How to clear the interpreter console?

Question

Like most Python developers, I typically keep a console window open with the Python interpreter running to test commands, dir() stuff, help() stuff

Answer 1

Here's a cross platform (Windows / Linux / Mac / Probably others that you can add in the if check) version snippet I made combining information found in this question:

import os
clear = lambda: os.system('cls' if os.name=='nt' else 'clear')
clear()

Same idea but with a spoon of syntactic sugar:

import subprocess   
clear = lambda: subprocess.call('cls||clear', shell=True)
clear()

Answer 2

This should be cross platform, and also uses the preferred subprocess.call instead of os.system as per the os.system docs. Should work in Python >= 2.4.

import subprocess
import os

if os.name == 'nt':
    def clearscreen():
        subprocess.call("cls", shell=True)
        return
else:
    def clearscreen():
        subprocess.call("clear", shell=True)
        return

Answer 3

Well, here's a quick hack:

>>> clear = "\n" * 100
>>> print clear
>>> ...do some other stuff...
>>> print clear

Or to save some typing, put this file in your python search path:

# wiper.py
class Wipe(object):
    def __repr__(self):
        return '\n'*1000

wipe = Wipe()

Then you can do this from the interpreter all you like :)

>>> from wiper import wipe
>>> wipe
>>> wipe
>>> wipe

Answer 4

Although this is an older question, I thought I'd contribute something summing up what I think were the best of the other answers and add a wrinkle of my own by suggesting that you put these command(s) into a file and set your PYTHONSTARTUP environment variable to point to it. Since I'm on Windows at the moment, it's slightly biased that way, but could easily be slanted some other direction.

Here's some articles I found that describe how to set environment variables on Windows:
    When to use sys.path.append and when modifying %PYTHONPATH% is enough
    How To Manage Environment Variables in Windows XP
    Configuring System and User Environment Variables
    How to Use Global System Environment Variables in Windows

BTW, don't put quotes around the path to the file even if it has spaces in it.

Anyway, here's my take on the code to put in (or add to your existing) Python startup script:

# ==== pythonstartup.py ====

# add something to clear the screen
class cls(object):
    def __repr__(self):
        import os
        os.system('cls' if os.name == 'nt' else 'clear')
        return ''

cls = cls()

# ==== end pythonstartup.py ====

BTW, you can also use @Triptych's __repr__ trick to change exit() into just exit (and ditto for its alias quit):

class exit(object):
    exit = exit # original object
    def __repr__(self):
        self.exit() # call original
        return ''

quit = exit = exit()

Lastly, here's something else that changes the primary interpreter prompt from >>> to cwd+>>>:

class Prompt:
    def __str__(self):
        import os
        return '%s >>> ' % os.getcwd()

import sys
sys.ps1 = Prompt()
del sys
del Prompt

Answer 5

Use idle. It has many handy features. Ctrl+F6, for example, resets the console. Closing and opening the console are good ways to clear it.

Answer 6

Just enter

import os
os.system('cls') # Windows
os.system('clear') # Linux, Unix, Mac OS X