Jython Interpreter plugin user's guide

This plugins embedds a Jython Interpreter (Jython is an implementation of Python integrated with Java) into jEdit. It allows the user to run Jython commands as usual, and integrates with jEdit by easily running and importing the current buffer. Jython can also be used to customise jEdit in the same way as BeanShell does, with macros and plugins now being possible to be written in Jython. As a primarly example most of the plugin itself is built in such a fashion

The interpreter can be opened by selecting Plugins > Jython Interpreter. The interpreter window can be set to dock into the view in Utilities > Global Options > Docking. The interpreter is not loaded until runtime, this reduces the memory requirements until the interpreter is really needed. This behaviour can be modified by selecting Load interpreter at startup in the options window. Also if any plugin or macro is run it will load the interpreter in case it is not already running. You also have the About for JythonInterpreter and the Check jython version... which will verify if you have the correct jython version in your classpath

The interpreter window has a text area for entering commands and as output area. On top there is a toolbar for fast access to commands.

The text area behaves much like the original Jython Interpreter. Previously entered strings can be recalled with the CTRL+UP and CTR+DOWN keys. This can be optionally set to UP/DOWN in the Options dialog box

The interpreter is based on Jython 2.1 and tested on Sun's JDK 1.3.1 and Sun's JDK 1.4, jEdit 4.0.4, in Linux. Since the way of loading modules the plugin won't work unless the jython version is 2.1 or hight, this due that the plugin needs the ability to load modules zipped in jar files

Since version 0.6 JythonInterpreter features a toolbar which make easy to execute several operations:

The available buttons are:

The Interpreter is based on the Jython's Interactive Console, so all commands available there are available here as well.

The current buffer object is always available as a Jython object called buffer. This makes very easy to run the currently edited file as execfile(buffer.getPath())

If the projectviewer plugin is installed, the path of the current project will be added to the jython class path so that any java classes in the current project can be used within the interpreter.

The same variables normally available at BeanShell are available in Jython, namely:

The interpreter is running on it's own independent thread and the current task will be "attempted" to be stopped by the stop button

Pressing restart will clear completly the interpreter. Notice that the startup scripts will be loaded again.

The JythonInterpreter plugin includes a python parser adapted for the SideKick parser. To use it just open a python file and the sidekick plugin window.

In version 0.9.1 there were errrors in the loading part unless the Autoload ALL JARs options was checked.

Several options have been added and can be Found at Utilities Global Options Plugins Jython Interpreter

The options are:

Since version 0.8 JythohInterpreter uses the MacroHandler mechanism avaiable as jEdit 4.0pre6 and avobe. This means that jython macros can be executed and treated exactly like BeanShell macros. Macros have access to the 4 standard variables view, buffer, textArea and editPane

To make a macro just create a python file (Don't forget the py extension) and put it in a macros dir

Aditionally you can script all other plugins. To do that enable loading the plugins jar option. That will cause the interpreter to include all jars in your .jedit/jars dir and you can use that to do plugins scripting.

Finally the utils module has a new BufferList class. This class is a wrapper around a buffer but which acts as a jython list, where every element on the list is a buffer line. For instance a code like this would print the whole Buffer to the console.

def f():
	from utils import BufferList

	b = BufferList(buffer)
	for l in b:
		print l

f()
			

Run it directly in the interpreter window it would print itself.

You can use all the range of list standard functions like BufferList(buffer)[0:2:] to get all buffer's even lines and so on.

Jython Plugins can be built by creating a normal plugin and adding .py files to the plugin's jar. Of course you also need to add the dependency on JythonInterpreter 0.5 or higher. When your plugin needs to execute something you call the JythonExecutor.executePlugin(pluginName, dir, module, function) or JythonExecutor.executePlugin(pluginName, dir, module, function, args)

Where:

As an example the Plugin itself intializes with a call execPlugin("jython.JythonPlugin", "jython", "init", "_start");