[SciPy-user] question about standalone small software and teaching

[massimo sandal]

Giorgio Luciano ha scritto:
> At first I thought ... hey why people wat an interface, just use the 
> console, and then after listening  to their reason I have to agree.
> What do I generally do ? I have a matrix in txt, I apply my routines (a 
> SVD, a PCA, a filter etc etc  written in python), plot them (using 
> maplotlib) and then I want an output. that's it.
> I started looking at various Qt etc. etc. but for me it's overhelming, 
> because I think that the most important part should be dedicate to the 
> routines creation and not to making a gui, compiling, etc. etc. I need 
> simple command like people wants. grids, paste and copy, small working 
> plots :)
> I mean I can get crazy with setting my program, importing etc. etc. but 
> I also have to say that needs and claim about writing simple guis, 
> common paste and copy etc should be considered from someone there (we 
> wait for the help of some guru that makes things easier ;)

It's quite hard for me to understand what you mean.

Anyway, I solved the issue of usability vs code simplicity for my data 
analysis application by using a mixed CLI+GUI design. That is, I have a 
very simple GUI that just shows the plot and may have some button/menu 
for basic operations, and a custom command line to finely work with it. 
Think of RasMol, for example. The custom command line is done with the 
Python Cmd module that is included with Python, and it's a breeze to 
code with. The GUI uses Matplotlib embedded with wxMPL in a wxPython 
frame. The command line and the GUI are threaded (work on two different 
threads) that communicate by passing events (cli-->gui) and with a Queue 
(gui-->cli): easy.

Anyway, I'd advice you to learn wxPython basics. It's powerful, free, 
multiplatform and it's becoming the default Python GUI toolkit in the 
wild. Learning a GUI toolkit cannot harm. If you can, buy the Robin Dunn 
book "wxPython in Action", it's wonderful to say the least.

m.
-- 
Massimo Sandal
University of Bologna
Department of Biochemistry "G.Moruzzi"

snail mail:
Via Irnerio 48, 40126 Bologna, Italy

email:
massimo.sandal at unibo.it

tel: +39-051-2094388
fax: +39-051-2094387
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