Autocompletion and Interactive Tables in a Python IDE

[arsyed]

On Wed, Jul 23, 2008 at 5:28 PM, Anthony <ajdamico at gmail.com> wrote:
> Hi, I'm a FoxPro programmer, but I want to learn python before it's
> too late.  I do a lot of statistical programming, so I import SPSS
> into python.  In my opinion, the best features of Visual FoxPro 9.0
> were:
> a) Intellisense (tells you what classes/methods are available and what
> variables go into a function)
> b) Code Completion (guesses your code after four letters)
> c) Data-Orientation; multiple data sessions can be open, data can be
> viewed easily
>
> Python's IDLE has only half of the first of these features.  I did a
> lot of searching and found the PyDev extensions for Eclipse's Python
> IDE, and found that they've got Intellisense.  I'm still missing b and
> c, and am getting extremely frustrated programming so slowly..
>
> So two questions:
> Is there any package, gui, IDE, anything that will do FoxPro-style
> code completion?  If it works in Eclipse, even better..
> I can't find a good screenshot, but here's a better description:
> You type "BROW" and it pops up a window that says "BROWSE" ..at this
> point if you hit enter it completes the word..
>
> and
>
> How can I view open SPSS data in one of the Python GUIs?  Again,
> Eclipse would be the preference.
> Here's an example of how I'd like to browse the data:
> http://www.vfpconversion.com/ArticleImage.aspx?QuickID=0209071&Image=vfptoolkit_figure02.tif
> I don't want to have to switch back and forth between Python and SPSS
> while I'm programming; I just want to stay in one of them..
>
> What can I do?  I feel extremely inefficient when I don't have these
> three features..
>

I don't know of any python IDE that provides the data orientation
feature, but there may be an Eclipse plugin for that sort of thing.

Otherwise, if you're on windows, check out PyScripter, which is free:

http://mmm-experts.com/Products.aspx?ProductId=4

and WingIDE which is quite nice and cross-platform (not free, though):

http://www.wingware.com/

I use Vim, which is worth learning IMHO, but somewhat difficult to get
started with especially if you're coming from FoxPro.