Tkinter and Tile

[Eric Brunel]

On Mon, 12 Feb 2007 09:24:20 +0100, Ben Finney <ben at benfinney.id.au> wrote:
> Howdy all,
>
> Python programmers looking for a built-in GUI toolkit are told two
> things: one, Python already comes with a GUI toolkit, and two, it
> looks equally ugly on all platforms. This is because the Tk widget
> library, that Tkinter uses, defaults to looking like Motif, which
> hasn't been the default widget set of *anything* for a long time.
>
> The Tk folks are apparently getting their act together. Tile is a
> "theming engine" for Tk with widgets that look and act native::
>
>     <URL:http://tktable.sourceforge.net/tile/>
>
> Tile is included with Tcl/Tk 8.5 and Tcl developers, at least, are
> encouraged to migrate to using it::
>
>     <URL:http://wiki.tcl.tk/11075>
>
> What effect will this have on Python's Tkinter? Is it possible we can
> soon expect that the long-time, but much-neglected, built-in GUI
> module for Python can take advantage of this and provide widgets that
> look and act like the native GUI on Unix, Windows and MacOS?

FYI, changes done in tcl/tk are usually quite rapidly integrated in  
Tkinter. For example, for the "panedwindow" widget, introduced in tk8.4  
(first version out in the end of 2002), a Tkinter wrapper was available in  
Python 2.3 (first version out mid-2003). So I don't doubt that the Tile  
extension package will be integrated in Tkinter, as soon as it is  
available in an official tcl/tk release.

Note also that there is already an "unofficial" Tkinter wrappers set for  
the Tile widgets, done by Kevin Walzer. See:
https://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=165637
(package tkinter-wrapper)

I personnally will surely use this package. Not only does it provide a  
native and more pleasing to the eye appearence, but it also finally  
provides widgets that are quite standard nowadays (notebook, combo-box,  
tree widget, ...), but that weren't available before in tk without an  
extension package.

HTH
-- 
python -c "print ''.join([chr(154 - ord(c)) for c in  
'U(17zX(%,5.zmz5(17l8(%,5.Z*(93-965$l7+-'])"