GUI Programming in Python

Python has a huge number of GUI frameworks (or toolkits) available for it, from Tkinter (traditionally bundled with Python, using Tk) to a number of other cross-platform solutions, as well as bindings to platform-specific (also known as "native") technologies.

Cross-Browser Frameworks

• Package	Target	Notes
  PyJamas	All major Web Browsers	Comprehensive Widget toolkit, Python-to-Javascript compiler and AJAX library. Provides the "V" in MVC. See also PyjamasDesktop

Cross-Platform Frameworks

The major cross-platform technologies upon which Python frameworks are based include Gtk, Qt, Tk and wxWidgets, although many other technologies provide actively maintained Python bindings.

• Package	Target	Notes
  AnyGui	many	("Anygui is no longer being actively developed or supported.") single source code runs on many GUI back-ends, including many in this table, plus ncurses
  AVC	Linux / many	Fully automatic, live connection among graphical interface widgets and application variables.
  Dabo	WxPython	Dabo is a 3-tier, cross-platform application development framework, written in Python atop the wxPython GUI toolkit
  EasyGui	Tk	EasyGUI is a module for very simple, very easy GUI programming in Python.
  FXPy	FOX	Last released 2002; presumed dead.
  GnomePython	Gnome	Gnome Platform bindings: bonobo, bonoboui, gconf, gnome, gnomecanvas, gnomevfs, gnomeui
  GnomePythonDesktop	Gnome	Gnome Desktop bindings: metacity, nautilus, gnomeprint, gtksourceview, gtop, media-profiles, totem, wnck
  GnomePythonExtras	Gnome	Additional Gnome bindings: libegg, gda, gtkmozembed, gtkspell, gksu, gdl, gtkhtml2
  GWiz	Tix	GUI engine with integrated GUI builder. Need Alpha testers.
  IronPython	.NET/Mono	Python for (originally MS') .NET platform. See http://www.codeplex.com/Wiki/View.aspx?ProjectName=IronPython for more info.
  Jython	Java	Jython is an implementation of the high-level, dynamic, object-oriented language Python seamlessly integrated with the Java platform. see http://www.jython.org/Project/index.html for more info.
  libavg	Windows, MacOS, Linux	Not strictly a GUI toolkit, but a high-level multimedia framework that allows construction of media-rich guis. http://www.libavg.de.
  Lucid	Windows, GTK, MacOS	An abstraction layer and clever layout engine that uses the native GUI widgets of each operating system. Previously known as "Claro Framework" - visit http://www.lucidtoolkit.org/
  Nufox	XUL (many)	Nufox is a python, XUL toolkit written ontop of the Twisted Networking Framework and Nevow. The idea is that you should be able to write server-side cross platform XUL applications without writing XUL markup, with little javascript, all from the comfort of python, http://nufox.berlios.de/
  Ocean	many	GUI library. Python only "pythonic javax.swing". Model/View/Controller, skinning. See http://ocean.sourceforge.net/
  OcempGUI	Pygame	A small GUI toolkit written in Python based on Pygame. Provides accessibility support.
  PyFltk	FlTk	supports Windows/Unix/Mac - visit http://pyfltk.sourceforge.net
  PyGtk	Gtk	Bindings for pango, atk, gtk and libglade
  PyGtk-ctypes	Gtk	Python 2.x and 3.x series, Bindings for gtk (gobject, glib) based on ctypes
  PyGtk2Tk	Tkinter	PyGtk to Tkinter Wrapper runs PyGtk based code unchanged using Tkinter (Tk).
  PyGUI	MacOS / Gtk	Abstract, pythonic API encapsulating different platforms; At the moment runs on MacOS X/Carbon & Unix/Gtk
  PyjamasDesktop	Many	Comprehensive Widget toolkit that uses PyWebkitGtk to do the heavy lifting. Provides the "V" in MVC. See also Pyjamas
  PyKDE	Qt / KDE	Python wrappers for the KDE libraries
  PyMT	OpenGL, all platform	Python framework for doing multitouch GUI / Application
  PyPicoGUI	PicoGUI	python library is included in the main PicoGUI release
  PyQt	Qt	Python bindings for the Qt application development framework
  PySide	Qt	The PySide project provides LGPL-licensed Python bindings for the Qt cross-platform application and UI framework.
  PySWT	SWT	PySWT is a Python Binding to the IBM Eclipse SWT library, to provide Python with a cross platform native looking GUI, see http://www.cs.nyu.edu/zilin/pyswt/pmwiki.php?n=PySWT.Introduction
  PythonCard	WxWidgets	Both a framework and GUI builder. Can include wxPython code in PythonCard apps PythonCard tutorial videos at ShowMeDo
  PyWebkitGtk	Web Browsers	PyWebkitGtk is a Python Binding to webkit, including DOM model manipulation, Javascript execution, plugin support (e.g. Flash) and (on the TODO list) SVG Canvas support, for extremely powerful and comprehensive applications development. See PyjamasDesktop for an easy-to-use API.
  PyUi	OpenGL	Specialized GUI Toolkit for generating GUIs for OpenGL programs.
  Sugar	OLPC XO with Linux	User interface for collaborative educational software
  TkInter	Tk	Python's "standard" GUI library
  TkZinc	Tk extension	TkZinc is a extension of the Tk Canvas, with transparency, gradient, transformations
  VTK	many	The Visualization ToolKit (VTK) is an open source, freely available software system for 3D computer graphics, image processing, and visualization. See http://public.kitware.com/VTK/index.php for more info.
  Wax	WxWidgets	A wrapper to WxPython, easier and more "pythonic"
  WxPython	WxWidgets	supports Windows/Unix/Mac for now - visit http://www.wxwidgets.org, wxPython tutorial videos at ShowMeDo on writing a graphical application
  XGui	XGui	XGui is a cross-platform widget set with C,C++ and Python bindings. Actually supports *nix over Gtk and Windows over Win32 - see http://www.objectblues.net/wiki/show/XGui for more info.

