Setup the python developing environment for Sublime Text 4

In this page my setups of python3 developing environment with Sublime Text 4 text editor are briefly introduced. The following functions are achieved. Setup with Windows 10 21H2, Jan. 9-2022.

• Python interpreters managed by Anaconda 3;
• Interactive PDB debugger;
• Command line;
• Automatically modify the script to fit the Pep8 style;
• Syntax check and code completion.

Create a new REPL environment

Step 1: Install package control

Press Ctrl + Shift + P. Type ‘install package control’ and enter. Notification will pop out after the installation is successful.

Step 2: Install SublimeREPL

Press Ctrl + Shift + P. Type ‘Package control: Install packages’ and enter. Type ‘SublimeREPL’ to install this package.

Step 3: Create a new environment

On the top banner, click ‘Preferences/Browse Packages’, open the folder ‘SublimeREPL/config’. Copy the subfolder ‘Python’ and rename it as any name, say, ‘py36ase’. Restart the software, from the top banner click ‘Tools/SublimeREPL/’. Find the environment with the newly defined name to confirm it has been installed correctly.

Link Anaconda 3 to the new environment

Step 1： Create the REPL commands

In the folder ‘SublimeREPL/config/py36ase’, open the file ‘Main.sublime-menu’ and substitute the word ‘Python’ with the word ‘py36ase’, except the following lines:

"syntax": "Packages/Python/Python.tmLanguage"

"extend_env": {"PYTHONIOENCODING": "utf-8"}

: In lines with "cmd", substitute the environmental variable "python" with the path of python executable file. Here the ‘py36ase’ environment is used:

"cmd": ["D:/Anaconda3/envs/py3.6ase/python.exe", "-i", "-u"],

Then the available REPL commands for the ‘py36ase’ environment are defined, which are visible and executable by clicking ‘Tools/SublimeREPL/py36ase/’.

Step 2: Edit the captions of commands

There is no known issues with an unmodified or even removed ‘Default.sublime-commands’ file. However, just in case, captions and arguments of commands can be defined there.

Change the path in "file" lines to the same folder:

"file": "config/py3.6ase/Main.sublime-menu"

: Change the "caption" line into any name, and choose the corresponding "id" line in the ‘Main.sublime-menu’ file. Save and close both files.

"caption": "SublimeREPL: py3.6ase - IPython"

"id": "repl_py3.6ase_ipython"

Setting keybindings for REPL

There is no default keybindings for SublimeREPL, but user defined keybindings can be added via ‘Preferences/Key Bingdings’. The parameters required for defining key bindings are the same as defining their captions, except an extra keyword "keys". Copy and past the contents in ‘Default.sublime-commands’ and insert a "keys" line on the top of each command.

{
    "keys": ["f5"],// Run the current script with Python 3.10
    "caption": "SublimeREPL: py3.6ase - RUN current file",
    "command": "run_existing_window_command",
    "args": {
        "id": "repl_py3.6ase_run",
        "file": "config/py3.6ase/Main.sublime-menu"}
},
{
    "keys": ["ctrl+f5"],// Run PDB of the current python script
    "caption": "SublimeREPL: py3.6ase - PDB current file",
    "command": "run_existing_window_command",
    "args": {
        "id": "repl_py3.6ase_pdb",
        "file": "config/py3.6ase/Main.sublime-menu"}
},
{
    "keys": ["ctrl+shift+f5"],// Open the shell
    "caption": "SublimeREPL: py3.6ase",
    "command": "run_existing_window_command", "args":
    {
        "id": "repl_py3.6ase",
        "file": "config/py3.6ase/Main.sublime-menu"
    }
},

The code above indicates the settings of key bindings:

• F5 - Run the opened script in the py36ase environment
• Ctrl+F5 - Run PDB debugger for the opened script in the py36ase environment
• Ctrl+Shift+F5 - Open the py36ase shell for interactive commands.

Syntax check and code completion

Both features are integrated into the Anaconda package. After installing it via Package Control, several important properties should be specified by opening ‘Preferences/Package Settings/Anaconda/Settings - User’ and setting it as follows:

{
	"python_interpreter":"D:/Anaconda3/envs/py3.6ase/python.exe",
	"suppress_word_completions":true,
	"suppress_explicit_completions":true,
	"swallow_startup_errors":true,
	"anaconda_linting":true
}

The proper interpreter should be specified in the first line. To avoid the error report when launched, set "swallow_startup_errors" to be true. To close the limit of 79 characters per column, set "anaconda_linting" to be false. The Anaconda package is automatically launched when opening a python script.

Pep8 coding standard

To automatically check and fit python scripts into the Pep8 style, the AutoPep8 package is suggested. It does not require extra settings after finishing the installation. The default key bindings (‘Preferences/Package Settings/AutoPep8/Key Bindings - Default’) are:

• Ctrl+8 - Examine the script and show the previews of modifications;
• Ctrl+Shift+8 - Examine the script and directly modify it.