docs: Add docs about REPL paste-mode and Control-C

Author: dhylands

README.md

@@ -151,9 +151,3 @@ correct permissions.  Try then:
 
     $ sudo dfu-util -a 0 -d 0483:df11 -D build-PYBV10/firmware.dfu
 
-Documentation
--------------
-
-You can find information about the documentation in the
-[docs/README.md](https://github.com/micropython/micropython/blob/master/docs/README.md) file.
-

docs/reference/index.rst

@@ -9,6 +9,11 @@ documentation at
 Differences to standard Python as well as additional features of
 MicroPython are described in the sections here.
 
+.. toctree::
+   :maxdepth: 1
+
+   repl.rst
+
 .. only:: port_pyboard
 
    .. toctree::

docs/reference/repl.rst

@@ -0,0 +1,207 @@
+The MicroPython Interactive Interpreter Mode (aka REPL)
+=======================================================
+
+This section covers some characteristics of the MicroPython Interactive
+Interpreter Mode. A commonly used term for this is REPL (read-eval-print-loop)
+which will used to refer to this interactive prompt.
+
+Auto-indent
+-----------
+
+When typing python statements which end in a colon (for example if, for, while)
+then the prompt will change to three dots (...) and the cursor will be indented
+by 4 spaces. When you press return, the next line will continue at the same
+level of indentation for regular statements or an additional level of indentation
+where appropriate. If you press the backspace key then it will undo one
+level of indentation.
+
+If your cursor is all the way back at the beginning, pressing RETURN will then
+execute the code that you've entered. The following shows what you'd see
+after entering a for statement (the underscore shows where the cursor winds up):
+
+    >>> for i in range(3):
+    ...     _
+
+If you then enter an if statement, an additional level of indentation will be
+provided:
+
+    >>> for i in range(30):
+    ...     if i > 3:
+    ...         _
+
+Now enter ``break`` followed by RETURN and press BACKSPACE:
+
+    >>> for i in range(30):
+    ...     if i > 3:
+    ...         break
+    ...     _
+
+Finally type ``print(i)``, press RETURN, press BACKSPACE and press RETURN again:
+
+    >>> for i in range(30):
+    ...     if i > 3:
+    ...         break
+    ...     print(i)
+    ...
+    0
+    1
+    2
+    3
+    >>>
+
+Auto-completion
+---------------
+
+While typing a command at the REPL, if the line typed so far corresponds to
+the beginning of the name of something, then pressing TAB will show
+possible things that could be entered. For example type ``m`` and press TAB
+and it should expand to ``machine``. Enter a dot ``.`` and press TAB again. You
+should see something like:
+
+    >>> machine.
+    __name__        info            unique_id       reset
+    bootloader      freq            rng             idle
+    sleep           deepsleep       disable_irq     enable_irq
+    Pin
+
+The word will be expanded as much as possible until multiple possibilities exist.
+For example, type ``machine.Pin.AF3`` and press TAB and it will expand to
+``machine.Pin.AF3_TIM``. Pressing TAB a second time will show the possible
+expansions:
+
+    >>> machine.Pin.AF3_TIM
+    AF3_TIM10       AF3_TIM11       AF3_TIM8        AF3_TIM9
+    >>> machine.Pin.AF3_TIM
+
+Interrupting a running program
+------------------------------
+
+You can interupt a running program by pressing Ctrl-C. This will raise a KeyboardInterrupt
+which will bring you back to the REPL, providing your program doesn't intercept the
+KeyboardInterrupt exception.
+
+For example:
+
+    >>> for i in range(1000000):
+    ...     print(i)
+    ...
+    0
+    1
+    2
+    3
+    ...
+    6466
+    6467
+    6468
+    Traceback (most recent call last):
+      File "<stdin>", line 2, in <module>
+    KeyboardInterrupt:
+    >>>
+
+Paste Mode
+----------
+
+If you want to paste some code into your terminal window, the auto-indent feature
+will mess things up. For example, if you had the following python code: ::
+
+   def foo():
+       print('This is a test to show paste mode')
+       print('Here is a second line')
+   foo()
+
+and you try to paste this into the normal REPL, then you will see something like
+this:
+
+    >>> def foo():
+    ...         print('This is a test to show paste mode')
+    ...             print('Here is a second line')
+    ...             foo()
+    ...
+    Traceback (most recent call last):
+      File "<stdin>", line 3
+    IndentationError: unexpected indent
+
+If you press Ctrl-E, then you will enter paste mode, which essentially turns off
+the auto-indent feature, and changes the prompt from ``>>>`` to ``===``. For example:
+
+    >>>
+    paste mode; Ctrl-C to cancel, Ctrl-D to finish
+    === def foo():
+    ===     print('This is a test to show paste mode')
+    ===     print('Here is a second line')
+    === foo()
+    ===
+    This is a test to show paste mode
+    Here is a second line
+    >>>
+
+Paste Mode allows blank lines to be pasted. The pasted text is compiled as if
+it were a file. Pressing Ctrl-D exits paste mode and initiates the compilation.
+
+Soft Reset
+----------
+
+A soft reset will reset the python interpreter, but tries not to reset the
+method by which you're connected to the MicroPython board (USB-serial, or Wifi).
+
+You can perform a soft reset from the REPL by pressing Ctrl-D, or from your python
+code by executing: ::
+
+    raise SystemExit
+
+For example, if you reset your MicroPython board, and you execute a dir()
+command, you'd see something like this:
+
+    >>> dir()
+    ['__name__', 'pyb']
+
+Now create some variables and repeat the dir() command:
+
+    >>> i = 1
+    >>> j = 23
+    >>> x = 'abc'
+    >>> dir()
+    ['j', 'x', '__name__', 'pyb', 'i']
+    >>>
+
+Now if you enter Ctrl-D, and repeat the dir() command, you'll see that your
+variables no longer exist:
+
+.. code-block:: python
+
+    PYB: sync filesystems
+    PYB: soft reboot
+    MicroPython v1.5-51-g6f70283-dirty on 2015-10-30; PYBv1.0 with STM32F405RG
+    Type "help()" for more information.
+    >>> dir()
+    ['__name__', 'pyb']
+    >>>
+
+The special variable _ (underscore)
+-----------------------------------
+
+When you use the REPL, you may perfom computations and see the results.
+MicroPython stores the results of the previous statment in the variable _ (underscore).
+So you can use the underscore to save the result in a variable. For example:
+
+    >>> 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5
+    15
+    >>> x = _
+    >>> x
+    15
+    >>>
+
+Raw Mode
+--------
+
+Raw mode is not something that a person would normally use. It is intended for
+programmatic use. It essentially behaves like paste mode with echo turned off.
+
+Raw mode is entered using Ctrl-A. You then send your python code, followed by
+a Ctrl-D. The Ctrl-D will be acknowledged by 'OK' and then the python code will
+be compiled and executed. Any output (or errors) will be sent back. Entering
+Ctrl-B will leave raw mode and return the the regular (aka friendly) REPL.
+
+The ``tools/pyboard.py`` program uses the raw REPL to execute python files on the
+MicroPython board.
+