utils/wxPython/README.txt

   1 wxPython README
   2 ---------------
   3
   4 Welcome to the wonderful world of wxPython!
   5
   6 Once you have installed the wxPython extension module, you can try it
   7 out by going to the [install dir]\wxPython\demo directory and typing:
   8
   9     python demo.py
  10
  11 There are also some other sample files there for you to play with and
  12 learn from.
  13
  14 If you selected to install the documentation then point your browser
  15 to [install dir]\wxPython\docs\index.htm and you will then be looking
  16 at the docs for wxWindows.  For the most part you can use the C++ docs
  17 as most classes and methods are used identically.  Where there are
  18 differences they are documented with a "wxPython Note."
  19
  20 On Win32 systems the binary self-installer creates a program group on
  21 the Start Menu that contains a link to running the demo and a link to
  22 the help file.  To help you save disk space I'm now using Microsoft's
  23 HTML Help format.  If your system doesn't know what to do with the help
  24 file, you can install the HTML Help Viewer as part of IE 4+, NT
  25 Service Pack 4+, or the HTML Workshop at
  26
  27 http://msdn.microsoft.com/workshop/author/htmlhelp/download.asp.
  28
  29
  30
  31 Getting Help
  32 ------------
  33
  34 Since wxPython is a blending of multiple technologies, help comes from
  35 multiple sources.  See the http://alldunn.com/wxPython for details on
  36 various sources of help, but probably the best source is the
  37 wxPython-users mail list.  You can view the archive or subscribe by
  38 going to
  39
  40        http://starship.python.net/mailman/listinfo/wxpython-users
  41
  42 Or you can send mail directly to the list using this address:
  43
  44        wxpython-users@starship.python.net
  45
  46 ----------------------------------------------------------------------
  47
  48 What's new in 2.1b4
  49 --------------------
  50
  51 Much more support for event-less callbacks and add-on modules
  52
  53 Created add-on module with wxOGL classes.
  54
  55
  56
  57 What's new in 2.1b3
  58 --------------------
  59
  60 This release is syncronized with release 2.1 snapshot 9 of wxWindows.
  61
  62 Switched to using SWIG from CVS (see http://swig.cs.uchicago.edu/cvs.html)
  63 for some of the new features and such.  Also they have encorporated my
  64 patches so there is really no reason to stick with the current (very
  65 old) release...  This version of SWIG gives the following new
  66 features:
  67
  68     1. Keyword arguments.  You no longer have to specify all the
  69        parameters with defaults to a method just to specify a
  70        non-default value on the end.  You can now do this instead:
  71
  72           win = wxWindow(parent, -1, style = mystyle)
  73
  74     2. There is now an an equivalence between Python's None and C++'s
  75        NULL.  This means that any methods that might return NULL will
  76        now return None and you can use none where wxWindows might be
  77        expecting NULL.  This makes things much more snake-ish.
  78
  79
  80 There is a new build system based on a new Python program instead of
  81 raw makefiles.  Now wxPython builds are virtually the same on MSW or
  82 Unix systems.  See the end of this file for new build instructions and
  83 see distrib/build.py for more details.
  84
  85 wxDC.Bilt now includes the useMask parameter, and has been split into
  86 two different versions.  wxDC.BlitXY is like what was there before and
  87 takes raw coordinants and sizes, and the new wxDC.Blit is for the new
  88 interface using wxPoints and a wxSize.
  89
  90
  91
  92
  93
  94 What's new in 2.1b2
  95 --------------------
  96
  97 Added the missing wxWindow.GetUpdateRegion() method.
  98
  99 Made a new change in SWIG (update your patches everybody) that
 100 provides a fix for global shadow objects that get an exception in
 101 their __del__ when their extension module has already been deleted.
 102 It was only a 1 line change in .../SWIG/Modules/pycpp.cxx at about
 103 line 496 if you want to do it by hand.
 104
 105 It is now possible to run through MainLoop more than once in any one
 106 process.  The cleanup that used to happen as MainLoop completed (and
 107 prevented it from running again) has been delayed until the wxc module
 108 is being unloaded by Python.
 109
 110 I fixed a bunch of stuff in the C++ version of wxGrid so it wouldn't
 111 make wxPython look bad.
 112
 113 wxWindow.PopupMenu() now takes a wxPoint instead of  x,y.  Added
 114 wxWindow.PopupMenuXY to be consistent with some other methods.
 115
 116 Added wxGrid.SetEditInPlace and wxGrid.GetEditInPlace.
 117
 118 You can now provide your own app.MainLoop method.  See
 119 wxPython/demo/demoMainLoop.py for an example and some explaination.
 120
 121 Got the in-place-edit for the wxTreeCtrl fixed and added some demo
 122 code to show how to use it.
 123
 124 Put the wxIcon constructor back in for GTK as it now has one that
 125 matches MSW's.
 126
 127 Added wxGrid.GetCells
 128
 129 Added wxSystemSettings static methods as functions with names like
 130 wxSystemSettings_GetSystemColour.
 131
 132 Removed wxPyMenu since using menu callbacks have been depreciated in
 133 wxWindows.  Use wxMenu and events instead.
