[Python-Dev] a simpler way to invoke pydoc, pdb, unittest, etc

[Jim Fulton]

Ilya Sandler wrote:
> A problem:
> 
> a number of standard python modules come with a command line interfaces,
> e.g.  pydoc.py, pdb.py , unittest.py, timeit.py, uu.py
> But it appears that there is no convenient out-of-the-box way to invoke
> these tools from command line...
> 
> Basically one either has to write wrappers or to
> invoke them like this: python /usr/lib/python2.3/pdb.py
> 
> Neither approach is convenient...
> 
> Am I missing something obvious? If not, then would the following make
> sense?
> 
> When a script specified from command line is not found and the script name
> does not end with py, treat the script as a module name and execute
> that module as __main__
> 
> So
> python pdb
> would be equivalent to
> python /usr/lib/python2.3/pdb.py
> 
> A possible variation of the same idea would be to have an explicit
> command line option -m (or -M). More typing, but less magic...

+1 on the -m command-line variation, with the following change:

   I'd like Python to import the module and then run it's main function.

I've been meaning to suggest smething like this myself.

Jim

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