Python Interactive Shell Interfaces

The Python Interactive Shell is an interactive interpreter that can execute Python commands.

You can invoke it from your default shell — zsh, bash, fish etc.:

$ python # or for a specific python version $ python3.9 

Also you can run interactive shell with a module/file like below:

$ python -i somefile.py 

Use Case

Thanks python, however I can't say I enjoy your default shell. I need more capable, colorful interactive shell like IPython, bpython.

It's easy to achieve this in Django. It's well documented in django-shell:

# IPython $ django-admin -i ipython # bpython $ django-admin -i bpython 

Well, how can we achieve it in Python?

Solution

Python's way is kind of similar; you invoke it with some module using -m flag:

For IPython run:

$ python -m IPython -i # with module/file $ python -m IPython -i somefile.py 

For bpython run:

$ python -m bpython -i # with module/file $ python -m bpython -i somefile.py 

NOTE
In order to be able to use IPython and/or bpython first you have to install them:

$ python -m pip install ipython $ python -m pip install bpython 

Yes, it's that easy and now we can take advantage of amazing features like below:

• In-line syntax highlighting
• Readline-like auto-complete with suggestions displayed as you type
• Expected parameter list for any Python function, etc.

Probably it would be better to have them as aliases:

# .aliases alias pi='python -m IPython -i' alias pib='python -m bpython -i' 

All done!