[Bf-python] Integrating IPython with blender

Discussion:

Gabriel Elkind

2013-09-15 19:01:31 UTC

Hello!

I am still getting familiar with blender's backend. In all other coding I
do with python, I use IPython <http://ipython.org/index.html>, which allows
me to log all input and output, issue bash commands quickly and simply,
query docstrings and sourcecode of functions within the interpreter and use
a robust tab completion. I have been searching for a way to integrate
blender and ipython for about a week now and running into many roadblocks.
I hope it's alright that I am emailing you all about it, as (from my
queries to forums) this seems like a feature that many people want, and I
believe that it could catalyze 3rd party blender development in a big way
by making coding with blender much easier to learn.

I understand that an identical
venture<http://pythonide.blogspot.com/2009/03/resumable-ipython-inside-blender_31.html>has
found success in 2009 in integrating ipython with blender, however
this
solution no longer works. Perhaps there is a way of tweaking it to work,
but I'm afraid I do not understand what is happening well enough to know
where to begin. I have tried a couple other approaches:

First, I attempted to use the internal blender console to embed IPython. I
append my standard python3 sys.path to the internal blender sys.path, then
I do:

import IPython
IPython.embed()

npath = ['',

... '/usr/bin',
... '/usr/lib/python3.3',
... '/usr/lib/python3.3/plat-x86_64-linux-gnu',
... '/usr/lib/python3.3/lib-dynload',
... '/usr/local/lib/python3.3/dist-packages',
... '/usr/lib/python3/dist-packages',
... '/usr/lib/python3/dist-packages/IPython/extensions']

import sys

... sys.path.append(p)
...

import IPython
IPython.embed()

Traceback (most recent call last):
File "<blender_console>", line 1, in <module>
File "/usr/lib/python3/dist-packages/IPython/frontend/terminal/embed.py",
line 282, in embed
_embedded_shell = InteractiveShellEmbed(**kwargs)
File "/usr/lib/python3/dist-packages/IPython/frontend/terminal/embed.py",
line 97, in __init__
display_banner=display_banner
File
"/usr/lib/python3/dist-packages/IPython/frontend/terminal/interactiveshell.py",
line 360, in __init__
user_module=user_module, custom_exceptions=custom_exceptions
File "/usr/lib/python3/dist-packages/IPython/core/interactiveshell.py",
line 455, in __init__
self.init_readline()
File "/usr/lib/python3/dist-packages/IPython/core/interactiveshell.py",
line 1844, in init_readline
self.refill_readline_hist()
File "/usr/lib/python3/dist-packages/IPython/core/interactiveshell.py",
line 1853, in refill_readline_hist
stdin_encoding = sys.stdin.encoding or "utf-8"
AttributeError: 'NoneType' object has no attribute 'encoding'

I have tried to use the -d option which (according to the blender man
pages) should ensure that sys.stdin is not set to None, however, in both
2.66 and 2.68a sys.stdin evaluates to None even with this option set.

My other route of action has been to use the terminal I am running blender
from as the interpreter using `blender --python-console`. Unfortunately,
this option results in a blank window and when I attempt to embed IPython I

import IPython
IPython.embed()

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
KeyError Traceback (most recent call last)
/usr/lib/python3.3/code.py in runcode(self, code)
88 """
89 try:
---> 90 exec(code, self.locals)
91 except SystemExit:
92 raise

<console> in <module>()

/usr/lib/python3/dist-packages/IPython/frontend/terminal/embed.py in
embed(**kwargs)
281 if _embedded_shell is None:
282 _embedded_shell = InteractiveShellEmbed(**kwargs)
--> 283 _embedded_shell(header=header, stack_depth=2)

/usr/lib/python3/dist-packages/IPython/frontend/terminal/embed.py in
__call__(self, header, local_ns, module, dummy, stack_depth, global_ns)
155 # Call the embedding code with a stack depth of 1 so it can
skip over
156 # our call and get the original caller's namespaces.
--> 157 self.mainloop(local_ns, module, stack_depth=stack_depth,
global_ns=global_ns)
158
159 self.banner2 = self.old_banner2

