Vim and Pdb integration
Project description
Abstract
This package provides an integration of the Python debugger pdb into the VIM editor.
Requirements
vimpdb has been used successfully under Linux, Mac OSX and Windows.
It is compatible with Python 2.7, 2.6, 2.5 and 2.4. It is not compatible with Python 3.1 (it should be the same for 3.0).
vimpdb requires an installation of VIM that supports both python and clientserver options.
Find out if it is the case by issuing the following command at the VIM prompt:
:version
If the options are supported, you will see +clientserver and +python in the output. In the opposite case, you will see -clientserver or -python.
On Linux and Windows, the default VIM build should already be server-enabled.
On Windows, the python option compiled in VIM depends on a specific Python version. Find out if that specific version is installed and works in VIM by issuing the following command at the VIM prompt:
:python import sys; print sys.version
On Mac OSX, you’ll want to use MacVIM. MacVIM also has the python option compiled in by default.
Installation
Just install this package using easy_install
$ easy_install vimpdb
You can obviously also use pip.
If you look inside the package, you will see a VIM script file: vimpdb.vim. Do not move it to VIM configuration directory (like ~/.vim/plugin). vimpdb knows how to make the script available to VIM.
Configuration
Short story
vimpdb tries to avoid depending on any user configuration. If it cannot detect the right configuration by itself, it will ask a few questions which you should be able to answer easily.
Long story
When launched, vimpdb looks for its RC file : ~/.vimpdbrc. If it does not find it, vimpdb creates that file for you from default values.
vimpdb tries a set of default values that should work for you. It checks if those default values are appropriate. If the default values do not work, vimpdb asks for other values interactively until it has checked that the values provided actually work.
The default values per OS are listed hereunder.
For Linux:
vim_client_script = vim vim_server_script = vim server_name = VIM port = 6666
For MacOSX:
vim_client_script = mvim vim_server_script = mvim server_name = VIM port = 6666
For Windows:
vim_client_script = vim.exe vim_server_script = gvim.exe server_name = VIM port = 6666
See below for details about each option.
You are obviously allowed to create and tune that RC file. Nevertheless, the RC file should hold values for all 4 options. If one of them is missing, vimpdb breaks and complains accordingly.
VIM client script - vim_client_script
To communicate with the VIM instance where debugging happens, vimpdb needs to launch another VIM instance in client mode.
vim_client_script option holds the script used to launch that VIM instance with clientserver support.
On Windows, it should hold vim.exe, not gvim.exe. Furthermore, do not include quotes in the value to take care of whitespace in the path.
VIM server script - vim_server_script
In case no VIM instance is running, vimpdb launches a VIM instance in server mode.
vim_server_script option holds the script used to launch that VIM instance with clientserver support. As debugging in the VIM instance is written with python, that instance must have python support.
On MacOSX and Linux, vim_server_script and vim_client_script can hold the same value.
However, on Windows, only the graphical VIM can be used as server, reason for the default value as seen above.
Server Name - server_name
The VIM instance in server mode has a name.
By default, vimpdb speaks to the server named VIM, which is the default servername used by VIM.
If you want vimpdb to use another server name, modify the server_name option. It should hold the name of the VIM server you want to be used for debugging.
You may list the currently running VIM servers using:
$ vim --serverlist VIM
Or, on a Mac:
$ /Applications/MacVim.app/Contents/MacOS/Vim --serverlist VIM
When a VIM instance with clientserver support is running, you can find its name by issuing the following command at the VIM prompt:
:echo v:servername
UDP Port - port
VIM communicates to vimpdb through a UDP socket. By default, the socket is opened on port 6666.
If that socket is not available in your system, you can specify an available port number in the port option.
Backward Compatibility
Before version 4.1, vimpdb ony used a single script option. That option has now be turned into vim_client_script. The migration should be transparent.
Before version 4.0, vimpdb was configured through environment variables. If you had a working configuration, you should have no problem. The values of VIMPDB_SERVERNAME and VIMPDB_VIMSCRIPT environment variables are setup in the RC file (~/.vimpdbrc). They are put respectively in server_name and script options.
Usage
Python code
Using vimpdb is easy – just insert a call to set_trace in your code almost as usual:
import vimpdb; vimpdb.set_trace()
Then start your python application/script.
When the python interpreter hits that line, vimpdb will launch a VIM instance. VIM should get the focus; it loads the source file at the right line.
VIM commands
In VIM, you may now use the following commands:
Key |
Command |
|---|---|
n |
Next |
s |
Step |
a |
Args |
u |
Up |
d |
Down |
r |
Return |
c |
Continue |
b |
Sets a breakpoint at the line on which the cursor is sitting. |
w |
Displays the value of the word on which the cursor is sitting. |
x |
Switch to debugging in shell with standard Pdb. |
v |
Switch back to VimPdb from plain Pdb. |
Standard Pdb hook
If you find it hard to change habits and keep on typing
import pdb; pdb.set_trace()
you can add the following line to the .pdbrc file sitting in your home folder:
import vimpdb; vimpdb.hookPdb()
This way, the command v(im) mentioned above is added to your standard Pdb and you can switch to vimpdb at any time.
Known issues
No convenient way to evaluate a Python expression.
Fixed issues
See changelog
CREDITS
Godefroid Chapelle
Jean-Francois Roche
Stefan Eletzhofer
Rewrite started when looking at vimpdbhook by Stefan Eletzhofer http://code.google.com/p/vimpdbhook/
Some code taken from vimpdb 0.2.1 by Stefan Eletzhofer
Some code taken from VimPdb.vim by Yaron Budowski http://www.vim.org/scripts/script.php?script_id=2043
Changelog
0.4.1.1 (2010-11-26)
Tune documentation.
0.4.1 (2010-11-26)
check python and clientserver support; gives a chance to provide right configuration if support is missing
try to start a VIM instance if none is available
0.4.0 (2010-07-29)
tested with Python 2.7.
UDP port is now an option.
configuration through ~/.vimpdbrc instead of environment variables.
0.3.8 (2010-06-17)
fix: some versions of VIM need explicit import of vim module even though most don’t. (http://github.com/gotcha/vimpdb/issues/issue/5)
0.3.7 (2010-05-20)
fix: could not go “down” after switching from pdb to vimpdb after having gone “up”. (http://github.com/gotcha/vimpdb/issues/issue/4)
0.3.6 (2010-04-17)
fix: “continue” command was broken after breakpoint has been set. (http://github.com/gotcha/vimpdb/issues/issue/3)
fix: Key mappings were left broken after “continue” command. (http://github.com/gotcha/vimpdb/issues/issue/2)
0.3.5 (2010-03-22)
better documentation, especially for Windows
fix: capture of output was broken for Python 2.5 and 2.6
Windows compatibility (at least XP)
0.3.4 (2010-03-15)
close socket to allow debugging session to start again
0.3.3 (2010-03-04)
avoid leaving mappings in debugged buffers
0.3.2 (2010-03-03)
more documentation
0.3.1 (2010-03-02)
fix setup.py metadata so that it does not hold non ascii chars. This avoided actual release to PyPI
0.3 (2010-03-02)
fully rewritten
0.2.1 (2008-06-27)
added vimpdb script
added “exit” callback
0.2 (2008-06-17)
first release to PyPi
TODO
In priority order:
document the PDBxx commands in Ex mode.
when switching from pdb to vimpdb, if the remote VIM is unavailable, log a message and keep pdb running.
keep debugging state in vim to switch vimpdb back to pdb when closing vim.
when resetting, close vimpdb buffer and issue message.
key bindings in vimpdb buffer.
and much more…
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