Windows GUIs from Python

**Thomas Bartkus** · Jul 18 '05, 08:07 PM

Re: Windows GUIs from Python

"Bob Swerdlow" <swerdlow@maine .rr.com> wrote in message
news:x3TEd.1343 87$Uf.15318@twi ster.nyroc.rr.c om...[color=blue]
> Anyone have opinions about whether we will be better off using PythonNet[/color]
or[color=blue]
> wxPython for the GUI layer of our application on Windows? Our code is all
> Python and is now running on Mac OS X with PyObjC and Cocoa, which works
> very well. Our goal is not necessarily to move to a cross-platform
> solution, but rather to create a solid Windows version that looks and[/color]
feels[color=blue]
> like a native application. All the code that interacts with the user is
> factored out of our business logic, so it is a matter of find a good
> view/controller library and writing a thin glue layer. And, of course, we
> want to build it as efficiently and robustly as we can.[/color]

Everyone has opinions :-)

I have settled on wxPython principally because of
1) Linux/Gnome <-> MS Windows portablility of the code.
2) The fact that wxPython follows the look and feel of whatever window
themes might be installed in Linux/Gnome or MS Windows.
3) Apps so written have that native "look and feel" and fit right in.

Thomas Bartkus

**Doug Holton** · Jul 18 '05, 08:08 PM

Re: Windows GUIs from Python

Bob Swerdlow wrote:
[color=blue]
> Anyone have opinions about whether we will be better off using PythonNet or
> wxPython for the GUI layer of our application on Windows? Our code is all
> Python and is now running on Mac OS X with PyObjC and Cocoa, which works
> very well. Our goal is not necessarily to move to a cross-platform
> solution, but rather to create a solid Windows version that looks and feels
> like a native application. All the code that interacts with the user is
> factored out of our business logic, so it is a matter of find a good
> view/controller library and writing a thin glue layer. And, of course, we
> want to build it as efficiently and robustly as we can.[/color]

I would also recommend wxPython. It runs on Macs, too, so you can at
least see how it compares to your PyObjC interface and keep primarily
developing on your Mac.
You might also be interested in PyGUI although it doesn't have a native
Windows implementation yet:

http://nz.cosc.canterbury.ac.nz/~greg/python_gui/

**Luke Skywalker** · Jul 18 '05, 08:08 PM

Re: Windows GUIs from Python

On Tue, 11 Jan 2005 12:55:42 -0600, Doug Holton <a@b.c> wrote:[color=blue]
>You might also be interested in PyGUI although it doesn't have a native
>Windows implementation yet:
>http://nz.cosc.canterbury.ac.nz/~greg/python_gui/[/color]

Generally speaking, appart from MFC-style programming with Python32,
what are the non-alpha alternatives to write purely Windows apps in
Python today, ie. without the weight of extra bagage like wxWidgets?

I'm not looking at fancy options, since the apps I write would be fine
with just the core Windows widgets along with a few add-ons like a
grid and the extended Win95 widgets.

Thx
Luke.

**Thomas Heller** · Jul 18 '05, 08:08 PM

Re: Windows GUIs from Python

Luke Skywalker <luke@tatooine. planet> writes:
[color=blue]
> On Tue, 11 Jan 2005 12:55:42 -0600, Doug Holton <a@b.c> wrote:[color=green]
>>You might also be interested in PyGUI although it doesn't have a native
>>Windows implementation yet:
>>http://nz.cosc.canterbury.ac.nz/~greg/python_gui/[/color]
>
> Generally speaking, appart from MFC-style programming with Python32,
> what are the non-alpha alternatives to write purely Windows apps in
> Python today, ie. without the weight of extra bagage like wxWidgets?
>
> I'm not looking at fancy options, since the apps I write would be fine
> with just the core Windows widgets along with a few add-ons like a
> grid and the extended Win95 widgets.[/color]

Well, venster. Although it is most certainly alpha. But with some
work...

Thomas

**Luke Skywalker** · Jul 18 '05, 08:08 PM

Re: Windows GUIs from Python

On Tue, 11 Jan 2005 22:15:36 +0100, Thomas Heller <theller@python .net>
wrote:[color=blue]
>Well, venster. Although it is most certainly alpha. But with some
>work...[/color]

Thx, I'll keep an eye on it.

http://venster.sourceforge.net/

Luke.

**Jon Perez** · Jul 18 '05, 08:09 PM

Re: Windows GUIs from Python

Wow, Venster looks cool and to think I've never
heard of it before. I knew following this
newsgroup would pay off one day...

Luke Skywalker wrote:[color=blue]
> On Tue, 11 Jan 2005 22:15:36 +0100, Thomas Heller <theller@python .net>
> wrote:
>[color=green]
>>Well, venster. Although it is most certainly alpha. But with some
>>work...[/color]
>
>
> Thx, I'll keep an eye on it.
>
> http://venster.sourceforge.net/
>
> Luke.[/color]

**Jon Perez** · Jul 18 '05, 08:09 PM

Re: Windows GUIs from Python

Still, what I think would appeal to a lot of people
(although they might not know it yet) as a GUI solution
for Python is Mozilla XUL with all the RDF and XPCOM
crap surgically removed from it.

If you've ever tried a couple of basic XUL tutorials, I
think you would be convinced that XUL is an even better
way to develop GUIs than visual RAD tools.

After years of doing web apps, I feel the DHTML/DOM
approach as applied to GUI creation is superior in terms
of learning curve, productivity and ease of code maintenance
to imperative language, event-driven, IDE-coupled frameworks
like Delphi, Windows Forms or Swing... except for the fact
that the HTML widgets (if you could even call them that) are
very primitive.

XUL essentially gives you full fledged GUI widgets and
allows you to script them from Javascript the same way
you script HTML elements via DOM or DHTML (very easily,
in other words). Now, imagine being able to use Python
instead of Javascript... sounds like a match made in
heaven to me.

Unfortunately, the Mozilla developers are too enamoured
with Javascript and RDF and XPCOM to realize that
XUL (which is really shaping up beautifully if you look
at Firefox and Thunderbird) is the real star in their
stable and many people would like to use it without being
forced to deal with the other complicated, overengineered
technologies surrounding it.

Windows GUIs from Python

Windows GUIs from Python

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