[IPython-dev] Pylab support: How about dynamic backend selection?

[Fernando Perez]

On Wed, Sep 24, 2008 at 5:23 AM, Gael Varoquaux
<gael.varoquaux at normalesup.org> wrote:
> On Wed, Sep 24, 2008 at 02:11:11PM +0200, Hans Meine wrote:
>> right now, IPython has special thread support for different GUI
>> backends, and
>> special support for MPL/pylab.  AFAIK, when I specify -pylab on the
>> cmdline,
>> ipython will choose the "right" GUI toolkit depending on my
>> matplotlibrc
>> backend setting.  However, I sometimes need Qt4 and sometimes WX
>> support,
>> which are both supported by MPL, but the -pylab overwrites the
>> threading
>> switch.
>
>> My suggestion is to let the -pylab switch gracefully handle -foothread
>> switches by internally calling matplotlib.use(...) to let MPL use the
>> same
>> GUI toolkit that has been specified on the cmdline.
>
> In the latest ipython, this behavior should be possible:
>
> ipython "-pylab -wthread" should be running matplotlib with the Wx
> support.

Yup, this was added a while ago already, and I use it all the time.
So Hans, you should be in business if you're running a recent ipython.

It's always nice when the time machine works :)

Cheers,

f