Frequently, my workflow involves data cleaning/munging in an IPython shell. This has become particularly wonderful since IPython version 5.0 with all the great upgrades to the terminal interface. So, let's say I make an attempt at sprucing up some piece of unstructured data:
In [11]: for i, (num, header, txt) in enumerate(data):
...: header = [e.strip() for e in header.strip().split('\n')]
...: header[4] = header[4].strip(',').split(',')
...: data[i] = (num, header, txt)
...:
Fantastic, it works! But now, I would really like to add this to a script in my editor. If I copy and paste from my terminal, I capture all the junk on the left. I can clean this up more-or-less easily in an editor, but it would be great if I could copy the code directly to my clipboard from the terminal without touching the mouse and without grabbing the extra stuff either. Is there such a functionality in IPython?
You can use the %history magic to extract the interesting parts from your session. They will be shown in terminal without any of the junk.
Example
In [1]: import numpy as np
In [2]: a = np.random(10)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
TypeError Traceback (most recent call last)
<ipython-input-2-83ce219ad17b> in <module>()
----> 1 a = np.random(10)
TypeError: 'module' object is not callable
In [3]: a = np.random.random(10)
In [4]: for i in a:
...: print(i)
...:
0.688626523886
[...]
0.341394850998
If I want to save a part of the session above I can use:
In [5]: %history 1 3-4
import numpy as np
a = np.random.random(10)
for i in a:
print(i)
In the example above I used %history 1 3-4 to assemble all the commands I want to keep and omit the ones I do not need (Line 2, the one with the error). Now you have version of your session that can be nicely copied.
Writing a file
You can also directly write this to file using the -f FILENAME as parameter.
In [8]: %history 1 3-4 -f /tmp/foo.py
Be careful though, this will overwrite existing files.
More Details can be found in the documentation of the %history magic.
So, I have finally found a great solution that is essentially exactly what I wanted: Use Vi mode in IPython. On version 5, this requires:
$ ipython --TerminalInteractiveShell.editing_mode=vi
Now I can use handy vi-like visual mode and yank whatever I need!
Which leads to the following new alias in my .bash_profile/.bash_rc:
alias vpython='ipython --TerminalInteractiveShell.editing_mode=vi'
The save magic command [documentation] saves the input lines you want to a file; the -a option is for "append" mode so that the lines are added at the end of the file instead of overwriting the file. I use it all the time.
With your example:
%save -a myfile.py 11
# the '%' is not necessary
save -a myfile.py 11
Then you can keep coding in IPython.
When there is another command you want to write to the same file, you can just type save then use the up arrow to bring back the last use of "save" (so that the -a option and the filename are already there) and just edit the line number.
Note that you can give several lines to save and also line ranges:
save -a myfile.py 15 18 19-25
In the shell you can first convert the IPython file to a regular Python file (.py) and then do the clean up:
http://ipython.org/ipython-doc/3/notebook/nbconvert.html (see --to script format)
You can also download the file in the notebook editor as Python file and perform the cleanup after this step.
I don't think terminal applications really get access to the copy/paste buffer. You're going to have to use the mouse. How do do it depends on what terminal you're using. Most modern terminals have some sort of "rectangular select" or "block select" mode.
With Windows, rectangular select is the default for cmd.exe and Powershell. If you're using Cygwin's mintty, hold Alt and then select the region with the mouse. The same goes for PuTTY.
On Linux (which I don't have in front of me - take these with a grain of salt), xterm doesn't support it, Gnome Terminal uses Ctrl as the modifier, and KDE's Konsole uses Ctrl+Alt.
For OS X Terminal, the Internet tells me that you use ⌘ while clicking.
Other terminals (and GNU Screen) likely have the feature, it's just a matter of figuring out how to activate it.
My python scripts often contain "executable code" (functions, classes, &c) in the first part of the file and "test code" (interactive experiments) at the end.
I want python, py_compile, pylint &c to completely ignore the experimental stuff at the end.
I am looking for something like #if 0 for cpp.
How can this be done?
