[IPython-user] PyReadline problem - affects standard Windows Python

[Paul Moore]

I've just installed the latest IPython and PyReadline on Windows, to
give it a try. So far, it looks good. However, there is one major
issue for me - PyReadline seems to have made itself active in the
standard Python interpreter, overriding the normal Windows console
command line editing.

I presume this is because PyReadline installs a module called
"readline", which Python detects and assumes should be used.

I don't want to get into a discussion over whether the standard
Windows command line editing is good or bad - suffice it to say that I
use it extensively, and will not be comfortable with the change. Is
there a way of stopping PyReadline from affecting normal Python like
this? If there isn't could such a method be added? I presume that
something as simple as

1. Remove the readline.py wrapper from PyReadline
2. Make IPython import from pyreadline rather than readline (which
would be a 2-line change, lines 21 and 26 of IPython/rlineimpl.py)

would work? I tried it briefly, and everything worked OK in standard
Python, and IPython didn't break horribly...

Thanks,
Paul.