Lau-PyDE

Lau-PyDE is a lightweight Python Development Environment (PyDE) built with Python + PySide6 + Qt.

Version: 1.1.0
Platform: Windows and Linux
Status: Open Source

Lau-PyDE is designed around one simple workflow:

Launch the IDE → Code → Run

It is intentionally focused on the basic Python development workflow instead of trying to become a PyCharm or VS Code clone.

Repository:
https://github.com/laudotdev/Lau-PyDE_open-source

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Features

Code Editor

• Python syntax highlighting
• Highlighting for keywords, built-ins, functions, classes, numbers, strings, comments, and f-string variables
• Line numbers
• Current-line highlighting
• Real-time syntax and code-issue detection
• Exact-region error highlighting with red wave underlines
• Common Python keyword typo detection with suggestions
• Basic built-in/name typo detection
• Multiple code issues can be detected in the same file
• Automatic indentation after :
• Smart indentation backspace
• Open, Save, and Save As
• Unsaved-change protection
• Automatic matching-pair insertion for braces, parentheses, quotes, and apostrophes
• Block commenting with Ctrl+/
• Shift+Tab removes four spaces from the current or selected lines
• In-editor search with Ctrl+F

Project Management

• Open project folders
• Simple file explorer
• Project workspace stays separate from the user's home folder when no project is open
• Remembers the most recently opened project
• Close Project support
• Empty project state when no project is open
• Explorer shows code-issue counts for files with detected problems
• Project root folder name and icon remain visible after restarting Lau-PyDE
• Opened project paths are persisted as absolute paths for Linux and Windows
• Missing or moved saved projects are handled without crashing
• Explorer hierarchy preserves the project root with nested files and folders

Python Runner

• Run the current .py file
• Uses the system Python interpreter
• Supports input()
• Supports multiple input() calls
• Integrated Output panel
• Stop a running Python program
• Displays code issues before execution when diagnostics detect problems
• Running programs use the project workspace as their working directory
• Output run control changes between a Play icon and a Stop icon
• Stop and run controls remain synchronized with the program state

Integrated Terminal

• Integrated terminal panel
• Uses the current project workspace as its working directory
• Terminal input
• Current-path prompt
• lau c clear command
• Show, minimize, maximize, and restore terminal panel
• Uses the native shell on Linux and Windows
• Supports command history with Up/Down navigation
• Supports persistent cd changes within the integrated terminal
• Supports interactive Python REPL input and input() prompts
• Supports shell commands such as echo, touch, mkdir, and platform-appropriate removal commands
• Terminal prompts follow the active project folder and avoid stale or duplicate paths
• Terminal output and copied selections remain usable while commands run

User Interface

• Dark theme
• Welcome screen for the empty/no-project state
• Explorer panel
• Editor panel
• Output panel
• Integrated Terminal panel
• Minimize and maximize controls for panels
• Restore Layout action
• Lau-PyDE application icon and logo
• Recent-project startup behavior
• Commands Palette is synchronized with implemented enabled shortcuts
• Common editing shortcuts work across focused widgets: copy, paste, cut, select all, undo, and redo
• Ctrl+0 restores the default Explorer, Commands, Output, and Terminal layout
• Output, Terminal, and Explorer controls use one shared SVG icon set
• Panel controls keep consistent sizing, padding, spacing, and alignment on Linux and Windows
• Output orientation can move between bottom and right layouts

v1.1.0 release validation

Run the automated checks before preparing release assets:

python3 -m pytest -q
python3 -m compileall -q core ui main.py launcher.py

On Arch Linux, build the package with ./installer/arch/build-arch-package.sh. Confirm the resulting file exists under installer/arch/ before publishing it.

For generic Linux, run ./installer/linux/install.sh; uninstall with ./installer/linux/uninstall.sh. These scripts use a user-level installation and do not replace user projects or settings.

The Windows installer must be built and tested on Windows using the workflow in installer/windows/README.md. This Arch environment has not produced or runtime-tested the Windows installer.

GitHub Releases remains the source of release metadata. The website source is not part of this repository, so website deployment and platform-specific website links require separate verification.