Here are some ideas and the reasons they are bad:
sys.exit(0): works for python but not py_compile and pylint
put all experimental code under def test():: I can no longer copy/paste the code into a python REPL because it has non-trivial indent
put all experimental code between lines with """: emacs no longer indents and fontifies the code properly
comment and uncomment the code all the time: I am too lazy (yes, this is a single key press, but I have to remember to do that!)
put the test code into a separate file: I want to keep the related stuff together
PS. My IDE is Emacs and my python interpreter is pyspark.
Use ipython rather than python for your REPL It has better code completion and introspection and when you paste indented code it can automatically "de-indent" the pasted code.
Thus you can put your experimental code in a test function and then paste in parts without worrying and having to de-indent your code.
If you are pasting large blocks that can be considered individual blocks then you will need to use the %paste or %cpaste magics.
eg.
for i in range(3):
i *= 2
# with the following the blank line this is a complete block
print(i)
With a normal paste:
In [1]: for i in range(3):
...: i *= 2
...:
In [2]: print(i)
4
Using %paste
In [3]: %paste
for i in range(10):
i *= 2
print(i)
## -- End pasted text --
0
2
4
In [4]:
PySpark and IPython
It is also possible to launch PySpark in IPython, the enhanced Python interpreter. PySpark works with IPython 1.0.0 and later. To use IPython, set the IPYTHON variable to 1 when running bin/pyspark:1
$ IPYTHON=1 ./bin/pyspark
Unfortunately, there is no widely (or any) standard describing what you are talking about, so getting a bunch of python specific things to work like this will be difficult.
However, you could wrap these commands in such a way that they only read until a signifier. For example (assuming you are on a unix system):
cat $file | sed '/exit(0)/q' |sed '/exit(0)/d'
The command will read until 'exit(0)' is found. You could pipe this into your checkers, or create a temp file that your checkers read. You could create wrapper executable files on your path that may work with your editors.
Windows may be able to use a similar technique.
I might advise a different approach. Separate files might be best. You might explore iPython notebooks as a possible solution, but I'm not sure exactly what your use case is.
Follow something like option 2.
I usually put experimental code in a main method.
def main ():
*experimental code goes here *
Then if you want to execute the experimental code just call the main.
main()
With python-mode.el mark arbitrary chunks as section - for example via py-sectionize-region.
Than call py-execute-section.
Updated after comment:
python-mode.el is delivered by melpa.
M-x list-packages RET
Look for python-mode - the built-in python.el provides 'python, while python-mode.el provides 'python-mode.
Developement just moved hereto: https://gitlab.com/python-mode-devs/python-mode
I think the standard ('Pythonic') way to deal with this is to do it like so:
class MyClass(object):
...
def my_function():
...
if __name__ == '__main__':
# testing code here
Edit after your comment
I don't think what you want is possible using a plain Python interpreter. You could have a look at the IEP Python editor (website, bitbucket): it supports something like Matlab's cell mode, where a cell can be defined with a double comment character (##):
## main code
class MyClass(object):
...
def my_function():
...
## testing code
do_some_testing_please()
All code from a ##-beginning line until either the next such line or end-of-file constitutes a single cell.
Whenever the cursor is within a particular cell and you strike some hotkey (default Ctrl+Enter), the code within that cell is executed in the currently running interpreter. An additional feature of IEP is that selected code can be executed with F9; a pretty standard feature but the nice thing here is that IEP will smartly deal with whitespace, so just selecting and pasting stuff from inside a method will automatically work.
I suggest you use a proper version control system to keep the "real" and the "experimental" parts separated.
For example, using Git, you could only include the real code without the experimental parts in your commits (using add -p), and then temporarily stash the experimental parts for running your various tools.
You could also keep the experimental parts in their own branch which you then rebase on top of the non-experimental parts when you need them.
Another possibility is to put tests as doctests into the docstrings of your code, which admittedly is only practical for simpler cases.
This way, they are only treated as executable code by the doctest module, but as comments otherwise.
