wx Basics¶
Concept¶
wxPython is a Wrapper around the wxWidgets GUI library, which is written in C++.
- You may want to visit these pages for more information:
- The wxPython home page: https://wxpython.org/
- An overview including a Hello World application example: https://wxpython.org/pages/overview/
- A more comprehensive Getting Started guide: https://wiki.wxpython.org/Getting%20Started
- The wxWidgets home page: https://www.wxwidgets.org/
The wxGlade documentation is intended to be readable without previous wx knowledge. It will teach you how to create windows, handle events and how to integrate with your ‘business logic’ code. Sooner or later you will have to look into the wx documentation, though.
Sizers (Layout Managers)¶
- With wxWidgets/wxPython and similar toolkits, usually controls are not placed at pixel positions on their windows, but the layout of a window is managed by sizers.
- There are horizontal box sizers, vertical box sizers and grid sizers.
- The box sizers may have a label and a box around them. In that case they’re called static box sizers.
- Each sizer and contained sizer items can be fixed size or grow to fill the available space, e.g. when the window is resized.
Sizer Examples¶
Example application: Calculator window¶
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This window is managed by one vertical box sizer with six slots for the five rows, plus a horizontal line and five horizontal box sizers for the horizontally arranged controls they contain (e.g. one label and one button):
Later we’ll have a look at alternative structures which allow better alignment of the fields.
Note
- For your own projects, always use the simplest available sizers. Usually you will need mainly box sizers and maybe one or two FlexGridSizers.
- Use nested sizers to match the hierarchical / logical structure of your project. This will make it easy to re-arrange things to find the best user interface.
- Never ever try to use a GridBagSizer as main sizer of a window trying to resemble pixel placement or Tkinter’s grid geometry manager. This is a mess to create and maintain. Actually, a GridBagSizer is almost never needed.
wxGlade Requirements and Restrictions¶
The user interface and internal data structures of wxGlade impose some restrictions on the structure of a window. A frame or panel cannnot have a widget as direct child. They always need a toplevel sizer first. So don’t be surprised to see constructions like these:
- frame -> sizer with single slot -> panel -> sizer ….
- frame -> sizer with single slot -> notebook -> …
On the other hand, a notebook or a splitter can have widgets as direct children.