 134
 135 Added alternate wxBitmap constructor (for MSW only) as
 136       wxBitmapFromData(data, type, width, height, depth = 1)
 137
 138 Added a helper function named wxPyTypeCast that can convert shadow
 139 objects of one type into shadow objects of another type.  (Like doing
 140 a down-cast.)  See the implementation in wx.py for some docs.
 141
 142 Fixed wxImage GetData and SetData to properly use String objects for
 143 data transfer.
 144
 145 Added access methods to wxGridEvent.
 146
 147 New Makefile/Setup files supporting multiple dynamic extension modules
 148 for unix systems.
 149
 150 Fixes for the wxGLCanvas demo to work around a strange bug in gtk.
 151
 152 SWIG support routines now compiled separately instead of being bundled
 153 in wx.cpp.
 154
 155
 156
 157
 158
 159 What's new in 2.1b1
 160 --------------------
 161 Fixed wxComboBox.SetSelection so that it actually sets the selected
 162 item.  (Actually just removed it from wxPython and let it default to
 163 wxChoice.SetSelection which was already doing the right thing.)
 164
 165 Added the Printing Framework.
 166
 167 Switched back to using the wxWindows DLL for the pre-built Win32
 168 version.  The problem was needing to reinitialize static class info
 169 data after loading each extension module.
 170
 171 Lots of little tweaks and additions to reflect changes to various
 172 wxWindows classes.
 173
 174 Fixed a bug with attaching objects to tree items.  Actually was a
 175 symptom of a larger problem with not obtaining the interpreter lock
 176 when doing any Py_DECREFs.
 177
 178 wxSizer and friends.  Sizers are layout tools that manage a colection
 179 of windows and sizers.  Different types of sizers apply different
 180 types of layout algorithms.  You saw it here first!  These classes are
 181 not even in the wxWindows C++ library yet!
 182
 183
 184
 185 What's new in 2.0b9
 186 -------------------
 187 Bug fix for ListCtrl in test4.py (Was a missing file...  DSM!)
 188
 189 Bug fix for occassional GPF on Win32 systems upon termination of a
 190 wxPython application.
 191
 192 Added wxListBox.GetSelections returning selections as a Tuple.
 193
 194 Added a wxTreeItemData that is able to hold any Python object and be
 195 associated with items in a wxTreeCtrl.  Added test pytree.py to show
 196 this feature off.
 197
 198 Added wxSafeYield function.
 199
 200 OpenGL Canvas can be optionally compiled in to wxPython.
 201
 202 Awesome new Demo Framework for showing off wxPython and for learning
 203 how it all works.
 204
 205 The pre-built Win32 version is no longer distributing the wxWindows
 206 DLL.  It is statically linked with the wxWindows library instead.
 207
 208 Added a couple missing items from the docs.
 209
 210 Added wxImage, wxImageHandler, wxPNGHandler, wxJPEGHandler,
 211 wxGIFHandler and wxBMPHandler.
 212
 213 Added new methods to wxTextCtrl.
 214
 215 Fixed some problems with how SWIG was wrapping some wxTreeCtrl
 216 methods.
 217
 218
 219
 220 What's new in 2.0b8
 221 -------------------
 222 Support for using Python threads in wxPython apps.
 223
 224 Several missing methods from various classes.
 225
 226 Various bug fixes.
 227
 228
 229
 230 What's new in 2.0b7
 231 -------------------
 232 Added DLG_PNT and DLG_SZE convienience methods to wxWindow class.
 233
 234 Added missing constructor and other methods for wxMenuItem.
 235
 236
 237
 238 What's new in 2.0b6
 239 -------------------
 240 Just a quickie update to fix the self-installer to be compatible with
 241 Python 1.5.2b2's Registry settings.
 242
 243
 244 What's new in 2.0b5
 245 -------------------
 246 Well obviously the numbering scheme has changed.  I did this to
 247 reflect the fact that this truly is the second major revision of
 248 wxPython, (well the third actually if you count the one I did for
 249 wxWindows 1.68 and then threw away...) and also that it is associated
 250 with the 2.0 version of wxWindows.
 251
 252 I have finally started documenting wxPython.  There are several pages
 253 in the wxWindows documentation tree specifically about wxPython, and I
 254 have added notes within the class references about where and how wxPython
 255 diverges from wxWindows.
 256
 257 Added wxWindow_FromHWND(hWnd) for wxMSW to construct a wxWindow from a
 258 window handle.  If you can get the window handle into the python code,
 259 it should just work...  More news on this later.
 260
 261 Added wxImageList, wxToolTip.
 262
 263 Re-enabled wxConfig.DeleteAll() since it is reportedly fixed for the
 264 wxRegConfig class.
 265
 266 As usual, some bug fixes, tweaks, etc.
 267
 268
 269
 270 What's new in 0.5.3
 271 -------------------
 272 Added wxSashWindow, wxSashEvent, wxLayoutAlgorithm, etc.
 273
 274 Various cleanup, tweaks, minor additions, etc. to maintain
 275 compatibility with the current wxWindows.
