Is there a good, free Python IDE for Windows? I really need some good debugging abilities.
This looks interesting. Thanks!
2008-09-24 14:58:12
+1 for PyScripter.
miracle2k
2008-09-24 15:08:13
You can get the latest version on http://code.google.com/p/pyscripter/
Victor Yan
2009-07-12 01:59:10
+7
A:
Python for Windows ships with IDLE as part of the distribution. There is also
and for further choices, the Python wiki's comprehensive list of IDEs with features listed
Jay
2008-09-24 12:18:17
+3
A:
ActiveState Python comes with PythonWin which is reasonably good. I use this for most Python development that I do on Windows. However it does not have any GUI builders in it so you may need to look at what's available for your choice of GUI framework.
The debugger on PythonWin works fine, though and will let you set breakpoints, step through, show variables and all of the standard debugger facilities.
ConcernedOfTunbridgeWells
2008-09-24 12:25:06
Also Komodo Edit. http://www.activestate.com/Products/komodo_ide/komodo_edit.mhtml
S.Lott
2008-09-24 13:13:53
A:
BOa Constructor www.boa-constructor.sourceforge.net really nice! drag and drop stuff!
gath
2008-09-24 12:28:14
A:
DrPtyhon is also very nice, and has many plug-ins. http://drpython.sourceforge.net/
torial
2008-09-24 12:47:23
+5
A:
What about IronPython? It is integrated into Visual Studio / using a Visual Studio environment:
http://www.codeplex.com/Wiki/View.aspx?ProjectName=IronPython
And it is free!
Sebastian Hoitz
2008-09-24 12:52:04
Not true - http://www.codeplex.com/Wiki/View.aspx?ProjectName=IronPythonStudio
Luke Bennett
2008-09-25 09:37:54
Or rather, not true in this situation... obviously VS costs money as a standalone product!
Luke Bennett
2008-09-25 09:38:31
There are now free versions of Visual Studio available. This free version is called Visual Studio express; however, for IronPython development that codeplex project does not require Visual studio to be installed (no money costs involved here). You can find Visual studio Express here: http://www.microsoft.com/Express/
Frinavale
2010-04-30 02:00:17
+2
A:
SPE - Stani's Python Editor, is pretty awesome. See http://pythonide.blogspot.com/.
George
2008-09-24 12:58:03
+8
A:
Active State also offers Komodo Edit. I love it.
Debugging? What specific needs do you have that you can't solve with the print statement? Are you using the assert statement? Are you using unit tests?
None of these things require elaborate IDE support.
S.Lott
2008-09-24 13:13:17
Are you serious? I'm very new to Python and am more of a C++ specialist, but you can't seriously be suggesting print and assertions being able to completely replace a proper debugger?
korona
2008-10-21 17:20:39
Yes, completely serious. When I was a C++ programmer, I did resort to the debugger (mostly to get a stack traceback from a core file.) In Python, you don't have any of the veiled mysteries that are so common in C or C++.
S.Lott
2008-10-21 17:52:32
Using the word "resort" suggests that we have a radically different view on debuggers :) As I use Visual C++ in my C++ development, the debugger is just a natural part of the IDE and the development process. I hardly notice it ;) But you are correct that higher level languages make it less needed.
korona
2008-10-22 12:34:58
@korona: In Python, you can work interactively from the command line to see what's going on. In scripts, the print and assert statements are all you'll ever need. There's nothing more you'd gain from using a debugger.
S.Lott
2008-10-22 13:31:43
After a long time working with Python, whenever I go back to c programming, I find myself forgetting that the option for a debugger even exists - to the amusement of my friends. Personally, I'm pretty sure that a debugger would be great for Python as well, but since it is less necessary, they tend not to be too developed (for the same reason, IDE's would probably be great for Python, but they are much less developed).
Edan Maor
2009-09-28 04:58:44
@dalloliogm: Keep looking. There's Komodo and Komodo Edit. The full Komodo is different from Komodo Edit. http://www.activestate.com/komodo-edit
S.Lott
2010-09-20 13:56:44
+1
A:
If you do some searching, you will notice a lot of Pythonistas don't use full blown IDE's for development. Have you looked at anything more lightweight?
check out SciTE: http://www.scintilla.org/SciTE.html
Also, check out Editra: http://editra.org/
(incidentally both are developed in python themselves)
I use SciTE for all Python development. It has an integrated console, syntax highlighting, auto-complete and all the basics you need for lightweight development.
Corey Goldberg
2008-09-24 13:39:04
Eric ide mentioned above includes scintilla and adds extra features to make it more of a complete IDE.
jilles de wit
2008-09-25 09:20:02
+4
A:
I have been using Eclipse with PyDev for a while now. Its pretty good but Eclipse is so bloated. I regularly see it using 300Mb of memory on Windows. It can hang and just be generally slow. YMMV.
Yesterday, I heard about iPython and am eager to check it out. It's not an IDE so much as a super charged shell for python that will allow you to use your favorite editor alongside it. There are some iPython related videos over on showmedo.com that may help you judge if it is going to meet your needs.
Mike
2008-09-24 16:03:14
+1
A:
Geany (http://www.geany.org/) is a fairly light text editor that does a lot of IDE-like stuff. I use it for my Python development when I'm not on an Emacs kick, and I think I'm more productive with it than anything else. It takes some work to get it all together on Windows, though.
JasonFruit
2008-09-24 17:49:48
A:
I will make a plug for my preference of Python development environments: SPE. SPE is an integrated development environment that provides code completion, integrated Python shell, calltips, and various helper tools like notes and todo lists.
It also includes wxGlade so you can make wxPython applications easily. Plus, it includes the python debugger WinPdb.
crystalattice
2008-09-25 09:06:34
A:
http://groups.google.com.tr/group/python_opengl this software is my sample visual python ide.its demo version.
+1
A:
Netbeans has support for python development in their Python Early Access version.
If you've used Eclipse before, I'd recommend PyDev as mentioned in other answers as the debugger and other features work just like any other language in eclipse. If you're coming from a differnt IDE, Netbeans is worth a try as I think it's a bit easier to switch to from other IDE's like dev studio.
I switch between pydev and netbeans - they're both very good.
Robert Christie
2009-09-28 06:47:59
+2
A:
PyCharm from JetBrains is not free in general, but now is free during early access program. And it is surely worth looking at.
Dmitry Trofimov
2010-09-17 16:11:27