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1 [See the end of this file for ** TIPS ** on using IDLE !!] |
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2 |
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3 Click on the dotted line at the top of a menu to "tear it off": a |
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4 separate window containing the menu is created. |
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5 |
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6 File Menu: |
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7 |
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8 New Window -- Create a new editing window |
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9 Open... -- Open an existing file |
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10 Recent Files... -- Open a list of recent files |
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11 Open Module... -- Open an existing module (searches sys.path) |
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12 Class Browser -- Show classes and methods in current file |
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13 Path Browser -- Show sys.path directories, modules, classes |
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14 and methods |
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15 --- |
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16 Save -- Save current window to the associated file (unsaved |
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17 windows have a * before and after the window title) |
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18 |
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19 Save As... -- Save current window to new file, which becomes |
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20 the associated file |
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21 Save Copy As... -- Save current window to different file |
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22 without changing the associated file |
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23 --- |
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24 Print Window -- Print the current window |
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25 --- |
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26 Close -- Close current window (asks to save if unsaved) |
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27 Exit -- Close all windows, quit (asks to save if unsaved) |
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28 |
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29 Edit Menu: |
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30 |
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31 Undo -- Undo last change to current window |
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32 (A maximum of 1000 changes may be undone) |
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33 Redo -- Redo last undone change to current window |
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34 --- |
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35 Cut -- Copy a selection into system-wide clipboard, |
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36 then delete the selection |
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37 Copy -- Copy selection into system-wide clipboard |
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38 Paste -- Insert system-wide clipboard into window |
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39 Select All -- Select the entire contents of the edit buffer |
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40 --- |
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41 Find... -- Open a search dialog box with many options |
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42 Find Again -- Repeat last search |
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43 Find Selection -- Search for the string in the selection |
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44 Find in Files... -- Open a search dialog box for searching files |
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45 Replace... -- Open a search-and-replace dialog box |
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46 Go to Line -- Ask for a line number and show that line |
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47 Show Calltip -- Open a small window with function param hints |
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48 Show Completions -- Open a scroll window allowing selection keywords |
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49 and attributes. (see '*TIPS*', below) |
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50 Show Parens -- Highlight the surrounding parenthesis |
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51 Expand Word -- Expand the word you have typed to match another |
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52 word in the same buffer; repeat to get a |
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53 different expansion |
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54 |
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55 Format Menu (only in Edit window): |
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56 |
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57 Indent Region -- Shift selected lines right 4 spaces |
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58 Dedent Region -- Shift selected lines left 4 spaces |
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59 Comment Out Region -- Insert ## in front of selected lines |
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60 Uncomment Region -- Remove leading # or ## from selected lines |
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61 Tabify Region -- Turns *leading* stretches of spaces into tabs |
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62 (Note: We recommend using 4 space blocks to indent Python code.) |
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63 Untabify Region -- Turn *all* tabs into the right number of spaces |
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64 New Indent Width... -- Open dialog to change indent width |
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65 Format Paragraph -- Reformat the current blank-line-separated |
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66 paragraph |
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67 |
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68 Run Menu (only in Edit window): |
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69 |
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70 Python Shell -- Open or wake up the Python shell window |
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71 --- |
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72 Check Module -- Run a syntax check on the module |
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73 Run Module -- Execute the current file in the __main__ namespace |
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74 |
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75 Shell Menu (only in Shell window): |
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76 |
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77 View Last Restart -- Scroll the shell window to the last restart |
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78 Restart Shell -- Restart the interpreter with a fresh environment |
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79 |
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80 Debug Menu (only in Shell window): |
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81 |
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82 Go to File/Line -- look around the insert point for a filename |
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83 and linenumber, open the file, and show the line |
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84 Debugger (toggle) -- Run commands in the shell under the debugger |
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85 Stack Viewer -- Show the stack traceback of the last exception |
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86 Auto-open Stack Viewer (toggle) -- Open stack viewer on traceback |
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87 |
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88 Options Menu: |
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89 |
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90 Configure IDLE -- Open a configuration dialog. Fonts, indentation, |
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91 keybindings, and color themes may be altered. |
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92 Startup Preferences may be set, and Additional Help |
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93 Souces can be specified. |
