Author: David Mertz 2004-08-20 11:45:02 Keywords: Python Dr. IDE David Mertz (mertz@gnosis.cx) Accidental Ideologue, Gnosis Software, Inc. David Mertz introduced six Python integrated development environment, and compare Its characteristics, platforms and stability. He found that - perhaps only inadvertently testing the open source module - free products seem to be excellent than commercial products. A few weeks ago, I was fortunate to have a new trial for some Python development environment (or the first trial). This is likely to involve the development of Python from actual attempt "Best Text Editor, Additional Command Line", and for more complex Python Integrated Development Environment (IDE) has a detailed content on the Python discussion website. The overall impression of Python IDE made me a little surprised conclusion. This may be the relationship between some common sense, or it is only coincident. Overall, I found that the free tool is better than the cost of money. Introduction to Python Python is a free and advanced interpretation language developed by Guido Van Rossum. It combines clear syntax and powerful (but Optional) to combine object semantics. Python can be found on almost all computer platforms for your work and have strong platform transplantability. Write in the evaluation, first I have to point out some tool I have no chance, you can evaluate yourself: Pythonware's PythonWorks Pro 1. 1 looks forward; see the screenshot of its presentation version. It includes a Tkinter form designer, a new editor, a debugger, and a beautiful screen interface. It applies to Linux, Windows and Solaris. The price of PythonWorks Pro is quite expensive: $ 400. I did not get the final version of its highlighting. The BOA Constructor is a Python IDE with a pretty open source of open source, which includes WXWindows form designer. At the same time have excellent editor, debugger, project manager, and some other components. BOA Constructor is running in Win32 and X11 (WXWINDOWS that needs to support the appropriate platform). Unfortunately, its homepage claims that the program is still in the "pre-alpha" phase, although it is quite excellent from the screen snapshot, I think it is still unable to recommend a tool that is still in the early development phase. Of course, the last type of tools that have not been evaluated are dozens of excellent text editors, including various Python friendly features, such as grammar tags, highlight, execution window, code merge, macro function, and many even the best IDE Lack of features. These tools are outside the scope of this discussion, but there are still many of your favorite (and familiar) text editor. Horizontal comparison will always have some or less standard and free Python code development tools. Overall, these tools are stable, sturdy, and design. On the other hand, standard free tools are not necessarily the same. IDLE is a quite basic IDE written under pure Python. Idle is always a standard Python distribution, even from Guido Van Rossum (at least most of the most). You can run idle in any environment that can run Python and TK. An enhanced interactive command line interpreter window appears after opening IDLE (with a better cut-pasting, back, etc.) than the basic interactive command prompt. In addition, there is an editor for Python (innocent merge, but there is a syntax tag highlight and code automatic completion function), class browser and debugger.
The menu is TK "strip" formula; that is, the dotted line of the top of any drop-down menu will upgrade the menu to its own permanent window. Especially the "Edit" menu, "relying on" is very practical at the desktop. The IDLE debugger provides breakpoints, steps, and variable monitoring features; but does not have their memory addresses and variable contents or synchronous and other analytical functions. Of course, my debug-style includes some scattered print commands, but your method can be different from me. Some small problems in IDLE - at least in version 0.6. Under my Win95R2 system (it is also the system I tried to idle), pop-up template will always stay on the screen to block what I want to enter. It may be more seriously that this is easy to cause idle stop responses when running the wrong script. For example, code While 1: x = 1 must cause IDLE to force close, not execution code. Obviously, some people will not deliberately prepare this code, but even if the older Python interactive session can use Ctrl-C to turn it (unknown is a session with this feature). Pythonwin is excellent than IDLE. Of course, as shown in the software name, this tool is for Win32 users. The easiest way to get PythonWin is to download ActivePython 2.0 release, which is quite good (I installed Build 203 for this column). ActiveState's Python includes a range of excellent additional modules, and some (for example, numPy and pil) can be selected as additional downloads during the installation process. There are other additional modules; a particularly Pythonwin (IDLE is also included), and the other is a range of useful Pythoncom extension components written for Windows scripts. ActiveState also has a non-Windows release, but some components lack corresponding to Windows. Pythonwin uses a very heartbeat (just like using Windows). It has a good editor, including code merge, syntax tag highlighting, and code automatic completion feature. Pythonwin is the same as some types of IDEs, does not contain any type of form designer; but it provides an excellent debugger with a monitoring, code check, interaction window, breakpoint, and other debuggers. Most importantly, Pythonwin is very stable, although sometimes "stop responding" when using Win95R2 system. On the interface, PythonWin is relatively simple, but very attractive, very good to use the embedded and docked elements (I have a little favorite "MANY Windows Everywhere", which is also used by many other IDEs). Pythonwin also integrates ActiveState's HTMLHELP version of Python documentation and pythoncom. MacPython IDE and Pythonwin are similar, but they are different for the platform. Similar to IDLE and Pythonwin, MacPython IDE appears together with standard issuances for its platform and is free software (written by Just Van Rossum). After installing MacPython, I recommend that you first do what you want to do to get Advanced Editor Patch (see Refer to the reference) after the column).
