README.txt: an index to idlelib files and the IDLE menu.
IDLE is Python's Integrated Development and Learning
Environment. The user documentation is part of the Library Reference and
is available in IDLE by selecting Help => IDLE Help. This README documents
idlelib for IDLE developers and curious users.
IDLELIB FILES lists files alphabetically by category,
with a short description of each.
IDLE MENU show the menu tree, annotated with the module
or module object that implements the corresponding function.
This file is descriptive, not prescriptive, and may have errors
and omissions and lag behind changes in idlelib.
IDLELIB FILES
Implementation files not in IDLE MENU are marked (nim).
Deprecated files and objects are listed separately as the end.
Startup
-------
__init__.py # import, does nothing
__main__.py # -m, starts IDLE
idle.bat
idle.py
idle.pyw
Implementation
--------------
autocomplete.py # Complete attribute names or filenames.
autocomplete_w.py # Display completions.
autoexpand.py # Expand word with previous word in file.
browser.py # Create module browser window.
calltip_w.py # Display calltip.
calltips.py # Create calltip text.
codecontext.py # Show compound statement headers otherwise not visible.
colorizer.py # Colorize text (nim)
config.py # Load, fetch, and save configuration (nim).
configdialog.py # Display user configuration dialogs.
config_help.py # Specify help source in configdialog.
config_key.py # Change keybindings.
dynoption.py # Define mutable OptionMenu widget (nim).
debugobj.py # Define class used in stackviewer.
debugobj_r.py # Communicate objects between processes with rpc (nim).
debugger.py # Debug code run from shell or editor; show window.
debugger_r.py # Debug code run in remote process.
delegator.py # Define base class for delegators (nim).
editor.py # Define most of editor and utility functions.
filelist.py # Open files and manage list of open windows (nim).
grep.py # Find all occurrences of pattern in multiple files.
help.py # Display IDLE's html doc.
help_about.py # Display About IDLE dialog.
history.py # Get previous or next user input in shell (nim)
hyperparser.py # Parse code around a given index.
iomenu.py # Open, read, and write files
macosx.py # Help IDLE run on Macs (nim).
mainmenu.py # Define most of IDLE menu.
multicall.py # Wrap tk widget to allow multiple calls per event (nim).
outwin.py # Create window for grep output.
paragraph.py # Re-wrap multiline strings and comments.
parenmatch.py # Match fenceposts: (), [], and {}.
pathbrowser.py # Create path browser window.
percolator.py # Manage delegator stack (nim).
pyparse.py # Give information on code indentation
pyshell.py # Start IDLE, manage shell, complete editor window
query.py # Query user for information
redirector.py # Intercept widget subcommands (for percolator) (nim).
replace.py # Search and replace pattern in text.
rpc.py # Communicate between idle and user processes (nim).
rstrip.py # Strip trailing whitespace.
run.py # Manage user code execution subprocess.
runscript.py # Check and run user code.
scrolledlist.py # Define scrolledlist widget for IDLE (nim).
search.py # Search for pattern in text.
searchbase.py # Define base for search, replace, and grep dialogs.
searchengine.py # Define engine for all 3 search dialogs.
stackviewer.py # View stack after exception.
statusbar.py # Define status bar for windows (nim).
tabbedpages.py # Define tabbed pages widget (nim).
textview.py # Define read-only text widget (nim).
tree.py # Define tree widget, used in browsers (nim).
undo.py # Manage undo stack.
windows.py # Manage window list and define listed top level.
zoomheight.py # Zoom window to full height of screen.
Configuration
-------------
config-extensions.def # Defaults for extensions
config-highlight.def # Defaults for colorizing
config-keys.def # Defaults for key bindings
config-main.def # Defaults for font and general tabs
Text
----
CREDITS.txt # not maintained, displayed by About IDLE
HISTORY.txt # NEWS up to July 2001
NEWS.txt # commits, displayed by About IDLE
README.txt # this file, displayed by About IDLE
TODO.txt # needs review
extend.txt # about writing extensions
help.html # copy of idle.html in docs, displayed by IDLE Help
Subdirectories
--------------
Icons # small image files
idle_test # files for human test and automated unit tests
Unused and Deprecated files and objects (nim)
---------------------------------------------
tooltip.py # unused
IDLE MENUS
Top level items and most submenu items are defined in mainmenu.
Extensions add submenu items when active. The names given are
found, quoted, in one of these modules, paired with a '<<pseudoevent>>'.
Each pseudoevent is bound to an event handler. Some event handlers
call another function that does the actual work. The annotations below
are intended to at least give the module where the actual work is done.
