Method for clearing Python Window in ArcMap programmatically

[DarrenSmith]

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

[DanPatterson_Retired]

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

[DarrenSmith]

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.

[DanPatterson_Retired]

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

[JoshuaBixby]

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.

[DarrenSmith]

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/).

[TedKowal]

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

[DanPatterson_Retired]

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.

[DarrenSmith]

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.

[LukeWebb]

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?