I have been making more and more Python scripts in the last 4 years. I have always had sub-optimal environments for doing so. With no interest in a debate on the best text editor. What I really wanted was an IDE. One that I can understand is ideal. As it happened I have some experience of Eclipse and tonight I found “PyDev”.
PyDev is free, easy to install, and gives me code auto-completion which I have rarely had in my Pythonic adventures to date. I love me code auto-completion. I have had it in various editors. However, I trash my Kali VMs with such regularity that I’d rather have something with an easier install than things to backup.
I am installing into a fresh install of Kali 2017.1 here. Anything else and you may have a different experience.
Prerequisites
All we need is eclipse and java 8. Install them as shown below:
apt-get install eclipse apt-get install openjdk-8-jdk
When I did this Kali installed eclipse 3.8.1. This is not the latest. The newest PyDev works for later versions of eclipse. We need to install from the PyDev 4.X release stream. If you use the wrong release stream then PyDev will not show up in the GUI after installation.
Installing PyDev
Goto “Help” -> “Install New Software”
This will show you a screen where you can add a repository as shown:
Do the things in the number order above. To save you precious typing the Location is:
https://dl.bintray.com/fabioz/pydev/4.5.5/
You now have to select your install as shown:
Follow the numbered steps again. Then click “Next” on the subsequent screen with the title “Install”.
At this point you will get the security warning prompts. This is because the package is self-signed:
It is risky. There is no doubt here that taking something with an insecure certificate is a risk. When I followed the official guide I got the same error but that was using a repository over plain-text HTTP. Neither of those cases is really up to snuff when it comes to security.
But this is an opensource project which is being made free of charge for the love of the community. So is the entire stack you are sitting on!
I rolled my risk o-meter and said my VM isn’t having customer data in it.
After the installation is complete Eclipse will restart. Then you can check that the installation worked by going to: “Window” -> “Preferences” -> PyDev.
If you have that PyDev menu there then you are all setup. Congratulations and now enjoy your Python Dev with code completion and everything you would want.
Debugging
If you do not see the PyDev option under “Window” -> “Preferences”, then:
- You didn’t install java 8; or
- You didn’t install from the 4.X release stream of PyDev if you are using Eclipse 3.8.X
Or you have a new problem I did not encounter during this setup.
cornerpirate.com 