Tuesday, May 1, 2012

ipython - Better Feedback for Beginners

Having worked with Python through Sage Mathematics, and directly through Emacs, I never really took the time to understand what IPython offers.


For beginners or Intermediates who want to try something to see if it adds to their productivity, IPython is worth a look.


who and whos:

%who lists names of all objects, but %whos shows the list with type and contents summary.

Depending on your system IPython setup, you may be able to omit the % at the front and just type who and similar 



'run' and variable inspection:

The run command executes your python [script] and brings the variable into the interactive namespace.

There are many more features of IPython like tab completion, history, and logging.

Do take a look and see if it can add anything to your productivity in Python.

There is an interactive test site here if you want to get started now: