There is a similar problem with the editor plugin: multiple editor widgets may be visible at the same time, and it should happen more often than for consoles. The solution with the editor plugin was to keep track of the last editor widget which had focus. This widget is considered as the current active widget (e.g. new files will be opened in that widget).
So I guess that the same behavior should be expected for consoles: this is your second solution. However, I'm not sure to understand why you wrote that it would imply for the user to systematically click on the console before executing the command: for me, as I understand it, the user would simply click on the console once, to make it active. -Pierre 2013/2/10 Jed Ludlow <[email protected]>: > I just committed a change that now makes the debugging toolbar commands work > for all Spyder console types (excluding Spyder's own internal console, of > course) [1]. That includes standard external Python consoles, IPython > consoles attached to Spyder-controlled kernels, and IPython consoles > attached to external kernels. Note that there are still some limitations > with debugging in an external kernel. For example, breakpoints set in Spyder > will not be active [2].In the process of implementing the feature, an > important usability question came up. > > Spyder allows you have multiple consoles open, and more than one of those > could be running the current file in the editor. Furthermore, because the > dock widgets can be moved from the main window, a window layout like the > attached is possible. In fact, I know there are some of you who routinely > pull the Console plugin outside like I've shown in the attached screenshot. > > In that light, an ambiguity arises. If the current editor file is set to run > in an existing Python interpreter, which of the two interpreters should it > choose? Here are a couple of options: > > If only one console is visible, run in that one. If more than one type is > visible, run in the IPython console. This is the current behavior. The > IPython choice is kind of arbitrary and could be changed to default to the > Python console. > Require the user to set focus on one of the desired console before running > or before sending a debug command. > > The first option seems more convenient because you don't have to worry about > widget focus, and it is actually a somewhat rare condition to have both > consoles visible. And, under the layout in the screenshot, if you want to > make sure everything goes to the Python console you simply hide the IPython > console by hitting the History log tab. The second option seems the most > general and has some intuitive appeal, but it might make things less > convenient for the user because you have to keep setting focus. > > I'm very much interested in your feedback about which of the two options > you'd prefer. Please reply with thoughts. > > [1] > http://code.google.com/p/spyderlib/source/detail?r=34d9170d3bfb980e54a937ad86152f0ee03d629d > > [2] http://code.google.com/p/spyderlib/issues/detail?id=1256#c6 > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "spyder" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. > Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/spyderlib?hl=en. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out. > > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "spyder" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/spyderlib?hl=en. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
