There is a lot of discussion of %load_ext magic in Python (e.g. here https://ipython.readthedocs.io/en/stable/config/extensions/index.html)
One thing that has always confused me though: what is the % doing / what does it mean?
Why isn't the relevant code just called by load_ext
From the IPython docs, Built-in magic commands:
Note To Jupyter users: Magics are specific to and provided by the IPython kernel. Whether Magics are available on a kernel is a decision that is made by the kernel developer on a per-kernel basis. To work properly, Magics must use a syntax element which is not valid in the underlying language. For example, the IPython kernel uses the
%syntax element for Magics as%is not a valid unary operator in Python. However,%might have meaning in other languages.
(By the way, %load_ext is covered in brief on the same page.)
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