ArcMap python window refusing to execfile after first attempt, requires restart

Question

I am attempting to execute a script mulitple times from the ArcMap python window (using different parameters that are hardcoded into the file).

The script runs the first time successfully, however it seems to "break" the python console, and other attempts at execfile are unsuccessful afterwards, until I restart arcgis.

Here's the a basic scenario:

1. Start ArcGIS, open python console, type:

execfile(r"C:\Users\xxx\Desktop\test.py")

2. Script executes successfully

3. Modify test.py script

4. Type execfile(r"C:\Users\xxx\Desktop\test.py")

5. Python console returns to prompt

Any ideas on what might be happening? Workarounds?

Answer 1

I was not able to reproduce this using my test.py script which started as:

print "Test worked!"

and in your step 3 was modified to:

print "Test2 worked!"

When I ran it from the Python window using ArcGIS Desktop 10.5 and your method I got:

>>> execfile(r"C:\Temp\test.py")
Test worked!
>>> execfile(r"C:\Temp\test.py")
Test2 worked!
>>>

Answer 2

While restarting ArcMap did not resolve the issue, a full reboot brought it back to working state.