/usr/lib/python3/dist-packages/IPython/frontend/terminal/embed.py in
mainloop(self, local_ns, module, stack_depth, display_banner, global_ns)
202 if module is None:
203 global_ns = call_frame.f_globals
--> 204 module = sys.modules[global_ns['__name__']]
205
206 # Save original namespace and module so we can restore them
after

KeyError: '__console__'

I am using Linux Mint 15, IPython 3.3.1, blender 2.66 and 2.68a (getting
the same results in all cases with both versions of blender).

Thank you very much :)

~Gabriel
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HartsAntler

2013-09-15 20:20:12 UTC

Permalink

Gabriel,
You could try compiling blender as bpy.so, blender as a dynamic library
that you can import into normal Python. Rather than try to make IPython
work inside of the Python embedded in Blender.

Post by Gabriel Elkind
Hello!
I am still getting familiar with blender's backend. In all other coding I
do with python, I use IPython <http://ipython.org/index.html>, which
allows me to log all input and output, issue bash commands quickly and
simply, query docstrings and sourcecode of functions within the interpreter
and use a robust tab completion. I have been searching for a way to
integrate blender and ipython for about a week now and running into many
roadblocks. I hope it's alright that I am emailing you all about it, as
(from my queries to forums) this seems like a feature that many people
want, and I believe that it could catalyze 3rd party blender development in
a big way by making coding with blender much easier to learn.
I understand that an identical venture<http://pythonide.blogspot.com/2009/03/resumable-ipython-inside-blender_31.html>has found success in 2009 in integrating ipython with blender, however this
solution no longer works. Perhaps there is a way of tweaking it to work,
but I'm afraid I do not understand what is happening well enough to know
First, I attempted to use the internal blender console to embed IPython. I
append my standard python3 sys.path to the internal blender sys.path, then
import IPython
IPython.embed()

npath = ['',

import sys

... sys.path.append(p)
...

import IPython
IPython.embed()

File "<blender_console>", line 1, in <module>
File
"/usr/lib/python3/dist-packages/IPython/frontend/terminal/embed.py", line
282, in embed
_embedded_shell = InteractiveShellEmbed(**kwargs)
File
"/usr/lib/python3/dist-packages/IPython/frontend/terminal/embed.py", line
97, in __init__
display_banner=display_banner
File
"/usr/lib/python3/dist-packages/IPython/frontend/terminal/interactiveshell.py",
line 360, in __init__
user_module=user_module, custom_exceptions=custom_exceptions
File "/usr/lib/python3/dist-packages/IPython/core/interactiveshell.py",
line 455, in __init__
self.init_readline()
File "/usr/lib/python3/dist-packages/IPython/core/interactiveshell.py",
line 1844, in init_readline
self.refill_readline_hist()
File "/usr/lib/python3/dist-packages/IPython/core/interactiveshell.py",
line 1853, in refill_readline_hist
stdin_encoding = sys.stdin.encoding or "utf-8"
AttributeError: 'NoneType' object has no attribute 'encoding'
I have tried to use the -d option which (according to the blender man
pages) should ensure that sys.stdin is not set to None, however, in both
2.66 and 2.68a sys.stdin evaluates to None even with this option set.
My other route of action has been to use the terminal I am running blender
from as the interpreter using `blender --python-console`. Unfortunately,
this option results in a blank window and when I attempt to embed IPython I

import IPython
IPython.embed()