Sometimes I need to test my python code in shell, so I have to edit the code, save and quit and run the code. Then reopen the file to modify my code if anything goes wrong. Then save and quit .... I am wondering is there a handy feature in VI to easily test the code inside VI?
No, but if you have Ipython, it has a handy bit of magic called %autoreload.
For example: test.py
class A(object):
def __init__(self):
self.a = 0
Then I run ipython -i test.py
In [2]: a=A()
In [3]: a.a
Out[3]: 0
Ooops, the initial 'a' value should be 21... I better fix that.
class A(object):
def __init__(self):
self.a = 21
Now in ipython I do, again this is in the SAME INSTANCE OF IPYTHON:
%load_ext autoreload
%autoreload
This will reload the class A object into python for me, so now.
In [4]: a.a
Out[4]: 21
This can really help when debugging a large class, and are only making small changes.
My workflow typically consists of having two terminal windows open, one with vim for editing the .py files, and one running ipython to test and debug the changes.
Sure, I do this all the time.
In your vimrc put:
command R ! python ./%
Then :R will execute the python code. I also have this for debug though it's not as useful as I would have liked:
command D ! python -m ipdb ./%
It runs it in debug, but our environment typically doesn't dig on the perpetual rerun in the same instance.
I might be interpreting your questions incorrectly but this is my suggestion. Maybe you can open more than one terminal. On one terminal, write/edit your code and save it. I'm assuming with ':w' and leave the terminal open. Then on the other terminal, compile your code.
I am working in Aptana Studio and Python shell in the built-in terminal there. I am running some
rather long snippets of code on the shell command line. I keep tripping over typos so is there
a way to write all the code and copy and paste it onto the command line.
Yes, you can copy and paste code into the terminal, as long as complete definitions do not have blank lines in them.
You can paste:
def foo(bar):
print(bar)
return bar
but not
def foo(bar):
print(bar)
return bar
because the interpreter interprets the empty line as the end of the definition of foo.
The same applies to class definitions and suites (if, try, except, while, finally, etc.); no blank lines allowed anywhere in attribute and function definitions.
If it's not already configured that way, you may want configure your IDE to use IPython as your interpreter. With it, you can use the magic function %cpaste to allow you to paste full chunks of code. Just end your chunk with a line containing only -- to tell IPython that you're done.
I find myself frequently using Python's interpreter to work with databases, files, etc -- basically a lot of manual formatting of semi-structured data. I don't properly save and clean up the useful bits as often as I would like. Is there a way to save my input into the shell (db connections, variable assignments, little for loops and bits of logic) -- some history of the interactive session? If I use something like script I get too much stdout noise. I don't really need to pickle all the objects -- though if there is a solution that does that, it would be OK. Ideally I would just be left with a script that ran as the one I created interactively, and I could just delete the bits I didn't need. Is there a package that does this, or a DIY approach?
IPython is extremely useful if you like using interactive sessions. For example for your use-case there is the %save magic command, you just input %save my_useful_session 10-20 23 to save input lines 10 to 20 and 23 to my_useful_session.py (to help with this, every line is prefixed by its number).
Furthermore, the documentation states:
This function uses the same syntax as %history for input ranges, then saves the lines to the filename you specify.
This allows for example, to reference older sessions, such as
%save current_session ~0/
%save previous_session ~1/
Look at the videos on the presentation page to get a quick overview of the features.
From Andrew Jones's website (archived):
import readline
readline.write_history_file('/home/ahj/history')
There is a way to do it. Store the file in ~/.pystartup...
