topic Re: Method for clearing Python Window in ArcMap programmatically in Python Questions

Method for clearing Python Window in ArcMap programmatically

DarrenSmith — Fri, 19 Oct 2018 13:26:16 GMT

Is there a way of clearing (flushing) the Python Window in ArcMap from Python (that works in 10.2.1)?

Re: Method for clearing Python Window in ArcMap programmatically

DanPatterson_Retired — Fri, 19 Oct 2018 14:37:10 GMT

like printing a bunch of blank lines? which just pushes what you see up off screen. otherwise no, that is an IDE thing

Re: Method for clearing Python Window in ArcMap programmatically

JoshuaBixby — Fri, 19 Oct 2018 14:42:10 GMT

The short answer, no, or at least nothing that won't involve using a COM client to access ArcObjects. If you are up for that, I would start in the Display (ArcObjects .NET 10.6 SDK) and Framework Library Contents (ArcObjects .NET 10.6 SDK) and look at the GPCommandWindow CoClass.

Re: Method for clearing Python Window in ArcMap programmatically

DarrenSmith — Fri, 19 Oct 2018 14:46:38 GMT

Thanks Dan, no it was aimed at getting back the memory it consumes, since it seems like it never gets truncated. I output messages to the Python Window for a couple of python addin tools (that are used a lot). The best solution is to stop doing that of course, but just wondered if there's an easy way to clear it.

Re: Method for clearing Python Window in ArcMap programmatically

DarrenSmith — Fri, 19 Oct 2018 14:53:14 GMT

Thanks Joshua, it sounds like it'd be easier to stop abusing the use of the Python Window. I guess that I could probably get at the GPCommandWindow from Python via the comtypes library (http://sourceforge.net/projects/comtypes/).

Re: Method for clearing Python Window in ArcMap programmatically

DanPatterson_Retired — Fri, 19 Oct 2018 15:11:52 GMT

del but garbage collection (gc module) is worth a look. When the tool is completed and closed it should free up stuff, at least on the python side

Re: Method for clearing Python Window in ArcMap programmatically

TedKowal — Fri, 19 Oct 2018 16:32:27 GMT

I am a VB man and VB has a clear screen for its shell.....

I have not tried but ran across this:

https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/clear-screen-python/

:::: update did not work in the built in Python interpreter in ArcMap. However it did work external python console/ide

Right now I used for the built in Python interpreter:

print "\n" * 80

Re: Method for clearing Python Window in ArcMap programmatically

DanPatterson_Retired — Sun, 21 Oct 2018 01:29:34 GMT

Solved for a manual clean up... but no code interface

Since it isn't really a full-fledged python IDE.

From within a python ide, like Spyder or Jupyter QtConsole … cls … clears the screen...

You can save the Transcript if you want to move it to Spyder or one of the Jupter interfaces for further work.

Re: Method for clearing Python Window in ArcMap programmatically

DarrenSmith — Mon, 22 Oct 2018 08:00:26 GMT

Thanks for taking the time to answer Ted and Dan. I'm really specifically after a way to clear(/reinitialize) the Python Window built-in to ArcMap via Python. It seems like the only way to achieve what I'm after (so far) is via ArcObjects.

Re: Method for clearing Python Window in ArcMap programmatically

LukeWebb — Mon, 22 Oct 2018 17:02:16 GMT

The issue is if I write in the python window:

data = []

for row in some_fc:

data.append(row stuff)

I now have this in memory,. Clearing the screen is good, but I can still do :

print data

to get back my stuff, so memory is used. How to release this?

Re: Method for clearing Python Window in ArcMap programmatically

JoshuaBixby — Mon, 22 Oct 2018 17:22:58 GMT

Just del data, garbage collection will shortly reclaim the memory.

Re: Method for clearing Python Window in ArcMap programmatically

DanPatterson_Retired — Sat, 11 Dec 2021 14:58:44 GMT

you seem to have missed del

https://community.esri.com/message/807449-re-method-for-clearing-python-window-in-arcmap-programmatically?commentID=8074…

and if you want to track and otherwise play with the garbage, look at the gc module

import gc
dir(gc)['DEBUG_COLLECTABLE', 'DEBUG_LEAK', 'DEBUG_SAVEALL', 'DEBUG_STATS',
 'DEBUG_UNCOLLECTABLE', '__doc__', '__loader__', '__name__', '__package__', '__spec__', 
'callbacks', 'collect', 'disable', 'enable', 'garbage', 'get_count', 'get_debug', 
'get_objects', 'get_referents', 'get_referrers', 'get_stats', 'get_threshold',
 'is_tracked', 'isenabled', 'set_debug', 'set_threshold']‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍

Re: Method for clearing Python Window in ArcMap programmatically

MichealKinney — Thu, 10 Oct 2024 17:30:09 GMT

Perfect, didn't realize this option was available. Thank you!!