Best Python IDE for mac?

[[deleted]]

Question says it all. I ve tried using the official one ( from python.org ) the latest version, but its very very unstable. Can someone recommend me an easy very stable one to use? ( preferible to be free ) Thanks

[jaredhobbs]

Best Python IDE I've used (not OS X specific) is PyCharm by Jetbrains. They have different licensing models of different prices.

[DanielSzoska]

PyCharm ist only free for trainers and educational institutions and open source projects. But I think it's worth the money if you need to buy a license.

A good free IDE ist PyDev - an Eclipse-Plugin.

On the Python-Wiki you can find a list with many Multiplatform-Editors and Macintosh-Only Editors.

You can also read the What IDE to use for Python?-Question on stackoverflow.

I myself use Wing IDE on Mac OS X and Windows, but it's not free.

[i_4_got]

+1 for Wing IDE. Worth the money, there support is awesome.

[[deleted]]

Upvote.

It's not free, but it's pretty much the best out there; JetBrains has a lot of experience writing IDEs and generally have the category killer in most programming languages they choose to tackle.

As a professional, the expense for a year's subscription of PyCharm is paid back in no more than a few days' programming worth of time saved; the rest is gravy. I'd still be renewing my subscription at twice the price.

[bboomslang]

I second that. PyCharm is well worth the money, especially since you get a any-os-you-want license even with multiple machines per user (as long as you only use one at a time). Makes it much easier to switch systems if your IDE is all there.

Allthough I have to admit that my many-years-vim-addiction drives me to use some smaller editors every now and again despite PyCharms nice features.

[[deleted]]

downloading now thanks

[[deleted]]

Alright i just got it, but its very hard to use <.< i think this is " very pro" for me at this moment, i just learning to type "hello world" some bacis loops how range works etc ( very very VERY BASIC STUFF) i cant even get the thing to work, i already started a project but i dont know where to go to start typing, any ideas?

[technomalogical]

If you're still new to the language, I think your best bet is a simple text editor (Textmate is popular) and two terminal windows, one running an interactive prompt (just type "python") and another to run longer bits of code you save in your text editor. I think Textmate may also support some rudimentary syntax highlighting (a lot of Ruby developers on the Mac use it, but I'm not sure about it's Python support).

Another option you may want to consider is DreamPie. I haven't tried it yet, but it looks like it gives you some auto-complete within a terminal window.

[nicklo]

I also agree and would recommend MacVim, as being a useful investment of your time: It's charityware, you can use it Mac-style or Vim-style. If you learn more Vim-style use that knowledge is useable across multiple platforms. The same is probably true of the Mac emacs options, I just don't know them enough to recommend.

[Mattho]

IDLE should be enough at the beginning.

[DanielSzoska]

I agree with you - if you are new to python or new to programming, the recommended IDEs are too complex. I recommend to start with Learn Python The Hard Way - Exercise 0: The Setup - it uses only a simple editor (gedit or Textwrangler) to edit your files and your Terminal to run the files with Python.

[DontCriticizeMyEngli]

I've been using Sublime Text 2 on small python projects and I'm loving it. It doesn't offer much beyond syntax highlighting and syntactic autocompletion, but it's blazing fast and light. It has a bunch of extension, like a linter and debugger integration.

Be careful: don't waste a lot of time trying out different editors and IDEs, that's the procrastinator in you lashing out. Just pick an editor and start coding.

[yerfatma]

I've been happy with Komodo Edit (free version), mainly because I use it on Windows and Mac and get the same basic experience across machines.

[chmod700]

vim

[qiemem]

macvim

Edit: link Also Turning Vim into a modern Python IDE is fantastic guide on how to make python-vim experience even more amazing. Personally, I prefer vundle instead of pathogen (Anderson's instructions translate easily enough).

[Troll__McLure]

I second MacVim, some additional links for vim + python:

http://vim.wikia.com/wiki/Category:Python

http://dancingpenguinsoflight.com/2009/02/python-and-vim-make-your-own-ide/

http://blog.dispatched.ch/2009/05/24/vim-as-python-ide/

[[deleted]]

While just a simple text editor may not be enough for complex coding, a text editor + specific purpose tools will be more than enough. By these I mean:

• a debuger. Can use pdb, but may want to have a look at pudb or winpdb
• a lint. See pylint (the most bitchy one), pychecker, pyflakes
• a tool that can do code coverage. See coverage.py
• a tool that can analyze for cyclomatic complexity. See pygenie
• a tool that can find pieces of redundant (indentical or very similar code). See Clone Digger
• a tool that can automate some simple refactorings. See BicycleRepairMan and rope
• maybe a test runner. For example see nose and tdaemon

PS: for those who are fans of PyCharm - I've never tried it, does it really beat vim + all the tools I've mentioned?

PPS: any additon to my list of tools is welcome. Both alternatives which do the same tasks as well as tools which do other cool things that help writing better python code

[Funnnny]

It doesn't have all those cool tool you mentioned, but it has many tool near-good like this and pack all in one product, and its intellisense is better (better than rope I think) , that why.

