Python and Eclipse: How to use interactive console after running a module, with the module variables and functions

Question

Let's consider 3 situations:

1) I write a pyhon module in Eclipse (pydev) and run it Ctrl-F11. The module runs and I don't have any control or access (AFAIK) to the module variables and functions.

2) I have defined a python interpreter as an external tool in Eclipse, so I can run it within Eclipse. It works fine, but it does not have tab completion.

3) I open my module with python IDLE (not eclipse) and press f5 (run). It runs on the IDLE opened window and when it finishes I have all the variables and functions form the module to play with.

So I have 2 questions: a) how to enable, if possible, tab completion in python interpreter in Eclipse? If it's not possible, do I have any alternative to standard Python interpreter?

b) I would like to run step 1) and then be able to continue developing / testing with python interpreter, just like I do with IDLE, but all inside Eclipse. Any suggestion?

Thanks in advance

Answer 1

If you run it as a debug operation in Eclipse, you should be able to set a breakpoint, and you can then examine variables, etc. But you can evaluate random python scripts via the watch functionality.