PyDev interactive console integration with Variables view (Debug perspective)

Question

My issue with the interactive console is twofold:

• When I set a breakpoint in my python code, the execution pauses as expected at the breakpoint and displays all my variables in the "Variables" view. However, the interactive console is not very interactive anymore. I would like to be able to play around with the variables when execution is still paused at the breakpoint.
• Ideally I would like to have this same behaviour if I'm not debugging but just working in the interactive console. Is there a way to couple the interactive console to the "Variables" view of the "Debug" perspective. When I open an interactive console now the variables view remains empty.

I am running a fresh install of Eclipse Juno (4.4.0) with PyDev (3.7.0).

Answer 1

I am using the latest pydev and I find the interactive console is still interactive :-) Note that no encouraging prompt is present at the console (eg no ">") but if you type one of the variables you see in the variables window you will get a value.. can manipulate etc.

My terminology might be a bit lose. If you mean by interactive console the full ">" console then it is tricky to get that to work during debugging. There is a pydev variable you can set to link it to the debug session but I find it a hassle still.. you have to explicitly switch to such a console.. given a command.. it then throws you back to the normal debug console (which is the one I was referencing as still sensitive to typing variable names etc).. Perhaps I am doing something wrong though for it to be so awkward. I posted on this a few weeks back but there was no reply. I too would like to do debugging in the full console with no hassle. In particular I would like to be able to use its command history to more efficiently manipulate things.

But regardless you can still debug and look at variables just not with the full feature console easily.

Also be aware there seems to be a bug lately (last few releases) where the variables view stays blank. I find that if I close it and reopen it then the variables appear.

Good luck