Community Manager
JMP® 18: Going beyond simply satisficing Pythonistas
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One year ago, JMP users who also used Python made it clear they thought our Python interface was less than optimal. Ouch! We thought the JMP and Python integration we introduced more than five years ago was hitting the mark. Realizing it was only satisficing (in other words, that it was good enough but not the best), we decided to address the challenge head on.
JMP Principal Systems Developer Paul Nelson @Paul_Nelson spearheaded the effort to create a consistent, full-featured, integrated development environment for writing and executing Python scripts within JMP in JMP 18.
I recently spoke with Paul about the upgraded JMP and Python integration. Paul emphasized that the goal was to provide a significantly more productive environment for Python developers. Some key improvements include:
A consistent environment that will work immediately when installed, without configuration. Python supports unlimited customer Python environments. Adding new JMP and Python capabilities that could not be tested in unlimited customer Python environments was untenable. The solution? JMP 18 includes an embedded version of Python that is the basis for a fully tested environment that will work immediately upon installation.
Direct memory access to Python data tables in a live environment. In previous versions, Python users accessed a copy of a JMP data table. Now, JMP 18 provides direct access to JMP data tables from the Python environment, so Python users can access, create, and modify JMP tables from Python scripts within JMP.
A new Python Script Editor that uses Python commenting and code coloring, as well as an embedded log. The previous integration used JMP Scripting Language (JSL). JSL was familiar to JSL developers but was often uninviting to JMP users with Python experience but no JSL experience. In JMP 18, users can open and run Python scripts directly in the JMP script editor and run JSL from their Python scripts. The JMP Scripting Index documents and gives samples of the new functionality. Having a consistent environment for Python scripts also provides a foundation for writing add-ins using Python as well as JSL.
Hear more from Paul:
If you missed Paul's March 21 live webinar on this topic, view the webinar video Developer Tutorial: New Python Integration and Scripting Capabilities in JMP 18 to see him demonstrate the interface. And, you can see a recoding of Paul presenting as part of the March,2024 JMP Peaks, Pipes, Presets, Profiles, and Python in JMP® 18 (start at ~Time 40:31).
By the way, not being a Python programmer, I hadn’t heard the rumor that Python originator, Guido van Rossum, was reading scripts from “Monty Python's Flying Circus” when he started working on the new language. He wanted a short, unique, intriguing name, so he decided to call it Python. Sounds plausible!
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