Installation & Packaging

• Installable as a Python application package
• pyde command available after installation
• Lau-PyDE launcher command:

pyde lau

• Designed around the V1 motto:

Install once → Run everywhere

Once installed, pyde lau can be launched from the repository directory or another working directory.

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PyCharm vs. Lau-PyDE

Lau-PyDE was created with a strong focus on being lightweight on a modest laptop. One of the project's early goals was to compare the actual resource usage of the two applications on the same machine.

Recorded benchmark

The following results were recorded on the same Arch Linux system while testing the same large project.

Metric	PyCharm	Lau-PyDE
Startup time	25.52 s	4.72 s
Process RSS	~1.24–1.27 GiB	~121–122 MiB
Approx. RAM difference	—	~90.5% less RSS than PyCharm

The process measurement was taken using:

ps -eo pid,ppid,%mem,rss,cmd --sort=-rss | head -20

The recorded process RSS values were approximately:

• PyCharm: 1,264–1,272 MiB
• Lau-PyDE: 121–122 MiB

These are recorded measurements from one test environment, not a universal benchmark for every computer, project, or PyCharm version. System background processes, caches, project size, and configuration can affect memory usage.

The benchmark reflects the project's main design goal: keep the IDE simple and lightweight while still providing the basic Python workflow.

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Installation

Lau-PyDE v1.1.0 is currently distributed as an installable Python package from the source repository. A standalone native Linux installer is not included yet.

The recommended installation method is .exe for Windows and pipx for Linux, which installs the application into an isolated environment and exposes its command on your PATH. This also keeps Lau-PyDE's dependencies separate from the operating system's Python environment.

Requirements

• Python 3.10+
• Git, if cloning the repository
• pipx
• A desktop environment capable of running PySide6 applications

The current pipx installation requires Python 3.10 or newer on the machine used to install pipx.

Windows

Windows installer

Windows users can download Lau-PyDE-Setup.exe here:

https://laupyde.online

The installer is the recommended Windows installation method.

Install Python

Install Python from:

https://www.python.org/downloads/windows/

Check it:

py --version

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Linux

Arch Linux

Install pipx through pacman:

sudo pacman -S python-pipx

Then:

pipx ensurepath

Restart the terminal, then verify:

pipx --version

Clone and install Lau-PyDE:

git clone https://github.com/laudotdev/Lau-PyDE_open-source.git
cd Lau-PyDE_open-source
pipx install .

Run:

pyde lau

Ubuntu / Debian

On recent Ubuntu and Debian releases that use an externally managed system Python, install pipx through the distribution package manager instead of installing it into the system Python with pip.

Ubuntu:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install pipx
pipx ensurepath

Debian:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install pipx
pipx ensurepath

Then install Lau-PyDE:

git clone https://github.com/laudotdev/Lau-PyDE_open-source.git
cd Lau-PyDE_open-source
pipx install .

Run:

pyde lau

Fedora

sudo dnf install pipx
pipx ensurepath

Then:

git clone https://github.com/laudotdev/Lau-PyDE_open-source.git
cd Lau-PyDE_open-source
pipx install .

Run:

pyde lau

Other Linux distributions

Use the distribution's package manager to install pipx when available. This avoids conflicts with distributions that mark the system Python as externally managed.

Once pipx is installed:

pipx ensurepath
git clone https://github.com/laudotdev/Lau-PyDE_open-source.git
cd Lau-PyDE_open-source
pipx install .

Then run:

pyde lau

Install directly from Git

For a pipx-supported source-control installation, you can also install directly from the repository:

pipx install git+https://github.com/laudotdev/Lau-PyDE_open-source.git

Then:

pyde lau

pipx supports installing applications from local paths and Git repositories.

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Install Once → Run Everywhere

The V1 packaging goal is simple:

Install once → Run everywhere

After installation, the launcher is:

pyde lau

For example:

cd ~/Projects
pyde lau

or:

cd /tmp
pyde lau

The application should not require the repository directory to be the current working directory.

