[Tutor] Developing a GUI application

[Kent Johnson]

Terry Carroll wrote:
> I'm pretty much just a dabbler in Python.
> 
> Up to now I've mostly been doing line-oriented programs, but I have a 
> small app I want to write that I think would be a good candidate to write 
> as a GUI-based app.
> 
> I'd like advice from the more seasoned programmers here: how do you 
> approach a GUI-based app?  
> 
> I figure one way to do it is to write the nuts and bolts of it using plain
> old line oriented techniques; and then write the GUI, calling the
> functions already written.
> 
> The other way would be to write a GUI shell with all the controls, but 
> calling dummy functions; then write the functions to do the tasks.
> 
> What's the general wisdom here?

I usually alternate between writing the functional code and hooking it 
up to a GUI. I will write a bit of code that does something useful and 
write unit tests for it so I am confident that it works. Then I will 
write the GUI to drive that bit of function and test that (by hand, 
usually). Repeat as needed.

Kent