single: Python Editor
single: Integrated Development Environment
-.. moduleauthor:: Guido van Rossum <guido@Python.org>
+.. moduleauthor:: Guido van Rossum <guido@python.org>
IDLE is the Python IDE built with the :mod:`tkinter` GUI toolkit.
* cross-platform: works on Windows, Unix, and Mac OS X
+* Python shell window (interactive interpreter) with colorizing
+ of code input, output, and error messages
+
* multi-window text editor with multiple undo, Python colorizing,
- smart indent, call tips, and many other features
+ smart indent, call tips, auto completion, and other features
-* Python shell window (a.k.a. interactive interpreter)
+* search within any window, replace within editor windows, and search
+ through multiple files (grep)
-* debugger (not complete, but you can set breakpoints, view and step)
+* debugger with persistent breakpoints, stepping, and viewing
+ of global and local namespaces
+* configuration, browsers, and other dialogs
Menus
-----
Running without a subprocess
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
+By default, Idle executes user code in a separate subprocess via a socket,
+which uses the internal loopback interface. This connection is not
+externally visible and no data is sent to or received from the Internet.
+If firewall software complains anyway, you can ignore it.
+
+If the attempt to make the socket connection fails, Idle will notify you.
+Such failures are sometimes transient, but if persistent, the problem
+may be either a firewall blocking the connecton or misconfiguration of
+a particular system. Until the problem is fixed, one can run Idle with
+the -n command line switch.
+
If IDLE is started with the -n command line switch it will run in a
single process and will not create the subprocess which runs the RPC
Python execution server. This can be useful if Python cannot create
<ul class="simple">
<li>coded in 100% pure Python, using the <a class="reference internal" href="tkinter.html#module-tkinter" title="tkinter: Interface to Tcl/Tk for graphical user interfaces"><tt class="xref py py-mod docutils literal"><span class="pre">tkinter</span></tt></a> GUI toolkit</li>
<li>cross-platform: works on Windows, Unix, and Mac OS X</li>
+<li>Python shell window (interactive interpreter) with colorizing
+of code input, output, and error messages</li>
<li>multi-window text editor with multiple undo, Python colorizing,
-smart indent, call tips, and many other features</li>
-<li>Python shell window (a.k.a. interactive interpreter)</li>
-<li>debugger (not complete, but you can set breakpoints, view and step)</li>
+smart indent, call tips, auto completion, and other features</li>
+<li>search within any window, replace within editor windows, and search
+through multiple files (grep)</li>
+<li>debugger with persistent breakpoints, stepping, and viewing
+of global and local namespaces</li>
+<li>configuration, browsers, and other dialogs</li>
</ul>
<div class="section" id="menus">
<h2>25.5.1. Menus<a class="headerlink" href="#menus" title="Permalink to this headline">¶</a></h2>
</div>
<div class="section" id="running-without-a-subprocess">
<h3>25.5.4.2. Running without a subprocess<a class="headerlink" href="#running-without-a-subprocess" title="Permalink to this headline">¶</a></h3>
+<p>By default, Idle executes user code in a separate subprocess via a socket,
+which uses the internal loopback interface. This connection is not
+externally visible and no data is sent to or received from the Internet.
+If firewall software complains anyway, you can ignore it.</p>
+<p>If the attempt to make the socket connection fails, Idle will notify you.
+Such failures are sometimes transient, but if persistent, the problem
+may be either a firewall blocking the connecton or misconfiguration of
+a particular system. Until the problem is fixed, one can run Idle with
+the -n command line switch.</p>
<p>If IDLE is started with the -n command line switch it will run in a
single process and will not create the subprocess which runs the RPC
Python execution server. This can be useful if Python cannot create