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# iPython Quest
OR
# Pythonny Quest

### BY: [Hobson Lane](#links) (nlpia.org) [<sup>1</sup>](#links)
### AT: [San Diego Python](#links) (.org) [<sup>2</sup>](#links)

Note:
- Before we get started, which sounds better to you:
- Which sounds more fun to you 
- Pythonny-Quest
- or
- iPython-Quest

### Jun 26, 2025

--v--

## TL;DR

0. Goals
1. Intelligent automation
2. Pexpect

Note:
I'll start with the lessons learned so everyone can get something out of it even if I don't have time to finish it all.

--v--

## Goals

- **``iPython`` REPL**
- interactive challenges

```bash
$ pip install ipython-quest

# OR

$ git clone git@gitlab.com:hobs/pythonny-quest
$ cd pythonny-quest
$ pip install -e .
```

```bash
$ pyquest || ipython-quest || ipython

Welcome to the iPython adventure game!

# Hint: import pyquest
>>> import pyquest
# Hint: help(pyquest)
>>> help(pyquest)
Help on package pyquest:
...
```

Note:
Ideas from:
- **django shell_plus**
- **sageworks** -> **workbench**
- **``Quest.__doc__``** attribute

--v--

## auto imports

à la `django shell_plus`

```python
>>> quest = Quest
>>> quest
"To get started, type and run `help()` or `help(quest)`"
>>> help(quest)
```

Note:
Show of hands if you've ever used Django's shell_plus?

--v--

## No Cheating

- Paste
- Fast typing?

Note:
- **Ctrl-V, Shift-Insert
- `import typing`
- **Mouse actions** (menus, buttons)?
- **Technical interview**
- Favorite standard library module?
- Open process text files
- Import unneeded packages

--v--

## Approaches

1. ask ClaudeCode
2. imitate a working program
3. RTFM

Note:
Of course my first thought was to do a little cheating myself, so see if I need to update my mental model about how useful LLMs are for learning.
Spoiler alert: I only cheated myself out of several hours of my life wasted fixing nonsense code.

--v--

## Ask ClaudeCode

- Prompted Claude with requirements
- Generated 4 different programs
- More than 2000 lines of code
- All 4 were broke
- None were portable

--v--

## Bugs

Syntax, Semantic, and Logic errors.

1. non-existent prompt-toolkit ``Keys``
2. disabled many printable characters
3. only detected **`ctrl-v`**
4. ignored mouse pastes

Note:
1. ``Space`` a special character
2. ``string.printable``
3. ``.Insert``, ``.ControlInsert``, ``.ShiftInsert``

--v--

## Spaced Out

#### BAD
```python
@new_bindings.add(Keys.Space)
def _(event):
    monitor.log_keystroke('SPACE')
    event.app.current_buffer.insert_text(c)
```

#### GOOD
```python
for char in string.printable:
    ...
```

Note:
Because there is a ``Keys.Backspace`` Claude assumed there should be a ``Keys.Space``.
This is because of the semantic similarity between

--v--

## ignored printable Keys

#### BAD
```python
for char in 'abcdefghij...STUVWXYZ0123456789!@#$%^&*()_+-=[]{}|;:,.<>?/`~':
    @new_bindings.add(char)
    def _(event, c=char):
        monitor.log_keystroke(c)
        event.app.current_buffer.insert_text(c)
```

#### BETTER
```python
for char in string.printable:
    ...
```

--v--

#### BETTER
```python
    @new_bindings.add(Keys.Enter)
    def _(event):
        monitor.log_keystroke('ENTER')
        event.app.current_buffer.validate_and_handle()

@new_bindings.add(Keys.Backspace)
    def _(event):
        monitor.log_keystroke('BACKSPACE')
        event.app.current_buffer.delete_before_cursor()
```

####
```
```

--v--

## 0.1.1.3 paste keystrokes

#### only ctrl-V
```python
# Detect Ctrl+V paste
@new_bindings.add(Keys.ControlV)
def _(event):
    print("\n🚨 PASTE SHORTCUT DETECTED: Try typing the code yourself!")
    monitor.log_keystroke('CTRL+V_PASTE')
```

#### more paste keystrokes
```python
# Monitor more keystrokes
for k in (Keys.ControlV, Keys.Insert, Keys.ControlInsert, Keys.ShiftInsert):
    @new_bindings.add(k)
    def _(event):
        print("\n🚨 PASTE SHORTCUT DETECTED: Try typing the code yourself!")
        monitor.log_keystroke(f'{str(k)}_PASTE')
```

--v--

## git 
#### display_keys.py
[<img src="/2025-06-19-images/display_keys_insert_copy_paste_shift_v_menu.png" alt="display_keys app logs keystrokes to terminal including insert copy paste shift-v ctrl-shift-v menu clicks" height="800" />](/2025-06-19-images/display_keys_insert_copy_paste_shift_v_menu.png)

