How to choose the right GUI toolkit ?

Sat Nov 11 15:32:48 EST 2006

BTW: I did a search and found the testnotebook example from:

http://prdownloads.sourceforge.net/pythoncard/testNotebook.zip?download

and tried it out.  There is one error in the widget.py that I have to
get around.  Changed from:

        canvas.setFillColor('gray')

to:

        try:
            canvas.setFillColor('gray')
        except:
            pass

and then ran it.   Works!

So, yes, you can do Notebook in Python.  I believe what they are saying
is that Notebook isn't supported fully (yet) in the resourceeditor.

Bill Maxwell wrote:
> On 9 Nov 2006 22:48:10 -0800, "John Henry" <john106henry at hotmail.com>
> wrote:
>
> >Upon closer look, the walkthrough did say:
> >
> >***************************
> >from PythonCard import model
> >
> >Change that so it says:
> >
> >from PythonCard import dialog, model
> >
> >Save the code.
> >***************************
> >
> >So, it works.
>
>
> Thanks for looking into it.  It sounds like either it has been fixed in
> the newer version -- or I didn't do something correctly.  It's been a
> long time, and I was just going by the notes I made back then.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> >
> >
> >
> >John Henry wrote:
> >> Bill Maxwell wrote:
> >> > On 8 Nov 2006 11:49:07 -0800, "John Henry" <john106henry at hotmail.com>
> >> > wrote:
> >> >
> >> > >
> >> > >John Salerno wrote:
> >> > >> Dan Lenski wrote:
> >> > >>
> >> > >> > So, is there another toolkit I should be looking at?
> >> > >>
> >> > >> I highly recommend wxPython. It's very mature, full-featured, and
> >> > >> portable, and fairly easy to learn as well. I can't really compare it to
> >> > >> other toolkits (not having used any of them, except Tkinter), but it's
> >> > >> definitely one of the most popular and well-supported ones out there.
> >> > >>
> >> > >> http://www.wxpython.org/
> >> > >
> >> > >I highly recommend that you try PythonCard (which sits on top of
> >> > >wxPython).  You can get productive very very quickly.  Take a look at:
> >> > >
> >> > >http://pythoncard.sourceforge.net/walkthrough1.html
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > I took a brief look at PythonCard almost a year ago and got discouraged
> >> > by what I found, so I stopped looking at it.  I've inserted my notes
> >> > from back then, below.  Does anybody know if these things have been
> >> > fixed in the latest release?
> >> >
> >> > Bill
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > =====================================================================
> >> > My notes from Fri Dec-23-2005:
> >> >
> >> > This is a list of gripes I have while trying to learn about PythonCard.
> >> > I'm trying to investigate various GUI builders for Python, and
> >> > PythonCard looks promising, but a lot of things are getting in the way.
> >> >
> >> > I installed yesterday, using this installer:
> >> > PythonCard-0.8.1.FIXED.win32.exe
> >> >
> >> > A)  The very first example in the tutorial is wrong!
> >> >
> >> > 	On this page:  http://pythoncard.sourceforge.net/documentation.html
> >> > 	When you follow this link to try something for the very first time:
> >> >
> >> > 		Getting Started in PythonCard by Dan Shafer:
> >> > 			http://pythoncard.sourceforge.net/walkthrough1.html
> >> >
> >> > 	You quickly see that the minimal.py example doesn't even contain
> >> > this line, even though the tutorial refers to it:
> >> >
> >>
> >> I am not sure which one you are referring to but in the
> >> PythonCard\samples\minimal, you will find a minimal.py that says:
> >>
> >> #!/usr/bin/python
> >>
> >> """
> >> __version__ = "$Revision: 1.8 $"
> >> __date__ = "$Date: 2005/12/17 15:20:02 $"
> >> """
> >>
> >> from PythonCard import model
> >>
> >>
> >> class Minimal(model.Background):
> >>     def on_menuFileAbout_select(self, event):
> >>         pass
> >>
> >> if __name__ == '__main__':
> >>     app = model.Application(Minimal)
> >>     app.MainLoop()
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> > 		def on_menuFileAbout_select(self, event):
> >> >
> >> > 	And, of course, if you replace the word "pass" with this, as
> >> > instructed:
> >> >
> >> > 		result = dialog.alertDialog(self, 'It works!', 'Showing Off')
> >> >
> >> > 	it won't run, because the existing "pass" line isn't inside a def
