If the [cmd2.Cmd][] class is instantiated with include_py=True, then the optional py command
will be present and run an interactive Python shell:
from cmd2 import Cmd
class App(Cmd):
def __init__(self):
Cmd.__init__(self, include_py=True)The Python shell can run CLI commands from you application using the object named in
self.pyscript_name (defaults to app). This wrapper provides access to execute commands in your
cmd2 application while maintaining isolation from the full Cmd instance. For example, any
application command can be run with app("command ...").
You may optionally enable full access to your application by setting self.self_in_py to True.
Enabling this flag adds self to the python session, which is a reference to your cmd2
application. This can be useful for debugging your application.
Any local or global variable created within the Python session will not persist in the CLI's environment.
Anything in self.py_locals is always available in the Python environment.
All of these parameters are also available to Python scripts which run in your application via the
run_pyscript command:
- supports tab completion of file system paths
- has the ability to pass command-line arguments to the scripts invoked
This command provides a more complex and powerful scripting capability than that provided by the
simple text file scripts. Python scripts can include conditional control flow logic. See
python_scripting.py
cmd2 and the
conditional.py
script for an example of how to achieve this in your own applications. See
Scripting for an explanation of both scripting methods in cmd2 applications.
A simple example of using run_pyscript is shown below along with the
arg_printer script:
(Cmd) run_pyscript examples/scripts/arg_printer.py foo bar baz
Running Python script 'arg_printer.py' which was called with 3 arguments
arg 1: 'foo'
arg 2: 'bar'
arg 3: 'baz'If IPython is installed on the system and the cmd2.Cmd
class is instantiated with include_ipy=True, then the optional ipy command will run an
interactive IPython shell:
from cmd2 import Cmd
class App(Cmd):
def __init__(self):
Cmd.__init__(self, include_ipy=True)The ipy command enters an interactive IPython session. Similar to
an interactive Python session, this shell can access your application instance via self if
self.self_in_py is True and any changes to your application made via self will persist.
However, any local or global variable created within the ipy shell will not persist in the CLI's
environment
Also, as in the interactive Python session, the ipy shell has access to the contents of
self.py_locals and can call back into the application using the app object (or your custom
name).
IPython provides many advantages, including:
- Comprehensive object introspection
- Get help on objects with
?- Extensible tab completion, with support by default for completion of python variables and keywords
- Good built-in ipdb debugger
The object introspection and tab completion make IPython particularly efficient for debugging as well as for interactive experimentation and data analysis.