Revision 60 as of 2009-07-07 13:35:47

Clear message

About PyQt

PyQt is a comprehensive set of Python bindings for the Qt cross-platform GUI/XML/SQL C++ framework from Qt Software (renamed from Trolltech). PyQt provides bindings for Qt 2 and Qt 3. PyQt4, a separate set of bindings, covers the Qt 4 series of releases.

PyQt implements around 300 classes and over 5,750 functions and methods including:

Earlier versions of PyQt included a graphical debugger called eric, written using PyQt, which can be used to debug PyQt and ordinary Python console applications. It's now available separately as eric3 from http://www.die-offenbachs.de/eric/index.html.

PyQt includes pyuic which generates Python code from GUI designs created with Qt Designer. This makes PyQt very useful as a rapid prototyping tool for applications that will eventually be (partly or completely) implemented in C++ because the user interface designs can be re-used without modification.

PyQt is available for Windows, UNIX/Linux, Mac OS X and the Sharp Zaurus.

PyQt4

PyQt4 is a set of Python bindings for Qt 4 that exposes much of the functionality of Qt 4 to Python. This version of PyQt is described in more detail on the PyQt4 page.

PyQt documentation

Current documentation is available at http://www.riverbankcomputing.com/static/Docs/PyQt4/pyqt4ref.html.

Mark Summerfield's book, Rapid GUI Programming with Python and Qt, is an up-to-date guide to GUI application development with Python 2.5, PyQt4 and Qt 4.2/4.3. More information can be found at http://www.qtrac.eu/pyqtbook.html. Mark recommends, incidentally, GUI Bloopers, as appropriate supplementary reading for PyQt programmers.

Boudewijn Rempt's book, GUI Programming with Python: Qt Edition, is available at http://www.commandprompt.com/community/pyqt/.

The PyQt4 tutorial available at http://zetcode.com/tutorials/pyqt4/

A tutorial presented by Jonathan Gardner at the 2003 Northwest Linux Fest is available at JonathanGardnerPyQtTutorial.

A tutorial presented by Oleksandr Yakovlyev for embedding PyQt in C++/Qt application EmbedingPyQtTutorial

PyQt applications

Some applications that use PyQt as their UI layer:

A more up to date list of applications can be found on the PyQt Wiki.

A Wiki dedicated to PyQt and PyKDE can be found at The PyQt and PyKDE community Wiki. The http://www.riverbankcomputing.com/mailman/listinfo/pyqt is low in volume and high in quality. The Roadmap is always valuable to read.

Phil Thompson was interviewed about PyQt for KDE Dot News in August 2006, and profiled for SunWorld Online in 2000.


CategoryPyGUI

Unable to edit the page? See the FrontPage for instructions.