Problem: Getting a python environment / debugger working is too difficult

[sliptonic]

A developer who is used to working with a modern IDE including breakpoints and watch variables is quickly frustrated working on the Python side of FreeCAD.

I've tried all the documented methods on the wiki and in many forum posts and never succeeded in getting a debugger to work with the FreeCAD internal python interpreter.

We should recommend a single environment per platform that we know works. Then if the developer wants to use something different, they at least have a reference platform for how things should behave.

[wwmayer]

winpdb is still working for me -- tested on Xubuntu 22.04.

Installation:

• Install python3-wxgtk4.0
• Download https://files.pythonhosted.org/packages/d9/8f/c8033e1a075d8205a2f950a40644d363f63b11698655f620b5f4d6e7ace0/winpdb-reborn-2.0.0.1.tar.gz
• From from the extracted tarball copy rpdb2.py and rpdb to a location where FreeCAD can find it
• To start winpdb more conveniently create a starter file:

[Desktop Entry]
Version=1.0
Type=Application
Name=winpdb
Comment=
Exec=python3 /home/user/Programs/winpdb-reborn-2.0.0.1/winpdb.py
Icon=python3.10
Path=/home/user/Programs/winpdb-reborn-2.0.0.1/
Terminal=false
StartupNotify=false

Usage:

• Start winpdb and define a password with File > Password
• Start FreeCAD and go to Macros > Attach to remote debugger. Enter the same password and click OK.
• Switch back to winpdb and go to File > Attach. Now you should see the FreeCAD process. Attach to it.
• Go to Control > Go
• In order to debug a Python function load the file into winpdb and set a breakpoint
• Go to FreeCAD and trigger the Python function
• In winpdb you are able to debug through the function

[yorikvanhavre]

This works for me too out of the box on debian