Get Started with wxPython: A Complete Guide to Building GUI Applications with Python

In this article we want to learn about Get Started with wxPython: A Complete Guide to Building GUI Applications with Python.

Introduction to wxPython

wxPython is popular GUI library for Python that enables developers to create high quality desktop applications. it provides comprehensive set of tools and libraries that make it easy to build user friendly interfaces, manage complex application logic and create sophisticated user experiences, whether you are new or professional , wxPython is an excellent choice for building desktop applications with Python.

In this article we are going to learn how to get started with wxPython and build complete GUI application from scratch. we will cover basics of the wxPython framework, introduce you to its many widgets and components and show you how to put it all together to create functional and professional looking application.

wxPython Widgets and Components:

wxPython provides rich set of widgets and components that can be used to build your application user interface. some of the most commonly used widgets include buttons, labels, text boxes, checkboxes, radio buttons and sliders. these widgets can be easily added to your application and customized to suit your specific needs.

One of the most powerful features of wxPython is it is event handling system. this system allows you to respond to user actions and events, such as button clicks and window resizes, in a flexible and intuitive way. with wxPython you can easily create dynamic, interactive applications that respond to user input and provide smooth and engaging user experience.

How to Install wxPython ?

wxPython can be installed on your system using pip, these are the steps to install wxPython:

Open a terminal or command prompt and type the following command:

pip install wxPython

1	pip install wxPython

Building a Complete Application

Now that we have covered the basics of wxPython and its widgets and components, let’s put it all together and build complete application. we will start by creating basic window and adding some buttons, labels and other components. then we will show you how to use wxPython event handling system to respond to user actions and make your application dynamic and interactive.

import wx

class MyFrame(wx.Frame):
    def __init__(self):
        wx.Frame.__init__(self, None, title='wxPython Example')
        panel = wx.Panel(self)

        label = wx.StaticText(panel, label='Hello, GeeksCoders!')
        button = wx.Button(panel, label='Click Me!')

        layout = wx.BoxSizer(wx.VERTICAL)
        layout.Add(label, flag=wx.EXPAND | wx.ALL, border=10)
        layout.Add(button, flag=wx.ALIGN_CENTER | wx.ALL, border=10)

        panel.SetSizer(layout)

app = wx.App()
frame = MyFrame()
frame.Show()
app.MainLoop()

import wx

class MyFrame(wx.Frame):

def __init__(self):

wx.Frame.__init__(self, None, title='wxPython Example')

panel = wx.Panel(self)

label = wx.StaticText(panel, label='Hello, GeeksCoders!')

button = wx.Button(panel, label='Click Me!')

layout = wx.BoxSizer(wx.VERTICAL)

layout.Add(label, flag=wx.EXPAND | wx.ALL, border=10)

layout.Add(button, flag=wx.ALIGN_CENTER | wx.ALL, border=10)

panel.SetSizer(layout)

app = wx.App()

frame = MyFrame()

frame.Show()

app.MainLoop()

In this example we have created basic window with panel, label and button. we have also created wx.BoxSizer to manage layout of the widgets within the panel. the sizer allows us to arrange the widgets in a vertical column, with the label at the top and the button at the bottom.

Run the complete code and this will be the result.

Get Started with wxPython: A Complete Guide to Building GUI Applications with Python

Now let’s add event handing to this code, Event handling in wxPython refers to the process of responding to user interactions and events in a wxPython-based GUI application. These events can include actions such as button clicks, window resizes, menu selections, and other interactions with the user interface.

In wxPython event handling is accomplished by binding event handlers to specific events. an event handler is Python function that is executed in response to specific event. for example, you can bind button click event to function that is executed when the button is clicked. this allows you to respond to user actions and make your application dynamic and interactive.

To handle events in wxPython, you typically start by creating custom frame or panel class that inherits from the wx.Frame or wx.Panel class. in this class you can add widgets and components such as buttons and labels and bind event handlers to specific events.

This is example of event handling in wxPython.

import wx

class MyFrame(wx.Frame):
    def __init__(self):
        wx.Frame.__init__(self, None, title='wxPython Example')
        panel = wx.Panel(self)

        self.label = wx.StaticText(panel, label='Hello, wxPython!')
        button = wx.Button(panel, label='Click Me!')

        layout = wx.BoxSizer(wx.VERTICAL)
        layout.Add(self.label, flag=wx.EXPAND | wx.ALL, border=10)
        layout.Add(button, flag=wx.ALIGN_CENTER | wx.ALL, border=10)

        panel.SetSizer(layout)

        # Bind button click event to a function
        button.Bind(wx.EVT_BUTTON, self.on_button_click)

    def on_button_click(self, event):
        self.label.SetLabelText("Welcome to geekscoders.com")

app = wx.App()
frame = MyFrame()
frame.Show()
app.MainLoop()

import wx

class MyFrame(wx.Frame):

def __init__(self):

wx.Frame.__init__(self, None, title='wxPython Example')

panel = wx.Panel(self)

self.label = wx.StaticText(panel, label='Hello, wxPython!')

button = wx.Button(panel, label='Click Me!')

layout = wx.BoxSizer(wx.VERTICAL)

layout.Add(self.label, flag=wx.EXPAND | wx.ALL, border=10)

layout.Add(button, flag=wx.ALIGN_CENTER | wx.ALL, border=10)

panel.SetSizer(layout)

# Bind button click event to a function

button.Bind(wx.EVT_BUTTON, self.on_button_click)

def on_button_click(self, event):

self.label.SetLabelText("Welcome to geekscoders.com")

app = wx.App()

frame = MyFrame()

frame.Show()

app.MainLoop()

Run the complete code and click on the button this will be the result.

Python Other GUI Development Libraries

There are several other GUI development libraries available for Python, besides PyQt and wxPython. some of these libraries include:

Tkinter: This is standard GUI library for Python and comes pre installed with most Python distributions. It is thin object oriented layer on top of the Tcl/Tk GUI toolkit.
GTK+: This is popular open source GUI library that is used by many Linux applications. it can be used with Python through the PyGObject library.
PyGTK: This is set of Python bindings for the GTK+ library that makes it easy to use GTK+ in Python applications.

Pygame: This is set of Python bindings for the SDL library that is commonly used for game development. Pygame provides comprehensive set of tools for creating games, including support for graphics, sound and input handling.
PyFLTK: This is Python binding for the FLTK GUI library. FLTK provides fast and lightweight GUI toolkit for building simple and modern user interfaces.
Pyforms: This is Python library for creating graphical user interfaces using high level API. It supports both desktop and web based applications and provides modern, flexible and powerful way to build user interfaces.

Learn More on Python

PyQt6: The Ultimate GUI Toolkit for Python

Conclusion:

wxPython is powerful and flexible GUI toolkit that makes it easy to build high quality desktop applications with Python. because it has comprehensive set of widgets and components, event handling system and easy to use layout management features, wxPython provides everything you need to build nice, dynamic and interactive applications.