Fancy GUI with Python

[Ravi Teja]

> Hi all.  I just downloaded and installed the new Office suite from MS
> with their new 'ribbon' based UI.  I think it's pretty cool and AFT*
> for a new UI paradigm.  I hope it sticks.

> Anyway, I'm wondering how to implement a gui like this with Python.

I haven't seen their new Office suit (apart form a few screenshots).
Judging from the past, the code is probably statically linked to MS
Office. Many of the previous iterations of MS Office did introduce
their own look and feels, effects and widgets. Third party Windows
developers soon followed suit reimplementing the widgets. Delphi
community for example focuses a lot on UI and UI effects (Python
community does not). VCL libraries can be compiled to ActiveX
components and you should then be able to use them from Python, at
least on Windows. Or maybe someone will make a .NET assembly and you
will be able to drive it from IronPython or Python for .NET. If you are
lucky, it may even be cross-platform via Mono.

> So I'm not sure if this is a Python question, a xxx-Python question
> (where xxx is the widget toolkit of choice), or a windows API type of
> question.

This is NOT a Python specific issue. It is a widget library and FFI
(Foreign Function Interface) issue. If another language can get at the
functionality, so can Python.