> >> > inside of a class.
> >> >
> >>
> >> No, it didn't work because the author forgot to mention that you have
> >> to do a:
> >>
> >> from PythonCard import model, dialog
> >>
> >> instead of just:
> >>
> >> from PythonCard import model
> >>
> >> I just tried it and it works.
> >>
> >> >
> >> > B)  Is the Notebook widget really supported?
> >> >
> >> > 	In the installed file "changelog.txt" (gets installed as part of
> >> > PythonCard installation), it says:
> >> >
> >> > 		"added Notebook component, PageBackground, and testNotebook
> >> >  		sample"
> >> >
> >> > 	But, the testNotebook sample is nowhere to be found.
> >> >
> >>
> >> I haven't come across a need to use Notebook and so I can not say for
> >> sure.  Looking at notebook.py, it appears to be just a simple wrapper
> >> on top of the wxWindow notebook.  I would encourage you to post a
> >> message to the mailing list and ask there.
> >>
> >>
> >> > 	I looked lots of places, including the main SourceForge web site,
> >> > and on the wiki, here:
> >> >
> >> > 		http://wiki.wxpython.org/index.cgi/PythonCard
> >> >
> >> > 	Both the main website and the wiki seem way out of date, and the
> >> > latest dates I could find on both of them are sometime in 2004.
> >> >
> >>
> >> Yes, sometime around 2004, the website updating stopped.   Fortunately,
> >> development didn't.  There are quite a number of new things since then:
> >> new resource editor (now call layout Editor, standalone exe creator,
> >> and so forth).  I even learn that a new sizer handler is in the work.
> >>
> >> Not saying that there are 10 programmers working 7/24 on it.  It *is*
> >> an Open Source project nevertheless.   Nobody gets paid for doing it.
> >>  But there are development work going on.
> >>
> >>
> >> > 	Finally, by following the mailing list archive link on the main
> >> > website, I managed to find a reference to the notebook component on the
> >> > ASPN site, where some guy named Brian wonders about the same thing as
> >> > me, concerning the availability of the notebook component:
> >> >
> >> > 		http://aspn.activestate.com/ASPN/Mail/Message/pythoncard/2536825
> >> >
> >> > 	and, that message led me here:
> >> >
> >> > 		http://article.gmane.org/gmane.comp.python.pythoncard/1060
> >> >
> >> > 	where Kevin Altis admits that he forgot to include it in the 0.8.1
> >> > release!  At least he provides a way to download it separately.  But,
> >> > gheesh, this is pretty poor for a new user.  I was interested in using
> >> > the notebook component right away, because I looked at the wxGlade
> >> > tutorial before looking at PythonPage, and they use the notebook
> >> > component in their example (and I decided I really want to use the
> >> > component).
> >> >
> >> > 	To add insult to injury, after you download the zip file with the
> >> > testNotebook stuff, the readme file says this:
> >> >
> >> > 		"Until we have a Notebook integrated into some of the other
> >> > samples or tools this will serve as a basic test app, but I don't expect
> >> > to include it in releases."
> >> >
> >>
> >>
> >> As with all Open Source projects, your mileage differs.   PythonCard
> >> does what *I* need to get done - and allowed me to get it done in a
> >> *hurry*.  May be you really need Notebook and may be it's true that
> >> Notebook really doesn't work, I don't know.   But if you managed to get
> >> it working, write it up and get it included.  That's what Open Source
> >> Projects are all about.
> >>
> >>
> >> > C)  Are the websites being maintained?
> >>
> >>
> >> It appears that the maintainer of the web site stopped updating it
> >> since late 2004.  I don't know why.   May be he's been busy.  May be he
> >> got mad.  I don't know.   All I know is that I have been very
> >> productive with what I need to get done (and earned a happy living with
> >> the code I created) and I am very grateful to the people that worked on
> >> it - past and present.
> >>
> >> I am not a "professional programmer" and so I probably can't contribute
> >> to the development effort itself.   However, I've gotten pretty good in
> >> using most of the package (other then Notebook, I admit).  So, if you
> >> have any specific questions, please post it to the PythonCard list and
> >> I'll try to help if I can.
> >> 
> >> Cheers.