"Wiping the slate clean" in python

Question

This should be pretty basic, but I can't find anything on it, so ... In python, if I want to just clear out my whole session and start all over without shutting down and starting over, how do I do it? I want to delete all objects, class defs, function defs, etc. A couple of things I have tried that don't work are

>>> del(dir())

and

>>> del(dir()[:])

I used to know this, and it's something like this, but I can't remember the command. I am sure this is dangerous. I promise I will use it only for good.

Guess you could create a backup of `globals()` at the beginning of the session and then `del` everything from `globals()` that's not in the backup, but... _why_? — tobias_k, Feb 23 '17 at 15:44
@MadPhysicist there's no way to list the imports? because you can `del` an import. — Jean-François Fabre, Feb 23 '17 at 15:46
"I promise I will use it only for good." What good? Can you clarify the purpose? — Chris_Rands, Feb 23 '17 at 15:55

score 2 · Accepted Answer · edited May 23 '17 at 12:00

2

It's possible, but probably not a good idea. See this: How do I clear all variables in the middle of a Python script?

It destroys even builtins, so the shell remains kinda broken after that. You can loop over the dir and omit builtins as mentioned, but I don't see why on Earth would i want to do that rather that simply exiting and running python again ([ctrl]-[d] [up arrow] [enter]).

edited May 23 '17 at 12:00

Community

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answered Feb 23 '17 at 15:53

helb

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Well done for finding the duplicate, but after you found it, why did you answer the question rather than flag it? – Chris_Rands Feb 23 '17 at 16:02

"Wiping the slate clean" in python

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