# Add auto-completion and a stored history file of commands to your Python
# interactive interpreter. Requires Python 2.0+, readline. Autocomplete is
# bound to the Esc key by default (you can change it - see readline docs).
#
# Store the file in ~/.pystartup, and set an environment variable to point
# to it: "export PYTHONSTARTUP=/home/user/.pystartup" in bash.
#
# Note that PYTHONSTARTUP does *not* expand "~", so you have to put in the
# full path to your home directory.
import atexit
import os
import readline
import rlcompleter
historyPath = os.path.expanduser("~/.pyhistory")
def save_history(historyPath=historyPath):
import readline
readline.write_history_file(historyPath)
if os.path.exists(historyPath):
readline.read_history_file(historyPath)
atexit.register(save_history)
del os, atexit, readline, rlcompleter, save_history, historyPath
and then set the environment variable PYTHONSTARTUP in your shell (e.g. in ~/.bashrc):
export PYTHONSTARTUP=$HOME/.pystartup
You can also add this to get autocomplete for free:
readline.parse_and_bind('tab: complete')
Please note that this will only work on *nix systems. As readline is only available in Unix platform.
If you are using IPython you can save to a file all your previous commands using the magic function %history with the -f parameter, p.e:
%history -f /tmp/history.py
After installing Ipython, and opening an Ipython session by running the command:
ipython
from your command line, just run the following Ipython 'magic' command to automatically log your entire Ipython session:
%logstart
This will create a uniquely named .py file and store your session for later use as an interactive Ipython session or for use in the script(s) of your choosing.
Also, reinteract gives you a notebook-like interface to a Python session.
In addition to IPython, a similar utility bpython has a "save the code you've entered to a file" feature
I had to struggle to find an answer, I was very new to iPython environment.
This will work
If your iPython session looks like this
In [1] : import numpy as np
....
In [135]: counter=collections.Counter(mapusercluster[3])
In [136]: counter
Out[136]: Counter({2: 700, 0: 351, 1: 233})
You want to save lines from 1 till 135 then on the same ipython session use this command
In [137]: %save test.py 1-135
This will save all your python statements in test.py file in your current directory ( where you initiated the ipython).
There is %history magic for printing and saving the input history (and optionally the output).
To store your current session to a file named my_history.py:
>>> %hist -f my_history.py
History IPython stores both the commands you enter, and the results it produces. You can easily go through previous commands with the up- and down-arrow keys, or access your history in more sophisticated ways.
You can use the %history magic function to examine past input and output. Input history from previous sessions is saved in a database, and IPython can be configured to save output history.
Several other magic functions can use your input history, including %edit, %rerun, %recall, %macro, %save and %pastebin. You can use a standard format to refer to lines:
%pastebin 3 18-20 ~1/1-5
This will take line 3 and lines 18 to 20 from the current session, and lines 1-5 from the previous session.
See %history? for the Docstring and more examples.
Also, be sure to explore the capabilities of %store magic for lightweight persistence of variables in IPython.
Stores variables, aliases and macros in IPython’s database.
d = {'a': 1, 'b': 2}
%store d # stores the variable
del d
%store -r d # Refresh the variable from IPython's database.
>>> d
{'a': 1, 'b': 2}
To autorestore stored variables on startup, specifyc.StoreMagic.autorestore = True in ipython_config.py.
The %history command is awesome, but unfortunately it won't let you save things that were %paste 'd into the sesh. To do that I think you have to do %logstart at the beginning (although I haven't confirmed this works).
What I like to do is
%history -o -n -p -f filename.txt
which will save the output, line numbers, and '>>>' before each input (o, n, and p options). See the docs for %history here.
Just putting another suggesting in the bowl:
Spyder
It has History log and Variable explorer. If you have worked with MatLab, then you'll see the similarities.
As far as Linux goes, one can use script command to record the whole session. It is part of util-linux package so should be on most Linux systems . You can create and alias or function that will call script -c python and that will be saved to a typescript file. For instance, here's a reprint of one such file.
$ cat typescript
Script started on Sat 14 May 2016 08:30:08 AM MDT
Python 2.7.6 (default, Jun 22 2015, 17:58:13)
[GCC 4.8.2] on linux2
Type "help", "copyright", "credits" or "license" for more information.
