[issue22121] IDLE should start with HOME as the initial working directory

Raymond Hettinger added the comment: > When I start IDLE ("python -m idle") from my project directory > I expect that it doesn't change current directory and I can > access files in this directory by short relative name. I rely on this behavior when teaching Python courses. IIRC, David Beazle

[issue22121] IDLE should start with HOME as the initial working directory

Andy Harrington added the comment: This is really important for newbies. They have no business being in the system Python folder. And Idle is for newbies! I was teaching an intro Python class, and tried to help a student who had been writing programs in Idle, but now could not get Python g

[issue22121] IDLE should start with HOME as the initial working directory

Change by Terry J. Reedy : -- versions: -Python 3.6 ___ Python tracker ___ ___ Python-bugs-list mailing list Unsubscribe: https://

[issue22121] IDLE should start with HOME as the initial working directory

Steve Dower added the comment: AFAICT, the best logic is this: if os.path.normcase(os.getcwd()) == os.path.normcase(sys.prefix): os.chdir(get_default_location(sys.platform)) The only complexity is likely to be that "Documents" is localized on Windows, and SHGetFolderPathW [1] requires ct

[issue22121] IDLE should start with HOME as the initial working directory

Raymond Hettinger added the comment: ISTM, the start directory needs to be a configuration option. The problem is that most users start IDLE using an icon rather than from the command-line (the latter is already challenging on Windows because they would have to put Python on the PATH just t

[issue22121] IDLE should start with HOME as the initial working directory

Terry J. Reedy added the comment: Eryk: If one wants a shortcut on the desktop, I believe the one in a directory has to be copied. I was also trying to cover the case where IDLE is installed for all users and a particular user wants a customized shortcut. Steve: Microsoft's effort to keep m

[issue22121] IDLE should start with HOME as the initial working directory

Steve Dower added the comment: I still think the best option is a command line flag like "--open-in-homedir" that causes Idle to do a chdir to the user's documents folder. This way we can put a static option in the start menu item in the installer and not worry about the limitations of MSI,

[issue22121] IDLE should start with HOME as the initial working directory

Eryk Sun added the comment: > I am not sure what a 'post-installation script' means in practice. IIRC, there's no way to prevent environment-variable expansion when shortcuts are created by an MSI, so the shortcuts need to be created or modified after installing IDLE. Perhaps this can be imp

[issue22121] IDLE should start with HOME as the initial working directory

Terry J. Reedy added the comment: On Windows 10, Start Menu entries are no longer shortcuts, but are titles of shortcuts. On the 'most recent' and alphabetical listings, one must right click, select 'more', and then 'open file location'. One then gets a directory of shortcuts, such as C:\U

[issue22121] IDLE should start with HOME as the initial working directory

Terry J. Reedy added the comment: #28775 is about a user configuration setting. I need to try out %HOMEDRIVE%%HOMEPATH%. I am not sure what a 'post-installation script' means in practice. What language, when run, by whom? -- versions: +Python 3.7, Python 3.8 -Python 2.7, Python 3.4

[issue22121] IDLE should start with HOME as the initial working directory

Eryk Sun added the comment: > What we want seems to be a normal thing to do, and achieved by > some, but perhaps by a post installation script. It would help to have a couple of the bdist_wininst functions available for a post-install script: create_shortcut (CreateShortcut) get_speci

[issue22121] IDLE should start with HOME as the initial working directory

Jeff Allen added the comment: I'm also interested in a smooth experience for beginners. I have a factual observation with respect to Terry's comment: '''Windows icons have a Shortcut tab with a Start-in field. We should like to put %USERPROFILE% there, but this does not work -- msg253393.''' .

[issue22121] IDLE should start with HOME as the initial working directory

Terry J. Reedy added the comment: I retract my previous statement "Splattering .py files in ~HOME is not tremendously better than doing the same in the executable directory." and agree that when started with the default Windows icon, IDLE should start in %USERPROFILE%. Discussion for #25450

[issue22121] IDLE should start with HOME as the initial working directory

Changes by Ethan Furman : -- nosy: -ethan.furman ___ Python tracker ___ ___ Python-bugs-list mailing list Unsubscribe: https://mail.

[issue22121] IDLE should start with HOME as the initial working directory

Terry J. Reedy added the comment: Mark's opening statement is incomplete. The actual situation is more complex, and probably not documented anywhere except in the code -- and the system-specific behavior not even there. Let 'working directory' mean the initial directory of an Open or Save As d

[issue22121] IDLE should start with HOME as the initial working directory

Serhiy Storchaka added the comment: The same is on Linux. Therefore this is Windows only issue. -- components: +Windows ___ Python tracker ___ ___

[issue22121] IDLE should start with HOME as the initial working directory

Ned Deily added the comment: FWIW, on OS X when IDLE is launched from the Finder, for example by double-clicking on an IDLE icon, IDLE defaults to using the user's Documents folder as its working directory. When IDLE is launched from a command line shell, it uses the current working directory

[issue22121] IDLE should start with HOME as the initial working directory

Ethan Furman added the comment: We should be able to add enough smarts to handle both cases. -- ___ Python tracker ___ ___ Python-bugs

[issue22121] IDLE should start with HOME as the initial working directory

Serhiy Storchaka added the comment: When I start IDLE ("python -m idle") from my project directory I expect that it doesn't change current directory and I can access files in this directory by short relative name. -- nosy: +serhiy.storchaka ___ Pyth

[issue22121] IDLE should start with HOME as the initial working directory

Changes by Ethan Furman : -- nosy: +ethan.furman ___ Python tracker ___ ___ Python-bugs-list mailing list Unsubscribe: https://mail.p

[issue22121] IDLE should start with HOME as the initial working directory

New submission from Mark Summerfield: On Windows IDLE's working directory is Python's install directory, e.g., C:\Python34. ISTM that this is the wrong directory for 99% of general users and for 100% of beginners since this is _not_ the directory where people should save their own .py files (u