wxPython/docs/wxPackage.html

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   7 <title>The wxPython wx Package</title>
   8 <meta name="author" content="Patrick K. O'Brien" />
   9 <meta name="author" content="Robin Dunn" />
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  11 <meta name="date" content="2003-07-02" />
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  15 <div class="document" id="the-wxpython-wx-package">
  16 <h1 class="title">The wxPython wx Package</h1>
  17 <h2 class="subtitle" id="or-how-to-survive-the-new-wx-namespace-changes">Or, how to survive the new wx namespace changes.</h2>
  18 <table class="docinfo" frame="void" rules="none">
  19 <col class="docinfo-name" />
  20 <col class="docinfo-content" />
  21 <tbody valign="top">
  22 <tr><th class="docinfo-name">Author:</th>
  23 <td>Patrick K. O'Brien</td></tr>
  24 <tr><th class="docinfo-name">Author:</th>
  25 <td>Robin Dunn</td></tr>
  26 <tr><th class="docinfo-name">Contact:</th>
  27 <td><a class="first last reference" href="mailto:pobrien&#64;orbtech.com">pobrien&#64;orbtech.com</a></td></tr>
  28 <tr><th class="docinfo-name">Organization:</th>
  29 <td><a class="first last reference" href="http://www.orbtech.com/">Orbtech</a></td></tr>
  30 <tr><th class="docinfo-name">Date:</th>
  31 <td>2003-07-02</td></tr>
  32 <tr><th class="docinfo-name">Revision:</th>
  33 <td>1.2</td></tr>
  34 </tbody>
  35 </table>
  36 <div class="contents topic" id="contents">
  37 <p class="topic-title"><a name="contents">Contents</a></p>
  38 <ul class="simple">
  39 <li><a class="reference" href="#introduction" id="id2" name="id2">Introduction</a></li>
  40 <li><a class="reference" href="#why-change-anything" id="id3" name="id3">Why change anything?</a></li>
  41 <li><a class="reference" href="#what-does-the-new-wx-package-do" id="id4" name="id4">What does the new wx package do?</a></li>
  42 <li><a class="reference" href="#will-any-of-this-effect-my-existing-code" id="id5" name="id5">Will any of this effect my existing code?</a></li>
  43 <li><a class="reference" href="#what-about-all-the-other-modules-like-grid-html-and-stc" id="id6" name="id6">What about all the other modules, like grid, html, and stc?</a></li>
  44 <li><a class="reference" href="#how-do-i-use-this-new-wx-package" id="id7" name="id7">How do I use this new wx package?</a></li>
  45 <li><a class="reference" href="#what-are-the-issues-with-converting-old-code-to-use-the-new-wx-package" id="id8" name="id8">What are the issues with converting old code to use the new wx package?</a></li>
  46 <li><a class="reference" href="#where-can-i-find-example-programs-using-the-new-wx-syntax" id="id9" name="id9">Where can I find example programs using the new wx syntax?</a></li>
  47 </ul>
  48 </div>
  49 <div class="section" id="introduction">
  50 <h1><a class="toc-backref" href="#id2" name="introduction">Introduction</a></h1>
  51 <p>In the begining there was Python, and Python had modules, and Python
  52 was good.  But after a time Guido looked on Python and saw that Python
  53 needed organizational assistance, and so Guido took code from Python's
  54 side and created Packages and then Python was very good.  About this
  55 time wxPython was reborn, and wxPython used Packages, but being young
  56 and trying to use a new technology wxPython did not know how to use
  57 Packages effectivly.  wxPython was good, but dreamed of being much
  58 better...</p>
  59 <p>Now many years later, after tons of code reorganization and build
  60 hacking wxPython has reached that goal.  In version 2.4.1 a prototype
  61 of this new structure was introduced that dynamically built at import
  62 time a new toplevel package named simply &quot;wx&quot; that contained all the
  63 items from wxPython.wx but with the names edited to remove the wx
  64 prefix.  Now in 2.5 the final phase of that switcheroo has been
  65 completed and the <em>real</em> classes, functions and constants are now
  66 located in the wx package, leaving some compatibility modules in
  67 wxPython.wx.  This document should answer all the questions you might
  68 have concerning the new wx package.  Please also take a look at the
  69 <a class="reference" href="MigrationGuide.html">2.5 Migration Guide</a> to see notes about other big differences in
  70 this release.</p>
  71 </div>
  72 <div class="section" id="why-change-anything">
  73 <h1><a class="toc-backref" href="#id3" name="why-change-anything">Why change anything?</a></h1>
  74 <p>This change is being made for a couple of reasons.  The first reason
  75 is to discourage the use of <tt class="literal"><span class="pre">import</span> <span class="pre">*</span></tt>, which is a dangerous
  76 technique that can create name conflicts and bloated namespaces.</p>
  77 <p>The second reason is to remove what some perceive to be a &quot;wart.&quot;  For
  78 example, the following code is rather ugly in that the &quot;wx&quot; prefix on
  79 the wxFrame class name is no longer useful when you're using the wx
  80 module prefix:</p>
  81 <pre class="literal-block">
  82 from wxPython import wx
  83
  84 class Frame(wx.wxFrame)
  85 </pre>
  86 <p>The new wx package allows you to write code like this, instead:</p>
  87 <pre class="literal-block">
  88 import wx
  89
  90 class Frame(wx.Frame)
  91 </pre>
  92 <p>The third reason is that the wxWindows project has considered doing
  93 the same thing (implement a new wx namespace and drop the &quot;wx&quot; prefix)
  94 and we want wxPython to lead the way.</p>
  95 </div>
  96 <div class="section" id="what-does-the-new-wx-package-do">
  97 <h1><a class="toc-backref" href="#id4" name="what-does-the-new-wx-package-do">What does the new wx package do?</a></h1>
  98 <p>As mentioned in the Introduction, wxPython 2.4.1 introduced a way of
  99 getting to this new syntax as quickly as possible.  It would import
 100 the old names (like &quot;wxFrame&quot;) from the old package and then create new
 101 names in the wx package  without the wx prefix, (like &quot;Frame&quot;.)