The first installation is a bit strange, but the third success (I don't know where the initial problem is, install this patch to get the syntax tag highlight and some context-sensitive functions or modules. In addition to the standard version, I don't know if there are other IDEs to work together with Python on the Mac platform. Fortunately, this tool written by Just Van Rossu is both very compliant with Python's habits, and there are software-like software styles. The MacPython IDE contains the Python command line window (Mac does not have a command line, so you need multiple steps), editor, debugger, or even a descriptor. In its environment, there is a function jump list, module browser, and some other tools. The debugger is excellent, but there is no monitor. The editor "excluding in the standard release" is compared to the original, but the patch has joined the syntax tag to highlight. However, there is still no code merge or code automatically complete (but there is a context function document line after installation patch). The built-in descriptor is a function that most of IDE is not available, which is also the advantage of MacPython. The portrait is more than Komodo is a just released business IDE. (This evaluation uses the updated beta version; see the screenshot of the screen). Komodo is a multi-language, multi-platform IDE. An interesting decision makes Komodo construction based on Mozilla framework. It seems that the web browser doesn't need so much code for IDE, but ActiveState takes advantage of this (Mozilla tries to become a "platform" rather than just a browser, but the fact is true). Komodo is priced for $ 295 a year, and the free beta version is quite disappointing. Moreover, ActiveState seems to violate the spirit of Mozilla's public license from Komodo code (may have access to the original text). I hope that ActiveState decides to modify the license regulations to comply with open source formula (can be charged for technical support and automatic update). I tried Beta 1.3 supported the development of Python, Perl, TCL, JavaScript, and XML, and supported other languages of several languages highlight (but without more language support). Python support is the strongest. There is a Beta version that supports Win32 and Linux and will be supported by other platforms. With my point of view, Komodo is more like PythonWin's superchard. As far as I know, it does not share most of the same code library, but the feeling of use and similar. Due to inheriting the characteristics of Mozilla, Komodo is the best one of the software I have evaluated, because the same reason is also the slowest operation. I recommend using Komodo on the older machine; I tested on the 366MHz Win95R2 system and found that it can run, but the speed is not fast. Although the debugger and editor is similar to Pythonwin, you can edit many other languages, as well as debugging Perl and Python; and you can run Komodo under Linux. Komodo's "Code Check" feature is very intelligent and unique. It operates like many of the near-term word processing software: When entering, there is a problem with the code below the curve mark; you can continue to enter, and it will always mark until you return and fix the problem, but also Very good tip. Komodo did not attempt to build any form designer or graphic programming, in addition to this, it is still good to be a beta version. In-depth interior now let us analyze the way to buy Python IDE.
It is usually considered that commercial products will provide additional features to spend money to purchase. In some ways. Wingide's price is $ 100. BlackAdder's price is $ 80 (only on personal system) and $ 400 (you can distribute the BLACKADDER's running component to others). Unfortunately, I found that these two products are not sufficiently stable, and I can't recommend it to actually develop. If you cannot use IDE that is actually developed, then routine functions are not worth much. I hope that these two products have improved through new versions or correction patches. BlackAdder is a QT-based development environment under Linux and Windows; see the screenshot of the screen. In the product mentioned in this column, the product is a unique form of format, and the form designer is well done (for PYQT programming). Just like Delphi, Visual Basic and similar tools, you can place your gadget on the panel and adjust your properties and behavior in the Properties form. Elements icons Some tits, especially when it is ash, but beautiful is not very important. The source code editor provides the code merge and the syntax tag highlight, but no code is automatically completed. BlackAdder has a quite a good debugger, in addition to lack of monitoring features, other and free tools are almost. Unfortunately, in Test V1.0 Beta 2, I have encountered some serious use problems. I tested Mandrake, Slackware, and Windows package (but did not test Debian and Redhat, although I think Linux variants are only different packages). Various problems are everywhere (possibly part of the reason is due to the correct operating system version and revision). For example, the default font is too small, and it is impossible to read under Linux and Windows systems. Changing the editor font requires a single modifying a font of 20 syntax tagged elements in a single tone (without many other editors and "inherited font" options in IDE). Worse, in Mandrake 7.1 and custom Slackware 7.1, when BlackAdder starts, the Python interpreter "unexpectedly terminated". You can edit the file, but you can't run under the IDE. I changed the Python path - pointing to Python 2.0 or Python 1.5.2 - successfully changed the error message, but did not solve the problem. Moreover, some Python scripts in Windows cannot be opened in BlackAdder; and the prompt is "X is not a legitimate BlackAdder file". This information has no obvious law. You may have to solve this problem by some effort - but if you spend $ 400 to buy this product, you will never have a good mood to debug for the purchased product. Wingide is a screenshot that wants to be a good idea; see the screenshot. Its editor includes a large number of language grammar tags highlighting, although it is just a tool for Python. Source code browser is very practical to browse projects or modules (performance in navigating source code and document harvest). Although there is no monitors, the debugger is designed very well. The editor has excellent commands to complete and function jump list, but there is no code merge. The project-oriented IDE is very useful for large products (in this regard, in addition to Komodo, it is better in most free IDE). The overall interface is like enhanced IDLE, using a "multi-window" similar to many TK and XWindow interfaces. I like to use docking and embedding (this is not caused by using MS Visual Studio), but different developers may like different styles.
