IPython

IPython

It’s an interpreter with the most features. It has many features which includes parallel computing, integrations with visual toolkits, interactive widgets, and a web-based interpreter (Jupyter).

Installing IPython

You can install IPython using pip:

pip install ipython
# or
conda install ipython

Introspection and Help

The ? character can be used to get help on objects. For example, object? will display the docstring for that object.

It can be either used as a prefix or a suffix.

The ?? character can be used to get the source code of the object.

Auto-Completion

IPython provides auto-completion for objects and modules. You can use the Tab key to complete the code.

Seeing command History

You can view your past commands by typing %history in the IPython shell.

LaTeX Support

from IPython import display
display.Math(r'\int_0^\infty e^{-x^2} dx')

Interactive Widgets

import ipywidgets

def square(x):
    return x * x

ipywidgets.interact(square, x=10)

Magic Commands

IPython provides a set of magic commands that allow you to control the behavior of the IPython shell. Magic commands are prefixed with % or %%.

1. %quickref - Display the IPython quick reference.
2. %cd - Change the current working directory of the ipython session.
3. %paste - Execute preformatted code from the clipboard.
4. %edit - Open an editor to write.
5. %timeit - Time the execution of a Python statement or expression.
6. ? - Get help on an object or function.
7. ?? - Show the source code of an object or function.