[Microbit-Python] SUCCESS! Setting up a local version of microbit's TouchDevelop

[Nicholas H.Tollervey]

Hi,

I spent an interesting hour over lunch looking into embedding an editor.

I've got an Ace (http://ace.c9.io/) based Python editor working in a
local development version of the TouchDevelop site. Howard, in theory,
we have an embedded editor for Python, albeit a simple one.

I notice that the simulator is external to the iframe I'm using to embed
the editor. Given that we're targeting MicroPython and NOT the
TouchDevelop based toolchain I believe we'll probably have to ask MS to
switch it off for us when users view the Python editor. An initial
investigation tells me that to use the simulator you have to emit TD AST.

Also, all the interactions with the wider TouchDevelop application API
are all written in TypeScript which isn't very helpful. I'll examine the
resulting JS to figure out what's going on.

While this confirms we have a working Python editor in TD - I have my
doubts about how much of the wider environment we'll be able to use. It
needs further investigation (which I'll do when I find the time).

Anyway... I'll stick all this in a public repos somewhere once I've
written up my notes and/or Howard says he's happy for me to do this in
the open. Having an NDA hanging around fills me with uncertainty about
this sort of thing.

Best wishes,

Nicholas.

On 15/07/15 11:52, Nicholas H.Tollervey wrote:
> Hi Folks,
> 
> I spent an hour or so this morning trying to crack the "set up the dev
> environment" nut for the Python editor in TouchDevelop.
> 
> Turns out that the instructions from Microsoft are a tad incomplete,
> we'd taken a few missteps but I've figured out the problems and I'm
> looking at a locally running version of the site.
> 
> Yay.
> 
> I'll re-trace my steps, write them down and stick 'em in a README which
> can form the start of a Python in TD editor that targets MicroPython.
> It'd be good if people can check these steps on Windows and Mac (I'm on
> Linux) to ensure we have the minimum amount of hassle needed to set
> things up for new developers.
> 
> I'd like all our editor development to be free and public. Still
> awaiting Howard's ruminations on this.
> 
> N.
> 
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> Microbit mailing list
> Microbit at python.org
> https://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/microbit
> 


-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: signature.asc
Type: application/pgp-signature
Size: 473 bytes
Desc: OpenPGP digital signature
URL: <https://mail.python.org/mailman/private/microbit/attachments/20150716/32d06d31/attachment.sig>