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How can you save functions/ classes you've writing in a python interactive session to a file? Specifically, is there a way in pydev / eclipse's interactive session (on a mac) to do this?

I just started learning python - and am enjoying using the interpreter's interactive session for testing and playing with modules I've written. However, I find myself writing functions in the interpreter, which I think, oh it would be cool to save that to my script files. How do I do this?

I tried:

import pickle
pickle.dump(my_function, open("output.p", "w"))

But it seems to be more of a binary serialization, or at least nothing that I could copy and paste into my code...

Are there ways to see the code behind classes & functions I've defined in the interpreter? And then copy them out of the interpreter?

Update:

Ok, here's what I've learned so far:

  • I missed the easiest of all - PyDev's interactive session in eclipse allows you to right click and save your session. Still have to remove >>>'s, but gets the job done.
  • IPython is apparently the way to go to do this.
  • How to save a Python interactive session? has more details.
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  • @S.Lott - I started with python for java programmers and the django book... and then playing around with cool modules :) Commented Nov 4, 2010 at 2:49
  • @Adam: You're saying that neither of those books mentioned the idea of a "script file"? This section wasn't a clue? python.computersci.org/Introduction/ProgramExecution Commented Nov 4, 2010 at 3:00
  • @S.Lott: I'm okay with writing modules & then running them... it's when I'm figuring things out in the interpreter and write functions there. My question seems to be similar to how to save an interactive session - perhaps I'm still grasping the correct terminology. Commented Nov 4, 2010 at 4:05
  • @S.Lott - BTW - your book on Building Skills in Python looks intriguing. Commented Nov 4, 2010 at 4:28

4 Answers 4

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The best environment for interactive coding sessions has to be IPython, in my opinion. It's built on and extends the basic Python interpreter with a lot of magic, including history. For example, you can issue the command %logstart to dump all subsequent input to a file, which still needs to be edited afterward before it will be a script, but gives you a lot to work with.

When installing IPython, don't forget pyreadline.

In general, however, it is best to write code in an IDE and then run it. IPython helps here as well. If you write and save the script, then use the IPython "run" command to run it, the entire global namespace of the script will be available for inspection in your IPython session. Additionally, you can use the -d argument to run to trigger the pdb debugger immediately on any unhandled exception.

If you're more of a straightlaced IDE and debugger kind of guy, then the easiest and best lightweight environment has to be PyScripter.

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I think the answer is to change your workflow.

What I do is write my functions in an editor (emacs), and then press a key combination (Ctrl-c Ctrl-e) to send the region of text to the (i)python interpreter.

That way I can save the function if I want, and also play with it in an interpreter.

Emacs is central to how I do it, but I'm sure there must be similar approaches with many editors (vim, gedit, etc) and IDEs.

PS. Finding a good editor is crucial when working with Python. The editor must be able to move blocks of code to the left and right easily, or the whitespace issue becomes too onerous.

I dislike typing blocks of code in the python interpreter because it doesn't allow me to shift blocks easily. You'll like Python even more when you find the right editor.

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That may be the best thing to resort to - I'm an eclipse junkie, and the pydev is great being able to open up the interpreter right below my code.
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You can setup a python history file which stores everything you type into the interpreter.

Here's how:

http://docs.python.org/tutorial/interactive.html

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Thanks - this works... although the output has escaped spaces. I found [stackoverflow.com/questions/947810/… with a link to ipython... so this may be the way to go, but unfortunately it doesn't look like either of these work with eclipse's pydev interaction session. Thanks!
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I think it can't be done.

Python can perform instrospection with the inspect module, but the inspect.getsource function won't work without a source file.

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inspect.getsource is cool... thanks for the link to the inspect functions... may come in handy :)

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