IDLE: properly handle '(' and ')' within calls

[wyz23x2]

BPO	40511
Nosy	@terryjreedy, @taleinat, @csabella, @miss-islington, @wyz23x2
PRs	bpo-40511: fix unnecessary flashing of calltips #20910 [3.9] bpo-40511: Stop unwanted flashing of IDLE calltips (GH-20910) #23093 [3.8] bpo-40511: Stop unwanted flashing of IDLE calltips (GH-20910) #23094

^{Note: these values reflect the state of the issue at the time it was migrated and might not reflect the current state.}

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GitHub fields:

assignee = 'https://github.com/terryjreedy'
closed_at = <Date 2020-11-02.04:51:17.813>
created_at = <Date 2020-05-05.12:09:51.200>
labels = ['expert-IDLE', 'type-bug', '3.10']
title = "IDLE: properly handle '(' and ')' within calls"
updated_at = <Date 2020-11-03.13:29:21.219>
user = 'https://github.com/wyz23x2'

bugs.python.org fields:

activity = <Date 2020-11-03.13:29:21.219>
actor = 'wyz23x2'
assignee = 'terry.reedy'
closed = True
closed_date = <Date 2020-11-02.04:51:17.813>
closer = 'terry.reedy'
components = ['IDLE']
creation = <Date 2020-05-05.12:09:51.200>
creator = 'wyz23x2'
dependencies = []
files = []
hgrepos = []
issue_num = 40511
keywords = ['patch']
message_count = 13.0
messages = ['368133', '368134', '368205', '371605', '371616', '371622', '371623', '371625', '380174', '380176', '380177', '380178', '380275']
nosy_count = 5.0
nosy_names = ['terry.reedy', 'taleinat', 'cheryl.sabella', 'miss-islington', 'wyz23x2']
pr_nums = ['20910', '23093', '23094']
priority = 'normal'
resolution = 'fixed'
stage = 'resolved'
status = 'closed'
superseder = None
type = 'behavior'
url = 'https://bugs.python.org/issue40511'
versions = ['Python 3.10']

[wyz23x2]

The yellow frame blinks as shown in mp4. It's annoying and isn't good to the eyes.

[wyz23x2]

OMG, request too large. I can't upload mp4 /(ㄒoㄒ)/~~

[terryjreedy]

1. What OS and for Windows/Mac, version?
2. What Python release and from where and how installed?
   If not latest release of x.y, where x.y >= 3.7, consider upgrading.
3. Tcl/tk version (see Help => About IDLE?
4. How start IDLE?
5. What is a the minimum action needed to exhibit the behavior. Copy and paste minimum code.
6. Describe behavior with more detail. What you wrote is nothing like anything that should happen (which is why you report it), so it is hard to imagine.

[terryjreedy]

Each '(' and ')' in an argument string such as in f('()(()()((((())))))))))))))') causes a blink. Ditto with a comment withing the call. A related bug is that any unquoted '(', as when one enters f((a+b)*c), dismisses the tip.

Proposed partial solution: before displaying a tip, record the opening index (before the opening '('). When there is an opening index, and '(' is keyed, ignore it; no parsing. When the tip is closed (properly), removed the open index. I believe paren matching would work properly.

The cause of blinks for ')' in strings and comments would need to be found and remedied.

[taleinat]

I agree that this should be improved.

Terry, on the technical side, IDLE already has good tools for parsing the current code line/block and figuring out whether the cursor is in a string, a comment or parentheses. This should be possible to solve in a robust way without writing any new parsing logic.

I'll try to take a look at this soon.

[taleinat]

OMG, request too large. I can't upload mp4

You can try to reduce the video's resolution and/or framerate in order to reduce its size.

Usually screen captures are taken at high resolution and framerates by default, making the resulting video files very large, which is a sensible default but not great for attaching to bug reports.

[taleinat]

Confirmed on latest master on macOS 10.15.5 with Tcl/Tk 8.6.10.

[taleinat]

See PR #65109 with a fix.

[terryjreedy]

New changeset da7bb7b by Tal Einat in branch 'master':
bpo-40511: Stop unwanted flashing of IDLE calltips (GH-20910)
da7bb7b

[miss-islington]

New changeset 79e9f06 by Miss Skeleton (bot) in branch '3.9':
bpo-40511: Stop unwanted flashing of IDLE calltips (GH-20910)
79e9f06

[miss-islington]

New changeset 1341582 by Miss Skeleton (bot) in branch '3.8':
bpo-40511: Stop unwanted flashing of IDLE calltips (GH-20910)
1341582

[terryjreedy]

wyz, thank you for the report. It should be fixed now.

[wyz23x2]

Thanks! :D