TOP 3 PYTHON IDE’S
Smart programmers not only code well but also do it in style. And to become a good programmer may take longer time than you expect. However, if you choose the best Python IDE, then one can certainly reduce their coding efforts. IDLE is the Python IDE that comes with the standard Python package. It allows quick editing and execution of Python scripts. However, it lacks a lot of features that can increase speed and boost productivity.
Picking up the right IDE is crucial as it can help the programmer to automate a lot of tasks and ease up project management. So, the developer must wisely choose a development tool, that the developer shouldn’t regret using it later in the project lifecycle.
There is a number of factors that the developer might like to consider for shortlisting. We have mentioned few points to make an entry-level distinction:
- An ideal Python IDE should support multiple platforms such as Windows, Linux, and MacOS.
- Check if it is available for free or is an open source with a GPL license.
- Also, confirm if the IDE has a community version which suits students and beginners who are learn ing Python.
IT companies or the professionals working with big organizations might have access to paid version of commercial IDEs. Just to name a few are Komodo, PyCharm, Sublime, and Wing IDE.
In this article, we have published 3 best python IDE’s voted as most advanced and feature rich by experienced and professional programmers.
PyCharm
PyCharm is a complete Python IDE loaded with a rich set of features. It is the software company, JetBrains, which is behind the development of PyCharm. And it has left no stone unturned in making this tool up to date while meeting the increasing needs of Python developers.
It is an enterprise-level product which offers two variations – the first is community edition, free for non-commercial usage and next is the premium version for advanced as well as enterprise users.
For basic users, the free version is enough to start their work. It includes almost every feature the developer might seek in an IDE – Auto code completion, quick project navigation, built-in version control support, code inspection/refactoring, PEP8 quality audit, fast error checking and correction, UI level debugging, and integrated AUT testing. The other key features include integration with IPython notebook and support for Anaconda as-well-as packages like NumPy and MatPlotLib for scientific computing.
High-level features such as remote development support, database accessibility, and ability to use extensible web development frameworks (WDF) exist only in the premium version of PyCharm.
Most of the developers say it as the best Python IDE because of its sheer scale to work with a number of WDFs like Django, Web2Py, GAPP, Flask, and Pyramid. Undoubtedly, it is one of the best IDEs for creating small to large scale web applications.
ERIC
Eric is an open-source Python IDE written using Python and QT frameworks. Its name is derived from Monty Python’s Eric Idle. Despite being a non-commercial product, it has all the features needed for a professional software development.
The creator of Eric is Detlev Offenbach, a senior system engineer from Munich. He has been maintaining it from so many years so that it can compete with any of its peers. Talking about its usage and downloads, it is incomparable. The IDE is available under the GPL license for the unlimited usage.
Eric has a robust plugin manager which you can use to extend the functionality by adding appropriate plugins. The latest and stable version is Eric6 built on PyQt5/4 and Python2/3.
Some of the standard features of Eric are code completion, bracket matching, call tips, syntax highlighting, class browser, code profiling, and integrated unit tests. Developers can also make use of its form preview function while working on a QT GUI application. Below is the list that makes Eric stands against competitors like PyCharm/Wing.
- Integrated debugger support for multithreaded or multiprocessing applications.
- Automatic code checkers.
- Intuitive project management.
- Built-in Unitest support.
- Inbuilt Python shell.
- Addons for Regex and QT dialogs.
- Integrated web browser.
WING IDE
WING is also one of the top IDE alternatives for Python developers. It is a paid solution from WingWare. The company made huge investments in Wing and added many new and relevant features. Also, it has released a number of updates over the years.
Like PyCharm, Wing also supports Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X. The company offering three types of packages; a Freeware with moderate features, a personal version for individual users, and a high-end edition for the enterprise users.
WING Python IDE is an intelligent code editor and a great debugging tool. Both these features together make Python coding easy, interactive, accurate, and fast. It has a robust graphical debugger which enables to set breakpoints, navigating through code, monitoring data, multi-process/multi-threaded code debugging and also supports remote debugging on SOC (System On Chip) devices such as Raspberry PI. Also, it comes with the ability to blend with different version control systems such as GIT, CVS, SVN, Mercurial, and Perforce. So the developers can perform check-in/check-out and manage merge within the IDE.
WING team ensured that the IDE supports all the major Python frameworks available as of today. Just to name a few of these frameworks are PyQT, PyGTK, PySide, Zope, MotionBuilder, Django, and much more. It also supports Matplotlib where the plots get updated automatically.