[IPython-dev] IPythonQt GSoC update

[Gerardo Gutierrez]

Here I'm forwarding another couple of e-mails  from a discussion with Mark
Summerfield. It is pretty exciting to have the interest (I think) and the
opinion of such a great programmer.


Hi Mark, as always a pleasure to receive your comments.

*On 19 April 2010 01:25, Mark Summerfield <mark at qtrac.eu> wrote:
Hi Gerardo,

It took me a moment or so but I think I understand.

"In [1]" is the first input, then comes the first output "NameError...",
then the next input "In [2]", then the second output "Out [2]...".*

Out[2] would mean the output of In[2].
There are various types of otputs in IPython like that error from the first
output that will not be referenced, I'll explain below.

*But I don't understand why you need to name the outputs? Also "In [1]:",
"In [2]:" etc., seems a bit long, I'd have thought that "#1:", "#2",
etc. would be sufficient for input, and no label for output? (Unless of
course the output can be referred to?)*
*
*This type of reference is to keep the notation of IPython. Also in IPython
all outputs are stored in a dictionary named Out, so you can type Out[2] or
the alias _2 to get the output of the second input for example.

*Regarding the GUI, how can the user navigate to earlier in/out
sequences since there is no scrollbar?*

In the snapshot there's no scrolling bar yet, because it is a prototype of
the front view (and because there are no enough cells), so it still doesn't
do anything at all(but being nice) but definitively it has to have a
scrollbar.

*Also, it looks like only the File menu has a keyboard accelerator. I
very much hope that you will make the entire user interface keyboard
navigable for those who cannot use the mouse (and for fast typists who
don't want to use the mouse).*
*
*Sure, I myself am not a fan of mouse and the goal is to reach a lot of
end-users.

*I haven't used ipython, but from your screenshot I'm guessing that
"Magic Commands" are shell-like commands that are understood alongside
pure python in an input editor? Might there not be more than 6 of these?
Shouldn't they be in a QScrollArea (or maybe they are already?)*
*
*Magic commands are IPython's functions which allow you to control the
behaviour of IPython itself and also a lot of system-type features. They are
used typing a % before the magic command, you can list them with %lsmagic
and view the documentation with %magic.
Yes, there would be a scrollbar too, but as I said above this is just a
protoype.

*Good luck!*

Thanks again Mark, all this important details are going directly into my
TODO list. And most importantly I have come to realize that that kind of
information should be explained in a better way for Qt developers, people
who don't use IPython or a curious non-related plausible user.

I hope I have answered your questions and as always, any comment that you
have about this project would be very welcome.




P.D. About the last e-mail, the second paragraph ("I don't really...") is my
answer to what Mark commented in the blog.




Best regards.
--
Gerardo Gutiérrez Gutiérrez <http://he1.udea.edu.co/gweb>
Physics student
Universidad de Antioquia
Computational physics and astrophysics group
(FACom<http://urania.udea.edu.co/sites/sites.php>
)
Computational science and development
branch(FACom-dev<http://urania.udea.edu.co/sites/facom-dev/>
)
Usuario Linux #492295
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