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94 --- |
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95 Code Context -- Open a pane at the top of the edit window which |
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96 shows the block context of the section of code |
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97 which is scrolling off the top or the window. |
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98 (Not present in Shell window.) |
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99 |
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100 Windows Menu: |
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101 |
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102 Zoom Height -- toggles the window between configured size |
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103 and maximum height. |
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104 --- |
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105 The rest of this menu lists the names of all open windows; |
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106 select one to bring it to the foreground (deiconifying it if |
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107 necessary). |
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108 |
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109 Help Menu: |
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110 |
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111 About IDLE -- Version, copyright, license, credits |
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112 IDLE Readme -- Background discussion and change details |
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113 --- |
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114 IDLE Help -- Display this file |
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115 Python Docs -- Access local Python documentation, if |
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116 installed. Otherwise, access www.python.org. |
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117 --- |
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118 (Additional Help Sources may be added here) |
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119 |
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120 |
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121 ** TIPS ** |
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122 ========== |
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123 |
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124 Additional Help Sources: |
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125 |
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126 Windows users can Google on zopeshelf.chm to access Zope help files in |
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127 the Windows help format. The Additional Help Sources feature of the |
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128 configuration GUI supports .chm, along with any other filetypes |
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129 supported by your browser. Supply a Menu Item title, and enter the |
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130 location in the Help File Path slot of the New Help Source dialog. Use |
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131 http:// and/or www. to identify external URLs, or download the file and |
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132 browse for its path on your machine using the Browse button. |
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133 |
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134 All users can access the extensive sources of help, including |
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135 tutorials, available at www.python.org/doc. Selected URLs can be added |
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136 or removed from the Help menu at any time using Configure IDLE. |
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137 |
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138 Basic editing and navigation: |
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139 |
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140 Backspace deletes char to the left; DEL deletes char to the right. |
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141 Control-backspace deletes word left, Control-DEL deletes word right. |
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142 Arrow keys and Page Up/Down move around. |
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143 Control-left/right Arrow moves by words in a strange but useful way. |
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144 Home/End go to begin/end of line. |
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145 Control-Home/End go to begin/end of file. |
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146 Some useful Emacs bindings are inherited from Tcl/Tk: |
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147 Control-a beginning of line |
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148 Control-e end of line |
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149 Control-k kill line (but doesn't put it in clipboard) |
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150 Control-l center window around the insertion point |
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151 Standard Windows bindings may work on that platform. |
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152 Keybindings are selected in the Settings Dialog, look there. |
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153 |
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154 Automatic indentation: |
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155 |
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156 After a block-opening statement, the next line is indented by 4 spaces |
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157 (in the Python Shell window by one tab). After certain keywords |
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158 (break, return etc.) the next line is dedented. In leading |
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159 indentation, Backspace deletes up to 4 spaces if they are there. Tab |
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160 inserts spaces (in the Python Shell window one tab), number depends on |
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161 Indent Width. (N.B. Currently tabs are restricted to four spaces due |
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162 to Tcl/Tk issues.) |
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163 |
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164 See also the indent/dedent region commands in the edit menu. |
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165 |
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166 Completions: |
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167 |
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168 Completions are supplied for functions, classes, and attributes of |
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169 classes, both built-in and user-defined. Completions are also provided |
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170 for filenames. |
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171 |
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172 The AutoCompleteWindow (ACW) will open after a predefined delay |
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173 (default is two seconds) after a '.' or (in a string) an os.sep is |
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174 typed. If after one of those characters (plus zero or more other |
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175 characters) you type a Tab the ACW will open immediately if a possible |
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176 continuation is found. |
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177 |
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178 If there is only one possible completion for the characters entered, a |
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179 Tab will supply that completion without opening the ACW. |
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180 |
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181 'Show Completions' will force open a completions window. In an empty |
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182 string, this will contain the files in the current directory. On a |
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183 blank line, it will contain the built-in and user-defined functions and |
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184 classes in the current name spaces, plus any modules imported. If some |
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185 characters have been entered, the ACW will attempt to be more specific. |
