including those imported by Idle itself, and what definitions have been run, all since the last restart.</p> <p>For example, restart the Shell and enter <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">itertools.count(</span></code>. A calltip appears because Idle imports itertools into the user process for its own use. (This could change.) Enter <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">turtle.write(</span></code> and nothing appears. Idle does not import turtle. The menu or shortcut do nothing either. Enter <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> <p>In an editor, import statements have no effect until one runs the file. One might want to run a file after writing the import statements at the top, or immediately run an existing file before editing.</p> </div> <div class="section" id="python-shell-window"> <h3>24.6.2.4. Python Shell window<a class="headerlink" href="#python-shell-window" title="Permalink to this headline">¶</a></h3> <ul> <li><p class="first"><kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">C-c</kbd> interrupts executing command</p> </li> <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">>>></span></code> prompt</p> </li> <li><p class="first"><kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">Alt-/</kbd> (Expand word) is also useful to reduce typing</p> <p>Command history</p> <ul class="simple"> <li><kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">Alt-p</kbd> retrieves previous command matching what you have typed. On OS X use <kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">C-p</kbd>.</li> <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> <li><kbd class="kbd docutils literal notranslate">Return</kbd> while on any previous command retrieves that command</li> </ul> </li> </ul> </div> <div class="section" id="text-colors"> <h3>24.6.2.5. Text colors<a class="headerlink" href="#text-colors" title="Permalink to this headline">¶</a></h3> <p>Idle defaults to black on white text, but colors text with special meanings. For the shell, these are shell output, shell error, user output, and user error. For Python code, at the shell prompt or in an editor, these are keywords, builtin class and function names, names following <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">class</span></code> and <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">def</span></code>, strings, and comments. For any text window, these are the cursor (when present), found text (when possible), and selected text.</p> <p>Text coloring is done in the background, so uncolorized text is occasionally visible. To change the color scheme, use the Configure IDLE dialog Highlighting tab. The marking of debugger breakpoint lines in the editor and text in popups and dialogs is not user-configurable.</p> </div> </div> <div class="section" id="startup-and-code-execution"> <h2>24.6.3. Startup and code execution<a class="headerlink" href="#startup-and-code-execution" title="Permalink to this headline">¶</a></h2> <p>Upon startup with the <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">-s</span></code> option, IDLE will execute the file referenced by the 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>. IDLE 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 referenced is run. If <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">IDLESTARTUP</span></code> is not present, IDLE checks for <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">PYTHONSTARTUP</span></code>. Files referenced by these environment variables are convenient places to store functions that are used frequently from the IDLE shell, or for executing import statements to import common modules.</p> <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 Tk file is loaded unconditionally. This additional file is <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">.Idle.py</span></code> and is looked for in the user’s home directory. Statements in this file will be executed in the Tk namespace, so this file is not useful for importing functions to be used from IDLE’s Python shell.</p> <div class="section" id="command-line-usage"> <h3>24.6.3.1. Command line usage<a class="headerlink" href="#command-line-usage" title="Permalink to this headline">¶</a></h3> <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] ... -c command run command in the shell window -d enable debugger and open shell window -e open editor window -h print help message with legal combinations and exit -i open shell window -r file run file in shell window -s run $IDLESTARTUP or $PYTHONSTARTUP first, in shell window -t title set title of shell window - run stdin in shell (- must be last option before args) </pre></div> </div> <p>If there are arguments:</p> <ul class="simple"> <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 <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>, or <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">'-r'</span></code>. No editor window is opened, even if that is the default set in the Options dialog.