Important

This documentation covers IPython versions 6.0 and higher. Beginning with version 6.0, IPython stopped supporting compatibility with Python versions lower than 3.3 including all versions of Python 2.7.

If you are looking for an IPython version compatible with Python 2.7, please use the IPython 5.x LTS release and refer to its documentation (LTS is the long term support release).

Module: core.hooks

Hooks for IPython.

In Python, it is possible to overwrite any method of any object if you really want to. But IPython exposes a few ‘hooks’, methods which are designed to be overwritten by users for customization purposes. This module defines the default versions of all such hooks, which get used by IPython if not overridden by the user.

Hooks are simple functions, but they should be declared with self as their first argument, because when activated they are registered into IPython as instance methods. The self argument will be the IPython running instance itself, so hooks have full access to the entire IPython object.

If you wish to define a new hook and activate it, you can make an extension or a startup script. For example, you could use a startup file like this:

import os

def calljed(self,filename, linenum):
    "My editor hook calls the jed editor directly."
    print "Calling my own editor, jed ..."
    if os.system('jed +%d %s' % (linenum,filename)) != 0:
        raise TryNext()

def load_ipython_extension(ip):
    ip.set_hook('editor', calljed)

1 Class

class IPython.core.hooks.CommandChainDispatcher(commands=None)

Bases: object

Dispatch calls to a chain of commands until some func can handle it

Usage: instantiate, execute “add” to add commands (with optional priority), execute normally via f() calling mechanism.

__init__(commands=None)
add(func, priority=0)

Add a func to the cmd chain with given priority

5 Functions

IPython.core.hooks.editor(self, filename, linenum=None, wait=True)

Open the default editor at the given filename and linenumber.

This is IPython’s default editor hook, you can use it as an example to write your own modified one. To set your own editor function as the new editor hook, call ip.set_hook(‘editor’,yourfunc).

IPython.core.hooks.synchronize_with_editor(self, filename, linenum, column)
IPython.core.hooks.show_in_pager(self, data, start, screen_lines)

Run a string through pager

IPython.core.hooks.pre_prompt_hook(self)

Run before displaying the next prompt

Use this e.g. to display output from asynchronous operations (in order to not mess up text entry)

IPython.core.hooks.clipboard_get(self)

Get text from the clipboard.