Python & GUI?

[Jason Cunliffe]

Marco Seiriö <marco at crepido.com> wrote in message
news:3A674896.C7E52247 at crepido.com...
> Are there any GUI components or ways to build a GUI in
> Python that contains all the widgets that one would expect to
> find in a VB or Java environment. Can you (easily) build things
> like explorer like applications and such...

YES!

http://wxpython.org/

<quote >
wxPython is a GUI toolkit for the Python programming language. It allows
Python programmers to create programs with a robust, highly functional
graphical user interface, simply and easily. It is implemented as a Python
extension module (native code) that wraps the popular wxWindows cross
platform GUI library, which is written in C++.

Like Python and wxWindows, wxPython is Open Source which means that it is
free for anyone to use and the source code is available for anyone to look
at and modify. Or anyone can contribute fixes or enhnacments to the project.

wxPython is a cross-platform toolkit. This means that the same program will
run on multiple platforms without modification. Currently supported
platforms are Microsoft Windows, and most Unix or unix-like systems. A
Macintosh version is a distinct possibility, given I can find the time and
that the Mac version of wxWindows is brought up to par with the other
platforms.
<quote>

Two good tools to help develop wxPython are:

BOA
http://boa-constructor.sourceforge.net/Help/AppHelp/
<quote>
A RAD GUI building Python IDE!
It is built on wxPython, wxWindows and Python.
Boa Constructor was inspired by and aspires to Delphi.
</quote>

wxDesigner
http://www.roebling.de/
<quote>
FREIBURG, GERMANY, December 19th, 2000: wxDesigner 1.4b released. wxDesigner
is now available for 32-bit Windows and several Unix variants.
Q: What is wxDesigner?
A: A commercial dialog editor and RAD tool for the free wxWindows GUI
library.

Q: What is wxWindows?
A: A free C++ library for cross-platform development, with bindings for
Python and Perl.

Q: What kind of output does wxDesigner produce?
A: wxDesigner can write C++, Python and Perl code directly.

Q: Isn't there an XML based resource format for wxWindows?
A: This is currently being written and wxDesigner has experimental support
for this, too.

Q: Is there a version of wxDesigner for the Mac?
A: Work is being done on this.
</quote>

It is easy to research such things using 'The Vaults of Parnassus':
http://www.vex.net/parnassus

for example the GUI graphics list:
http://www.vex.net/parnassus/apyllo.py?i=247038364

I always enjoy to check the 'latest' tab there also:
http://www.vex.net/parnassus/apyllo.py?a=l


The main alterntive to wxPython are the 'Tkinter' tools. A good site to
start is http://www.pythonware.com/

A basic Tkinter intro
http://www.pythonware.com/library/tkinter/introduction/

and some fresh new souped up GUI tools called 'Tkinter 3000'
http://w1.132.telia.com/~u13208596/tkinter/

...finally some background technopolitic reading about GUI and Python
http://www.amk.ca/python/dev/2000-10-2.html



good luck
--Jason
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Jason CUNLIFFE = NOMADICS['Interactive Art and Technology']