Calling an IDL script in Python

Question

I would like to run an IDL script in a python code, since I need to analyse the results of IDL code later in the python script but I have no idea how it works. I want to call this IDL script for example in a python code:

pro plotgaussian, center, sigma, X=x, Y=y
x = findgen(1000) / 999; numbers running 0 to 1 in steps of 0.001
x = x * 6 * sigma - 3 * sigma; widen x to range over 6 sigma
x = x + center; center the x range on the bell curve center
arg = ((x – center)/sigma)^2
y = exp(-arg)
plot, x, y
end

How could I do it?

Answer 1

Try pyIDL. Google for it, I'm not sure where the most recent version lives. It seems to be fairly old, you might have to do some work to convert from numarray to NumPy.

Answer 2

More recently maintained than pyIDL seems to be pIDLy. I have not tried it (I am not an IDL user).

Answer 3

The newest version of IDL (8.5) supports this natively, they provide their own bidirectional bridge for calling Python from IDL, and IDL from Python. Their docs are here: http://www.exelisvis.com/docs/pythontoidl.html

Some example code from their docs:

>>> from idlpy import IDL
>>> arr = IDL.findgen(100)/50*3.14159
>>> x = 50*IDL.sin(arr)
>>> y = 50*IDL.cos(arr)
>>> m = IDL.map(test=1)
% Compiled module: MAP.
>>> p = IDL.plot(x - 90, y, 'r-o2', overplot=1)
% Compiled module: PLOT.
>>> p = IDL.plot(x + 90, y, 'b-o2', overplot=1)
>>> m.save('map.png', resolution=96, border=0, transparent=1)