Python Shell

The Python Shell plugin maintains an interactive Python environment within jEdit. This can be useful for running quick tests, or simply to play around with the language to get a better feel for its syntax.

To use the plugin, open up the Console dockable and select the Python shell. Once selected, it will attempt to start up the Read-Eval-Print-Loop, and if successful, the Python information message and prompt will be displayed. If not successful, you will need to tell the plugin where to find Python; this can be done by going to Plugins -> Plugin Options -> Python Shell. This should only be necessary if the Python executable can not be found on your system path.

The easiest way to evaluate code in the shell is to simply type it in and hit enter. But there are several actions available that make it easier to test a portion of your code without having to manually copy and paste it.

These actions can be found in Plugins -> Python Shell. Using these actions, you can use the shell to evaluate the active buffer, any selected text within that buffer, or an external Python script.

Any variables or functions defined in the shell will persist until the loop is manually stopped and restarted.

To stop the loop, click on the Stop button in the Console dockable. After it's stopped, hit Enter to start it back up again. Restarting can be used to reset the environment, or you can simply stop the loop to conserve system resources.