 102 Starting with wxPython 2.5 the renaming is moved up to the wxPython
 103 build step, so the real classes and etc. are actually named with the
 104 new name (like &quot;Frame&quot;) and are located in the new wx package.</p>
 105 <p>For compatibility the old wxPython package still exists, but now it is
 106 populated with modules that simply import the new names and then
 107 &quot;reverse-renames&quot; them to the old names.  It probably sounds a bit
 108 complicated, but it is mostly automated and so it  doesn't cause
 109 problems in most cases.</p>
 110 </div>
 111 <div class="section" id="will-any-of-this-effect-my-existing-code">
 112 <h1><a class="toc-backref" href="#id5" name="will-any-of-this-effect-my-existing-code">Will any of this effect my existing code?</a></h1>
 113 <p>No.  Your existing code will continue to work and be supported for
 114 some time.  It will be up to you to decide when to switch to the new
 115 syntax.  But all new documentation and code examples will use the new
 116 syntax.  So don't wait too long.  You wouldn't want anyone calling you
 117 old-fashioned, would you?</p>
 118 <p>When you import from wxPython.wx and use a class with the old name,
 119 such as wxButton, you are actually using the wx.Button class.  I
 120 expect that the vast majority of the existing code should work fine
 121 using this scheme.  The only things that may cause problems is if your
 122 old code is depending on some of the implemtation details, or if you
 123 are using other things that have changed in the API.  See the
 124 <a class="reference" href="MigrationGuide.html">Migration Guide</a> for more details.</p>
 125 </div>
 126 <div class="section" id="what-about-all-the-other-modules-like-grid-html-and-stc">
 127 <h1><a class="toc-backref" href="#id6" name="what-about-all-the-other-modules-like-grid-html-and-stc">What about all the other modules, like grid, html, and stc?</a></h1>
 128 <p>There's more to the old wxPython than just the wxPython.wx module.
 129 And we've got those extra modules covered as well.  Each of those
 130 modules (as well as the lib subpackage) has been moved to the new wx
 131 package and reverse-renamers have been placed in the wxPython package
 132 as needed.</p>
 133 </div>
 134 <div class="section" id="how-do-i-use-this-new-wx-package">
 135 <h1><a class="toc-backref" href="#id7" name="how-do-i-use-this-new-wx-package">How do I use this new wx package?</a></h1>
 136 <p>The wx package is automatically created when you install wxPython
 137 version 2.4.1 or higher.  So all you have to do is:</p>
 138 <pre class="literal-block">
 139 import wx
 140 </pre>
 141 </div>
 142 <div class="section" id="what-are-the-issues-with-converting-old-code-to-use-the-new-wx-package">
 143 <h1><a class="toc-backref" href="#id8" name="what-are-the-issues-with-converting-old-code-to-use-the-new-wx-package">What are the issues with converting old code to use the new wx package?</a></h1>
 144 <p>Obviously, you need to change your import statements from:</p>
 145 <pre class="literal-block">
 146 from wxPython import wx
 147 </pre>
 148 <p>or:</p>
 149 <pre class="literal-block">
 150 from wxPython.wx import *
 151 </pre>
 152 <p>to:</p>
 153 <pre class="literal-block">
 154 import wx
 155 </pre>
 156 <p>Then you need to refer to wx attributes without a &quot;wx&quot; prefix, such
 157 as:</p>
 158 <pre class="literal-block">
 159 class MyFrame(wx.Frame):
 160 </pre>
 161 <p>In most cases, existing code can be modified with a simple search and
 162 replace.</p>
 163 </div>
 164 <div class="section" id="where-can-i-find-example-programs-using-the-new-wx-syntax">
 165 <h1><a class="toc-backref" href="#id9" name="where-can-i-find-example-programs-using-the-new-wx-syntax">Where can I find example programs using the new wx syntax?</a></h1>
 166 <p>Example programs are included in the wxPython/samples/wx_examples
 167 directory, and are documented in the <a class="reference" href="wxPythonExamples.html">wxPythonExamples</a> documentation
 168 file.  Also, all the code in the py package uses the new wx syntax.
 169 You can learn more about these in the <a class="reference" href="PyManual.html">PyManual</a>.</p>
 170 </div>
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