Provide html support for page() in the payload version.

%guiref now uses it.

IPython/core/payloadpage.py

@@ -20,30 +20,77 b' Authors:'
 # Imports
 #-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
+# Third-party
+try:
+    from docutils.core import publish_string
+except ImportError:
+    # html paging won't be available, but we don't raise any errors.  It's a
+    # purely optional feature.
+    pass
+
+# Our own
 from IPython.core.interactiveshell import InteractiveShell
 
 #-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 # Classes and functions
 #-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
-def page(strng, start=0, screen_lines=0, pager_cmd=None):
+def page(strng, start=0, screen_lines=0, pager_cmd=None,
+         html=None, auto_html=False):
     """Print a string, piping through a pager.
 
     This version ignores the screen_lines and pager_cmd arguments and uses
     IPython's payload system instead.
+
+    Parameters
+    ----------
+    strng : str
+      Text to page.
+
+    start : int
+      Starting line at which to place the display.
+    
+    html : str, optional
+      If given, an html string to send as well.
+
+    auto_html : bool, optional
+      If true, the input string is assumed to be valid reStructuredText and is
+      converted to HTML with docutils.  Note that if docutils is not found,
+      this option is silently ignored.
+
+    Note
+    ----
+
+    Only one of the ``html`` and ``auto_html`` options can be given, not
+    both.
     """
 
     # Some routines may auto-compute start offsets incorrectly and pass a
     # negative value.  Offset to 0 for robustness.
     start = max(0, start)
     shell = InteractiveShell.instance()
+
+    if auto_html:
+        try:
+            # These defaults ensure user configuration variables for docutils
+            # are not loaded, only our config is used here.
+            defaults = {'file_insertion_enabled': 0,
+                        'raw_enabled': 0,
+                        '_disable_config': 1}
+            html = publish_string(strng, writer_name='html',
+                                  settings_overrides=defaults)
+        except:
+            pass
+        
     payload = dict(
         source='IPython.zmq.page.page',
-        data=strng,
+        text=strng,
+        html=html,
         start_line_number=start
-    )
+        )
     shell.payload_manager.write_payload(payload)
 
+
 def install_payload_page():
     """Install this version of page as IPython.core.page.page."""
     from IPython.core import page as corepage

IPython/frontend/qt/console/ipython_widget.py

@@ -430,7 +430,7 b' class IPythonWidget(FrontendWidget):'
         self.exit_requested.emit()
 
     def _handle_payload_page(self, item):
-        self._page(item['data'])
+        self._page(item['text'])
 
     #------ Trait change handlers ---------------------------------------------
 

IPython/zmq/zmqshell.py

@@ -539,7 +539,7 b' class ZMQInteractiveShell(InteractiveShell):'
     def magic_guiref(self, arg_s):
         """Show a basic reference about the GUI console."""
         from IPython.core.usage import gui_reference
-        page.page(gui_reference)
+        page.page(gui_reference, auto_html=True)
 
 
 InteractiveShellABC.register(ZMQInteractiveShell)