source: trunk/essentials/dev-lang/python/Lib/idlelib/help.txt

Last change on this file was 3225, checked in by bird, 18 years ago

Python 2.5

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1[See the end of this file for ** TIPS ** on using IDLE !!]
2
3Click on the dotted line at the top of a menu to "tear it off": a
4separate window containing the menu is created.
5
6File Menu:
7
8 New Window -- Create a new editing window
9 Open... -- Open an existing file
10 Recent Files... -- Open a list of recent files
11 Open Module... -- Open an existing module (searches sys.path)
12 Class Browser -- Show classes and methods in current file
13 Path Browser -- Show sys.path directories, modules, classes
14 and methods
15 ---
16 Save -- Save current window to the associated file (unsaved
17 windows have a * before and after the window title)
18
19 Save As... -- Save current window to new file, which becomes
20 the associated file
21 Save Copy As... -- Save current window to different file
22 without changing the associated file
23 ---
24 Print Window -- Print the current window
25 ---
26 Close -- Close current window (asks to save if unsaved)
27 Exit -- Close all windows, quit (asks to save if unsaved)
28
29Edit Menu:
30
31 Undo -- Undo last change to current window
32 (A maximum of 1000 changes may be undone)
33 Redo -- Redo last undone change to current window
34 ---
35 Cut -- Copy a selection into system-wide clipboard,
36 then delete the selection
37 Copy -- Copy selection into system-wide clipboard
38 Paste -- Insert system-wide clipboard into window
39 Select All -- Select the entire contents of the edit buffer
40 ---
41 Find... -- Open a search dialog box with many options
42 Find Again -- Repeat last search
43 Find Selection -- Search for the string in the selection
44 Find in Files... -- Open a search dialog box for searching files
45 Replace... -- Open a search-and-replace dialog box
46 Go to Line -- Ask for a line number and show that line
47 Expand Word -- Expand the word you have typed to match another
48 word in the same buffer; repeat to get a
49 different expansion
50
51Format Menu (only in Edit window):
52
53 Indent Region -- Shift selected lines right 4 spaces
54 Dedent Region -- Shift selected lines left 4 spaces
55 Comment Out Region -- Insert ## in front of selected lines
56 Uncomment Region -- Remove leading # or ## from selected lines
57 Tabify Region -- Turns *leading* stretches of spaces into tabs
58 (Note: We recommend using 4 space blocks to indent Python code.)
59 Untabify Region -- Turn *all* tabs into the right number of spaces
60 New Indent Width... -- Open dialog to change indent width
61 Format Paragraph -- Reformat the current blank-line-separated
62 paragraph
63
64Run Menu (only in Edit window):
65
66 Python Shell -- Open or wake up the Python shell window
67 ---
68 Check Module -- Run a syntax check on the module
69 Run Module -- Execute the current file in the __main__ namespace
70
71Shell Menu (only in Shell window):
72
73 View Last Restart -- Scroll the shell window to the last restart
74 Restart Shell -- Restart the interpreter with a fresh environment
75
76Debug Menu (only in Shell window):
77
78 Go to File/Line -- look around the insert point for a filename
79 and linenumber, open the file, and show the line
80 Debugger (toggle) -- Run commands in the shell under the debugger
81 Stack Viewer -- Show the stack traceback of the last exception
82 Auto-open Stack Viewer (toggle) -- Open stack viewer on traceback
83
84Options Menu:
85
86 Configure IDLE -- Open a configuration dialog. Fonts, indentation,
87 keybindings, and color themes may be altered.
88 Startup Preferences may be set, and Additional Help
89 Souces can be specified.
90 ---
91 Code Context -- Open a pane at the top of the edit window which
92 shows the block context of the section of code
93 which is scrolling off the top or the window.
94
95Windows Menu:
96
97 Zoom Height -- toggles the window between configured size
98 and maximum height.
99 ---
100 The rest of this menu lists the names of all open windows;
101 select one to bring it to the foreground (deiconifying it if
102 necessary).
103
104Help Menu:
105
106 About IDLE -- Version, copyright, license, credits