>>> print 'Hello Pythonic World'
Hello Pythonic World
>>>
Script done on Sat 14 May 2016 08:30:42 AM MDT
Small disadvantage here is that the script records everything , even line-feeds, whenever you hit backspaces , etc. So you may want to use col to clean up the output (see this post on Unix&Linux Stackexchange) .
there is another option --- pyslice.
in the "wxpython 2.8 docs demos and tools", there is a open source program named "pyslices".
you can use it like a editor, and it also support using like a console ---- executing each line like a interactive interpreter with immediate echo.
of course, all the blocks of codes and results of each block will be recorded into a txt file automatically.
the results are logged just behind the corresponding block of code. very convenient.
In IPython, I first use
In [2]: %hist
to view my past code. I select the chunk I want to save and then paste it into file my_file.py using the %%file magic (short for %%writefile)
In [3]: %%file my_file.py
...: # paste code here
...:
...:
hitting return two times in the end.
To append to file use the option -a: %%file -a my_file.py.
If needed, I can list, edit, etc. the file in the underlying command line using the exclamation mark
In [5]: !ls -l my_file.py
In [6]: !vi my_file.py
Some comments were asking how to save all of the IPython inputs at once. For %save magic in IPython, you can save all of the commands programmatically as shown below, to avoid the prompt message and also to avoid specifying the input numbers.
currentLine = len(In)-1
%save -f my_session 1-$currentLine
The -f option is used for forcing file replacement and the len(IN)-1 shows the current input prompt in IPython, allowing you to save the whole session programmatically.
For those using spacemacs, and ipython that comes with python-layer, save magic creates a lot of unwanted output, because of the constant auto-completion command working in the backround such as:
len(all_suffixes)
';'.join(__PYTHON_EL_get_completions('''len'''))
';'.join(__PYTHON_EL_get_completions('''all_substa'''))
len(all_substantives_w_suffixes)
';'.join(__PYTHON_EL_get_completions('''len'''))
';'.join(__PYTHON_EL_get_completions('''all'''))
';'.join(__PYTHON_EL_get_completions('''all_'''))
';'.join(__PYTHON_EL_get_completions('''all_w'''))
';'.join(__PYTHON_EL_get_completions('''all_wo'''))
';'.join(__PYTHON_EL_get_completions('''all_wor'''))
';'.join(__PYTHON_EL_get_completions('''all_word'''))
';'.join(__PYTHON_EL_get_completions('''all_words'''))
len(all_words_w_logograms)
len(all_verbs)
To avoid this just save the ipython buffer like you normally save any other: spc f s
If you use bpython, all your command history is by default saved to ~/.pythonhist.
To save the commands for later reusage you can copy them to a python script file:
$ cp ~/.pythonhist mycommands.py
Then edit that file to clean it up and put it under Python path (global or virtual environment's site-packages, current directory, mentioning in *.pth, or some other way).
To include the commands into your shell, just import them from the saved file:
>>> from mycommands import *
I'd like to suggest another way to maintain python session through tmux on linux. you run tmux, attach your self to the session you opened (if not attached after opening it directly). execute python and do whatever you are doing on it. then detach from session. detaching from a tmux session does not close the session. the session remains open.
pros of this method:
you can attach to this session from any other device (in case you can ssh your pc)
cons of this method:
this method does not relinquish the resources used by the opened python session until you actually exist the python interpreter.
To save input and output on XUbuntu:
In XWindows, run iPython from the Xfce terminal app
click Terminal in the top menu bar and look for save contents in the dropdown
I find this saves the input and output, going all the way back to when I opened the terminal. This is not ipython specific, and would work with ssh sessions or other tasks run from the terminal window.
You can use built-in function open: I use it in all of my
programs in which I need to store some history (Including Calculator, etc.)
for example:
#gk-test.py or anything else would do
try: # use the try loop only if you haven't created the history file outside program
username = open("history.txt").readline().strip("\n")
user_age = open("history.txt").readlines()[1].strip("\n")
except FileNotFoundError:
username = input("Enter Username: ")
user_age = input("Enter User's Age: ")
open("history.txt", "w").write(f"{username}\n{user_age}")
#Rest of the code is secret! try it your own!
I would thank to all of them who liked my comments! Thank you for reading this!