Wolf - Live Python editing for VS-Code
Wolf is a VsCode extension that enables visual inspection of live Python code from the editor. It was inspired by Quokka.js: The Rapid Prototyping Playground for JavaScript and TypeScript and my love of programming.
Wolf is Good for:
- Teachers
- Students
- Kids Who love to Code
- API testers
- Code Streamers
- Planet Earth
Wolf Feature Overview
Other features
Check out variables inline
Works inside functions
And nested objects
Works with loops
and recursion
Highlights errors
Works with http requests
NOTE: Please see FAQ section "Will APIs Hate Me?"
before making requests with Wolf.
Relative imports and paths all just work!
What people are saying about Wolf
- Very impressive work! ~ Quokka.js
- What the hell does it do? ~ My Wife
Requirements
- Visual Studio Code
- Python 3.5 - 3.8 (tested on 3.5, 3.6, and 3.8)
Extension Settings
This extension contributes the following settings:
wolf.barkAtCurrentFile: Starts Wolf on the current file.wolf.stopBarking: Stops all running Wolf sessions.wolf.pawPrintsInGutter: Use paw prints for gutter icons.wolf.maxLineLength: The maximum length of line decorations. Lines longer than this are truncated (ex: 97, 98, 99, ... )wolf.printLoggingEnabled: Enable Wolf console output (ie: the vscode terminal "output" section)wolf.updateFrequency: Adjust the minimum timeframe before the file is saved during Hot Mode
FAQ
Can I have the text annotations in cornflower blue?
Abso-fucking-lutely.
I don't see any annotations
Make sure to save the file you're working on, and that Wolf is activated.
You can try stopping and starting Wolf again on the file to see if this
helps.
The annotations are everywhere
Sorry, it's a feature for now. Try stopping and starting Wolf
from the command menu to clear the pesky buggers.
Can my script have relative imports?
Yes. Sorry, I mean, HELL YES!
Will APIs Hate Me?
That depends. If you code reponsibly and use something like
diskcache or redis to cache your calls, then you'll do just
fine out there. But if you decide to just bang away at some
API without some other sort of caching in place, then it's on
you my friend. Having said that, Wolf will only actually run
your code on document save. So you do get a small amount of
throttling by default.
Here's an example using diskcache:
Wolf is stupid.. PDB is better
*Cue Jingle
Honestly, if you need a real debugger, the one builtin to VSCode is
about as good as it gets. So really, please use that (or pdb, ipdb)
if you're in need of stuff like breakpoints (or if lives depend on it, ie
please don't use this to debug something like a drug pump ffs, ty).
I see Wolf as more of an exploration tool, for teachers or students
in a learning environment, and definitely for streamers.
You can't get any better than live feedback next to the code you're editing!
Known Bugs/Issues
The 1 + 334 #? 335 example from above doesn't work in Python 3.8
It's possible the tracer just passes over non-binding expressions but it
could also be a bug.. I'm not really sure ATM but there's a unit test
so I'll know if it regresses.
It doesn't work inside UnitTests
I know :( Not really sure how to fix this one yet but I'll get to it someday.
Changelog
v0.4.3 ~ Patch
Flashing Bug Fixed
Wolf annotations no longer stutter/flash when editing files. Makes for a much
smoother coding experience.
See #46 comment about "flashing on updates"
Other Changes:
- Reduced extension size ala webpack bundling.
- Code cleanup and removal of unused APIs.
v0.4.2 ~ hotfix
Fixes a regression of issue #54 on some systems.
v0.4.1 ~ Patch
Fixed issues 52 and 53 on GitHub and added test cases for each (Fixes contributed by @Almenon)
v0.4.0 ~ Minor Release
Run extension on unsaved files
This was a limitation of the previous versions of Wolf and is a
really nice QOL feature when coding on the fly.
More Extensive Tests
Using github-actions Wolf is now tested against windows, macos, and windows,
for Python versions 3.5, 3.6, and 3.8. This caught more than a few bugs that
should make it easier for new users to get running with Wolf faster.
Updated Dependencies
Now using the latest vscode extension APIs and Python 3rd party deps.
Bug Fixes
Fixed issues 28, 29, 30, and 34 on GitHub. Fixed some cross compatibility issues
with Python v3.6, and v3.8.
v0.3.10 ~ Patch
Fixed hunter installation and added setting for python path (Fixes contributed by @Almenon). This should
fix any remaining 'Hunter not found' errors. The Python Path
setting makes it easy to point your Wolf session at another Python
installation if you don't want to have to install Hunter into your
working env.
v0.3.0 ~ Minor Release
No Config Setup
Wolf works in what was once called "Hot Mode" by default now. This means
your live editing experience will be tuned for performance out
of the box, with updating annotations on the fly.
