[Python-Dev] Interactive Debugging of Python

[Mark Hammond]

All this talk about stack frames and manipulating them at runtime has
reminded me of one of my biggest gripes about Python.  When I say "biggest
gripe", I really mean "biggest surprise" or "biggest shame".

That is, Python is very interactive and dynamic.  However, when I am
debugging Python, it seems to lose this.  There is no way for me to
effectively change a running program.  Now with VC6, I can do this with C.
Although it is slow and a little dumb, I can change the C side of my Python
world while my program is running, but not the Python side of the world.

Im wondering how feasable it would be to change Python code _while_ running
under the debugger.  Presumably this would require a way of recompiling the
current block of code, patching this code back into the object, and somehow
tricking the stack frame to use this new block of code; even if a first-cut
had to restart the block or somesuch...

Any thoughts on this?

Mark.