[IPython-dev] Re: Changes to Notebook Format

[Robert Kern]

Tzanko Matev wrote:
> Hi all,
> 
> I found other problems with the current format. It is entirely possible
> that a single input has several outputs, and prints to stdout and/or
> stderr several times. Take for examlpe the following code. 
> 
> In [1]: if True:
>    ...:     1
>    ...:     print 'foo'
>    ...:     2
>    ...:     print 'bar'
>    ...:
> Out[1]: 1
> foo
> Out[1]: 2
> bar

I've never run into a case where I actually want to see multiple 
Out[1]'s. It's usually in the middle of a for loop and I've forgotten 
that a function returns an object that I don't really need to see (e.g. 
pylab.plot()). Since only the last one actually goes into the output 
cache (that is, is accessible for later use via Out[1]), I'm not 
convinced that printing multiple Out[1]'s is useful. If I really want to 
see something in the middle of a loop, I'll print it.

As for having stdout cells interleaved with other types of output cells, 
I think that's going to be pretty hard. You'd have to collect the output 
from each statement separately. I'm of the opinion that you should just 
collect one each of stdout and stderr.

-- 
Robert Kern
rkern at ucsd.edu

"In the fields of hell where the grass grows high
  Are the graves of dreams allowed to die."
   -- Richard Harter