Command-line options to IPython *scripts*?

Question

I am often asked to debug Python scripts written by others. I would like to send these scripts to IPython so it will drop into an IPython shell at the point the script fail

Answer 1

Many aspects of IPython's behavior can be controlled via settings in the user's IPython config files, which typically are in ~/.ipython/. A user can create multiple profiles, each with different settings of the config parameters. Each profile has its settings in a separate folder in the .ipython folder. The default profile is in profile_default, and the main file in there for customizing behavior is ipython_config.py. By default, it is almost entirely commented, with commented lines showing the config variables and their default settings. Uncomment or insert lines to alter behavior.

To change how IPython behaves at the end of running a script, use:

c.TerminalIPythonApp.force_interact = True

Then when the script ends (or raises an exception), IPython will keep running and present you with a prompt. This is the same behavior as ipython -i.

I use this setting in my default profile, because this is the way I always want IPython to behave. If that's not the case for you, you could create a profile with this behavior, to use just when you want this behavior. Or just keep using the (evidently undocumented) -i option.

IPython configuration documentation is available here: Introduction to IPython configuration — IPython documentation, with the force_interact option described here: Terminal IPython options — IPython documentation.