</li> <li>Otherwise, arguments are files opened for editing and <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">sys.argv</span></code> reflects the arguments passed to IDLE itself.</li> </ul> </div> <div class="section" id="idle-console-differences"> <h3>24.6.3.2. IDLE-console differences<a class="headerlink" href="#idle-console-differences" title="Permalink to this headline">¶</a></h3> <p>As much as possible, the result of executing Python code with IDLE is the same as executing the same code in a console window. However, the different interface and operation occasionally affect visible results. For instance, <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">sys.modules</span></code> starts with more entries.</p> <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 objects that get input from and send output to the Shell window. When this window has the focus, it controls the keyboard and screen. This is normally transparent, but functions that directly access the keyboard and 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">reload(sys)</span></code>, IDLE’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 <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">print</span></code> will not work correctly.</p> <p>With IDLE’s Shell, one enters, edits, and recalls complete statements. Some consoles only work with a single physical line at a time. IDLE uses <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 defined for each statement.</p> </div> <div class="section" id="running-without-a-subprocess"> <h3>24.6.3.3. Running without a subprocess<a class="headerlink" href="#running-without-a-subprocess" title="Permalink to this headline">¶</a></h3> <p>By default, IDLE executes user code in a separate subprocess via a socket, which uses the internal loopback interface. This connection is not externally visible and no data is sent to or received from the Internet. If firewall software complains anyway, you can ignore it.</p> <p>If the attempt to make the socket connection fails, Idle will notify you. Such failures are sometimes transient, but if persistent, the problem may be either a firewall blocking the connection or misconfiguration of a particular system. Until the problem is fixed, one can run Idle with the -n command line switch.</p> <p>If IDLE is started with the -n command line switch it will run in a single process and will not create the subprocess which runs the RPC Python execution server. This can be useful if Python cannot create the subprocess or the RPC socket interface on your platform. However, in this mode user code is not isolated from IDLE itself. Also, the environment is not restarted when Run/Run Module (F5) is selected. If your code has been modified, you must reload() the affected modules and re-import any specific items (e.g. from foo import baz) if the changes are to take effect. For these reasons, it is preferable to run IDLE with the default subprocess if at all possible.</p> <div class="deprecated"> <p><span class="versionmodified">Deprecated since version 3.4.</span></p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="section" id="help-and-preferences"> <h2>24.6.4. Help and preferences<a class="headerlink" href="#help-and-preferences" title="Permalink to this headline">¶</a></h2> <div class="section" id="additional-help-sources"> <h3>24.6.4.1. Additional help sources<a class="headerlink" href="#additional-help-sources" title="Permalink to this headline">¶</a></h3> <p>IDLE includes a help menu entry called “Python Docs” that will open the extensive sources of help, including tutorials, available at docs.python.org. Selected URLs can be added or removed from the help menu at any time using the Configure IDLE dialog. See the IDLE help option in the help menu of IDLE for more information.</p> </div> <div class="section" id="setting-preferences"> <h3>24.6.4.2. Setting preferences<a class="headerlink" href="#setting-preferences" title="Permalink to this headline">¶</a></h3> <p>The font preferences, highlighting, keys, and general preferences can be changed via Configure IDLE on the Option menu. Keys can be user defined; IDLE ships with four built-in key sets. In addition, a user can create a custom key set in the Configure IDLE dialog under the keys tab.