Cute Python:python IDE Test

David Mertz introduces 6 Python integrated development environments and compares their features, platforms, and stability. He found--perhaps inadvertently--to test open source modules--free products seem to be superior to commercial products.

A few weeks ago, I had the privilege of doing a new trial (or first attempt) on some Python development environments. This is likely to involve practical attempts to develop from the best text editor, additional command line approach to Python, and a more complex Python integrated development environment (IDE) with detailed content on the python discussion site.

The overall impression of the Python IDE led me to a somewhat surprising conclusion. This may be some commonsense relationship, or it may just be a coincidence. In general, I find that free tools are better than the commercial tools for spending money.

Written out of the test

First I have to point out some tools that I don't have a chance to try, and you can test it yourself:

Pythonware's Pythonworks Pro 1.1 looks promising; see the screenshot of its demo. It includes a Tkinter form designer, a new editor, a debugger, and a nice screen interface. It applies to Linux, Windows, and Solaris. The price of Pythonworks Pro is quite expensive: 400 dollars. I was not able to get the final version of the test for this assessment.

Boa constructor is a very good interface to the open source of the Python IDE, which includes the Wxwindows form designer. It also has an excellent editor, debugger, project manager, and some other components. Boa constructor runs on Win32 and X11 (wxwindows that need to support the appropriate platform). Unfortunately, its home page claims that the program is still in the "Pre-Alpha" phase, and although it's pretty good from a screenshot, I don't think I can recommend a tool that is still in the early stages of development.

Of course, the last type of unused tool is dozens of excellent text editors with a variety of Python-friendly features, such as syntax tag highlighting, executive Windows, code merging, macro functionality, and the lack of many even the best ides. These tools are beyond the scope of this discussion, but there's still a lot to talk about in your favorite (and familiar) text editor.

Horizontal comparison

There are always some more or less standard and free Python code development tools. In general, these tools are stable, robust, and well-designed. On the other hand, standard free tools are not necessarily that flashy.

Idle is a fairly basic IDE written in pure Python using Tkinter. Idle is generally a standard Python release, even written by Guido van Rossum (at least in the first place). You can run Idle in any environment that can run Python and TK. An enhanced interactive command line interpreter window (with a better cut-paste, back-row function than the basic interactive command prompt) appears after opening Idle. In addition, there is an editor for Python (no code merging, but syntax tag highlighting and code completion), class browser, and debugger. The menu is TK "Split", which means that clicking on the dotted line at the top of any drop-down menu will elevate the menu to its own permanent window. Especially the "Edit" menu, it is very useful to "rely" on the corner of the desktop. The Idle debugger provides breakpoints, stepping, and variable monitoring capabilities, but it is not as good as its memory address and variable content storage or synchronization and other analysis features. Of course, my debugging style includes some scattered print commands, but your methods are different from mine.

Some of the minor problems in Idle-at least in version 0.6. Under My WIN95R2 system (which is also the system I tried to Idle), the pop-up template always stays on the screen to block what I want to enter. Perhaps more seriously, it is easy to cause Idle to stop responding when the wrong script is run. For example, code while 1:x=1 must cause Idle to force itself to shut down rather than execute code. Obviously, no one intentionally writes this code first, but even the oldest Python interactive session can be turned off using CTRL-C (admittedly a session with this feature).

Pythonwin is superior to Idle in many ways. Of course, as the software name shows, this tool is intended for Win32 users. The easiest way to get Pythonwin is to download the ActivePython 2.0 release, which is pretty good (I've installed build 203 for this column). ActiveState's Python includes a series of excellent add-on modules, and some (such as NumPy and PIL) can be selected as additional downloads during the installation process. There are other add-on modules, one special is Pythonwin (Idle included), and the other is a series of useful pythoncom extension components for Windows scripting. ActiveState also has a non-Windows release, but some components are missing a corresponding version of Windows.

Pythonwin is very handy to use (as comfortable as using Windows). It has a handy editor, including code merge, syntax tag highlighting, and code completion features. Pythonwin, like some Ides, does not contain any type of form designer, but it provides an excellent debugger with monitoring, code checking, interactive debugging windows, breakpoints, and other debugger features. Most importantly, Pythonwin is stable, although sometimes it is strange to "stop responding" when used on WIN95R2 systems. On the interface, Pythonwin is relatively simple, but very attractive, good use of embeddable and docking elements (I have a preference for the Idle style of "Many windows everywhere", it is also used by many other Ides). Pythonwin also integrates the ActiveState HtmlHelp version of the Python documentation and pythoncom.

The Macpython IDE is similar to the Pythonwin and is only different for platforms. Like Idle and Pythonwin, the Macpython IDE appears with the standard release for its platform and is freeware (written by Just van Rossum). After the installation Macpython is complete, I suggest that the first thing to do is to try to get Advanced Editor Patch (see Resources after the column). The first installation was a bit odd, but it was a third success (I don't know where the original problem was); This patch will give you the syntax tag highlighting and the help features of some context-sensitive functions or modules. In addition to the standard version, I don't know if any other IDE can work with Python on the Mac platform. Luckily, this tool, written by Just van Rossum, is very much in the Python habit and has a Mac-like software style.

The Macpython IDE contains the Python Command Line window (the MAC itself has no command line, so it requires multi-step implementation), an editor, a debugger, and even a descriptor. In its environment, there is also a function Jump List, module browser and some other tools. The debugger is excellent, but there is no monitor. The editor "not included in the standard release" is relatively primitive, but the patch is added to the syntax tag highlighting. However, there is still no code merge or automatic code completion (but there is a context function document line after the patch is installed). The built-in descriptor is a feature that most Ides do not have, which is also an advantage of Macpython.