[IPython-dev] notebook %magic

[Ralf Hemmecke]

On 05/31/2012 10:49 PM, Thomas Kluyver wrote:
> On 31 May 2012 21:32, Ralf Hemmecke<hemmecke at gmail.com>  wrote:
>> Anyway, if the ipython notebook should some day be able to be used as a
>> frontend for maple or mathematica then %, %% and %%% are bad, because of
>> their meaning inside the respective system.
>
> As far as I know, the notebook itself doesn't know about the escape
> sequences - that's all processed in the kernel. A hypothetical maple
> or mathematica kernel wouldn't process ipython escape sequences, so it
> shouldn't be an issue.

That maple/mathematica wouldn't process or even see magic sequences is 
clear. I am more afraid of the fact that input/output lines of 
mathematica/maple/fricas could confuse the program part that deals with 
magic lines. Just suppose my notebook simply contains a cell that only 
has the line

%pi

I don't yet know what ipython would be doing with that line, but it 
looks like magic so I guess that cell would be empty if it is seen by 
the fricas engine. Am I wrong? But I'd like fricas to see '%pi'.

Ralf