This is a guide to the wxPython GUI toolkit, written by a Python programmer for his fellow Python programmers. It began as a -simple translation of the wxWindows documentation (which is written +simple translation of the wxWidgets documentation (which is written for C++ programmers), and evolved from there. And while there's nothing wrong with C++...
Okay, you got me there. I hate C++. That's why I use Python. If you -like C++, go read the wxWindows documentation. If you'd rather read a +like C++, go read the wxWidgets documentation. If you'd rather read a guide that's written with Python programmers in mind, keep reading this one. If you like it, feel free to send me freshly roasted coffee beans, dark chocolate, and large denomination currency. Better yet, @@ -114,8 +114,8 @@ send one to each of your friends, relatives, and coworkers.
allows Python programmers to create programs with a robust, highly functional graphical user interface, simply and easily. It is implemented as a Python extension module (native code) that wraps the -popular wxWindows cross platform GUI library, which is written in C++. -Like Python and wxWindows, wxPython is Open Source, which means that +popular wxWidgets cross platform GUI library, which is written in C++.
+Like Python and wxWidgets, wxPython is Open Source, which means that it is free for anyone to use and the source code is available for anyone to look at and modify. And anyone can contribute fixes or enhnacments to the project.
@@ -154,13 +154,13 @@ setups. -wxWindows is a C++ framework providing GUI (Graphical User Interface) +
wxWidgets is a C++ framework providing GUI (Graphical User Interface) and other facilities on more than one platform. Version 2 currently supports all desktop versions of MS Windows, Unix with GTK+, Unix with Motif, and MacOS. An OS/2 port is in progress.
-wxWindows was originally developed at the Artificial Intelligence +
wxWidgets was originally developed at the Artificial Intelligence Applications Institute, University of Edinburgh, for internal use, and was first made publicly available in 1992. Version 2 is a vastly improved version written and maintained by Julian Smart, Robert @@ -171,7 +171,7 @@ variants, unless otherwise stated. All trademarks are acknowledged.
wxWindows was developed to provide a cheap and flexible way to +
wxWidgets was developed to provide a cheap and flexible way to maximize investment in GUI application development. While a number of commercial class libraries already existed for cross-platform development, none met all of the following criteria:
@@ -181,13 +181,13 @@ development, none met all of the following criteria:Since wxWindows was started, several other free or almost-free GUI +
Since wxWidgets was started, several other free or almost-free GUI frameworks have emerged. However, none has the range of features, flexibility, documentation and the well-established development team -that wxWindows has.
-As open source software, wxWindows has benefited from comments, ideas, +that wxWidgets has.
+As open source software, wxWidgets has benefited from comments, ideas, bug fixes, enhancements and the sheer enthusiasm of users. This gives -wxWindows a certain advantage over its commercial competitors (and +wxWidgets a certain advantage over its commercial competitors (and over free libraries without an independent development team), plus a robustness against the transience of one individual or company. This openness and availability of source code is especially important when @@ -201,16 +201,16 @@ toolkits such as Motif, GTK+ and MFC.
overstated, since GUI application development is very time-consuming, and sustained popularity of particular GUIs cannot be guaranteed. Code can very quickly become obsolete if it addresses the wrong -platform or audience. wxWindows helps to insulate the programmer from -these winds of change. Although wxWindows may not be suitable for +platform or audience. wxWidgets helps to insulate the programmer from +these winds of change. Although wxWidgets may not be suitable for every application (such as an OLE-intensive program), it provides access to most of the functionality a GUI program normally requires, plus many extras such as network programming, PostScript output, and HTML rendering; and it can of course be extended as needs dictate. As a bonus, it provides a far cleaner and easier programming interface than the native APIs. Programmers may find it worthwhile to use -wxWindows even if they are developing on only one platform. -It is impossible to sum up the functionality of wxWindows in a few +wxWidgets even if they are developing on only one platform.
+It is impossible to sum up the functionality of wxWidgets in a few paragraphs, but here are some of the benefits:
GUI applications aren't all graphical wizardry. You'll also need lists and hash tables. But since you're working with Python, you should use the ones Python provides (list, tuple, dict), rather than -the wxWindows versions. Same goes for the database related classes. +the wxWidgets versions. Same goes for the database related classes. The basic rule of thumb is this: If you can do it directly in Python, you probably should. If there is a reason not to use a Python data -type, wxPython will provide a wrapper for the wxWindows class.
+type, wxPython will provide a wrapper for the wxWidgets class.You will undoubtedly need some platform-independent file functions, and you may find it handy to maintain and search a list of paths using PathList. There's a miscellany of operating system and other @@ -293,7 +293,7 @@ functions.
In addition to the core wxWindows library, a number of further +
In addition to the core wxWidgets library, a number of further libraries and utilities are supplied with each distribution.
[Need to list these.]