[Ironpython-users] GUI Toolkits

Wed Dec 3 10:19:32 CET 2014

Hi Markus,

Thanks for responding to my plea for help. I was leaning towards
something like your first suggestion but I like your second suggestion
better! HTML opens up possibilities for users to add logos, etc to their
forms if they wish, and HTML is widely known.

Thanks again and I am glad I'm not the only one who sees a need for an
easy to use UI when embedded IronPython.

Andy

On 12/2/2014 4:18 PM, Markus Schaber wrote:
> Hi, Andrew,
> 
> I just had another (maybe weird) idea:
> 
> Maybe your users could use HTML Forms to define the UI, and you use an embedded WebbrowserControl to render the UI, and use the DOM tree to read and write the values. Create a slim python function for this which accepts an HTML form fragment and a dictionary with the values, and you should be done. :-)
> 
> Best regards
> 
> Markus Schaber
> 
> CODESYS® a trademark of 3S-Smart Software Solutions GmbH
> 
> Inspiring Automation Solutions
> 
> 3S-Smart Software Solutions GmbH
> Dipl.-Inf. Markus Schaber | Product Development Core Technology
> Memminger Str. 151 | 87439 Kempten | Germany
> Tel. +49-831-54031-979 | Fax +49-831-54031-50
> 
> E-Mail: m.schaber at codesys.com | Web: http://www.codesys.com | CODESYS store: http://store.codesys.com
> CODESYS forum: http://forum.codesys.com
> 
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> 
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>> -----Ursprüngliche Nachricht-----
>> Von: Markus Schaber
>> Gesendet: Dienstag, 2. Dezember 2014 17:17
>> An: 'Andrew Ayre'; ironpython-users at python.org
>> Betreff: AW: [Ironpython-users] GUI Toolkits
>>
>> Hi, Andrew,
>>
>> I did embed IronPython into CODESYS. In our case, we already had a
>> set of standard dialog functions in the framework which I exposed to
>> the API available for the scripts:
>>
>> - Standard Error messages, Yes/No/Cancel prompts and similar dialogs
>> (basically an improved Windows forms MessageBox)
>>
>> - Multiple Choice Prompt (The user can choose one of a list).
>>
>> - Choose Prompt (The user can use checkboxes to select individual
>> items in a list).
>>
>> - Enter text (singleline and multiline)
>>
>> - Enter password
>>
>> - Enter username and password
>>
>> - File open / file save / choose directory (basically simplifying
>> wrappers around the windows forms classes).
>>
>> Maybe most of the users can already work with a similar set of basic
>> dialogs. You could also add some kind of "form layouter" where you
>> give a list of tuples (name, value, type) and create a table layout
>> based dialog form of it.
>>
>> You may as well find other Windows Forms or WPF based libraries on
>> the net which you can expose in a simplified, wrapped way.
>>
>> When trying to use a different UI toolkit, you should be aware of 2
>> problems:
>>
>> - IronPython is implemented very differently from cPython, so most
>> probably, you will only get .NET libraries to work, not the GUI
>> toolkits ported for cPython.
>>
>> - Due to the nature of the windows message loop system, it is rather
>> hard to mix 2 different toolkits in the same process. So as long as
>> your application uses Windows Forms, it will be very hard to mix it
>> with any other UI toolkit (apart from native win32 and WPF, and even
>> those have problems and limitations). For example, as far as I know,
>> it is not possible to mix windows forms and GTK# or QT.NET in the
>> same process, except using ugly workarounds like ActiveQT (using
>> ActiveX / COM internally).
>>
>>
>> Best regards
>>
>> Markus Schaber
>>
>> CODESYS® a trademark of 3S-Smart Software Solutions GmbH
>>
>> Inspiring Automation Solutions
>>
>> 3S-Smart Software Solutions GmbH
>> Dipl.-Inf. Markus Schaber | Product Development Core Technology
>> Memminger Str. 151 | 87439 Kempten | Germany Tel. +49-831-54031-979 |
>> Fax +49-831-54031-50
>>
>> E-Mail: m.schaber at codesys.com | Web: http://www.codesys.com | CODESYS
>> store: http://store.codesys.com CODESYS forum:
>> http://forum.codesys.com
>>
>> Managing Directors: Dipl.Inf. Dieter Hess, Dipl.Inf. Manfred Werner |
>> Trade register: Kempten HRB 6186 | Tax ID No.: DE 167014915
>>
>> This e-mail may contain confidential and/or privileged information.
>> If you are not the intended recipient (or have received this e-mail
>> in error) please notify the sender immediately and destroy this e-
>> mail. Any unauthorised copying, disclosure or distribution of the
>> material in this e-mail is strictly forbidden.
>>
>>> -----Ursprüngliche Nachricht-----
>>> Von: Ironpython-users [mailto:ironpython-users-
>>> bounces+m.schaber=codesys.com at python.org] Im Auftrag von Andrew
>> Ayre
>>> Gesendet: Donnerstag, 20. November 2014 09:32
>>> An: ironpython-users at python.org
>>> Betreff: Re: [Ironpython-users] GUI Toolkits
>>>
>>> Hi Haymo,
>>>
>>> Thanks for responding.
>>>
>>> Sorry, I should have clarified something. I never run IronPython
>>> standalone. I only use it embedded in my C# applications. For me
>> that
>>> is the single biggest advantage of IronPython.
>>>
>>> I understand what you are saying. I'm a professional software
>>> developer familiar with all these technologies, so I know what is
>>> involved to make it work. However....
>>>
>>> The users of my application are non-technical. They need to be
>> gently
>>> coaxed into even considering using python for the first time.
>>>
>>> Of course WinForms is already there in my app for anyone to use
>> from
>>> IronPython, but what I need to supplement this is a much simpler
>> GUI
>>> system that has an easier learning curve, so my users won't be
>>> frightened off. Then they have a choice:
>>>
>>>    - full blown winforms
>>>    - something simpler and familiar to most python users
>>>
>>> Thanks, Andy
>>>
>>> On 11/19/2014 11:47 PM, Haymo Kutschbach wrote:
>>>> Andy, for my understanding one of the biggest advantage of having
>>>> IronPython is to actually be able to use things like winforms? As
>>> for
>>>> all systems it will require some learning to begin with, of
>> course.
>>>> But in fact very little is required in order to get so much more
>>> than
>>>> any of the systems mentioned in your link is able to provide.
>>>>
>>>> If you need a very newbee example: I recently had some fun
>>>> experimenting with IronPython to create interactive scientific 3d
>>>> plots in less than 10
>>>> lines:
>>>>
>>>> http://ilnumerics.net/blog/plotting-fun-with-ilnumerics-and-
>>> ironpython
>>>> /
>>>>
>>>> Having winforms and the whole .NET framework in the back, I can
>>> hardly
>>>> imagine to recommend Tcl/TK any time soon... ;)
>>>>
>>>> Best, Haymo
>>>>
>>>
>>> --
>>> Andy
>>> PGP Key ID: 0xDC1B5864
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>>> Ironpython-users at python.org
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> 
> 
> 

-- 
Andy
PGP Key ID: 0xDC1B5864