Add your tips on eric3 here!

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This is a little tutorial that is a bit outdated (the sample source has to be changed in some points, but I don't remember them, sorry):
http://www.pycs.net/lateral/stories/16.html
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OK, here is the 5-minute introduction. I've just installed eric3 and pyQt
on debian; the command 
{{{
  apt-get install eric eric-api-files pyqt-tools}}}
will do the trick.

On Ubuntu, "apt-get install eric" is sufficient. Just to be sure, you can try
{{{
  apt-get install eric python-kde3 qt3-assistant qt3-designer qt3-linguist qt3-doc pyqt-tools python-xml}}}
which will install eric and all the optional packages that it requires.

Then, a very important thing to do is to set up QTDIR correctly in Settings->Preferences->Qt
or else a lot of problems will crop out later. I've mine set to /usr/share/qt3

Restart eric and everything (hopefully) will work as explained below...

== Create_Project ==

First, select '''Project->New''' to create a new project.
Name it 'Hello', ensure that the '''UI Type is QT''', and
press '''OK'''.

== Create_Dialog ==

Run Qt Designer ('''Extras->Tools->Designer''') and create
a new form using '''File->New...''' and selecting '''Dialog''' from
the wizard.

Set the name of the dialog form '''hello_form''' and change
the caption to 'hello' (or whatever). Add a '''PushButton'''
to the form and the change the text to 'Close' (or, again,
whatever).

Hit '''F3''' or the '''Connect Signals/Slots''' button. Create a
connection from the '''PushButton pressed''' signal to the
'''hello_form 'close()' slot'''.

Save the form as '''hello_form.ui''' and exit Qt designer.

== Add Dialog To Project ==

The project Browser is the tabbed or notebook
widget in on the upper left of the Eric3 IDE. It has
a tab with a snake, a (drawing) compass, a fish, a
piece of paper saying IDL, and a blank piece of paper;
these represent the project Sources, Forms, Translations,
Interfaces, and Others.

Go to the Forms tab in the Project Browser. '''Right-click on 
the tab''' to get the Forms context menu ; '''select 'New Form',
then 'Dialog' '''. When the file dialog comes up, select
'hello_form.ui' and press OK.

The 'hello_form.ui' file will appear in the Forms
tab. ''' Right-click on it and select 'Compile Form' '''. 
This will create 'hello_form.py' and add it to the
Sources tab in the Project Browser.

== Generate Subclass For Form ==

'''Right-click on 'hello_form.ui' ''' in the Forms tab of the
Project Browser and '''choose 'Generate Subclass' '''. When
prompted for a name, enter 'hello_form_impl'.

This will open an untitled python script window with
the subclass implementation in it. '''Save the script as
'hello_form_impl.py' '''. 

Go to the Sources tab of the Project Browser and
right-click on the background. '''Choose 'Add source file...'
and select 'hello_form_impl.py' ''' in the file dialog,
then press OK.

== Create A Main Script ==
Open a new python script. Enter the following code:

{{{
#!python
#!/usr/bin/env python

import sys
from qt import *
from hello_form_impl import hello_form_Impl

# create Qt application
app = QApplication(sys.argv)

# create and show Qt form
form = hello_form_Impl()
form.show()

# enter Qt event-handling loop
app.exec_loop()
}}}


Save the script as 'hello_main.py'

Go to Project->Properties

Set the 'Main script' property to
'hello_main.py' and press OK; this 
will add 'hello_main.py' to the Sources
tab of the Project Browser.

== Wrapping It Up ==
Use '''Debug->Run Project''' to run the scripts and
show the dialog.