Note: this recipe uses execfile, which was removed in Python 3. Page needs an update!!!

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).

# 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

# From (on my machine) /usr/local/lib/python2.3/less user.py:
import os
home = os.curdir                        # Default
if 'HOME' in os.environ:
    home = os.environ['HOME']
elif os.name == 'posix':
    home = os.path.expanduser("~/")
elif os.name == 'nt':                   # Contributed by Jeff Bauer
    if 'HOMEPATH' in os.environ:
        if 'HOMEDRIVE' in os.environ:
            home = os.environ['HOMEDRIVE'] + os.environ['HOMEPATH']
        else:
            home = os.environ['HOMEPATH']
# Make sure home always ends with a directory separator:
home = os.path.realpath(home) + os.sep

# Try to execute local file (if any) unless we are in the home dir.
if home != os.path.realpath(os.curdir) + os.sep:
    # Avoid recursively loading this file.
    try:
        _already_loaded += 1
    except NameError:
        _already_loaded = 1
    if _already_loaded < 3:
        try:
            execfile("pdbrc.py")
        except IOError:
            pass

# Cleanup any variables that could otherwise clutter up the namespace.
try:
    del atexit
    del home
    del info
    del os
    del pdb
    del readline
    del rlcompleter
    # careful here:
    del _already_loaded
except NameError:
    # Probably this is a second pdbrc that has been loaded.
    pass

print ".pdbrc.py finished"

PythonDebuggers