Correct way to create a shell like environment in python?

Question

I'm trying to create a shell like environment, where a user is presented with ">>>" and can type in any of a number of pre-defined commands. However, the only way I can think of implementing this is with a dictionary mapping commands->code and python's "exec".

Is there a more correct way of doing this?

Answer 1

The standard library module cmd is specifically for this.

If you do end up rolling your own solution, there's no need to involve exec. Your dictionary mapping commands to code should map strings to strings. It can map strings to actual functions. In fact, a class is a mapping of strings to code (method names to method definitions).

Answer 2

If it is a Python interactive interpreter you are making, check out the code module.