Merge pull request #6194 from SylvainCorlay/immediate-widget-comm

Allow model id to be set externally on creation of the widget.

IPython/html/widgets/widget.py

@@ -101,7 +101,7 b' class Widget(LoggingConfigurable):'
         registered in the front-end to create and sync this widget with.""")
     _view_name = Unicode('WidgetView', help="""Default view registered in the front-end
         to use to represent the widget.""", sync=True)
-    _comm = Instance('IPython.kernel.comm.Comm')
+    comm = Instance('IPython.kernel.comm.Comm')
     
     msg_throttle = Int(3, sync=True, help="""Maximum number of msgs the 
         front-end can send before receiving an idle msg from the back-end.""")
@@ -121,10 +121,12 b' class Widget(LoggingConfigurable):'
     #-------------------------------------------------------------------------
     def __init__(self, **kwargs):
         """Public constructor"""
+        self._model_id = kwargs.pop('model_id', None)
         super(Widget, self).__init__(**kwargs)
 
         self.on_trait_change(self._handle_property_changed, self.keys)
         Widget._call_widget_constructed(self)
+        self.open()
 
     def __del__(self):
         """Object disposal"""
@@ -134,21 +136,20 b' class Widget(LoggingConfigurable):'
     # Properties
     #-------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
-    @property
-    def comm(self):
-        """Gets the Comm associated with this widget.
-
-        If a Comm doesn't exist yet, a Comm will be created automagically."""
-        if self._comm is None:
-            # Create a comm.
-            self._comm = Comm(target_name=self._model_name)
-            self._comm.on_msg(self._handle_msg)
+    def open(self):
+        """Open a comm to the frontend if one isn't already open."""
+        if self.comm is None:
+            if self._model_id is None:
+                self.comm = Comm(target_name=self._model_name)
+                self._model_id = self.model_id
+            else:
+                self.comm = Comm(target_name=self._model_name, comm_id=self._model_id)
+            self.comm.on_msg(self._handle_msg)
             Widget.widgets[self.model_id] = self
 
             # first update
             self.send_state()
-        return self._comm
-    
+
     @property
     def model_id(self):
         """Gets the model id of this widget.
@@ -166,10 +167,10 b' class Widget(LoggingConfigurable):'
         Closes the underlying comm.
         When the comm is closed, all of the widget views are automatically
         removed from the front-end."""
-        if self._comm is not None:
+        if self.comm is not None:
             Widget.widgets.pop(self.model_id, None)
-            self._comm.close()
-        self._comm = None
+            self.comm.close()
+            self.comm = None
     
     def send_state(self, key=None):
         """Sends the widget state, or a piece of it, to the front-end.
@@ -416,7 +417,10 b' class DOMWidget(Widget):'
         selector: unicode (optional, kwarg only)
             JQuery selector to use to apply the CSS key/value.  If no selector 
             is provided, an empty selector is used.  An empty selector makes the 
-            front-end try to apply the css to the top-level element.
+            front-end try to apply the css to a default element.  The default
+            element is an attribute unique to each view, which is a DOM element
+            of the view that should be styled with common CSS (see 
+            `$el_to_style` in the Javascript code).
         """
         if value is None:
             css_dict = dict_or_key

IPython/kernel/comm/comm.py

@@ -23,7 +23,7 b' class Comm(LoggingConfigurable):'
         return self.shell.kernel.iopub_socket
     session = Instance('IPython.kernel.zmq.session.Session')
     def _session_default(self):
-        if self.shell is None:
+        if self.shell is None or not hasattr(self.shell, 'kernel'):
             return
         return self.shell.kernel.session
     
@@ -56,15 +56,16 b' class Comm(LoggingConfigurable):'
     
     def _publish_msg(self, msg_type, data=None, metadata=None, **keys):
         """Helper for sending a comm message on IOPub"""
-        data = {} if data is None else data
-        metadata = {} if metadata is None else metadata
-        content = json_clean(dict(data=data, comm_id=self.comm_id, **keys))
-        self.session.send(self.iopub_socket, msg_type,
-            content,
-            metadata=json_clean(metadata),
-            parent=self.shell.get_parent(),
-            ident=self.topic,
-        )
+        if self.session is not None:
+            data = {} if data is None else data
+            metadata = {} if metadata is None else metadata
+            content = json_clean(dict(data=data, comm_id=self.comm_id, **keys))
+            self.session.send(self.iopub_socket, msg_type,
+                content,
+                metadata=json_clean(metadata),
+                parent=self.shell.get_parent(),
+                ident=self.topic,
+            )
     
     def __del__(self):
         """trigger close on gc"""
@@ -77,7 +78,9 b' class Comm(LoggingConfigurable):'
         if data is None:
             data = self._open_data
         self._closed = False
-        get_ipython().comm_manager.register_comm(self)
+        ip = get_ipython()
+        if hasattr(ip, 'comm_manager'):
+            ip.comm_manager.register_comm(self)
         self._publish_msg('comm_open', data, metadata, target_name=self.target_name)
     
     def close(self, data=None, metadata=None):
@@ -88,7 +91,9 b' class Comm(LoggingConfigurable):'
         if data is None:
             data = self._close_data
         self._publish_msg('comm_close', data, metadata)
-        get_ipython().comm_manager.unregister_comm(self)
+        ip = get_ipython()
+        if hasattr(ip, 'comm_manager'):
+            ip.comm_manager.unregister_comm(self)
         self._closed = True
     
     def send(self, data=None, metadata=None):