wxPython README
---------------
-Introduction
+Welcome to the wonderful world of wxPython!
+
+Once you have installed the wxPython extension module, you can try it
+out by going to the [install dir]\wxPython\demo directory and typing:
+
+ python demo.py
+
+There are also some other sample files there for you to play with and
+learn from.
+
+If you selected to install the documentation then point your browser
+to [install dir]\wxPython\docs\index.htm and you will then be looking
+at the docs for wxWindows. For the most part you can use the C++ docs
+as most classes and methods are used identically. Where there are
+differences they are documented with a "wxPython Note."
+
+On Win32 systems the binary self-installer creates a program group on
+the Start Menu that contains a link to running the demo and a link to
+the help file. To help you save disk space I'm now using Microsoft's
+HTML Help format. If your system doesn't know what to do with the help
+file, you can install the HTML Help Viewer as part of IE 4+, NT
+Service Pack 4+, or the HTML Workshop at
+
+http://msdn.microsoft.com/workshop/author/htmlhelp/download.asp.
+
+
+
+Getting Help
------------
-The code in this subtree is a Python Extension Module that enables the
-use of wxWindows from the Python language. So what is Python? Go to
-http://www.python.org to learn more but in a nutshell, it's an
-extremly cool object oriented language. It's easier than Perl and
-nearly as powerful. It runs on more platforms than Java, and by some
-reports, is even faster than Java with a JIT compiler!
-
-So why would you wan to use wxPython over just C++ and wxWindows?
-Personally I prefer using Python for everything. I only use C++ when
-I absolutly have to eek more performance out of an algorithm, and even
-then I ususally code it as an extension module and leave the majority
-of the program in Python. Another good thing to use wxPython for is
-quick prototyping of your wxWindows apps. With C++ you have to
-continuously go though the edit-compile-link-run cycle, which can be
-quite time comsuming. With Python it is only an edit-run cycle. You
-can easily build an application in a few hours with Python that would
-normally take a few days with C++. Converting a wxPython app to a
-C++/wxWindows app should be a straight forward task.
-
-This extension module attempts to mirror the class heiarchy of
-wxWindows as closely as possble. This means that there is a wxFrame
-class in wxPython that looks, smells, tastes and acts almost the same
-as the wxFrame class in the C++ version. Unfortunatly, I wasn't able
-to match things exactly because of differences in the languages, but
-the differences should be easy to absorb because they are natural to
-Python. For example, some methods that return mutliple values via
-argument pointers in C++ will return a tuple of values in Python.
-These differences have not been documented yet so if something isn't
-working the same as described in the wxWindows documents the best
-thing to do is to scan through the wxPython sources.
-
-Currently this extension module is designed such that the entire
-application will be written in Python. I havn't tried it yet, but I
-am sure that attempting to embed wxPython in a C++ wxWindows
-application will cause problems. However there is a plan to support
-this in the future.
+
+Since wxPython is a blending of multiple technologies, help comes from
+multiple sources. See the http://alldunn.com/wxPython for details on
+various sources of help, but probably the best source is the
+wxPython-users mail list. You can view the archive or subscribe by
+going to
+
+ http://starship.python.net/mailman/listinfo/wxpython-users
+
+Or you can send mail directly to the list using this address:
+
+ wxpython-users@starship.python.net
+
+----------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+What's new in 2.1b4
+--------------------
+
+Much more support for event-less callbacks and add-on modules
+
+Created add-on module with wxOGL classes.
+
+
+
+What's new in 2.1b3
+--------------------
+
+This release is syncronized with release 2.1 snapshot 9 of wxWindows.
+
+Switched to using SWIG from CVS (see http://swig.cs.uchicago.edu/cvs.html)
+for some of the new features and such. Also they have encorporated my
+patches so there is really no reason to stick with the current (very
+old) release... This version of SWIG gives the following new
+features:
+
+ 1. Keyword arguments. You no longer have to specify all the
+ parameters with defaults to a method just to specify a
+ non-default value on the end. You can now do this instead:
+
+ win = wxWindow(parent, -1, style = mystyle)
+
+ 2. There is now an an equivalence between Python's None and C++'s
+ NULL. This means that any methods that might return NULL will
+ now return None and you can use none where wxWindows might be
+ expecting NULL. This makes things much more snake-ish.
