158

How do I repeat the last command? The usual keys: Up, Ctrl+Up, Alt-p don't work. They produce nonsensical characters.

(ve)[kakarukeys@localhost ve]$ python
Python 2.6.6 (r266:84292, Nov 15 2010, 21:48:32) 
[GCC 4.4.4 20100630 (Red Hat 4.4.4-10)] on linux2
Type "help", "copyright", "credits" or "license" for more information.
>>> print "hello world"
hello world
>>> ^[[A
  File "<stdin>", line 1
    ^
SyntaxError: invalid syntax
>>> ^[[1;5A
  File "<stdin>", line 1
    [1;5A
    ^
SyntaxError: invalid syntax
>>> ^[p
  File "<stdin>", line 1
    p
    ^
SyntaxError: invalid syntax
>>>
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6
  • Up arrow works correctly for me (Ubuntu), it's weird. Commented Nov 27, 2010 at 3:11
  • 3
    Ditto, up arrow works for me on Windows. What shell are you using, and what terminal program on what OS? Commented Nov 27, 2010 at 3:12
  • I installed a separate python 2.6.6 installation on Fedora 13, run virtualenv, using the default python shell, on gnome-terminal Commented Nov 27, 2010 at 3:15
  • 5
    just a FYI, those "nonsensical" characters are "escape sequences" developed by DEC and others back in the days when mainframe computers were accessed by terminals over phone lines. ^[ is ESC (escape), ^[[ is escape-[ or CSI (control sequence initiator, IIRC) and CSI-A is the sequence for "up". and when you enable ncurses, using the answer below, those sequences are interpreted rather than displayed. Commented Oct 15, 2013 at 4:32
  • 4
    I had this problem due to installing a version of Python from source (Python3.4). Some of the comments below recommend installing Ipython and I want to mention that I have the same behavior even with Ipython. For Ubuntu 12.04 server, I had to install libncurses-dev libreadline-dev and then configure-make-install Python and it worked after that. Added as an answer... Commented Sep 19, 2014 at 21:36

26 Answers 26

Reset to default
188

In IDLE, go to Options -> Configure IDLE -> Keys and there select history-next and then history-previous to change the keys.

Then click on Get New Keys for Selection and you are ready to choose whatever key combination you want.

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10 Comments

For searchers, this works in Linux Mint 17 Cinnamon too.
works for windows 10, python 3.6.1 as well. Thanks a lot, this is clean and clear, esp. useful for new learners.
Most appropriate answer. Should have been chosen as the correct one.
there is no Options -> Configure IDLE for Python 2.7 :/
I needed to go to settings/preferences (python 2.7, IDLE for mac) and there I found the history-next, thanks so much you are the best :)
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67

I use the following to enable history on python shell.

This is my .pythonstartup file . PYTHONSTARTUP environment variable is set to this file path.

# python startup file 
import readline 
import rlcompleter 
import atexit 
import os 
# tab completion 
readline.parse_and_bind('tab: complete') 
# history file 
histfile = os.path.join(os.environ['HOME'], '.pythonhistory') 
try: 
    readline.read_history_file(histfile) 
except IOError: 
    pass 
atexit.register(readline.write_history_file, histfile) 
del os, histfile, readline, rlcompleter

You will need to have the modules readline, rlcompleter to enable this.

Check out the info on this at : http://docs.python.org/using/cmdline.html#envvar-PYTHONSTARTUP.

Modules required:

  1. http://docs.python.org/library/readline.html
  2. http://docs.python.org/library/rlcompleter.html
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5 Comments

@user496852: Just set the env variable PYTHONSTARTUP to the filepath containing above code. Also check, if you have the required modules.
it is not necessary, just follow instruction of basak's answer and assign key bindings
An overkill. Just do alt+p
As a Windows user, I had to first install pyreadline, and change the histfile definition by using histfile = pathlib.Path.home().joinpath('.pythonhistory').
This worked, but now my python shell is broken: I get some IOT error if I try to import anything, and the shell crashes. >>> import pandas \ double free or corruption (out) \ [1] 63827 IOT instruction python
53

Alt + p for previous command from histroy, Alt + n for next command from history.

