IDLE: run program in debugger from edit window

[roseman]

BPO	24818
Nosy	@terryjreedy, @roseman

^{Note: these values reflect the state of the issue at the time it was migrated and might not reflect the current state.}

Show more details

GitHub fields:

assignee = 'https://github.com/terryjreedy'
closed_at = None
created_at = <Date 2015-08-07.04:44:11.214>
labels = ['expert-IDLE', 'type-feature', '3.9']
title = 'IDLE:  run program in debugger from edit window'
updated_at = <Date 2020-01-07.22:14:08.788>
user = 'https://github.com/roseman'

bugs.python.org fields:

activity = <Date 2020-01-07.22:14:08.788>
actor = 'terry.reedy'
assignee = 'terry.reedy'
closed = False
closed_date = None
closer = None
components = ['IDLE']
creation = <Date 2015-08-07.04:44:11.214>
creator = 'markroseman'
dependencies = []
files = []
hgrepos = []
issue_num = 24818
keywords = []
message_count = 2.0
messages = ['248175', '248218']
nosy_count = 2.0
nosy_names = ['terry.reedy', 'markroseman']
pr_nums = []
priority = 'normal'
resolution = None
stage = None
status = 'open'
superseder = None
type = 'enhancement'
url = 'https://bugs.python.org/issue24818'
versions = ['Python 3.9']

[roseman]

If I have just an edit window open with my program, there's no way to run the program with the debugger visible. Should be a way to do so without going through the extra steps of opening up a shell window first

[terryjreedy]

Agreed. I believe Al's menu revision suggested moving Debugger to Run. Debugger has to hook into Shell because it has to see packets moving between Shell and the execution process. Opening the debugger window currently requires that Shell already be open. Running a file opens Shell. So we need to rewrite Debugger to delay hooking into Shell unless Shell is present .. or until it is activated (by running a file). I believe this could be done by having a .connect_to_shell method that can be called either from .__init__ or the activate method.

There are several worse problems with Debugger. I think they need some consideration together, lest a patch for one issue interfere with a patch for another.