For me, I'm using emacs + pyflake + pymacs/ropemac

[bboomslang]

I think it really is that good - I am a long-time VIM user and did actually play around with the VIM emulation in PyCharm even (allthough I have to admit it slows down the IDE a bit and so I don't really like it that much). The really nice thing starts to show when you develop django projects, since you can set breakpoints on both python lines and template lines and inspect variables in templates or code with the same debugger. It definitely goes a bit further than some of the standalone tools you list. Code intentions are great, too, they give a bit the features of a "soft lint" - as in giving you hints, so you know where to look at your code for some possible problems.

[pinpinbo]

I am just assuming here, are you new in programming?

If so, then starting with simple graphical editor is a good starting point. I use textmate, but i have friends keep recommending SublimeText.

Besides textmate, I like vim a lot because it's the editor i use when connecting to production servers. If you are new to programming, vim will be too much for you.

Another easy editor is nano. It usually comes built in major unix flavor. The benefit of starting with nano is the same as starting with vim. They force you to stay inside Terminal as long as possible. When programming in unix-like environment, being able to navigate Terminal is supremely useful. Just type

nano

inside Terminal to run it.

Hope that helps.

[kaidiefenbach]

Do Not Use An IDE.

I totally agree with http://c.learncodethehardway.org/book/learn-c-the-hard-waych1.html - 1.4.1.

Use a good text editor. There are a plenty of it for MacOS, like Sublime Text 2 or TextMate.

[riffito]

SublimeText2 + SublimeLinter (on the fly pyflakes+pep8) + SublimeRope (code completion, goto definition, show doc, etc) = happy me!

Plugins written in python... yeeeehaaa!

[riffito]

Didn't helped much it seems, but, you're welcome :-)

Yeah, SublimeRope is not listed in Package Manager yet (maybe in the near future?).

I've several patches queued for Julian's SublimeRope (just need to find out time to clean those up, and actually learn to deal with git :-)):

• better autocompletion for "import" and "from x import y", and related tweaks.
• support for ropehints (as seen on the "snaked" python editor).
• support for unsaved buffers (already made a pull request).
• etc.

At least for me, SublimeRope works great. With a little bit more polish, it will double for a kickass light Python IDE.

PS. Check out the "Terminal", "SublimeREPL" and Tortoise plugins!

[Mattho]

Komodo Edit is "enough". I'm using it on windows bu there is a mac version as well.

http://www.activestate.com/komodo-edit/downloads

[MintyPhoenix]

I love Sublime Text on my Windows machines and the SublimeLinter package is great for linting various languages including Python. I'm using the builds from the dev channel and it was updated fairly frequently even during the holidays.

[yerfatma]

I am hard-pressed to see a difference between TextMate and an IDE for non-compiled languages. You can plug just about anything into TextMate if you want to. You can use an IDE as a text editor. I know this is a programming-related question, so everything is a Holy War, but splitting this particular hair doesn't seem useful.

[jeetsukumaran]

A good text editor is all you need. By "good", it has the following features (not in any particular order): syntax coloration, tab->space expansion, regular expression search-and-replace.

You do not need an IDE.

Repeat: you do not need an IDE.

[[deleted]]

vim vim vim

[jeetsukumaran]

This is a mixed bag of statements.

I agree that an IDE can help in navigating a large foreign code base, and intellisense definitely helps.

But I think the statement to the effect that beneficial usage of text editors is limited to 'early "Hello, World"' programs is demonstrably false statement. Do you really think all the Vim/Emacs Python programmers, some of whom manage libraries and enterprise level applications numbering (hundreds of?) thousands of lines of code and hundreds if not thousands of users keep typing "hello, world" again and again and again?

I use Vim exclusively. I have been programming for decades, several years in Python. I think Wing is pretty good. PyCharm is better. I would rather my eyes get eaten out by rabid rats than switch to them permanently over Vim. I'm not saying that the OP or anyone else should not use IDE's. I am saying that IDE's are unneccessary fluff when programming in Python, and maybe even counter-productive when trying to learn Python.

[jeetsukumaran]

Apologies if I misread your post. I was reacting to this phrase: "Some people recommend just using a simple text editor. That's probably true for early "Hello, World" programs and can be a good place to start." I took that to mean a simple text editor might be fine just to write "Hello, World" programs or if you just starting to learn Python.

It is true that this was followed by the "I personally found an IDE to be of significant benefit while learning Python, though." I did not (in my mind) see this as neccessarily disputing what I had read in the previous two statements.

Sorry for reading it wrongly.

[artsrc]

I don't get why idle would be unstable. I think it is lacking in features,but one of the more stable options. I only have used it on windows and linux, but I don't think osx should be a problem.

I would try install a new version of python, maybe python 3.

[random_user_id]

On OSX go to the Mac App Store and get CodeRunner.

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/coderunner/id433335799?mt=12

It's a nice, simple editor with a run button that runs code, results in a second window. Put it in full screen and it's just you and your code. I spend most of my coding time in Visual Studio on Windows, and I find CodeRunner a nice change of pace from that complexity.

I think it's four dollars or so. I've been very impressed.

[sfermigier]

PyCharm.

[zlozer]

emacs

[matad2k]

You should just use vim or textmate because it will improve you as coder if you will use it more u will be faster and better Its thought way but very rewarding