Quality of the integrated Python console

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Hello,
Back to KiCAD, I would like to start scripting and I am doing my first steps with the integrated Python console (KiCAD 5.1.6, wxWidgets 3.0.4, Windows 10).
What a crap! There’s no decent completion and no decent history with the arrow keys…
The console that is provided is not what I call a decent console. Am I the only one to think so?
Would it be possible to use or to integrate a console like IPython?

Note: I love Python scripting, so I love a good interactive shell.
Does KiCAD have the console it deserves?
Olivier

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No, but unless someone implements something better, it is what it is. Lack of manpower, you know. I don’t think interactive scripting is very popular so it would be low in the wishlist. If you can help in some concrete way, please do.

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Check on the GitLab issue tracker to see if these are already listed as wishlist items.
If not raise them, one feature per report

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I don’t think interactive scripting is very popular

  • Interactive scripting is very useful to me when developing new things. It allows to make quick and easy tests with the objects that I create. I find it very efficient to develop complex programs. I run the program being developed in the IPython shell with %run program.py and I am then able to inspect and play with all the objects created, which helps in order to build the next part of the code.

After some tries:

  • I was lucky enough to work on Debian Linux, where the distribution incorporates the “pcbnew.py” module in the standard Python3 installation. So I could work with the Python pcbnew module in the IPython shell, outside of KiCAD. I was quite satisfied with this.
  • Under Windows 10, I was not that lucky and I didn’t manage to access the pcbnew module from IPython.
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