</p> </div> <div class="section" id="extensions"> <h3>24.6.4.3. Extensions<a class="headerlink" href="#extensions" title="Permalink to this headline">¶</a></h3> <p>IDLE contains an extension facility. Preferences for extensions can be changed with Configure Extensions. See the beginning of config-extensions.def in the idlelib directory for further information. The default extensions are currently:</p> <ul class="simple"> <li>FormatParagraph</li> <li>AutoExpand</li> <li>ZoomHeight</li> <li>ScriptBinding</li> <li>CallTips</li> <li>ParenMatch</li> <li>AutoComplete</li> <li>CodeContext</li> <li>RstripExtension</li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="sphinxsidebar" role="navigation" aria-label="main navigation"> <div class="sphinxsidebarwrapper"> <h3><a href="../contents.html">Table of Contents</a></h3> <ul> <li><a class="reference internal" href="#">24.6. IDLE</a><ul> <li><a class="reference internal" href="#menus">24.6.1. Menus</a><ul> <li><a class="reference internal" href="#file-menu-shell-and-editor">24.6.1.1. File menu (Shell and Editor)</a></li> <li><a class="reference internal" href="#edit-menu-shell-and-editor">24.6.1.2. Edit menu (Shell and Editor)</a></li> <li><a class="reference internal" href="#format-menu-editor-window-only">24.6.1.3. Format menu (Editor window only)</a></li> <li><a class="reference internal" href="#run-menu-editor-window-only">24.6.1.4. Run menu (Editor window only)</a></li> <li><a class="reference internal" href="#shell-menu-shell-window-only">24.6.1.5. Shell menu (Shell window only)</a></li> <li><a class="reference internal" href="#debug-menu-shell-window-only">24.6.1.6. Debug menu (Shell window only)</a></li> <li><a class="reference internal" href="#options-menu-shell-and-editor">24.6.1.7. Options menu (Shell and Editor)</a></li> <li><a class="reference internal" href="#window-menu-shell-and-editor">24.6.1.8. Window menu (Shell and Editor)</a></li> <li><a class="reference internal" href="#help-menu-shell-and-editor">24.6.1.9. Help menu (Shell and Editor)</a></li> <li><a class="reference internal" href="#context-menus">24.6.1.10. Context Menus</a></li> </ul> </li> <li><a class="reference internal" href="#editing-and-navigation">24.6.2. Editing and navigation</a><ul> <li><a class="reference internal" href="#automatic-indentation">24.6.2.1. Automatic indentation</a></li> <li><a class="reference internal" href="#completions">24.6.2.2. Completions</a></li> <li><a class="reference internal" href="#calltips">24.6.2.3. Calltips</a></li> <li><a class="reference internal" href="#python-shell-window">24.6.2.4. Python Shell window</a></li> <li><a class="reference internal" href="#text-colors">24.6.2.5. Text colors</a></li> </ul> </li> <li><a class="reference internal" href="#startup-and-code-execution">24.6.3. Startup and code execution</a><ul> <li><a class="reference internal" href="#command-line-usage">24.6.3.1. Command line usage</a></li> <li><a class="reference internal" href="#idle-console-differences">24.6.3.2. IDLE-console differences</a></li> <li><a class="reference internal" href="#running-without-a-subprocess">24.6.3.3. Running without a subprocess</a></li> </ul> </li> <li><a class="reference internal" href="#help-and-preferences">24.6.4. Help and preferences</a><ul> <li><a class="reference internal" href="#additional-help-sources">24.6.4.1. Additional help sources</a></li> <li><a class="reference internal" href="#setting-preferences">24.6.4.2. Setting preferences</a></li> <li><a class="reference internal" href="#extensions">24.6.4.3. Extensions</a></li> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> </ul> <h4>Previous topic</h4> <p class="topless"><a href="turtle.html" title="previous chapter">24.5. <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">turtle</span></code> — Turtle graphics for Tk</a></p> <h4>Next topic</h4> <p class="topless"><a href="othergui.html" title="next chapter">24.7. Other Graphical User Interface Packages</a></p> <div role="note" aria-label="source link"> <h3>This Page</h3> <ul class="this-page-menu"> <li><a href="../_sources/library/idle.rst.txt" rel="nofollow">Show Source</a></li> </ul> </div> <div id="searchbox" style="display: none" role="search"> <h3>Quick search</h3> <div class="searchformwrapper"> <form class="search" action="../search.html" method="get"> <input type="text" name="q" /> <input type="submit" value="Go" /> <input type="hidden" name="check_keywords" value="yes" /> <input type="hidden" name="area" value="default" /> </form> </div> </div> <script type="text/javascript">$('#searchbox').show(0);</script> </div> </div> <div class="clearer"></div> </div> <div class="related" role="navigation" aria-label="related navigation"> <h3>Navigation</h3> <ul> <li class="right" style="margin-right: 10px"> <a href="../genindex.html" title="General Index" >index</a></li> <li class="right" > <a href="../py-modindex.html" title="Python Module Index" >modules</a> |</li> <li class="right" > <a href="othergui.html" title="24.7. 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