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ABOUT THIS BOOK

Chapter 7, Working with the basic controls

This chapter covers the API for the basic widget set, including text fields, buttons, list boxes, and the like.

Chapter 8, Putting widgets in frames

All your wxPython widgets will be inside a frame or a dialog. In this chapter we cover how frames work, what kind of frames there are, and how to manage widgets within a frame.

Chapter 9, Giving users choices with dialogs

Dialogs behave slightly differently than frames. We cover how modal dialog boxes work, as well as the standard predefined wxPython dialogs. We’ll also show you how to use wxPython validators to help mange the data in a dialog.

Chapter 10, Creating and using wxPython menus

Most windowed applications have a menu. We’ll show you how to add menus to the menu bar, and menu items to a menu. Specialized menus, such as checkboxes, and radio menus will also be covered. We’ll also discuss keyboard shortcuts and some usability guidelines for using menus effectively.

Chapter 11, Placing widgets with sizers

In wxPython, sizers are used to spare you the drudgery of placing your widgets manually. There are several useful sizers that are part of wxPython, and we’ll show you how to use them, and what kind of layout is best suited to each.

Chapter 12, Manipulating basic graphical images

The most basic purpose of any UI toolkit is to draw lines and shapes to the screen. In wxPython, there is a rich set of drawing tools available for your use. There is also a powerful abstraction called a device context which allows you to draw to a target without caring whether the target is a window, a printer, or a file.

Part 3 contains a detailed look at more advanced portions of wxPython. It starts with a description of the three most complex wxPython widgets, and continues with a discussion of various print and display mechanisms, closing out with a tour of useful items that didn’t quite earn their own chapter. The chapters in part 3 are:

Chapter 13, Building list controls and managing items

The wxPython list control gives you the ability to display lists “explorer-style,” in icon mode, list mode, or multi-column report mode. You can also customize sort behavior, and allow users to edit list entries.