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
KeyError Traceback (most recent call last)
/usr/lib/python3.3/code.py in runcode(self, code)
88 """
---> 90 exec(code, self.locals)
92 raise
<console> in <module>()
/usr/lib/python3/dist-packages/IPython/frontend/terminal/embed.py in
embed(**kwargs)
282 _embedded_shell = InteractiveShellEmbed(**kwargs)
--> 283 _embedded_shell(header=header, stack_depth=2)
/usr/lib/python3/dist-packages/IPython/frontend/terminal/embed.py in
__call__(self, header, local_ns, module, dummy, stack_depth, global_ns)
155 # Call the embedding code with a stack depth of 1 so it
can skip over
156 # our call and get the original caller's namespaces.
--> 157 self.mainloop(local_ns, module, stack_depth=stack_depth,
global_ns=global_ns)
158
159 self.banner2 = self.old_banner2
/usr/lib/python3/dist-packages/IPython/frontend/terminal/embed.py in
mainloop(self, local_ns, module, stack_depth, display_banner, global_ns)
203 global_ns = call_frame.f_globals
--> 204 module = sys.modules[global_ns['__name__']]
205
206 # Save original namespace and module so we can restore
them after
KeyError: '__console__'
I am using Linux Mint 15, IPython 3.3.1, blender 2.66 and 2.68a (getting
the same results in all cases with both versions of blender).
Thank you very much :)
~Gabriel
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Bf-python at blender.org
http://lists.blender.org/mailman/listinfo/bf-python

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Campbell Barton

2013-09-16 00:16:17 UTC

Permalink

Post by HartsAntler
Gabriel,
You could try compiling blender as bpy.so, blender as a dynamic library that
you can import into normal Python. Rather than try to make IPython work
inside of the Python embedded in Blender.
On Sun, Sep 15, 2013 at 12:01 PM, Gabriel Elkind <gwelkind at wesleyan.edu>

Post by Gabriel Elkind
Hello!
I am still getting familiar with blender's backend. In all other coding I
do with python, I use IPython, which allows me to log all input and output,
issue bash commands quickly and simply, query docstrings and sourcecode of
functions within the interpreter and use a robust tab completion. I have
been searching for a way to integrate blender and ipython for about a week
now and running into many roadblocks. I hope it's alright that I am emailing
you all about it, as (from my queries to forums) this seems like a feature
that many people want, and I believe that it could catalyze 3rd party
blender development in a big way by making coding with blender much easier
to learn.
I understand that an identical venture has found success in 2009 in
integrating ipython with blender, however this solution no longer works.
Perhaps there is a way of tweaking it to work, but I'm afraid I do not
understand what is happening well enough to know where to begin. I have
First, I attempted to use the internal blender console to embed IPython. I
append my standard python3 sys.path to the internal blender sys.path, then I
import IPython
IPython.embed()

npath = ['',

import sys

... sys.path.append(p)
...

import IPython
IPython.embed()

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
KeyError Traceback (most recent call last)
/usr/lib/python3.3/code.py in runcode(self, code)
88 """
---> 90 exec(code, self.locals)
92 raise
<console> in <module>()
/usr/lib/python3/dist-packages/IPython/frontend/terminal/embed.py in
embed(**kwargs)
282 _embedded_shell = InteractiveShellEmbed(**kwargs)
--> 283 _embedded_shell(header=header, stack_depth=2)
/usr/lib/python3/dist-packages/IPython/frontend/terminal/embed.py in
__call__(self, header, local_ns, module, dummy, stack_depth, global_ns)
155 # Call the embedding code with a stack depth of 1 so it
can skip over
156 # our call and get the original caller's namespaces.
--> 157 self.mainloop(local_ns, module, stack_depth=stack_depth,
global_ns=global_ns)
158
159 self.banner2 = self.old_banner2
/usr/lib/python3/dist-packages/IPython/frontend/terminal/embed.py in
mainloop(self, local_ns, module, stack_depth, display_banner, global_ns)
203 global_ns = call_frame.f_globals
--> 204 module = sys.modules[global_ns['__name__']]
205
206 # Save original namespace and module so we can restore
them after
KeyError: '__console__'
I am using Linux Mint 15, IPython 3.3.1, blender 2.66 and 2.68a (getting
the same results in all cases with both versions of blender).
Thank you very much :)
~Gabriel

Don't try embed ipython in an existing python REPL.

You can save "import IPython; IPython.embed()" into a file and run
blender --python test.py

Or run those 2 lines from blenders text editor.