API: provide __dir__ method (and local context) for tab completion / remove ipython completers code

doc/source/release.rst

@@ -274,6 +274,8 @@ API Changes
     support ``pow`` or ``mod`` with non-scalars. (:issue:`3765`)
   - Provide numpy compatibility with 1.7 for a calling convention like ``np.prod(pandas_object)`` as numpy
     call with additional keyword args (:issue:`4435`)
+  - Provide __dir__ method (and local context) for tab completion / remove ipython completers code
+    (:issue:`4501`)
 
 
 Internal Refactoring

pandas/core/base.py

@@ -48,6 +48,16 @@ def __repr__(self):
         """
         return str(self)
 
+    def _local_dir(self):
+        """ provide addtional __dir__ for this object """
+        return []
+
+    def __dir__(self):
+        """
+        Provide method name lookup and completion
+        Only provide 'public' methods
+        """
+        return list(sorted(list(set(dir(type(self)) + self._local_dir()))))
 
 class PandasObject(StringMixin):
     """baseclass for various pandas objects"""

pandas/core/frame.py

@@ -4674,25 +4674,6 @@ def _put_str(s, space):
     return ('%s' % s)[:space].ljust(space)
 
 
-def install_ipython_completers():  # pragma: no cover
-    """Register the DataFrame type with IPython's tab completion machinery, so
-    that it knows about accessing column names as attributes."""
-    from IPython.utils.generics import complete_object
-
-    @complete_object.when_type(DataFrame)
-    def complete_dataframe(obj, prev_completions):
-        return prev_completions + [c for c in obj.columns
-                                   if isinstance(c, compat.string_types) and compat.isidentifier(c)]
-
-
-# Importing IPython brings in about 200 modules, so we want to avoid it unless
-# we're in IPython (when those modules are loaded anyway).
-if "IPython" in sys.modules:  # pragma: no cover
-    try:
-        install_ipython_completers()
-    except Exception:
-        pass
-
 #----------------------------------------------------------------------
 # Add plotting methods to DataFrame
 

pandas/core/generic.py

@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@
 import pandas.core.common as com
 import pandas.core.datetools as datetools
 from pandas import compat, _np_version_under1p7
-from pandas.compat import map, zip, lrange
+from pandas.compat import map, zip, lrange, string_types, isidentifier
 from pandas.core.common import (isnull, notnull, is_list_like,
                                 _values_from_object,
                                 _infer_dtype_from_scalar, _maybe_promote,
@@ -109,6 +109,11 @@ def __unicode__(self):
         prepr = '[%s]' % ','.join(map(com.pprint_thing, self))
         return '%s(%s)' % (self.__class__.__name__, prepr)
 
+    def _local_dir(self):
+        """ add the string-like attributes from the info_axis """
+        return [c for c in self._info_axis
+                if isinstance(c, string_types) and isidentifier(c) ]
+
     @property
     def _constructor_sliced(self):
         raise NotImplementedError
@@ -252,7 +257,7 @@ def _get_axis_number(self, axis):
 
     def _get_axis_name(self, axis):
         axis = self._AXIS_ALIASES.get(axis, axis)
-        if isinstance(axis, compat.string_types):
+        if isinstance(axis, string_types):
             if axis in self._AXIS_NUMBERS:
                 return axis
         else:
@@ -1311,7 +1316,7 @@ def filter(self, items=None, like=None, regex=None, axis=None):
         if items is not None:
             return self.reindex(**{axis_name: [r for r in items if r in axis_values]})
         elif like:
-            matchf = lambda x: (like in x if isinstance(x, compat.string_types)
+            matchf = lambda x: (like in x if isinstance(x, string_types)
                                 else like in str(x))
             return self.select(matchf, axis=axis_name)
         elif regex:
@@ -2601,7 +2606,7 @@ def tshift(self, periods=1, freq=None, axis=0, **kwds):
 
         offset = _resolve_offset(freq, kwds)
 
-        if isinstance(offset, compat.string_types):
+        if isinstance(offset, string_types):
             offset = datetools.to_offset(offset)
 
         block_axis = self._get_block_manager_axis(axis)

pandas/core/groupby.py

@@ -2704,30 +2704,3 @@ def numpy_groupby(data, labels, axis=0):
     group_sums = np.add.reduceat(ordered_data, groups_at, axis=axis)
 
     return group_sums
-
-#-----------------------------------------------------------------------
-# Helper functions
-
-
-from pandas import compat
-import sys
-
-
-def install_ipython_completers():  # pragma: no cover
-    """Register the DataFrame type with IPython's tab completion machinery, so
-    that it knows about accessing column names as attributes."""
-    from IPython.utils.generics import complete_object
-
-    @complete_object.when_type(DataFrameGroupBy)
-    def complete_dataframe(obj, prev_completions):
-        return prev_completions + [c for c in obj.obj.columns
-                                   if isinstance(c, compat.string_types) and compat.isidentifier(c)]
-
-
-# Importing IPython brings in about 200 modules, so we want to avoid it unless
-# we're in IPython (when those modules are loaded anyway).
-if "IPython" in sys.modules:  # pragma: no cover
-    try:
-        install_ipython_completers()
-    except Exception:
-        pass

pandas/core/panel.py

@@ -1230,21 +1230,3 @@ def f(self, other, axis=0):
 LongPanel = DataFrame
 
 
-def install_ipython_completers():  # pragma: no cover
-    """Register the Panel type with IPython's tab completion machinery, so
-    that it knows about accessing column names as attributes."""
-    from IPython.utils.generics import complete_object
-
-    @complete_object.when_type(Panel)
-    def complete_dataframe(obj, prev_completions):
-        return prev_completions + [c for c in obj.keys()
-                                   if isinstance(c, compat.string_types)
-                                        and compat.isidentifier(c)]
-
-# Importing IPython brings in about 200 modules, so we want to avoid it unless
-# we're in IPython (when those modules are loaded anyway).
-if "IPython" in sys.modules:  # pragma: no cover
-    try:
-        install_ipython_completers()
-    except Exception:
-        pass