+
+
+There is a new build system based on a new Python program instead of
+raw makefiles. Now wxPython builds are virtually the same on MSW or
+Unix systems. See the end of this file for new build instructions and
+see distrib/build.py for more details.
+
+wxDC.Bilt now includes the useMask parameter, and has been split into
+two different versions. wxDC.BlitXY is like what was there before and
+takes raw coordinants and sizes, and the new wxDC.Blit is for the new
+interface using wxPoints and a wxSize.
+
+
+
+
+
+What's new in 2.1b2
+--------------------
+
+Added the missing wxWindow.GetUpdateRegion() method.
+
+Made a new change in SWIG (update your patches everybody) that
+provides a fix for global shadow objects that get an exception in
+their __del__ when their extension module has already been deleted.
+It was only a 1 line change in .../SWIG/Modules/pycpp.cxx at about
+line 496 if you want to do it by hand.
+
+It is now possible to run through MainLoop more than once in any one
+process. The cleanup that used to happen as MainLoop completed (and
+prevented it from running again) has been delayed until the wxc module
+is being unloaded by Python.
+
+I fixed a bunch of stuff in the C++ version of wxGrid so it wouldn't
+make wxPython look bad.
+
+wxWindow.PopupMenu() now takes a wxPoint instead of x,y. Added
+wxWindow.PopupMenuXY to be consistent with some other methods.
+
+Added wxGrid.SetEditInPlace and wxGrid.GetEditInPlace.
+
+You can now provide your own app.MainLoop method. See
+wxPython/demo/demoMainLoop.py for an example and some explaination.
+
+Got the in-place-edit for the wxTreeCtrl fixed and added some demo
+code to show how to use it.
+
+Put the wxIcon constructor back in for GTK as it now has one that
+matches MSW's.
+
+Added wxGrid.GetCells
+
+Added wxSystemSettings static methods as functions with names like
+wxSystemSettings_GetSystemColour.
+
+Removed wxPyMenu since using menu callbacks have been depreciated in
+wxWindows. Use wxMenu and events instead.
+
+Added alternate wxBitmap constructor (for MSW only) as
+ wxBitmapFromData(data, type, width, height, depth = 1)
+
+Added a helper function named wxPyTypeCast that can convert shadow
+objects of one type into shadow objects of another type. (Like doing
+a down-cast.) See the implementation in wx.py for some docs.
+
+Fixed wxImage GetData and SetData to properly use String objects for
+data transfer.
+
+Added access methods to wxGridEvent.
+
+New Makefile/Setup files supporting multiple dynamic extension modules
+for unix systems.
+
+Fixes for the wxGLCanvas demo to work around a strange bug in gtk.
+
+SWIG support routines now compiled separately instead of being bundled
+in wx.cpp.
+
+
+
+
+
+What's new in 2.1b1
+--------------------
+Fixed wxComboBox.SetSelection so that it actually sets the selected
+item. (Actually just removed it from wxPython and let it default to
+wxChoice.SetSelection which was already doing the right thing.)
+
+Added the Printing Framework.
+
+Switched back to using the wxWindows DLL for the pre-built Win32
+version. The problem was needing to reinitialize static class info
+data after loading each extension module.
+
+Lots of little tweaks and additions to reflect changes to various
+wxWindows classes.
+
+Fixed a bug with attaching objects to tree items. Actually was a
+symptom of a larger problem with not obtaining the interpreter lock
+when doing any Py_DECREFs.
+
+wxSizer and friends. Sizers are layout tools that manage a colection
+of windows and sizers. Different types of sizers apply different
+types of layout algorithms. You saw it here first! These classes are
+not even in the wxWindows C++ library yet!
+
+
+
+What's new in 2.0b9
+-------------------
+Bug fix for ListCtrl in test4.py (Was a missing file... DSM!)
+
+Bug fix for occassional GPF on Win32 systems upon termination of a
+wxPython application.
+
+Added wxListBox.GetSelections returning selections as a Tuple.
+
+Added a wxTreeItemData that is able to hold any Python object and be
+associated with items in a wxTreeCtrl. Added test pytree.py to show
+this feature off.
+
+Added wxSafeYield function.
+
+OpenGL Canvas can be optionally compiled in to wxPython.
+
+Awesome new Demo Framework for showing off wxPython and for learning
+how it all works.
