.. _qtconsole: ========================= IPython as a QtGUI widget ========================= We now have a version of IPython, using the new two-process :ref:`ZeroMQ Kernel `, running in a PyQt_ GUI. Overview ======== The Qt frontend has hand-coded emacs-style bindings for text navigation. This is not yet configurable. .. seealso:: `The original IPython-Qt project description. `_ ``%loadpy`` =========== The ``%loadpy`` magic has been added, just for the GUI frontend. It takes any python script (must end in '.py'), and pastes its contents as your next input, so you can edit it before executing. The script may be on your machine, but you can also specify a url, and it will download the script from the web. This is particularly useful for playing with examples from documentation, such as matplotlib. .. sourcecode:: ipython In [6]: %loadpy http://matplotlib.sourceforge.net/plot_directive/mpl_examples/mplot3d/contour3d_demo.py In [7]: from mpl_toolkits.mplot3d import axes3d ...: import matplotlib.pyplot as plt ...: ...: fig = plt.figure() ...: ax = fig.add_subplot(111, projection='3d') ...: X, Y, Z = axes3d.get_test_data(0.05) ...: cset = ax.contour(X, Y, Z) ...: ax.clabel(cset, fontsize=9, inline=1) ...: ...: plt.show() Pylab ===== One of the most exciting features of the new console is embedded matplotlib figures. You can use any standard matplotlib GUI backend (Except native MacOSX) to draw the figures, and since there is now a two-process model, there is no longer a conflict between user input and the drawing eventloop. .. image:: figs/besselj.png :width: 519px .. pastefig: :func:`pastefig` **************** An additional function, :func:`pastefig`, will be added to the global namespace if you specify the ``--pylab`` argument. This takes the active figures in matplotlib, and embeds them in your document. This is especially useful for saving_ your work. .. _inline: ``--pylab inline`` ****************** If you want to have all of your figures embedded in your session, instead of calling :func:`pastefig`, you can specify ``--pylab inline``, and each time you make a plot, it will show up in your document, as if you had called :func:`pastefig`. .. _saving: Saving and Printing =================== IPythonQt has the ability to save your current session, as either HTML or XHTML. If you have been using `pastefig `_ or inline_ pylab, your figures will be PNG in HTML, or inlined as SVG in XHTML. PNG images have the option to be either in an external folder, as in many browsers' "Webpage, Complete" option, or inlined as well, for a larger, but more portable file. The widget also exposes the ability to print directly, via the default print shortcut or context menu. .. Note:: Saving is only available to richtext Qt widgets, so make sure you start ipqt with the ``--rich`` flag, or with ``--pylab``, which always uses a richtext widget. See these examples of :download:`png/html` and :download:`svg/xhtml ` output. Note that syntax highlighting does not survive export. This is a known issue, and is being investigated. Colors and Highlighting ======================= Terminal IPython has always had some coloring, but never syntax highlighting. There are a few simple color choices, specified by the ``--colors`` flag or ``%colors`` magic: * LightBG for light backgrounds * Linux for dark backgrounds * NoColor for a simple colorless terminal The Qt widget has full support for the ``--colors`` flag, but adds new, more intuitive aliases for the colors (the old names still work): dark=Linux, light=LightBG, bw=NoColor. The Qt widget, however, has full syntax highlighting as you type, handled by the `pygments`_ library. The ``--style`` argument exposes access to any style by name that can be found by pygments, and there are several already installed. The ``--colors`` argument, if unspecified, will be guessed based on the chosen style. Similarly, there are default styles associated with each ``--colors`` option. Screenshot of ``ipython-qtconsole --colors dark``, which uses the 'monokai' theme by default: .. image:: figs/colors_dark.png :width: 627px .. Note:: Calling ``ipython-qtconsole -h`` will show all the style names that pygments can find on your system. You can also pass the filename of a custom CSS stylesheet, if you want to do your own coloring, via the ``--stylesheet`` argument. The default LightBG stylesheet: .. sourcecode:: css QPlainTextEdit, QTextEdit { background-color: white; color: black ; selection-background-color: #ccc} .error { color: red; } .in-prompt { color: navy; } .in-prompt-number { font-weight: bold; } .out-prompt { color: darkred; } .out-prompt-number { font-weight: bold; } Process Management ================== With the two-process ZMQ model, the frontend does not block input during execution. This means that actions can be taken by the frontend while the Kernel is executing, or even after it crashes. The most basic such command is via 'Ctrl-.', which restarts the kernel. This can be done in the middle of a blocking execution. The frontend can also know, via a heartbeat mechanism, that the kernel has died. This means that the frontend can safely restart the kernel. Multiple Consoles ***************** Since the Kernel listens on the network, multiple frontends can connect to it. These do not have to all be qt frontends - any IPython frontend can connect and run code. When you start ipython-qtconsole, there will be an output line, like:: To connect another client to this kernel, use: -e --xreq 62109 --sub 62110 --rep 62111 --hb 62112 Other frontends can connect to your kernel, and share in the execution. This is great for collaboration. The `-e` flag is for 'external'. Starting other consoles with that flag will not try to start their own, but rather connect to yours. Ultimately, you will not have to specify each port individually, but for now this copy-paste method is best. By default (for security reasons), the kernel only listens on localhost, so you can only connect multiple frontends to the kernel from your local machine. You can specify to listen on an external interface by specifying the ``--ip`` argument:: $> ipython-qtconsole --ip 192.168.1.123 If you specify the ip as 0.0.0.0, that refers to all interfaces, so any computer that can see yours can connect to the kernel. .. warning:: Since the ZMQ code currently has no security, listening on an external-facing IP is dangerous. You are giving any computer that can see you on the network the ability to issue arbitrary shell commands as you on your machine. Be very careful with this. Stopping Kernels and Consoles ***************************** Since there can be many consoles per kernel, the shutdown mechanism and dialog are probably more complicated than you are used to. Since you don't always want to shutdown a kernel when you close a window, you are given the option to just close the console window or also close the Kernel and *all other windows*. Note that this only refers to all other *local* windows, as remote Consoles are not allowed to shutdown the kernel, and shutdowns do not close Remote consoles (to allow for saving, etc.). Rules: * Restarting the kernel automatically clears all *local* Consoles, and prompts remote Consoles about the reset. * Shutdown closes all *local* Consoles, and notifies remotes that the Kernel has been shutdown. * Remote Consoles may not restart or shutdown the kernel. Regressions =========== There are some features, where the qt console lags behind the Terminal frontend. We hope to have these fixed by 0.11 release. * Configuration: The Qt frontend and ZMQ kernel are not yet hooked up to the IPython configuration system * History Persistence: Currently the history of a GUI session does not persist between sessions. * !cmd input: Due to our use of pexpect, we cannot pass input to subprocesses launched using the '!' escape. (this will not be fixed). .. [PyQt] PyQt4 http://www.riverbankcomputing.co.uk/software/pyqt/download .. [pygments] Pygments http://pygments.org/