[Pythonmac-SIG] Python RAD tools

[bill fancher]

On Sunday, January 13, 2002, at 05:27  AM, Adam Eijdenberg wrote:

> But my question is, would a tool like this be welcomed? Is it a 
> duplication of existing effort or could it find a niche? What do you 
> all think?

I believe such a tool would be welcomed. Whether it's a duplication of 
effort is debatable...

I have an OSA component for Python that enables Python scripting in 
Script Editor and other OSA compliant applications. After a few tweaks, 
it can now be used to create Python applications in AppleScript Studio.

Here's the complete script for a very simple calendar application with a 
text entry field, a button, and a text display field:

from calendar import calendar

def will_finish_launching():
	showYear()

def action(theObject):
	showYear()

def clicked(theObject):
	showYear()

def showYear():
	w = app().window['main']
	year = w.text_field['dateEntry'].contents
	w.scroll_view['display'].text_view['calendar'].contents = 
calendar(year)

The application comes up displaying a calendar for 2002 (in blue text). 
Entering a different year in the text entry field and hitting return or 
pressing the button puts the appropriate calendar in the calendar 
display field. The application has all the features you'd expect with a 
Cocoa app: field validation, copy/paste, a scrolling resizable window, 
working "Hide" and "Minimize" menu items, an "About Calendar" dialog, 
services, etc.

The interface is constructed and linked to the Python handlers in 
Interface Builder. All AppleScriptKit interface objects are supported. 
Script editing and application building are done with Project Builder. 
During compilation, syntax errors are reported by Project Builder and 
clicking the error report selects the correct line in the script. 
Debugging (single step, breakpoints, variable display, etc.) is not yet 
working, but runtime errors are reported in a dialog giving the error 
message and line number.

One advantage of this approach is that you can write part or all of your 
application in C, OjbC, C++, or Java, making it easy to progress from a 
scripted prototype to a fully optimized application with only minor 
changes in IB. I reimplemented the ASS Outline example in Python with NO 
changes in IB.

It's far from a finished solution, and, as it stands, it's not ready for 
production use: it requires hacking a ProjectBuilderJambase rule that's 
hard coded for AppleScript, PB will muck with your script files in 
various annoying ways, and you can't mix Python and AppleScript in the 
same application. But it's a start.

I'll be sending this latest version of OSA Python (1.0a5) to testers 
shortly. (Anyone else interested in helping out should contact me off 
list.)

Apple has hinted that future versions of PB/IB will fully support OSA 
languages other than AppleScript. I'm hoping they deliver and looking at 
alternatives in the meanwhile.

Let a thousand flowers bloom...

--
bill