PythonToolkit (PTK) is an interactive development environment aimed at scientists, engineers, and programmers who want to explore and manipulate data through a graphical interface. Its approach resembles MATLAB, combining an interactive console with editing, debugging, and workspace inspection tools.
PTK is particularly suited to exploratory programming, where users execute commands, inspect objects, modify variables, and develop scripts incrementally rather than repeatedly running entire programs. It can be used with numerical and scientific libraries such as NumPy, SciPy, and Matplotlib.
The application is organised around a Tool plugin system. Its components communicate with separate interpreter processes, allowing different working sessions to be maintained independently. Developers can also extend the environment with additional tools or embed interpreter engines into other applications.
This is free and open source software.
Key Features
- Interactive console – execute commands and scripts with support for multiple independent interpreter engines.
- Process isolation – each engine runs separately from the PTK interface and other engines.
- Command editing – multi-line input, command history, and searches through previously entered commands.
- Code editor – edit scripts, test code interactively, and execute programs in existing or separate engines.
- Integrated debugger – set conditional or temporary breakpoints, pause execution, step through code, and inspect variables.
- Namespace browser – explore the current workspace and examine objects and their values.
- Object inspector – display documentation strings, source code, and values for selected objects.
- Code assistance – object completion and calltips when working in the interactive console.
- Path management – change the working directory and manage interpreter search paths.
- Data import and export – save and restore supported objects through an extensible importer and exporter system.
- Extensible Tool architecture – add custom tools, data viewers, and support for additional object types.
- GUI development – interact with applications using supported graphical toolkits through interpreter engines.
- Cross-platform support – runs on Linux and Windows.
Website: pythontoolkit.sourceforge.net
Support:
Developer: Tom Charrett
License: MIT License
PTK is written in Python. Learn Python with our recommended free books and free tutorials.
Related Software
| Python Integrated Development Environments | |
|---|---|
| PyCharm | Full-featured IDE. Two editions are available, one is open source software |
| JupyterLab | Interactive environment for notebooks, coding and data analysis |
| Spyder | Python development environment providing MATLAB-like features |
| eric | Full featured Python editor and IDE, written in Python |
| Thonny | Tk-based IDE designed for novice programmers |
| PyDev | Python plugin for Eclipse |
| Leo | PIM, IDE and outliner |
| Pyzo | Interactive editor for scientific Python |
| PTK | Interactive environment for Python |
| IDLE | Python’s Integrated Development and Learning Environment |
| Zasper | Fast, notebook-focused IDE with integrated development tools |
Read our verdict in the software roundup.
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