Change IDLE 'more information' splash line

[terryjreedy]

BPO	42040
Nosy	@terryjreedy, @taleinat

^{Note: these values reflect the state of the issue at the time it was migrated and might not reflect the current state.}

Show more details

GitHub fields:

assignee = 'https://github.com/terryjreedy'
closed_at = None
created_at = <Date 2020-10-15.05:08:27.986>
labels = ['expert-IDLE', 'type-feature', '3.8', '3.9', '3.10']
title = "Change IDLE 'more information' splash line, change doc name"
updated_at = <Date 2020-10-15.05:08:27.986>
user = 'https://github.com/terryjreedy'

bugs.python.org fields:

activity = <Date 2020-10-15.05:08:27.986>
actor = 'terry.reedy'
assignee = 'terry.reedy'
closed = False
closed_date = None
closer = None
components = ['IDLE']
creation = <Date 2020-10-15.05:08:27.986>
creator = 'terry.reedy'
dependencies = []
files = []
hgrepos = []
issue_num = 42040
keywords = []
message_count = 1.0
messages = ['378663']
nosy_count = 2.0
nosy_names = ['terry.reedy', 'taleinat']
pr_nums = []
priority = 'normal'
resolution = None
stage = 'needs patch'
status = 'open'
superseder = None
type = 'enhancement'
url = 'https://bugs.python.org/issue42040'
versions = ['Python 3.8', 'Python 3.9', 'Python 3.10']

Linked PRs

• gh-86206: Change IDLE splash line #129698
• [3.13] gh-86206: Change IDLE splash line (GH-129698) #129717
• [3.12] gh-86206: Change IDLE splash line (GH-129698) #129718

[terryjreedy]

IDLE currently follows the version and system info line with
Type "help", "copyright", "credits" or "license()" for more information. The last 3 are nearly useless, and duplicate the availability of the documents in a better format from About IDLE, where such things are usually found. In any case, beginners are not likely to care, and most people will look at most once.

Entering 'help' prints the instruction to enter 'help()' for interaction or 'help(object)' for info on object.

Proposed replacement:
Type "help" (no quotes) or click Help above for more information.

On macOS, one must click IDLE for About IDLE, but macOS users should know and expect it there (which is why it is moved there on macOS).

Also, the menu entry "IDLE Help" should be "IDLE Doc". I believe the current entry dates to when "IDLE Help" was a separate text from the IDLE doc rather than a copy thereof.

PR later.

[StanFromIreland]

Are you still planning a PR? This would require some form of injection to override the default prompt as I doubt that can be changed as people are nostalgic.

[terryjreedy]

I changed 'IDLE Help' to 'IDLE Doc' as part of #84910.

IDLE defines the "more information" line in pyshell.py, 1136-7 and prints it on lines 1155-6, so we can change it easily.

    COPYRIGHT = \
          'Type "help", "copyright", "credits" or "license()" for more information.'
...
        self.write("Python %s on %s\n%s\n%s" %
                   (sys.version, sys.platform, self.COPYRIGHT, nosub))

I am now thinking about

Enter 'help' below or click 'Help' above for more information.

What do you think?

[StanFromIreland]

Enter 'help' below or click 'Help' above for more information.

I think its great! I can open a PR if you want.

I would also be for suppressing sys.platform and the build date as version is plenty I think for IDLE.

Also do you still check the email listed on your account, I sent you a few questions :-)

[terryjreedy]

IDLE Shell is intended to mostly imitate the pre-3.13 REPL except as intentionally different. Users paste, or are requested to paste, the initial line, and almost everything there is potentially useful. Yes, please do a PR for agreed upon second line replacement.

[StanFromIreland]

PR opened :)