[IPython-user] history files for Python/IPython

[Fernando Perez]

Thorsten Kampe wrote:
> What's the deal with the history files?
> 
> My Python shell uses ~/python/.python_history[1], IPython uses
> ~/.ipython/history and both seem to use a new file ~/.pythonhist that
> comes without ever being defined by me.
> 
> Is it possible to use one and only one common history file with
> IPython and vanilla Python shell?
> 
> 
> Thorsten
> 
> [1] histfile = os.path.expandvars("$HOME/python/.python_history")

If you can specify which one Python uses, then point it to be 
~/.ipython/history.  Currently in ipython, this filename is hardcoded to be 
$IPYTHONDIR/history.  Another solution is to symlink one to the other.

I try to keep all of ipython's information in $IPYTHONDIR, to avoid having too 
many configuration options (it already has way too many, I just don't want 
even more).

As for the .pythonhist file, I have NO IDEA who is making it.  It's certainly 
not ipython explicitly, so perhaps it's something done by readline silently. 
I honestly don't know, sorry.

Best,

f