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186 |
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187 If string of characters is typed, the ACW selection will jump to the |
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188 entry most closely matching those characters. Entering a Tab will cause |
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189 the longest non-ambiguous match to be entered in the Edit window or |
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190 Shell. Two Tabs in a row will supply the current ACW selection, as |
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191 will Return or a double click. Cursor keys, Page Up/Down, mouse |
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192 selection, and the scrollwheel all operate on the ACW. |
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193 |
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194 'Hidden' attributes can be accessed by typing the beginning of hidden |
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195 name after a '.'. e.g. '_'. This allows access to modules with |
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196 '__all__' set, or to class-private attributes. |
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197 |
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198 Completions and the 'Expand Word' facility can save a lot of typing! |
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199 |
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200 Completions are currently limited to those in the namespaces. Names in |
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201 an Edit window which are not via __main__ or sys.modules will not be |
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202 found. Run the module once with your imports to correct this |
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203 situation. Note that IDLE itself places quite a few modules in |
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204 sys.modules, so much can be found by default, e.g. the re module. |
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205 |
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206 If you don't like the ACW popping up unbidden, simply make the delay |
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207 longer or disable the extension. OTOH, you could make the delay zero. |
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208 |
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209 You could also switch off the CallTips extension. (We will be adding |
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210 a delay to the call tip window.) |
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211 |
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212 Python Shell window: |
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213 |
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214 Control-c interrupts executing command. |
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215 Control-d sends end-of-file; closes window if typed at >>> prompt |
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216 (this is Control-z on Windows). |
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217 |
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218 Command history: |
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219 |
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220 Alt-p retrieves previous command matching what you have typed. |
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221 Alt-n retrieves next. |
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222 (These are Control-p, Control-n on the Mac) |
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223 Return while cursor is on a previous command retrieves that command. |
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224 Expand word is also useful to reduce typing. |
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225 |
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226 Syntax colors: |
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227 |
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228 The coloring is applied in a background "thread", so you may |
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229 occasionally see uncolorized text. To change the color |
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230 scheme, use the Configure IDLE / Highlighting dialog. |
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231 |
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232 Python default syntax colors: |
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233 |
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234 Keywords orange |
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235 Builtins royal purple |
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236 Strings green |
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237 Comments red |
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238 Definitions blue |
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239 |
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240 Shell default colors: |
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241 |
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242 Console output brown |
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243 stdout blue |
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244 stderr red |
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245 stdin black |
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246 |
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247 Other preferences: |
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248 |
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249 The font preferences, keybinding, and startup preferences can |
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250 be changed using the Settings dialog. |
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251 |
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252 Command line usage: |
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253 |
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254 Enter idle -h at the command prompt to get a usage message. |
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255 |
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256 Running without a subprocess: |
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257 |
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258 If IDLE is started with the -n command line switch it will run in a |
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259 single process and will not create the subprocess which runs the RPC |
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260 Python execution server. This can be useful if Python cannot create |
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261 the subprocess or the RPC socket interface on your platform. However, |
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262 in this mode user code is not isolated from IDLE itself. Also, the |
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263 environment is not restarted when Run/Run Module (F5) is selected. If |
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264 your code has been modified, you must reload() the affected modules and |
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265 re-import any specific items (e.g. from foo import baz) if the changes |
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266 are to take effect. For these reasons, it is preferable to run IDLE |
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267 with the default subprocess if at all possible. |
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268 |
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269 Extensions: |
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270 |
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271 IDLE contains an extension facility. See the beginning of |
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272 config-extensions.def in the idlelib directory for further information. |
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273 The default extensions are currently: |
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274 |
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275 FormatParagraph |
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276 AutoExpand |
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277 ZoomHeight |
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278 ScriptBinding |
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279 CallTips |
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280 ParenMatch |
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281 AutoComplete |
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282 CodeContext |