 276
 277
 278
 279 What's new in 0.5.0
 280 -------------------
 281 Changed the import semantics from "from wxPython import *" to "from
 282 wxPython.wx import *"  This is for people who are worried about
 283 namespace pollution, they can use "from wxPython import wx" and then
 284 prefix all the wxPython identifiers with "wx."
 285
 286 Added wxTaskbarIcon for wxMSW.
 287
 288 Made the events work for wxGrid.
 289
 290 Added wxConfig.
 291
 292 Added wxMiniFrame for wxGTK.
 293
 294 Changed many of the args and return values that were pointers to gdi
 295 objects to references to reflect changes in the wxWindows API.
 296
 297 Other assorted fixes and additions.
 298
 299
 300
 301
 302 What's new in 0.4.2
 303 -------------------
 304
 305 wxPython on wxGTK works!!!  Both dynamic and static on Linux and
 306 static on Solaris have been tested.  Many thanks go to Harm
 307 <H.v.d.Heijden@phys.tue.nl> for his astute detective work on tracking
 308 down a nasty DECREF bug.  Okay so I have to confess that it was just a
 309 DSM (Dumb Stupid Mistake) on my part but it was nasty none the less
 310 because the behavior was so different on different platforms.
 311
 312 The dynamicly loaded module on Solaris is still segfaulting, so it
 313 must have been a different issue all along...
 314
 315
 316
 317 What's New in 0.4
 318 -----------------
 319
 320 1. Worked on wxGTK compatibility.  It is partially working.  On a
 321 Solaris/Sparc box wxPython is working but only when it is statically
 322 linked with the Python interpreter.  When built as a dyamically loaded
 323 extension module, things start acting weirdly and it soon seg-faults.
 324 And on Linux both the statically linked and the dynamically linked
 325 version segfault shortly after starting up.
 326
 327 2. Added Toolbar, StatusBar and SplitterWindow classes.
 328
 329 3. Varioius bug fixes, enhancements, etc.
 330
 331 ----------------------------------------------------------------------
 332
 333
 334
 335 Build Instructions
 336 ------------------
 337 I used SWIG (http://www.swig.org) to create the source code for the
 338 extension module.  This enabled me to only have to deal with a small
 339 amount of code and only have to bother with the exceptional issues.
 340 SWIG takes care of the rest and generates all the repetative code for
 341 me.  You don't need SWIG to build the extension module as all the
 342 generated C++ code is included under the src directory.
 343
 344 I added a few minor features to SWIG to control some of the code
 345 generation.  If you want to play around with this you will need to get
 346 a recent version of SWIG from their CVS or from a daily build.  See
 347 http://www.swig.org/ for details.
 348
 349 wxPython is organized as a Python package.  This means that the
 350 directory containing the results of the build process should be a
 351 subdirectory of a directory on the PYTHONPATH.  (And preferably should
 352 be named wxPython.)  You can control where the build process will dump
 353 wxPython by setting the TARGETDIR variable for the build utility, (see
 354 below.)
 355
 356
 357 1. Build wxWindows as described in its BuildCVS.txt file.  For *nix
 358    systems I run configure with these flags:
 359
 360                 --with-gtk
 361                 --with-libjpeg
 362                 --without-odbc
 363                 --enable-unicode=no
 364                 --enable-threads=yes
 365                 --enable-socket=yes
 366                 --enable-static=no
 367                 --enable-shared=yes
 368                 --disable-std_iostreams
 369
 370    You can use whatever flags you want, but I know these work.
 371
 372    For Win32 systems I use Visual C++ 6.0, but 5.0 should work.  The
 373    build utility currently does not support any other win32 compilers.
 374
 375 2. At this point you may want to make an alias or symlink, script,
 376    batch file, whatever on the PATH that invokes
 377    $(WXWIN)/utils/wxPython/distrib/build.py to help simplify matters
 378    somewhat.  For example, on my win32 system I have a file named
 379    build.bat in a directory on the PATH that contains:
 380
 381    python $(WXWIN)/utils/wxPython/distrib/build.py %1 %2 %3 %4 %5 %6
 382
 383
 384 3. Change into the $(WXWIN)/utils/wxPython/src directory.
 385
 386 4. Type "build -b" to build wxPython and "build -i" to install it.
 387
 388    The build.py script actually generates a Makefile based on what it
 389    finds on your system and information found in the build.cfg file.
 390    If you have troubles building or you want it built or installed in
 391    a different way, take a look at the docstring in build.py.  You may
 392    be able to override configuration options in a file named
 393    build.local.
 394
 395 5. To build and install the add-on modules, change to the appropriate
 396    directory under $(WXWIN)/utils/wxPython/modules and run the build
 397    utility again.
 398
 399 6. Change to the $(WXWIN)/utils/wxPython/demo directory.
 400
 401 7. Try executing the demo program.  For example:
 402
 403     python demo.py
 404
 405 To run it without requiring a console on win32, you can use the
 406 pythonw.exe version of Python either from the command line or from a
 407 shortcut.
 408
 409
 410
 411 ----------------
 412 Robin Dunn
 413 robin@alldunn.com
 414
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