[IPython-dev] ipython as a debugger command-line interface?

[Fernando Perez]

On Tue, Mar 10, 2009 at 2:28 PM, Rocky Bernstein <rocky at gnu.org> wrote:

> I throw this idea out as an alternative to ipython way to add "magic"
> commands. I'm not that familiar with ipython magic commands, but probably
> that's the way one would add debugger-specific commands in ipython.

Very much so.  In fact, I prefer how IPython works than how debuggers
typically do it: ipython can have automatic calling of commands like

ls

but if you have a conflict, it has a way to disambiguate with

%ls

The advantage of that is that you always get the full python language
as a first class citizen, without having to jump through the
contortions you need to in pdb, where the commands and the language
are always stepping on each other's toes.

So it would be very easy to simply have a group of magics that load
together and implement all the debugger commands in an ipython-based
one, but you'd retain 100% of the python language without any name
clashes (like 'normal' ipython does).

Best,

f