Platform-specific Frameworks

• Package	Target	Notes
  BeThon	BeOS
  MacPython	MacOS	Supports both OSX and OS9
  PyObjC	MacOSX	Supports Cocoa Aqua GUIs on the Mac
  PyMUI	MorphOS	MagicUserInterface wrapper for Python. Support for MorphOS 2.x.
  IronPython Studio	Windows	A free GUI implementation of IronPython with the same interface as Visual Studio.
  venster	Windows	Venster is a highly native Windows GUI toolkit for Python based on the ctypes ffi library. The aim of Venster is to be a very lightweight wrapper around the standard Win32 API, making it easy to write slick windows applications in pure Python.
  Win32All	Windows	Also known by the names of its components: PythonWin (for the UI), Win32Com (for COM/ActiveX), Win32 (for some other parts of the API)

Anyone for a GuiProgrammingShootout?

GUI Design Tools and IDEs

• IDE	Target	Notes
  Autoglade	PyGtk	Automagically creates GUI applications from Glade GUI definition, GPL
  BlackAdder	PyQt	Commercial, $50-400
  BoaConstructor	WxPython	GPL, Alpha, looks rather dead
  Eric3 and Eric4	PyQt	GPL
  FarPy GUIE	WxPython	Freeware. Open-Source. Support wxRuby & wxPerl aswell.
  Gazpacho	PyGtk	GPL
  Glade	PyGtk	GPL
  GWiz	Tix	GUI engine with integrated GUI builder. Need Alpha testers.
  IronPython Studio	Windows Application	A free GUI implementation of IronPython with the same interface as Visual Studio.
  Komodo	TkInter	Commercial
  PAGE	Tkinter, Tix	GUI editor for Windows and Linux
  PyScripter	Windows	An OpenSource IDE developed using Python and Delphi
  PythonCard	PythonCard, WxPython	Python License. Alpha.
  PythonWorks	TkInter	PythonWorks is no longer being developed. They still support their existing customers, but licenses are no longer available to new customers.
  Qt Designer	PyQt	A form design tool, available with both Commercial and GPL editions of Qt. Can be used with Eric3 and Eric4.
  WxDesigner	WxPython	Commercial Student EUR 29, Single user EUR 129
  WxFormBuilder	WxPython	GPL cross-platform WYSIWYG GUI builder. Can produce XRC/XML, wxWidgets/C++, or wxPython/python.
  WxGlade	WxPython	MIT License, Alpha.
  xrope	Python Tkinter	GUI, class browser, file manager, with code completion. Licensed under the GPL.
  Visual Python IDE	Tkinter	Visual Python IDE for Python 2.6 to TKINTER
  Visual Python	Tkinter	Visual Python

Opinions

While Python may support a larger number of GUI toolkits than any other language (family), the selection doesn't always appear to satisfy every Python programmer; Straw Dogs, for example, may be representative of several others when he writes, "if you want to create a GUI desktop app - don't use Python". Still, for many people, Python GUI work is more or less a treat, especially if the more popular, mature frameworks are adopted.

Links

CameronLaird's personal notes on Python GUIs http://phaseit.net/claird/comp.lang.python/python_GUI.html includes over 25 links to toolkits and techniques for connecting python with a GUI.

Other places to look are PythonGuis at Thinki, and http://sensei.co.il/python/ui.html .

Opendocs previously had some material on Qt programming with Python for on-line reading, but ownership of the domain appears to have lapsed. An online version of Boudewijn Rempt's book about PyQt for Qt 3, GUI Programming with Python: QT Edition, is still available. An up-to-date book covering PyQt4, Rapid GUI Programming with Python and Qt by Mark Summerfield, is now available in print and as an online "rough cut". More details can be found on the PyQt Wiki.

http://www.awaretek.com/toolkits.html - Choose Your GUI Toolkit: Find Your GUI Toolkit for Python based on your preferences. Quick cgi application which helps you make a choice. See also Python City.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_integrated_development_environments#Python - Wikipedia article describing several IDE's and GUI Builders.

Editorial Notes

The above lists should be arranged in ascending alphabetical order - please respect this when adding new frameworks or tools.

Currently, this section is rather incomplete. Don't be too disappointed if you can't find the information you need, but please add any information you can contribute. It might be useful to have information about the GUIs and development tools in a fixed format to make them more easily comparable (see WebProgrammingTemplate and WebProgrammingTemplateHelp). Some categories: directly supported widgets, add-on widgets, layout managers, etc. Maybe it could answer the questions in ChoosingGuiToolkits for each toolkit.

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