How to enable vim style command line editing in python interpreter in anaconda windows install in cygwin environment

Question

Installed anaconda 3.x windows edition on a windows 7 desktop. I would like to be able to do vim style command line editing on the python interpreter started from a Cygwin shell.

I know Cygwin also comes with python and since I need to use the latest version of python I have a need to use the anaconda distribution of windows.

With anaconda windows image installed at /usr/local/anaconda3 went through info at Using the Python shell in Vi mode on Windows and did these steps

export CONDA_BASE_DIR=/usr/local/anaconda3
export SHELLOPTS
set -o igncr
export CONDA_DEFAULT_ENV=root
export CONDA_PREFIX=${CONDA_BASE_DIR}

cp /usr/local/anaconda3/Lib/site-packages/pyreadline/configuration/startup.py
/cygdrive/c/Users/my_windows_login
cp /usr/local/anaconda3/Lib/site-packages/pyreadline/configuration/pyreadlinecon
fig.ini
/cygdrive/c/Users/my_windows_login
export PYTHONSTARTUPPATH=c:\\Users\\my_windows_login\\startup.py

Edit /cygdrive/c/Users/my_windows_login/pyreadlineconfig.ini to uncomment

set_mode("vi")
history_filename("~/.pythonhistory")
history_length(200)

Starting up python interpreter as

$ conda activate base
(base) $ python -i $PYTHONSTARTUP

but vi editing mode is not enabled in command line of the interpreter as observed by hitting Esc-k.

Without -i flag, python windows binary will not startup in interactive mode in Cygwin environment. Since the interpreter when started with -i flag, does not read what is in $PYTHONSTARTUP, $PYTHONSTARTUP is explicitly specified in command line so that the startup.py script can be executed at startup time.

Answer 1

Downloaded

winpty-0.4.3-cygwin-2.8.0-x64.tar.gz

from

https://github.com/rprichard/winpty/releases

and extracted it to /usr/local of cygwin installation.

readline config needs to be in $HOME of cygwin as opposed to c:\\users\\<my_windows_login>

$ cp /usr/local/anaconda3/Lib/site-packages/pyreadline/configuration/startup.py $HOME
$ cp /usr/local/anaconda3/Lib/site-packages/pyreadline/configuration/pyreadlineconfig.ini $HOME

With above setup, when I run anaconda python as

$ PATH=/usr/local/anaconda3/Library/bin:$PATH winpty /usr/local/anaconda3/python

vi style command line editing works fine.