UI toolkits for Python

Adriaan Renting renting at astron.nl
Fri Oct 14 10:24:11 EDT 2005


I realy like developing PyQt applications using the Eric3 IDE. I find Qt really has a lot of high level functionality already available for you, I like the flexibility of the slot-signal system, I like that the Qt C++
maps very well into object-oriented Python though PyQt. You can just use the Qt C++ documentation.
Just check out Eric3 itself as an example of what you can do in PyQt. It's not yet ported to Qt4 AFAIK, but I suppose it will not take long. In Qt4 the licencing is no issue for me as I'm only writing GPL code anyway.
I don't know how it performs on OSX, I think it works fine, as Qt is available on OSX.

I don't know what you want in a text widget, but the kTextEdit I use comes with functions like checkSpelling(), undo(), copy(), paste(), setFont(). Hooking these up to for example a fontRequestor is no more work as adding both to the form in QtDesigner (integrated in Eric3), and connecting the appropriate signal and slot. It could be some of these are only available if you have KDE installed.
I realy like the Canvas allowing sprites, zooming, rotating, etc.

I've never done much with TkInter, so I can't compare. I think it's easier as wxwindows, it's easier as VCL/CLX and MFC. (I'm comming from the Windows/Borland C++/Delphi world)

The standard Python shell only has buildin support for the TkInter event loop AFAIK, I just heard ipython is more cross GUI toolkit in this regard.

I don't think there's any consensus. I think any of a Tk, Wxwindows, GTK or Qt based solution might work for you, depending on what you are used to. Tk seems to be most traditional Python, but I think it's ugly, and I realy like the high level functionality that Qt provides.

Adriaan Renting.
 
 
>>>Kenneth McDonald <kenneth.m.mcdonald at sbcglobal.net> 10/13/05 10:17 pm >>> 
Is there any emerging consensus on the "best" UI for toolkit.  Tk  
never quite made it but from what I can see, both qt and wxWin are  
both doing fairly well in general. I'm already aware of the licensing  
issues surrounding qt (fwiw, I think their license fee for commercial  
use is eminently reasonable), so aside from that, I was wondering if  
there was any feedback readers could provide on the following: 
 
1) Which plays best with Python? Ideally, it would already have some  
higher-level python libraries to hide the grotty stuff that is almost  
never needed when actually implementing apps. 
 
2) Reliability of each? 
 
3) Useful external libraries for each? 
 
4) Ease of installation/use on OS X? 
 
Something with a genuinely useful text widget would be nice, but I  
know that's too much to expect...ah, TkText widget, where are you  
when I need you. 
 
 
Thanks, 
Ken 
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