REPL Buddy

Collection of Python functions to make REPL more like *nix shell

What is it?

REPL Buddy lets you interact with the MicroPython REPL in ways that mimic a shell prompt. It provides functions similar to common *nix commands. There's also a simple line-base editor and a few more features still in development.

For an explanation, let's look at some examples.

Want to list files on flash?

REPL

>>> os.listdir()
['boot.py', 'hello.py', 'lib', 'test1.txt', 'test2.txt', 'tmp']

Uh, sure, I guess.

REPL Buddy

>>> ls()
total 6
type  size  mtime         name
-      292  NOV  6 14:31  boot.py
-        0  NOV  6 19:59  hello.py
d        2  JAN  1 00:00  lib
-        0  NOV  6 19:58  test1.txt
-        0  NOV  6 19:58  test2.txt
d        2  JAN  1 00:00  tmp

Mmm, so smooth and satisfying!

Want to search a file to see if it contains a regex string?

REPL

import os
import re
?#@*&%!!!
requests.get('stackoverflow.com')

Good luck with that!

REPL Buddy

>>> grep('NAME', 'config.py')
AP_NAME = 'my_ssid'

Che bella!

Need to make a change to that config file?

from atto import *
atto('config.py')

Now you can stare at a * prompt and scratch your head just like when you try to use the ed line editor. (But with REPL Buddy's Atto editor you can at least type h to get some help.)

So retro!

How do I use REPL Buddy on my microcontroller?

It's easy. First, you import the command functions like this:

from command import *

Then, you can use all the functions listed in README_command.md

Finally, for details on using the Atto editor, there is a brief tutorial in README_atto.md

Some important notes

REPL Buddy is not a shell, so you'll still have to supply parameters as quoted strings, but it does make things a little more convenient when managing your flash file system.

Most functions should be pretty self-explanitory from their names and descriptions above. Some, llike cd() and ls() can be called with or without parameters. Those that require parameters will give a brief usage statement if you don't supply what they need.

All of REPL Buddy's functions are severely limited when compared to their *nix shell counterparts. For example, rm() has no recursive option, grep() can only search text files, etc. There's also no way to pipe commands together or redirect output.

How do I install or update REPL Buddy?

Use the MicroPython MIP tool, like this:

mpremote mip install github:DavesCodeMusings/repl-buddy

Or on Windows:

py -m mpremote mip install github:DavesCodeMusings/repl-buddy

Or download the files directly from https://github.com/DavesCodeMusings/repl-buddy and save to your device's /lib directory.

I tried it and I found a bug. What now?

Create an issue in GitHub and I'll see if I can fix it. Though please be patient as I am a developer team of one.