Python Clear Output Console With Print Function?

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Hello Everyone!
I don't know if anyone knows how to do this, or even if this is the right place to ask this. But how would one clear the output console using the print() function in python?
I haven't the slightest clue how where to start with this question, but i do have the complete python reference for python 3.3.0 and yes, i do use python 3.3.0

Some background info on this question:
i was coding in blender(i code and debug python scripts in the blender game engine(version 2.68.0) last week and i needed to print something to the console and have blender clear the debugging console when ever i press a specific key.
now i know how to set up the key stroke command and all of that but what i don't know how to do is the part where i actually clear the console via the print() function.
having this ability would greatly improve my debugging skills in python, because sometimes when i am debugging a large script i can have a lot of information being printed onto the debugging console, and it gets kind of messy when there is no line breaks.
thanks for your help in advance,
MasterCodeon

Posted 19-Dec-14 4:27am

MasterCodeon

Updated 19-Dec-14 7:16am

v3

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2 solutions

Solution 2

Supposedly ANSI escape sequences should still work on Windows, but I haven't gotten it to work.

http://forum.codecall.net/topic/59142-how-to-clear-the-console-screen-with-ansi-any-
language/[^]

P.S.
From some of my old C code (circa 1995), for working with a VT100-compatible dumb terminus: printf("\033[H\033[J")
If the above blog entry is correct, this should work on Windows 7, but I wonder whether or not ANSI compatibility has to be enabled or something.
No further research and testing on Windows 7 has found that this succeeds.

I couldn't get this to work either: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/101875[^]

Posted 19-Dec-14 5:08am

PIEBALDconsult

Updated 19-Dec-14 12:14pm

v4

Comments

MasterCodeon 19-Dec-14 11:14am

sorry i cant't go to any links other than here on codeproject(this is due to my system admin, he/she has all the net blocked except a handful of links(Microsoft, MSDN and codeproject being a few necessity's)

PIEBALDconsult 19-Dec-14 11:20am

I'll try to add more later if I can get it to work at home.

MasterCodeon 19-Dec-14 11:23am

ok cool, thanks.

MasterCodeon 19-Dec-14 11:24am

i have no idea what this would even entail though but if/when you add more i might understand.

MasterCodeon 19-Dec-14 11:25am

oh and what is a "VT100"?

PIEBALDconsult 19-Dec-14 18:16pm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VT100

MasterCodeon 19-Dec-14 11:35am

by the way when i said "due to my system admin, he/she" he/she means 2 people
--clears throat-- just for clarification.

MasterCodeon 19-Dec-14 11:14am

but thank you for your input anyway.

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Thomas Daniels · Accepted Answer · 2014-12-19T04:51:00

Solution 1

Instead of using print(), it might be easier to use a system call (though apparently, using print is possible, see PIEBALDconsult's answer). To execute a system call, use os.system.

Python

import os
os.system('cls')

cls is Windows-only. If you use Linux or Mac OS, use clear instead.

How does this work? os.system executes a system call; so it calls the cls command which clears the screen.

Posted 19-Dec-14 4:51am

Thomas Daniels

Updated 19-Dec-14 5:22am

v3

Comments

MasterCodeon 19-Dec-14 10:57am

how does this work?
i mean i know what cls does in windows but how would running that command on a python console work, i would think the 2 would be incompatible.

MasterCodeon 19-Dec-14 11:00am

wow that seemed kind of complicated in my first comment
uh what i meant to say is what goes on under the hood with this command(I know what the import os does though)

Thomas Daniels 19-Dec-14 11:04am

I edited my answer.

MasterCodeon 19-Dec-14 11:11am

huh, so if i replaced the 'cls' with 'start' (or whatever CMD command i wanted) and use the correct arguments i could open a new CMD window or what ever i specified right?
and if i could open a new CMD window would it open it in the python console or would it just open up in a new window?
nevertheless very cool,
thank you for your help
ProgramFOX, i shall have a much easer time debuging python scripts now
Thank you.

Thomas Daniels 19-Dec-14 11:16am

Yes, you can call those commands using os.system.

I have tried executing cmd using os.system, and based on my tests, cmd opens in the Python console.

MasterCodeon 19-Dec-14 11:20am

all i have to say to that is COOL!
i have i large number of ideas of what i could do with a CMD session in a python console.
i can't wait to try this!

MasterCodeon 19-Dec-14 13:15pm

huh strange, i tried opening a CMD session in blender and it opened CMD in a new window not in the debugging or the python console(yes there is a difference) eh any who the clear command work for the debugging console(which is the console i wanted to clear) thank you again!

Thomas Daniels 19-Dec-14 13:17pm

You're welcome!

When I tried to open CMD, I did not do that in Blender, so there might be a difference.

MasterCodeon 19-Dec-14 14:08pm

yeah blender(if you want to see what i am talking about get blender here:
blender.org) has a interactive python window(this is the window where you type test commands and so forth) and blender also has a debugging console, this is where blender prints all the errors in python scripts and stuff. also when i do the cls command in the interactive python console it clears the debugging window not the python console.
i would think that would be part of the reason why it didn't work, another part might be that blender has a built in version of python, it doesn't rely on a external installation of python (as you can see i am pretty good with blender, i have been working with blender for about 3 years).

Thomas Daniels 19-Dec-14 14:14pm

I know about Blender, but I do not know much about how the Python windows interact with each other, but that's probably related to what cls does in Blender.

MasterCodeon 19-Dec-14 14:41pm

yeah eh the in window CMD session was just a bonus
thank you.

MasterCodeon 19-Dec-14 11:19am

i was thinking i would have to use the print() function because the print() function prints what ever the you specify to the destination you specify, and if the destination parameter if nothing it will print the string to the console.
so i was thinking i would have to send some kind of clear all command to the console(blender's built in python console has a function to do just that)
i didn't realize that wasn't possible with print
good to know
Thanks again,
MasterCodeon

Thomas Daniels 19-Dec-14 11:23am

After reading PIEBALDconsult's answer, it looks like it is possible to use print(), so I was incorrect that it is impossible. I edited my answer to remove the part where I said that using print() is impossible.

PIEBALDconsult 19-Dec-14 18:37pm

It is on some systems, but I haven't gotten it to work on Windows 7, so running cls may be the only way after all. Unless Pythom can do something like P/Invoke.

MasterCodeon 19-Dec-14 10:57am

also when ever you post a solution or a question how to you get the commands you wrote to be in bold dark red?

Thomas Daniels 19-Dec-14 11:04am

You can get that dark red by putting your content inside code-tags: <code>Content here</code>

MasterCodeon 19-Dec-14 11:05am

ah thank you i was wondering how everyone else does that

MasterCodeon 19-Dec-14 10:58am

i will be trying this in about an hour(its 12:00 noon for me in an hour) by the way.

MasterCodeon 19-Dec-14 11:05am

thank you very much for the solution though

Thomas Daniels 19-Dec-14 11:07am

You're welcome!