PR: Improve Variable Explorer UX

spyder/config/main.py

@@ -179,7 +179,8 @@
               'truncate': True,
               'minmax': False,
               'show_callable_attributes': True,
-              'show_special_attributes': False
+              'show_special_attributes': False,
+              'filter_on': True
              }),
             ('debugger',
              {

spyder/plugins/ipythonconsole/comms/tests/test_comms.py

@@ -60,7 +60,8 @@ def kernel(request):
             'False_',
             'True_'
         ],
-        'minmax': False}
+        'minmax': False,
+        'filter_on': True}
 
     # Teardown
     def reset_kernel():

spyder/plugins/ipythonconsole/tests/test_ipythonconsole.py

@@ -1832,7 +1832,8 @@ def test_pdb_comprehension_namespace(ipyconsole, qtbot, tmpdir):
      'excluded_names': [],
      'minmax': False,
      'show_callable_attributes': True,
-     'show_special_attributes': False}
+     'show_special_attributes': False,
+     'filter_on': True}
 
     shell.call_kernel(
             interrupt=True

spyder/plugins/variableexplorer/confpage.py

@@ -13,15 +13,20 @@
 from spyder.config.base import _
 from spyder.api.preferences import PluginConfigPage
 
+
 class VariableExplorerConfigPage(PluginConfigPage):
 
     def setup_page(self):
         filter_group = QGroupBox(_("Filter"))
         filter_data = [
-            ('exclude_private', _("Exclude private references")),
-            ('exclude_capitalized', _("Exclude capitalized references")),
-            ('exclude_uppercase', _("Exclude all-uppercase references")),
-            ('exclude_unsupported', _("Exclude unsupported data types")),
+            ('exclude_private',
+             _("Exclude private references")),
+            ('exclude_capitalized',
+             _("Exclude capitalized references")),
+            ('exclude_uppercase',
+             _("Exclude all-uppercase references")),
+            ('exclude_unsupported',
+             _("Exclude unsupported data types")),
             ('exclude_callables_and_modules',
              _("Exclude callables and modules"))
         ]

spyder/plugins/variableexplorer/plugin.py

@@ -47,7 +47,19 @@ def get_icon(self):
         return self.create_icon('dictedit')
 
     def on_initialize(self):
-        pass
+        widget = self.get_widget()
+        widget.sig_open_preferences_requested.connect(
+            self._open_preferences
+        )
+
+    def _open_preferences(self):
+        """Open the Preferences dialog in the Variable Explorer section."""
+        self._main.show_preferences()
+        preferences = self._main.preferences
+        container = preferences.get_container()
+        dlg = container.dialog
+        index = dlg.get_index_by_name(self.NAME)
+        dlg.set_current_index(index)
 
     @on_plugin_available(plugin=Plugins.Preferences)
     def on_preferences_available(self):