'eEW' = editor.EditorWindow
File
 New File # eEW.new_callback
 Open... # iomenu.open
 Open Module # eEw.open_module
 Recent Files
 Class Browser # eEW.open_class_browser, browser.ClassBrowser
 Path Browser # eEW.open_path_browser, pathbrowser
 ---
 Save # iomenu.save
 Save As... # iomenu.save_as
 Save Copy As... # iomenu.save_a_copy
 ---
 Print Window # iomenu.print_window
 ---
 Close # eEW.close_event
 Exit # flist.close_all_callback (bound in eEW)
Edit
 Undo # undodelegator
 Redo # undodelegator
 --- # eEW.right_menu_event
 Cut # eEW.cut
 Copy # eEW.copy
 Paste # eEW.past
 Select All # eEW.select_all (+ see eEW.remove_selection)
 --- # Next 5 items use searchengine; dialogs use searchbase
 Find # eEW.find_event, search.SearchDialog.find
 Find Again # eEW.find_again_event, sSD.find_again
 Find Selection # eEW.find_selection_event, sSD.find_selection
 Find in Files... # eEW.find_in_files_event, grep
 Replace... # eEW.replace_event, replace.ReplaceDialog.replace
 Go to Line # eEW.goto_line_event
 Show Completions # autocomplete extension and autocompleteWidow (&HP)
 Expand Word # autoexpand extension
 Show call tip # Calltips extension and CalltipWindow (& Hyperparser)
 Show surrounding parens # parenmatch (& Hyperparser)
Shell # pyshell
 View Last Restart # pyshell.PyShell.view_restart_mark
 Restart Shell # pyshell.PyShell.restart_shell
 Interrupt Execution # pyshell.PyShell.cancel_callback
Debug (Shell only)
 Go to File/Line
 debugger # debugger, debugger_r, PyShell.toggle_debugger
 Stack Viewer # stackviewer, PyShell.open_stack_viewer
 Auto-open Stack Viewer # stackviewer
Format (Editor only)
 Indent Region # eEW.indent_region_event
 Dedent Region # eEW.dedent_region_event
 Comment Out Reg. # eEW.comment_region_event
 Uncomment Region # eEW.uncomment_region_event
 Tabify Region # eEW.tabify_region_event
 Untabify Region # eEW.untabify_region_event
 Toggle Tabs # eEW.toggle_tabs_event
 New Indent Width # eEW.change_indentwidth_event
 Format Paragraph # paragraph extension
 ---
 Strip tailing whitespace # rstrip extension
Run (Editor only)
 Python Shell # pyshell
 ---
 Check Module # runscript
 Run Module # runscript
Options
 Configure IDLE # eEW.config_dialog, configdialog
 (tabs in the dialog)
 Font tab # config-main.def
 Highlight tab # query, config-highlight.def
 Keys tab # query, config_key, config_keys.def
 General tab # config_help, config-main.def
 Extensions tab # config-extensions.def, corresponding .py
 ---
 Code Context (ed)# codecontext extension
Window
 Zoomheight # zoomheight extension
 ---
 <open windows> # windows
Help
 About IDLE # eEW.about_dialog, help_about.AboutDialog
 ---
 IDLE Help # eEW.help_dialog, helpshow_idlehelp
 Python Doc # eEW.python_docs
 Turtle Demo # eEW.open_turtle_demo
 ---
 <other help sources>
<Context Menu> (right click)
 Defined in editor, PyShelpyshellut
 Cut
 Copy
 Paste
 ---
 Go to file/line (shell and output only)
 Set Breakpoint (editor only)
 Clear Breakpoint (editor only)
 Defined in debugger
 Go to source line
 Show stack frame
<No menu>
Center Insert # eEW.center_insert_event
CODE STYLE -- Generally PEP 8.
import
------
Put import at the top, unless there is a good reason otherwise.
PEP 8 says to group stdlib, 3rd-party dependencies, and package imports.
For idlelib, the groups are general stdlib, tkinter, and idlelib.
Sort modules within each group, except that tkinter.ttk follows tkinter.
Sort 'from idlelib import mod1' and 'from idlelib.mod2 import object'
together by module, ignoring within module objects.
Put 'import __main__' after other idlelib imports.
Imports only needed for testing are put not at the top but in an
htest function def or "if __name__ == '__main__'" clause.
Within module imports like "from idlelib.mod import class" may cause
circular imports to deadlock. Even without this, circular imports may
require at least one of the imports to be delayed until a function call.