+
+The pre-built Win32 version is no longer distributing the wxWindows
+DLL. It is statically linked with the wxWindows library instead.
+
+Added a couple missing items from the docs.
+
+Added wxImage, wxImageHandler, wxPNGHandler, wxJPEGHandler,
+wxGIFHandler and wxBMPHandler.
+
+Added new methods to wxTextCtrl.
+
+Fixed some problems with how SWIG was wrapping some wxTreeCtrl
+methods.
+
+
+
+What's new in 2.0b8
+-------------------
+Support for using Python threads in wxPython apps.
+
+Several missing methods from various classes.
+
+Various bug fixes.
+
+
+
+What's new in 2.0b7
+-------------------
+Added DLG_PNT and DLG_SZE convienience methods to wxWindow class.
+
+Added missing constructor and other methods for wxMenuItem.
+
+
+
+What's new in 2.0b6
+-------------------
+Just a quickie update to fix the self-installer to be compatible with
+Python 1.5.2b2's Registry settings.
+
+
+What's new in 2.0b5
+-------------------
+Well obviously the numbering scheme has changed. I did this to
+reflect the fact that this truly is the second major revision of
+wxPython, (well the third actually if you count the one I did for
+wxWindows 1.68 and then threw away...) and also that it is associated
+with the 2.0 version of wxWindows.
+
+I have finally started documenting wxPython. There are several pages
+in the wxWindows documentation tree specifically about wxPython, and I
+have added notes within the class references about where and how wxPython
+diverges from wxWindows.
+
+Added wxWindow_FromHWND(hWnd) for wxMSW to construct a wxWindow from a
+window handle. If you can get the window handle into the python code,
+it should just work... More news on this later.
+
+Added wxImageList, wxToolTip.
+
+Re-enabled wxConfig.DeleteAll() since it is reportedly fixed for the
+wxRegConfig class.
+
+As usual, some bug fixes, tweaks, etc.
+
+
+
+What's new in 0.5.3
+-------------------
+Added wxSashWindow, wxSashEvent, wxLayoutAlgorithm, etc.
+
+Various cleanup, tweaks, minor additions, etc. to maintain
+compatibility with the current wxWindows.
+
+
+
+What's new in 0.5.0
+-------------------
+Changed the import semantics from "from wxPython import *" to "from
+wxPython.wx import *" This is for people who are worried about
+namespace pollution, they can use "from wxPython import wx" and then
+prefix all the wxPython identifiers with "wx."
+
+Added wxTaskbarIcon for wxMSW.
+
+Made the events work for wxGrid.
+
+Added wxConfig.
+
+Added wxMiniFrame for wxGTK.
+
+Changed many of the args and return values that were pointers to gdi
+objects to references to reflect changes in the wxWindows API.
+
+Other assorted fixes and additions.
+
+
+
+
+What's new in 0.4.2
+-------------------
+
+wxPython on wxGTK works!!! Both dynamic and static on Linux and
+static on Solaris have been tested. Many thanks go to Harm
+<H.v.d.Heijden@phys.tue.nl> for his astute detective work on tracking
+down a nasty DECREF bug. Okay so I have to confess that it was just a
+DSM (Dumb Stupid Mistake) on my part but it was nasty none the less
+because the behavior was so different on different platforms.
+
+The dynamicly loaded module on Solaris is still segfaulting, so it
+must have been a different issue all along...
+
+
+
+What's New in 0.4
+-----------------
+
+1. Worked on wxGTK compatibility. It is partially working. On a
+Solaris/Sparc box wxPython is working but only when it is statically
+linked with the Python interpreter. When built as a dyamically loaded
+extension module, things start acting weirdly and it soon seg-faults.
+And on Linux both the statically linked and the dynamically linked
+version segfault shortly after starting up.
+
+2. Added Toolbar, StatusBar and SplitterWindow classes.
+
+3. Varioius bug fixes, enhancements, etc.
+
+----------------------------------------------------------------------
amount of code and only have to bother with the exceptional issues.
SWIG takes care of the rest and generates all the repetative code for
me. You don't need SWIG to build the extension module as all the
-generated C++ code is included in the src directory.
+generated C++ code is included under the src directory.
