IPython Documentation Release 0.10 The IPython Development Team August 04, 2009 CONTENTS 1 Introduction 1 1.1 Overview............................................1 1.2 Enhanced interactive Python shell...............................1 1.3 Interactive parallel computing.................................3 2 Installation 5 2.1 Overview............................................5 2.2 Quickstart...........................................5 2.3 Installing IPython itself....................................6 2.4 Basic optional dependencies..................................7 2.5 Dependencies for IPython.kernel (parallel computing)....................8 2.6 Dependencies for IPython.frontend (the IPython GUI).................... 10 3 Using IPython for interactive work 11 3.1 Quick IPython tutorial..................................... 11 3.2 IPython reference........................................ 16 3.3 IPython as a system shell.................................... 42 3.4 IPython extension API..................................... 47 4 Using IPython for parallel computing 53 4.1 Overview and getting started.................................. 53 4.2 Starting the IPython controller and engines.......................... 57 4.3 IPython’s multiengine interface................................ 63 4.4 The IPython task interface................................... 77 4.5 Using MPI with IPython.................................... 79 4.6 Security details of IPython................................... 82 4.7 IPython/Vision Beam Pattern Demo.............................. 88 5 Configuration and customization 95 5.1 Initial configuration of your environment........................... 95 5.2 Customization of IPython................................... 99 5.3 New configuration system................................... 104 6 Frequently asked questions 105 6.1 General questions....................................... 105 i 6.2 Questions about parallel computing with IPython....................... 105 7 History 107 7.1 Origins............................................. 107 7.2 Today and how we got here.................................. 107 8 What’s new 109 8.1 Release 0.10.......................................... 109 8.2 Release 0.9.1.......................................... 113 8.3 Release 0.9........................................... 113 8.4 Release 0.8.4.......................................... 117 8.5 Release 0.8.3.......................................... 117 8.6 Release 0.8.2.......................................... 117 8.7 Older releases......................................... 117 9 IPython Developer’s Guide 119 9.1 IPython development guidelines................................ 119 9.2 Coding guide.......................................... 127 9.3 Documenting IPython..................................... 129 9.4 Development roadmap..................................... 131 9.5 IPython.kernel.core.notification blueprint........................... 132 9.6 Notes on the IPython configuration system.......................... 134 10 The IPython API 135 10.1 ColorANSI........................................... 135 10.2 ConfigLoader.......................................... 137 10.3 CrashHandler.......................................... 138 10.4 DPyGetOpt........................................... 139 10.5 Debugger............................................ 142 10.6 Itpl............................................... 144 10.7 Logger............................................. 147 10.8 Magic.............................................. 148 10.9 OInspect............................................ 167 10.10 OutputTrap........................................... 169 10.11 Prompts............................................. 172 10.12 PyColorize........................................... 174 10.13 Shell.............................................. 175 10.14 UserConfig.ipy_user_conf................................... 183 10.15 background_jobs........................................ 183 10.16 clipboard............................................ 186 10.17 completer............................................ 187 10.18 config.api............................................ 190 10.19 config.cutils.......................................... 191 10.20 deep_reload........................................... 191 10.21 demo.............................................. 192 10.22 dtutils.............................................. 200 10.23 excolors............................................. 200 10.24 external.Itpl........................................... 201 ii 10.25 external.argparse........................................ 204 10.26 external.configobj....................................... 209 10.27 external.guid.......................................... 220 10.28 external.mglob......................................... 221 10.29 external.path.......................................... 221 10.30 external.pretty......................................... 230 10.31 external.simplegeneric..................................... 234 10.32 external.validate........................................ 234 10.33 frontend.asyncfrontendbase.................................. 248 10.34 frontend.frontendbase..................................... 249 10.35 frontend.linefrontendbase................................... 251 10.36 frontend.prefilterfrontend................................... 252 10.37 frontend.process.pipedprocess................................. 254 10.38 frontend.wx.console_widget.................................. 254 10.39 frontend.wx.ipythonx..................................... 255 10.40 frontend.wx.wx_frontend................................... 256 10.41 generics............................................. 258 10.42 genutils............................................. 259 10.43 gui.wx.ipshell_nonblocking.................................. 273 10.44 gui.wx.ipython_history..................................... 275 10.45 gui.wx.ipython_view...................................... 276 10.46 gui.wx.thread_ex........................................ 280 10.47 gui.wx.wxIPython....................................... 280 10.48 history............................................. 282 10.49 hooks.............................................. 283 10.50 ipapi.............................................. 286 10.51 iplib............................................... 292 10.52 ipmaker............................................. 303 10.53 ipstruct............................................. 303 10.54 irunner............................................. 306 10.55 kernel.client.......................................... 310 10.56 kernel.clientconnector..................................... 311 10.57 kernel.clientinterfaces..................................... 312 10.58 kernel.codeutil......................................... 313 10.59 kernel.contexts......................................... 313 10.60 kernel.controllerservice.................................... 314 10.61 kernel.core.display_formatter................................. 316 10.62 kernel.core.display_trap.................................... 317 10.63 kernel.core.error........................................ 318 10.64 kernel.core.fd_redirector.................................... 320 10.65 kernel.core.file_like...................................... 320 10.66 kernel.core.history....................................... 321 10.67 kernel.core.interpreter..................................... 323 10.68 kernel.core.macro....................................... 327 10.69 kernel.core.magic....................................... 327 10.70 kernel.core.message_cache................................... 328 10.71 kernel.core.notification..................................... 330 10.72 kernel.core.output_trap..................................... 331 iii 10.73 kernel.core.prompts...................................... 332 10.74 kernel.core.redirector_output_trap............................... 334 10.75 kernel.core.sync_traceback_trap................................ 335 10.76 kernel.core.traceback_formatter................................ 335 10.77 kernel.core.traceback_trap................................... 336 10.78 kernel.core.util......................................... 337 10.79 kernel.engineconnector..................................... 339 10.80 kernel.enginefc......................................... 340 10.81 kernel.engineservice...................................... 343 10.82 kernel.error........................................... 349 10.83 kernel.fcutil........................................... 355 10.84 kernel.magic.......................................... 356 10.85 kernel.map........................................... 356 10.86 kernel.mapper......................................... 357 10.87 kernel.multiengine....................................... 359 10.88 kernel.multiengineclient.................................... 364 10.89 kernel.multienginefc...................................... 371 10.90 kernel.newserialized...................................... 374 10.91 kernel.parallelfunction..................................... 376 10.92 kernel.pbutil.......................................... 378 10.93 kernel.pendingdeferred..................................... 378 10.94 kernel.pickleutil........................................ 380 10.95 kernel.scripts.ipcluster..................................... 381 10.96 kernel.scripts.ipcontroller................................... 384 10.97 kernel.scripts.ipengine..................................... 385 10.98