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First Launch

1. Start Lau-PyDE with pyde lau.
2. If no recent project exists, Lau-PyDE opens its welcome/empty state.
3. Open a project folder using Open Folder.
4. The selected folder becomes the workspace.
5. Open a .py file from the explorer.
6. Write or edit Python code.
7. Lau-PyDE checks the code while you work.
8. Run the current file.
9. View results in the Output panel.
10. Programs using input() receive input through the integrated input area.
11. The terminal uses the current project folder as its working directory.
12. Use Close Project to unload the workspace and return to the welcome state.

Lau-PyDE remembers the most recently opened project folder and attempts to restore it on the next launch.

Example

name = input("Enter your name: ")
print(f"Hello, {name}!")

Expected:

Enter your name: Laurence
Hello, Laurence!

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Project Structure

Lau-PyDE/
├── assets/
│   └── logo.png
├── core/
│   ├── file_manager.py
│   └── runner.py
├── ui/
│   ├── editor.py
│   ├── explorer.py
│   ├── inline_output.py
│   ├── main_window.py
│   └── terminal.py
├── launcher.py
├── main.py
├── pyproject.toml
├── requirements.txt
├── README.md
├── RELEASE_NOTES.md

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Design Philosophy

Lau-PyDE focuses on the basic Python workflow:

Write → Check → Run → Output → Fix → Run again

It is intentionally not a PyCharm or VS Code clone.

The project prioritizes:

• simple startup
• low memory usage
• a clean interface
• basic Python development tools
• learning through building
• minimal unnecessary features

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V1 Scope

Version 1.0 focuses on improving the core IDE rather than adding a large number of new features.

Much of the V1 work was focused on fixing flaws, improving diagnostics, cleaning up the user experience, and making the application easier to install and run.

Not in V1

• AI assistant
• Debugger
• Git integration
• Language servers
• Advanced autocomplete
• Plugin system
• Project indexing
• Cloud services
• Telemetry

These are intentionally outside the current V1 scope.

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Recent Fixes and Improvements

Recent development updates focused on reliability and consistency across Linux and Windows:

• Fixed recent-project startup ordering so the restored folder is applied after terminal initialization.
• Fixed terminal prompt duplication, stale home-directory prompts, missing command output, and extra blank lines.
• Fixed interactive Python input so the REPL banner, prompts, submitted commands, output, and input() responses remain separated correctly.
• Fixed terminal output selection and Ctrl+C copying without losing the highlighted block.
• Added persistent terminal working-directory behavior for cd.
• Fixed selected-code Shift+Tab handling so focus does not move to unrelated controls.
• Fixed Commands Palette accuracy so unavailable or unregistered shortcuts are not advertised.
• Added cross-platform focused-widget editing shortcut handling.
• Fixed Explorer root restoration and stale saved-folder handling.
• Added complete default-layout restoration through Ctrl+0.
• Replaced mixed Unicode panel glyphs with shared vector icons and standardized panel control alignment.
• Kept local tests, IDE metadata, virtual environments, caches, and build artifacts out of Git tracking through .gitignore.

Known Limitations

• No standalone Windows installer yet (historical note; the current Windows installer is available from https://laupyde.online)
• No native Linux installer/package for distribution repositories yet
• No built-in debugger
• No Git integration
• No language server
• No advanced autocomplete
• Syntax checking is intentionally basic
• Built-in typo detection is heuristic and can never replace a full language server
• The integrated terminal is not a full native terminal emulator
• Some advanced ANSI terminal behavior may not be reproduced exactly
• Resource usage and startup time can vary depending on the system and project being used

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Development

Built with:

• Python
• PySide6
• Qt
• pathlib
• ast
• difflib
• QProcess

The project is developed as an open-source project and is intentionally kept simple enough to be understandable and modifiable.

Running from Source

For development, you can still run the application directly from the repository:

python main.py

For the packaged application workflow, use:

pyde lau

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Open Source

Lau-PyDE is an open-source project.

Repository:

https://github.com/ryuuufynnn/Lau-PyDE_open-source

Issues, fixes, improvements, and future development are tracked through the project repository.

License

This project is open source. See the repository for license information.

Credits

Built by John Laurence Aramay / ryu.dev.