107 IDLE Readme -- Background discussion and change details
108 ---
109 IDLE Help -- Display this file
110 Python Docs -- Access local Python documentation, if
111 installed. Otherwise, access www.python.org.
112 ---
113 (Additional Help Sources may be added here)
114
115
116** TIPS **
117==========
118
119Additional Help Sources:
120
121 Windows users can Google on zopeshelf.chm to access Zope help files in
122 the Windows help format. The Additional Help Sources feature of the
123 configuration GUI supports .chm, along with any other filetypes
124 supported by your browser. Supply a Menu Item title, and enter the
125 location in the Help File Path slot of the New Help Source dialog. Use
126 http:// and/or www. to identify external URLs, or download the file and
127 browse for its path on your machine using the Browse button.
128
129 All users can access the extensive sources of help, including
130 tutorials, available at www.python.org/doc. Selected URLs can be added
131 or removed from the Help menu at any time using Configure IDLE.
132
133Basic editing and navigation:
134
135 Backspace deletes char to the left; DEL deletes char to the right.
136 Control-backspace deletes word left, Control-DEL deletes word right.
137 Arrow keys and Page Up/Down move around.
138 Control-left/right Arrow moves by words in a strange but useful way.
139 Home/End go to begin/end of line.
140 Control-Home/End go to begin/end of file.
141 Some useful Emacs bindings (Control-a, Control-e, Control-k, etc.)
142 are inherited from Tcl/Tk.
143 Standard Windows bindings may work on that platform.
144 Keybindings are selected in the Settings Dialog, look there.
145
146Automatic indentation:
147
148 After a block-opening statement, the next line is indented by 4 spaces
149 (in the Python Shell window by one tab). After certain keywords
150 (break, return etc.) the next line is dedented. In leading
151 indentation, Backspace deletes up to 4 spaces if they are there. Tab
152 inserts spaces (in the Python Shell window one tab), number depends on
153 Indent Width. (N.B. Currently tabs are restricted to four spaces due
154 to Tcl/Tk issues.)
155
156 See also the indent/dedent region commands in the edit menu.
157
158Python Shell window:
159
160 Control-c interrupts executing command.
161 Control-d sends end-of-file; closes window if typed at >>> prompt
162 (this is Control-z on Windows).
163
164 Command history:
165
166 Alt-p retrieves previous command matching what you have typed.
167 Alt-n retrieves next.
168 (These are Control-p, Control-n on the Mac)
169 Return while cursor is on a previous command retrieves that command.
170 Expand word is also useful to reduce typing.
171
172 Syntax colors:
173
174 The coloring is applied in a background "thread", so you may
175 occasionally see uncolorized text. To change the color
176 scheme, use the Configure IDLE / Highlighting dialog.
177
178 Python default syntax colors:
179
180 Keywords orange
181 Builtins royal purple
182 Strings green
183 Comments red
184 Definitions blue
185
186 Shell default colors:
187
188 Console output brown
189 stdout blue
190 stderr red
191 stdin black
192
193Other preferences:
194
195 The font preferences, keybinding, and startup preferences can
196 be changed using the Settings dialog.
197
198Command line usage:
199
200 Enter idle -h at the command prompt to get a usage message.
201
202Running without a subprocess:
203
204 If IDLE is started with the -n command line switch it will run in a
205 single process and will not create the subprocess which runs the RPC
206 Python execution server. This can be useful if Python cannot create
207 the subprocess or the RPC socket interface on your platform. However,
208 in this mode user code is not isolated from IDLE itself. Also, the
209 environment is not restarted when Run/Run Module (F5) is selected. If
210 your code has been modified, you must reload() the affected modules and
211 re-import any specific items (e.g. from foo import baz) if the changes
212 are to take effect. For these reasons, it is preferable to run IDLE
213 with the default subprocess if at all possible.
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