Rapid GUI Programming with Python and Qt The Definitive Guide to PyQt Programming

by Summerfield, Mark

• ISBN13: 9780132354189
• ISBN10: 0132354187
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2007-10-18
• Publisher: Prentice Hall

Summary

The Insider's Best-Practice Guide to Rapid PyQt 4 GUI Development Whether you're building GUI prototypes or full-fledged cross-platform GUI applications with native look-and-feel, PyQt 4 is your fastest, easiest, most powerful solution. Qt expert Mark Summerfield has written the definitive best-practice guide to PyQt 4 development. WithRapid GUI Programming with Python and Qtyou'll learn how to build efficient GUI applications that run on all major operating systems, including Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, and many versions of Unix, using the same source code for all of them. Summerfield systematically introduces every core GUI development technique: from dialogs and windows to data handling; from events to printing; and more. Through the book's realistic examples you'll discover a completely new PyQt 4-based programming approach, as well as coverage of many new topics, from PyQt 4's rich text engine to advanced model/view and graphics/view programming. Every key concept is illuminated with realistic, downloadable examples-all tested on Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux with Python 2.5, Qt 4.2, and PyQt 4.2, and on Windows and Linux with Qt 4.3 and PyQt 4.3. Coverge includes Python basics for every PyQt developer: data types, data structures, control structures, classes, modules, and more Core PyQt GUI programming techniques: dialogs, main windows, and custom file formats Using Qt Designer to design user interfaces, and to implement and test dialogs, events, the Clipboard, and drag-and-drop Building custom widgets: Widget Style Sheets, composite widgets, subclassing, and more Making the most of Qt 4.2's new graphics/view architecture Connecting to databases, executing SQL queries, and using form and table views Advanced model/view programming: custom views, generic delegates, and more Implementing online help, internationalizing applications, and using PyQt's networking and multithreading facilities

Author Biography

Mark Summerfield works as an independent trainer and consultant specializing in C++, Qt, Python, and PyQt. He was Trolltech’s documentation manager from 2000 to 2004, was the founding editor of Qt Quarterly, Trolltech’s customer newsletter, and coauthored C++ GUI Programming with Qt 3 and C++ GUI Programming with Qt 4.

Table of Contents

Data Types and Data Structures	p. 9
Control Structures	p. 45
Classes and Modules	p. 75
Introduction to GUI Programming	p. 111
Dialogs	p. 139
Main Windows	p. 165
Using Qt Designer	p. 205
Data Handling and Custom File Formats	p. 227
Layouts and Multiple Documents	p. 269
Events, the Clipboard, and Drag and Drop	p. 303
Custom Widgets	p. 321
Item-Based Graphics	p. 349
Rich Text and Printing	p. 381
Model/View Programming	p. 413
Databases	p. 445
Advanced Model/View Programming	p. 475
Online Help and Internationalization	p. 509
Networking	p. 521
Multithreading	p. 537
Installing	p. 561
Selected PyQt Widgets	p. 575
Selected PyQt Class Hierarchies	p. 581
Table of Contents provided by Blackwell. All Rights Reserved.

Excerpts

This book teaches how to write GUI applications using the Python programming language and the Qt application development framework. The only essential prior knowledge is that you can program in some object-oriented programming language, such as C++, C#, Java, or of course, Python itself. For the rich text chapter, some familiarity with HTML and with regular expressions is assumed, and the databases and threading chapters assume some basic knowledge of those topics. A knowledge of GUI programming is not required, since all the key concepts are covered. The book will be useful to people who program professionally as part of their job, whether as full-time software developers, or those from other disciplines, including scientists and engineers, who need to do some programming in support of their work. It is also suitable for undergraduate and post-graduate students, particularly those doing courses or research that includes a substantial computing element. The exercises (with solutions) are provided especially to help students. Python is probably the easiest to learn and nicest scripting language in widespread use, and Qt is probably the best library for developing GUI applications. The combination of Python and Qt, "PyQt", makes it possible to develop applications on any supported platform and run them unchanged on all the supported platforms--for example, all modern versions of Windows, Linux, Mac OS X, and most Unix-based systems. No compilation is required thanks to Python being interpreted, and no source code changes to adapt to different operating systems are required thanks to Qt abstracting away the platform-specific details. We only have to copy the source file or files to a target machine that has both Python and PyQt installed and the application will run. If you are new to Python: Welcome! You are about to discover a language that is clear to read and write, and that is concise without being cryptic. Python supports many programming paradigms, but because our focus is on GUI programming, we will take an object-oriented approach everywhere except in the very early chapters. Python is a very expressive language, which means that we can usually write far fewer lines of Python code than would be required for an equivalent application written in, say, C++ or Java. This makes it possible to show some small but complete examples throughout the text, and makes PyQt an ideal tool for rapidly and easily developing GUI applications, whether for prototyping or for production use. Since the emphasis of the book is on GUI programming, Part I provides a fast-paced Python tutorial as well as some PyQt coverage. This material is clearly marked to make it easy for experienced Python programmers to skip the Python they already know. Parts II, III, and IV of the book are all PyQt-specific and assume that readers can already program in Python, whether from previous experience or from reading Part I. Quite often in programming we reach decision points when there are several possible approaches we could take. Reference books and the online documentation identify what classes, methods, and functions are available, and in some cases provide examples, but such documents rarely provide a broader context. This book gives the necessary context, highlighting the key decision points for GUI programming and offering insights into the pros and cons so that you can decide for yourself what the right policy is for your particular circumstances. For example, when you create a dialog, should it be modal or modeless? (See Chapter 5 for an explanation and policy recommendations on this issue.) PyQt is used to write all kinds of GUI applications, from accounting applications, to visualization tools used by scientists and engineers. Figure 1, for example, shows Eric, a powerful integrated development environment that is written in PyQt. It is possible to write PyQt applications that are just tens of lines long, an