Make your Python output dramatic

The dramatic module includes utilities to cause all text output to display character-by-character (it prints dramatically).

Note: This project is based on a Python Morsels exercise. If you're working on that exercise right now, please don't look at the source code for this! 😉

Usage

The dramatic module is available on PyPI. You can install it with pip:

$ python3 -m pip install dramatic

There are four primary ways to use the utilities in the dramatic module:

1. As a context manager that temporarily makes output display dramatically
2. As a decorator that temporarily makes output display dramatically
3. Using a dramatic.start() function that makes output display dramatically
4. Using a dramatic.print function to display specific text dramatically

Dramatic Context Manager

The dramatic.output context manager will temporarily cause all standard output and standard error to display dramatically:

import dramatic

def main():
    print("This function prints")

with dramatic.output:
    main()

To change the printing speed from the default of 75 characters per second to another value (30 characters per second in this case) use the at_speed method:

import dramatic

def main():
    print("This function prints")

with dramatic.output.at_speed(30):
    main()

Example context manager usage:

Dramatic Decorator

The dramatic.output decorator will cause all standard output and standard error to display dramatically while the decorated function is running:

import dramatic

@dramatic.output
def main():
    print("This function prints")

main()

The at_speed method works as a decorator as well:

import dramatic

@dramatic.output.at_speed(30)
def main():
    print("This function prints")

main()

Example decorator usage:

Manually Starting and Stopping

Instead of enabling dramatic printing temporarily with a context manager or decorator, the dramatic.start function may be used to enable dramatic printing:

import dramatic

def main():
    print("This function prints")

dramatic.start()
main()

The speed keyword argument may be used to change the printing speed (in characters per second):

import dramatic

def main():
    print("This function prints")

dramatic.start(speed=30)
main()

To make only standard output dramatic (but not standard error) pass stderr=False to start:

import dramatic

def main():
    print("This function prints")

dramatic.start(stderr=False)
main()

To disable dramatic printing, the dramatic.stop function may be used. Here's an example context manager that uses both dramatic.start and dramatic.stop:

import dramatic


class CustomContextManager:
    def __enter__(self):
        print("Printing will become dramatic now")
        dramatic.start()
    def __exit__(self):
        dramatic.stop()
        print("Dramatic printing has stopped")

Example start and stop usage:

Dramatic Print

The dramatic.print function acts just like the built-in print function, but it prints dramatically:

import dramatic
dramatic.print("This will print some text dramatically")

Dramatic Interpreter

To start a dramatic Python REPL:

$ python3 -m dramatic
>>>

To dramatically run a Python module:

$ python3 -m dramatic -m this

To dramatically run a Python file:

$ python3 -m dramatic hello_world.py

The dramatic module also accepts a --speed argument to set the characters printed per second. In this example we're increasing the speed from 75 characters-per-second to 120:

Maximum Drama

Want to make your Python interpreter dramatic by default?

Run the dramatic module as a script with the --max-drama argument to modify Python so that all your Python programs will print dramatically:

$ python3 -m dramatic --max-drama
This will cause all Python programs to run dramatically.
Running --min-drama will undo this operation.
Are you sure? [y/N]

If the drama is too much, run the module again with the argument --min-drama to undo:

$ python3 -m dramatic --min-drama
Deleted file /home/trey/.local/lib/python3.12/site-packages/dramatic.pth
Deleted file /home/trey/.local/lib/python3.12/site-packages/_dramatic.py
No drama.

This even works if you don't have the dramatic module installed. Just download dramatic.py and run it with --max-drama! To disable the drama, you'll need to run python3 -m _dramatic --min-drama (not the _ before dramatic).

Warning: this is probably a bad idea. Use with caution.

Other Features

Other features of note:

• Pressing Ctrl-C while text is printing dramatically will cause the remaining text to print immediately.
• Dramatic printing is automatically disabled when the output stream is piped to a file (e.g. python my_script.py > output.txt)

Credits

This package was inspired by the dramatic print Python Morsels exercise, which was partially inspired by Brandon Rhodes' adventure Python port (which displays its text at 1200 baud).