NOTE: With these changes the following config options have been removed
or changed:
Removed Options:
wolf.hot: For enabling live re-loading. (Always on now)
Changed Options:
wolf.hotFrequency -> wolf.updateFrequency
v0.2.0 ~ Minor Release
Hot Reloading
Turn on Hot Mode to enable live reloading of code as you work. You can set the
minimum frequency from the user settings if you want more control over when your
file is saved/run.
Turn on Live Reloading:
"wolf.hot": true
Adjust minimum time between saves (throttle control) in milliseconds:
"wolf.hotFrequency": 270
Note: Frequency setting is clamped between 100 and 1000 millisecends
Macros are Back!!!
A comment macro is any single line comment character (pound/hash symbol)
followed by a question mark. See the examples above to get a better idea
of how they work, and check out the macro syntax rules below.
Syntax:
some.expression() #? <----Comment Macro
a = [i for i in some_list] # ? <----Space allowed
Note: Macros are restricted on lines starting with these
blacklisted tokens.
Completely Rewritten Codebase
Efforts have been made to improve the structure of the core Wolf
extension to allow for easier updates and more powerful features
in the future.
ReWritten Sticky Logic
Wolf now uses the builtin API for improving the sticky behavior of
line decorations, especially while coding with Hot Reloading turned
off.
Overview Ruler Markers
Annotated lines now show up in the OverView ruler panel on the left side
and are color coded for easy visual grepping.
Hover over any Wolf annotation to see the value pretty printed in a
popup box.
v0.1.7
Macbook Touch-Bar Icons
Toggle Wolf on and off from the touch bar.
Wolf Paw gutter icons
Set wolf.pawGutterIcons: true to swap the default gutter
icons with the new paw print style. (Requires restart)
v0.1.6.patch ~ Minor updates to sticky handling
v0.1.5
Windows Support/Fix
Windows does not support SIGALRM so a custom decorator was provided by Almenon.
Python 3.5 Support
Newly added support for Python 3.5 was also provided by Almenon.
Thanks for contributing to Wolf, Almenon! :tada:
v0.1.4 - patch
Better Stickys
Better sticky handling during multi-line range edits and deletions.
v0.1.3 - updates
Sticky annotations during editing
Annotations now stay attached to their line during editing and between
saves. Multi line editing is supported as well. A page save is still
necessary to update the values, this means the script is still only run
when the file is manually saved.
v0.1.2 - updates
Gutter Icons
Colored notification icons in the gutter to aid in visual
grepping of Wolf output. Error lines get a red icon while
okay lines get a green icon.
The shortcut icons are now a single icon that senses whether
Wolf is running on the current script and updates accordingly.
v0.1.1 - updates
Shortcut Icons
New shortcut buttons added to the action bar for easier
starting and stopping.
Stability
Added a timeout to prevent locking and high cpu usage.
Bug: This introduced a bug in Windows which was fixed in v0.1.5
v0.1.0 - minor release
Much more stable
The previous version of Wolf would crap out a lot due to some
poor choices on my part. Essentially, I tried to make it do
too much too soon. I felt that stabilty should come before
shiny features and have adjusted accordingly. This really
shouldn't affect usability, but if you have other thoughts
please let me know. That feedback is important.
Proper object printing
Things like nested lists, sets, tuples.. etc, are now printed
properly. Certain structures were flattened during printing
during the last version and it was pretty frustrating, this
should also be fixed but feel free to let me know if you find
a way to break it.
Shows errors/exceptions
This was a quiet feature in the last release, so not totally
new in 0.1.0. But it wasn't mentioned in the docs before so
I'm making it official now.
Macros
* Removed - Will possibly be re-implemented in a later version
v0.0.2 - updates
Macros ~Removed in 0.1.0~
Auto evaluate print statements
Wolf now automatically adds annotations for print function calls.
Macros ~ Removed in 0.1.0
v0.0.1 - initial release
First release of the Wolf. :tada:
I found a bug
You mean a flea? Report any fleas in the issue tracker, please!
Can I help
That would be awesome. You can shoot me an email or submit a PR. I'm also on
reddit at /u/Duroktar. Also, there's plenty of documentation to get started
on your own, if you just want to do that. Welcome one, welcome all!
Contributors
The following people have contributed to Wolf:
Almenon - Windows fixes, Python 3.5 support, tests & many more fixes and improvements ~ #3 #6 #13 #52 #53
License
Wolf source is available under the Apache 2.0 Software license.
Any dependant libraries are subject to their own licenses and
terms, the most direct of which are listed below.
Third Party Libraries
Hunter - Hunter is a flexible code tracing toolkit. (Honestly, I couldn't have made Wolf without this library.) - BSD License