--v--

```bash
═══ Key Display Tool ═══
Press any key to see its Keys enum value
Press Ctrl+C or Ctrl+Q to exit

Key History (last 5 keys):
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
[13:32:48.260] Keys.KeyPress(key=<Keys.BracketedPaste: '<bracketed-paste>'>, data='import...') (Special key)
[13:32:32.792] Keys.KeyPress(key=<Keys.BracketedPaste: '<bracketed-paste>'>, data='') (Special key)
[13:32:31.076] Keys.Keys.Insert     (Insert key)
[13:32:22.552] Keys.KeyPress(key=<Keys.ControlV: 'c-v'>, data='\x16') (Special key)
[13:32:21.249] Keys.KeyPress(key=<Keys.BracketedPaste: '<bracketed-paste>'>, data='- `import typing`\r') (Special key)
```

Note:
You could truncate the ``data='import...'`` to force user to use tab-completion.

---

## More Intelligent Agents

1. `uv`
2. `source`
3. `mkslides`
4. `start_ipython()` only works when ...

Note:
Agentic LLMs are just fuzzy automation (good guessers).

1. Rust ``uv`` faster better cheaper
2. Bash ``source`` is tricky
3. Python ``mkslides`` auto-deploys nlpia.org
4. from `django shell_plus`

You learn best-practices if you use high quality packages as your guide.

--v--

## 1.1 `uv` vs `pdm`

#### `pdm` is clever
```bash
pip install pdm
eval $(pdm venv activate in-project)
pdm install .
pdm add .
```

#### `uv` is intelligent
```bash
pip install uv
source .venv/bin/activate
uv pip install -e .
alias pip='uv pip'
```

Note:
- Heard of `pdm` or `uv`?
- But you said it was Rust?
- Your preferred package manager?

--v--

## `uv` is fast

#### `alias pip='uv pip'`
```bash
$ pip install pexpect
Audited 1 package in 69ms
$ pip install ipython
Audited 1 package in 21ms
```

```bash
$ pip install --upgrade pexpect
Resolved 2 packages in 117ms
Audited 2 packages in 0.08ms
$ pip install --upgrade ipython
Resolved 17 packages in 224ms
Prepared 1 package in 1ms
Uninstalled 1 package in 6ms
Installed 1 package in 12ms
 - ipython==9.1.0.dev0 (from file:///home/hobs/code/hobson/ipython)
 + ipython==9.3.0
```

Note:
- **``pexpect``** tiny; previously installed elsewhere 
- **``ipython``** big; already installed in ``.venv``

--v--

## `workon`

#### _`.workon`_
```bash
source .venv/bin/activate \ || (
    uv venv --python 3.11 .venv \
    && source .venv/bin/activate \
    && uv pip install -e . )
```

Note:
- learn something -> encode it
- help your teammates or future self

--v--

```bash
uv init                # pdm init
uv pip install         # pdm install
uv add                 # pdm add
uv venv --python 3.12  # pdm venv create
uv build               # pdm build
uv publish             # pdm publish
```

Note:
- almost always instantaneous for all these commands
- uses existing APIs (pip, venv)
- uses command-line args (with defaults)
- if you can't predict what your tool will do, it's not a tool, it's a chaos gorilla

--v--

## 1.2 `source` is too smart

"In the face of ambiguity, refuse the temptation to guess."

#### BAD:
```bash
$ source .env
$ source .workon
```

#### OK:
```bash
$ source .venv/bin/activate
```

Note:
- While we're on the topic of `activate` and `venv` ...
- `source` is **NOT** pythonic.
- Do you see the bug?
- Which `.env` file will this run?
- Skipping this tiny character cost me days.
- Your future self will thank you if you fix it tonight.

--v--

## Pythonic Bash

"Explicit is better then implicit."

#### `source ./.env`

--v--

#### _`ipython-quest/.workon`_

```bash
source .venv/bin/activate || ( \
    uv venv --python 3.11 .venv \
    && source .venv/bin/activate \
    && uv pip install -e . \
    && source ./.env )
```

--v--

## 1.5 Smaller == Smarter
```bash
alias aider='AIDER_MODEL=ollama_chat/qwen2.5-coder:32b aide'
```

---

## ``pexpect`` review

- spawn a process
- send str to stdin
- monitor stdout & stderr
- move cursor (e.g. arrow keys)

Note:
- Great for monitoring printable keystrokes
- Can't prevent copy/paste
- Can't execute

---

### Links

1. [nlpia.org](nlpia.org)
1. [SanDiegoPython.org](https://sandiegopython.org)