An IDE for Python

For some time now I have been trying to find a decent IDE with step-through debugging support for Python. I’ve wanted it for Linux, but Windows support would also be a bonus.

There’s some debate about the need for an IDE for Python, which (as a veteran of C++ development with Visual Studio) I am still pondering. I get that Python is a higher level language (umm, that’s why I’m using it), but the central problem of ironing out the kinks in the business/engine logic of my code is never going to go away. It really makes me wonder what size and types of code bases the IDE/debugger naysayers are building.

People also talk about Eclipse with PyDev, but I’m deterred by the reputedly formidable learning curve, the reportedly sluggish performance, and the apparent bloat of it. I wanted something lighter, but still free. And I didn’t want something that would require a big project hierarchy, settings tweakings etc, just to run a small Python script. I don’t think my needs are outlandish: easy thing should be easy, hard things should be possible…

This comparison of Python IDEs – the first hit on Google – seems good but is 5 years old (ancient in software development terms). And the Wikipedia comparison table is just the basic facts, ma’am. The Python.org list of IDEs is better, but without some sort of detail or commentary it’s difficult to figure out what’s best for your needs, and parts of it are out of date. Mile long feature lists are all well and good, but how well do the features do what they’re supposed to do?

So I embarked on a trial of a few of the free IDEs out there. First stop was SPE – “Stani’s Python Editor”… which I couldn’t get installing. I know, I know, in Linux Land you’ve got to be prepared to tinker in the innards with spanner in hand… but a frustrating hour or two later, no go. Perhaps because this tool doesn’t seem to be actively developed any more (as I found out afterwards). Next I tried Boa Constructor. It installed, and first impressions were cautiously positive, though it felt like beta software to me. Sure enough after trying to use it in anger the pain points came – I couldn’t figure out the rhyme or reason why it wouldn’t just run the Python script I had open, I had to constantly restart, breakpoints weren’t always respected, etc. Overall it seems more aimed at GUI building than running scripts.

Next was the Eric IDE. Eric installs with just a simple “apt-get install eric”. The Python file you have open runs with “Start/Debug Script…” Breakpoints and stepping through just work (in fact, debugging is an absolute breeze). Lines with Python parse errors get a little bug icon on them in the editor margin (cute, but also handy). It’s not perfect by any means – it takes a while to start up, it occasionally automatically breaks at places where you have no breakpoints, etc etc. It’s GUI is formidable at first glance, but it’s set out logically and should seem familiar to those like me steeped in Visual Studio. It’s also still being very actively developed.

One interesting aspect of Eric’s editor is that it uses rich text with proportionally spaced fonts, in contrast to the plain monospaced font that most code editors sport. This might seem sacrilegious to some, but it seems to work fine for me, and in fact lets me see more code on the screen. It’s not so good for ASCII art though.

Obviously I haven’t tried trials of the commercial IDEs out there – Komodo Edit, WingWare, etc, and I’d be curious what “killer features” (that work out of the box!) they have that Eric doesn’t. But for now, the journey’s over, with a clear winner.