This is default configure, and you can change these key shortcut at your preference from Options -> Configure IDLE.

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4 Comments

it's called history-next / history-previous
How does one change these bindings? I'm just using python in bash, not IDLE. Alt+p,n works. I'd like them to be mapped to up/down arrows. This works fine in bash.
What about for macOS? I'm using macOS, and I don't have an Alt key.
This should be the #1 answer. IMHO the simplest approach is often to use the defaults, and then only modify that if you really feel the need and/or have a compelling reason to do so. This is assuming the question was about IDLE, which seems to be implied by OP's use of the [python-idle] tag.
22

You didn't specify which environment. Assuming you are using IDLE.

From IDLE documentation: Command history:

Alt-p retrieves previous command matching what you have typed.
Alt-n retrieves next.
      (These are Control-p, Control-n on the Mac)
Return while cursor is on a previous command retrieves that command.
Expand word is also useful to reduce typing.
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2 Comments

For further information: docs.python.org/2/library/idle.html#python-shell-window
This is the solution I am looking for in IDLE. Up arrow worked on python interpreter launched from bash shell.
8

Ctrl+p is the normal alternative to the up arrow. Make sure you have gnu readline enabled in your Python build.

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1 Comment

this asks if I want to print
8

On Ubuntu Server 12.04, I had this problem after installing a version of Python from source (Python3.4).

Some of the comments here recommend installing Ipython and I want to mention that I have the same behavior even with Ipython. From what I can tell, this is a readline problem.

For Ubuntu 12.04 server, I had to install libncurses-dev and libreadline-dev and then install Python from source for up-history (readline) behavior to be enabled. I pretty much did this:

sudo apt-get install libncurses-dev libreadline-dev

After that, I deleted the previously installed Python (NOT THE SYSTEM PYTHON, the one I had installed from source!) and reinstalled it from source and everything worked as expected.

I did not have to install anything with pip or edit .pythonstartup.

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3 Comments

For anyone who encounters this problem, I am on 14.04 and was still able to use this solution to fix this problem going from 3.4.0 to 3.4.2.
I needed to do sudo pip install readline after this to get it to work (python 2.7.11)
This worked for me on 64-bit Ubuntu 16 as well. I have 32-bit Python 3.5.2, compiled and installed from sources, in addition to the already apt-installed 64-bit Pythons. Just did sudo apt-get install libncurses-dev libncurses-dev:i386 libreadline-dev libreadline-dev:i386 and reinstalled the source-built Python.
7

ALT + p works for me on Enthought Python in Windows.

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7

By default use ALT+p for previous command, you can change to Up-Arrow instead in IDLE GUi >> OPtions >> Configure IDLE >>Key >>Custom Key Binding It is not necesary to run a custom script, besides readlines module doesnt run in Windows. Hope That Help. :)

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4

On CentOS, I fix this by

yum install readline-devel

and then recompile python 3.4.

On OpenSUSE, I fix this by

pip3 install readline

Referring to this answer:https://stackoverflow.com/a/26356378/2817654. Perhaps "pip3 install readline" is a general solution. Haven't tried on my CentOS.

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4

I find information that I copied below answer the question

Adapt yourself to IDLE: Instead of hitting the up arrow to bring back a previous command, if you just put your cursor on the previous command you want to repeat and then press "enter", that command will be repeated at the current command prompt. Press enter again, and the command gets executed.

Force IDLE to adapt itself to you: If you insist on making the arrow keys in the IDLE command prompt window work like those in every other command prompt, you can do this. Go to the "Options" menu, select "Configure IDLE", and then "Keys". Changing the key that is associated with the "previous command" and "next command" actions to be the up arrow, and down arrow, respectively.

source

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3

In my mac os python3 you can use: control+p early command contrlo+n next command

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2 
alt+p  
go into options tab
configure idle
Keys

look under history-previous for the command, you can change it to something you like better once here.

