Problem

You'd like to include Python scripts into my .pdbrc, but only pdb commands are allowed there.

Solution

Use execfile() to run a file containing your Python code.

.pdbrc may look like this:

# .pdbrc only allows for debugger commands; you cannot insert Python
# scripts.

# To overcome this restriction, this .pdbrc executes ~/.pdbrc.py,
# which can contain arbitrary Python commands (including a call to a
# local pdbrc.py (no leading dot!) in your working directory if it
# exists).

# Note that (at least with Python 2.3) this .pdbrc is called twice when you're
# in your home directory.

# If ~/.pdbrc.py is missing, you get an error message (which doesn't
# hurt).

execfile(os.path.expanduser("~/.pdbrc.py"))

and this is an example ~/.pdbrc.py:

print ".pdbrc.py started"

# Command line history:
import readline
histfile = ".pdb-pyhist"
try:
    readline.read_history_file(histfile)
except IOError:
    pass
import atexit
atexit.register(readline.write_history_file, histfile)
del histfile
readline.set_history_length(200)

# return to debugger after fatal exception (Python cookbook 14.5):
def info(type, value, tb):
    if hasattr(sys, 'ps1') or not sys.stderr.isatty():
        sys.__excepthook__(type, value, tb)
    import traceback, pdb
    traceback.print_exception(type, value, tb)
    print
    pdb.pm()

sys.excepthook = info


# Try to execute local file (if any)
try:
    execfile("pdbrc.py")
except IOError:
    pass

print ".pdbrc.py finished"

CategoryDistutilsCookbook