wxPython 2.8 Application Development Cookbook

Cody Precord

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wxPython 2.8 Application Development Cookbook

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Overview

Table of Contents

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Develop flexible applications in wxPython.
Create interface translatable applications that will run on Windows, Macintosh OSX, Linux, and other UNIX like environments.
Learn basic and advanced user interface controls.
Packed with practical, hands-on cookbook recipes and plenty of example code, illustrating the techniques to develop feature rich applications using wxPython.

Book Details

Language : English
Paperback : 308 pages [ 235mm x 191mm ]
Release Date : December 2010
ISBN : 1849511780
ISBN 13 : 978-1-84951-178-0
Author(s) : Cody Precord
Topics and Technologies : All Books, Cookbooks, Open Source, Python

Preface
Chapter 1: Getting Started with wxPython
Chapter 2: Responding to Events
Chapter 3: Basic Building Blocks of a User Interface
Chapter 4: Advanced Building Blocks of a User Interface
Chapter 5: Providing Information and Alerting Users
Chapter 6: Retrieving Information from Users
Chapter 7: Window Layout and Design
Chapter 8: Drawing to the Screen
Chapter 9: Design Approaches and Techniques
Chapter 10: Creating Components and Extending Functionality
Chapter 11: Using Threads and Timers to Create Responsive Interfaces
Chapter 12: Building and Managing Applications for Distribution
Index

Preface

Chapter 1: Getting Started with wxPython

Introduction
The application object
The main frame
Understanding the window hierarchy
Referencing controls
Using Bitmaps
Adding icons to Windows
Utilizing Stock IDs
Accessing the clipboard
Supporting drag and drop
Two-stage widget creation
Understanding inheritance limitations

Chapter 2: Responding to Events

Introduction
Handling events
Understanding event propagation
Handling Key events
Using UpdateUI events
Playing with the mouse
Creating custom event classes
Managing event handlers with EventStack
Validating input with validators
Handling Apple events

Chapter 3: Basic Building Blocks of a User Interface

Introduction
Creating Stock Buttons
Buttons, buttons, and more buttons
Offering options with CheckBoxes
Using the TextCtrl
Providing choices with the Choice control
Adding Menus and MenuBars
Working with ToolBars
How to use PopupMenus
Grouping controls with a StaticBox

Chapter 4: Advanced Building Blocks of a User Interface

Introduction
Listing data with a ListCtrl
Browsing files with the CustomTreeCtrl
Creating a VListBox
StyledTextCtrl using lexers
Working with tray icons
Adding tabs to a Notebook
Using the FlatNotebook
Scrolling with a ScrolledPanel
Simplifying the FoldPanelBar

Chapter 5: Providing Information and Alerting Users

Introduction
Showing a MessageBox
Providing help with ToolTips
Using SuperToolTips
Displaying a BalloonTip
Creating a custom SplashScreen
Showing task progress with the Progress dialog
Creating an AboutBox

Chapter 6: Retrieving Information from Users

Introduction
Selecting files with a FileDialog
Searching text with a FindReplaceDialog
Getting images with ImageDialog
Using the Print dialogs

Chapter 7: Window Layout and Design

Introduction
Using a BoxSizer
Understanding proportions, flags, and borders
Laying out controls with the GridBagSizer
Standard dialog button layout
Using XML resources
Making a custom resource handler
Using the AuiFrameManager

Chapter 8: Drawing to the Screen

Introduction
Screen drawing
Drawing shapes
Utilizing SystemSettings
Using a GraphicsContext
Drawing with RendererNative
Reducing flicker in drawing routines

Chapter 9: Design Approaches and Techniques

Introduction
Creating Singletons
Implementing an observer pattern
Strategy pattern
Model View Controller
Using mixin classes
Using decorators

Chapter 10: Creating Components and Extending Functionality

Introduction
Customizing the ArtProvider
Adding controls to a StatusBar
Making a tool window
Creating a SearchBar
Working with ListCtrl mixins
StyledTextCtrl custom highlighting
Creating a custom control

Chapter 11: Using Threads and Timers to Create Responsive Interfaces

Introduction
Non-Blocking GUI
Understanding thread safety
Threading tools
Using Timers
Capturing output

Chapter 12: Building and Managing Applications for Distribution

Introduction
Working with StandardPaths
Persisting the state of the UI
Using the SingleInstanceChecker
Exception handling
Optimizing for OS X
Supporting internationalization
Distributing an application

Index

Cody Precord

Cody Precord is a Software Engineer based in Minneapolis, MN, USA. He has been designing and writing systems and application software for AIX, Linux, Windows, and Macintosh OSX for the last 10 years using primarily C, C++, Perl, Bash, Korn Shell, and Python. The constant need to be working on multiple platforms naturally led Cody to the wxPython toolkit, which he has been using intensely for that last 5 years. Cody has been primarily using wxPython for his open source project Editra which is a cross platform development tool. He is interested in promoting cross platform development practices and improving usability in software.

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Sample chapters

You can view our sample chapters and prefaces of this title on PacktLib or download sample chapters in PDF format.

Find your book in our support section to find errata and to download code samples.

What you will learn from this book

Set up the wx main frame by adding your own Frame class to the application
Create two stage widgets by using a three step process
Set up an event handler, customize, receive and handle events by using custom controls and event propagation
Create tooltips with rich content and add tooltips to controls
Retrieve information from users using common Dialogs
Enhance design and layout, hide and show controls dynamically during runtime by using sizers
Create a custom XRC resource handler class to use custom widget classes in XRC
Simplify window layout using the SizedControls library
Draw basic shapes in a Device Context and draw gradients with ease by using a GraphicsContext
Design a custom dialog class
Make multi-threaded wxPython applications
Capture output from other applications and display it in a wxPython GUI
Access platform specific application and resource directories using wxStandardPaths
Embed images into python files using wxPython's embedded image tool and classes
Add robust exception handling to an application
Bundle a wxPython application for distribution making your applications interface translatable

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In Detail

In today’s world of desktop applications there is a great amount of incentive to be able to develop applications that can run in more than one environment. Currently there are a handful of options available for cross platform frameworks to develop desktop applications in Python. wxPython is one such cross- platform GUI toolkit for the Python programming language. It allows Python programmers to create programs with a complete, highly functional graphical user interface, simply and easily. wxPython code style has changed quite a bit over the years, and gotten much more Pythonic. The examples you will find in this book are right up to date and reflect this change in style.
This cookbook provides you with the latest recipes to quickly create robust, reliable, and reusable wxPython applications. These recipes will guide you from writing simple, basic wxPython scripts all the way through complex concepts, and also feature various design approaches and techniques in wxPython.

The book starts off by covering a variety of topics from the most basic requirements of a wxPython application to some of the more in depth details of the inner workings of the framework laying the foundation for any wxPython application. It then explains event handling, basic and advanced user interface controls, designing and layout, creating dialogs, components and extending functionality, and so on. We conclude by learning how to build and manage applications for distribution.
For each of the recipes, there is an introductory example, then more advanced examples, and plenty of example code to develop and manage user-friendly applications. For more experienced developers, most recipes also include additional discussion of the solution, allowing you to further customize and enhance the component.

Quickly create robust, reliable, and reusable wxPython applications

Approach

Written in cookbook style, this book offers learning and techniques through recipes. It contains step-by-step instructions for developers who want to build feature-rich desktop applications in wxPython. The book is designed in such a way that you can refer to things chapter by chapter, and read them in no particular order.