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2

This can happen when you run python script.py vs just python to enter the interactive shell, among other reasons for readline being disabled.

Try:

import readline
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2

You don't need a custom script like pyfunc's answer for OSX (at least on mavericks). In Idle click on Idle -> Preferences -> Keys, locate "history-next" and "history-previous", and either leave them with their default keyboard shortcut or assign "up arrow" and "down arrow" per typical expected terminal behavior.

This is on Idle 2.7 on OSX Mavericks.

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2

If you use Debian Jessie run this to fix your system installation 2.7.9

sudo apt-get install libncurses5-dev libncursesw5-dev

To fix my other 3.5.2 installation which I installed with pyenv :

pip install readline

Sources:

[1] https://www.cyberciti.biz/faq/linux-install-ncurses-library-headers-on-debian-ubuntu-centos-fedora/

[2] https://github.com/yyuu/pyenv/issues/240

[3] https://stackoverflow.com/a/40229934/332788

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2 Comments

Installing libncurses5-dev and libncursesw5-dev was sufficient to fix my Python 3.5 installation, but Python 3.6 broke up after I installed readline module for it. Probably need to recompile.
It helped me Ubuntu 18.04 python version 3.7.3 pip install readline
2

Using arrow keys to go to the start of the command and hitting enter copies it as the current command.

Then just hit enter to run it again.

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2

For repeating the last command in python, you can use <Alt + n> in windows

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2 Comments

If arrow-up doesn't work, you need to fix your installation. Probably need pyreadline.
Use pyreadline3 which now works with Py3.10.
2

I don't understand why there are so many long explanations about this. All you have to do is install the pyreadline package with:

pip install pyreadline

sudo  port install py-readline (on Mac)

(Assuming you have already installed PIP.)

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8 Comments

'pip install readline' worked for me. All my control sequences were coming out with bracket prefixes on Centos 7 after python 3.4 manual install
"Could not find a version that satisfies the requirement py-readline (from versions: ) No matching distribution found for py-readline" I hate this world
Make sure you use pip2 or pip3, depending on what version you have installed.
This breaks python for version 3.8. Do not install!
pyreadline is dead meat. Use pyreadline3 which now works with Py3.10.
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1

Ipython isn't allways the way... I like it pretty much, but if you try run Django shell with ipython. Something like>>>

ipython manage.py shell

it does'n work correctly if you use virtualenv. Django needs some special includes which aren't there if you start ipython, because it starts default system python, but not that virtual.

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1

Up Arrow works only in Python command line.

In IDLE (Python GUI) the defaults are: Alt-p : retrieves previous command matching what you have typed. Alt-n : retrieves next... In Python 2.7.9 for example, you can see/change the Action Keys selecting: Options -> Configure IDLE -> (Tab) Keys

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1

For anaconda for python 3.5, I needed to install ncurses

conda install ncurses

After the ncurses install tab complete, history, and navigating via left and right arrows worked in the interactive shell.

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1

On Mac with Python 2.x

➜ ~ brew install rlwrap

Start with rlwrap

➜ ~ rlwrap python

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0

Up arrow works for me too. And i don't think you need to install the Readline module for python builtin commandline. U should try Ipython to check. Or maybe it's the problem of your keybord map.

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0

If using MacOSX, press control p to cycle up and control n to cycle down. I am using IDLE Python 3.4.1 Shell.

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0

it is control + p in Mac os in python 3.4 IDEL

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0

On Ubuntu 16.04, I had the same problem after upgrading Python from the preloaded 3.5 to version 3.7 from source code. As @erewok suggested, I did

sudo apt-get install libncurses-dev libreadline-dev

followed by: sudo make install After that, the arrow-up key worked. Not sure which module is required to fix the problem or both, but without "make install", none would work. During initial make, there were some red-flag errors, but ignored and completed the build. This time, there didn't seem to have any errors.

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