+
+I added a few minor features to SWIG to control some of the code
+generation. If you want to play around with this you will need to get
+a recent version of SWIG from their CVS or from a daily build. See
+http://www.swig.org/ for details.
wxPython is organized as a Python package. This means that the
directory containing the results of the build process should be a
subdirectory of a directory on the PYTHONPATH. (And preferably should
-be named wxPython.) You can control where the bulid process will dump
-wxPython by setting the TARGETDIR makefile variable. The default is
-$(WXWIN)/utils/wxPython, where this README.txt is located. If you
-leave it here then you should add $(WXWIN)/utils to your PYTHONPATH.
-However, you may prefer to use something that is already on your
-PYTHONPATH, such as the site-packages directory on Unix systems.
+be named wxPython.) You can control where the build process will dump
+wxPython by setting the TARGETDIR variable for the build utility, (see
+below.)
-Win32
------
+1. Build wxWindows as described in its BuildCVS.txt file. For *nix
+ systems I run configure with these flags:
-1. Build wxWindows with USE_RESOURCE_LOADING_IN_MSW set to 1 in
-include/wx/msw/setup.h so icons can be loaded dynamically.
+ --with-gtk
+ --with-libjpeg
+ --without-odbc
+ --enable-unicode=no
+ --enable-threads=yes
+ --enable-socket=yes
+ --enable-static=no
+ --enable-shared=yes
+ --disable-std_iostreams
-2. Change into the $(WXWIN)/utils/wxPython/src directory.
+ You can use whatever flags you want, but I know these work.
-3. Edit makefile.nt and specify where your python installation is at.
-You may also want to fiddle with the TARGETDIR variable as described
-above.
+ For Win32 systems I use Visual C++ 6.0, but 5.0 should work. The
+ build utility currently does not support any other win32 compilers.
-4. Run nmake -f makefile.nt
+2. At this point you may want to make an alias or symlink, script,
+ batch file, whatever on the PATH that invokes
+ $(WXWIN)/utils/wxPython/distrib/build.py to help simplify matters
+ somewhat. For example, on my win32 system I have a file named
+ build.bat in a directory on the PATH that contains:
-5. If it builds successfully, congratulations! Move on to the next
-step. If not then you can try mailing me for help. Also, I will
-always have a pre-built win32 version of this extension module at
-http://starship.skyport.net/crew/robind/python.
+ python $(WXWIN)/utils/wxPython/distrib/build.py %1 %2 %3 %4 %5 %6
-6. Change to the $(WXWIN)/utils/wxPython/tests directory.
-7. Try executing the test programs. Note that some of these print
-diagnositc or test info to standard output, so they will require the
-console version of python. For example:
+3. Change into the $(WXWIN)/utils/wxPython/src directory.
- python test1.py
+4. Type "build -b" to build wxPython and "build -i" to install it.
-To run them without requiring a console, you can use the pythonw.exe
-version of Python either from the command line or from a shortcut.
+ The build.py script actually generates a Makefile based on what it
+ finds on your system and information found in the build.cfg file.
+ If you have troubles building or you want it built or installed in
+ a different way, take a look at the docstring in build.py. You may
+ be able to override configuration options in a file named
+ build.local.
+5. To build and install the add-on modules, change to the appropriate
+ directory under $(WXWIN)/utils/wxPython/modules and run the build
+ utility again.
+6. Change to the $(WXWIN)/utils/wxPython/demo directory.
-Unix
-----
+7. Try executing the demo program. For example:
-NOTE: I don't have wxPython working yet with wxGTK, so if you aren't
-using Win32 you can skip the rest of this file and check back in a
-week or so.
+ python demo.py
+To run it without requiring a console on win32, you can use the
+pythonw.exe version of Python either from the command line or from a
+shortcut.
-1. Change into the $(WXWIN)/utils/wxPython/src directory.
-2. Edit Setup.in and ensure that the flags, directories, and toolkit
-options are correct. See the above commentary about TARGETDIR.
-
-3. Run this command to generate a makefile:
-
- make -f Makefile.pre.in boot
-
-4. Run these commands to build and then install the wxPython extension
-module:
-
- make
- make install
+----------------
+Robin Dunn
+robin@alldunn.com
-5. Change to the $(WXWIN)/utils/wxPython/tests directory.
-6. Try executing the test programs. For example:
- python test1.py
-------------------------
-8/8/1998
-Robin Dunn
-robin@alldunn.com
projects / wxWidgets.git / blobdiff