[maemo-developers] Debugging Desktop Applets in Python

[From: Steve Brown]

Mike Jipping  wrote:

>
> I'm writing a desktop applet in Python.
>
> Debugging this thing is incredibly hard.  I can't do it in Scratchbox,
> because the hildon desktop bindings are not compiled for it.  Editing
> is then done on the device.  I thought this would be OK and that the
> cycle of unselecting/code change/selecting the applet would run the new
> code changes. But...the system seems to cache the code so that the
> unselect/select always invokes the same code.  And who knows where
> even the simple print or logging statements go...
>
> Does anyone have any suggestions for easier debugging of Python desktop
> applets.  This is my first project in Python (I know...hard project for
> the first time :-) so I'm open to anything.
> <snip>


If you are having trouble setting up the scratchbox, I have found the
pre-built vmware or qemu appliance [1] very helpful. I am having trouble
with audio playback on the thing, so I will usually just rsync my code
changes to my n800 and then run the application I'm working on from ssh. The
Python code is cached into the compiled .pyc files, but it should be able to
detect that there is a difference if you change the source (atleast it has
for me). As for debugging, I suggest you run your app from the terminal, or
use some a 'yourapp.py > output' to get the output generated.

HTH,
Steve Brown


[1] http://maemovmware.garage.maemo.org/
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