Use object-oriented programming to develop impressive GUIs in Python
Create interesting charts to visually represent data using Matplotlib
Develop GUIs with the latest versions of tkinter, PyQt5, and wxPython frameworks
Description
Python is a multi-domain, interpreted programming language that is easy to learn and implement. With its wide support for frameworks to develop GUIs, you can build interactive and beautiful GUI-based applications easily using Python. This third edition of Python GUI Programming Cookbook follows a task-based approach to help you create effective GUIs with the smallest amount of code. Every recipe in this book builds upon the last to create an entire, real-life GUI application. These recipes also help you solve problems that you might encounter while developing GUIs. This book mainly focuses on using Python’s built-in tkinter GUI framework. You'll learn how to create GUIs in Python using simple programming styles and object-oriented programming (OOP). As you add more widgets and expand your GUI, you will learn how to connect to networks, databases, and graphical libraries that greatly enhance the functionality of your GUI. You’ll also learn how to use threading to ensure that your GUI doesn't become unresponsive. Toward the end, you’ll learn about the versatile PyQt GUI framework, which comes along with its own visual editor that allows you to design GUIs using drag and drop features. By the end of the book, you’ll be an expert in designing Python GUIs and be able to develop a variety of GUI applications with ease.
Who is this book for?
If you’re a programmer or developer looking to enhance your Python skills by writing powerful GUI applications, this book is for you. Familiarity with the Python programming language is necessary to get the most out of the book.
What you will learn
Create amazing GUIs with Python s built-in tkinter module
Customize GUIs using layout managers to arrange GUI widgets
Advance from the typical waterfall coding style to an OOP style using Python
Develop beautiful charts using the free Matplotlib Python module
Use threading in a networked environment to make GUIs responsive
Discover ways to connect GUIs to a MySQL database
Understand how unit tests can be created and internationalize GUI
About This BookThis is a cookbook-style book that focuses on the tkinter library. It covers all of the included widgets as well as matplotlib graphs. This book will get you started with GUI development and give you a good idea on how to apply it to your own projects.Who is This For?The author intended this book to be for Python programmers who know nothing of GUI development. I think he did well in that regard, though there seem to be a number of odd asides into Python itself. These can distract the reader from what they really want to know.Why Was This Written?It's hard to write a book on GUI development. There are so many options and each of them could be the subject of a book. This book focuses on a single library, though does discuss two others in their own chapters toward the end. I think that is a smart method, as it gives the reader an idea of what other options there are and how they compare to tkinter.OrganizationThe book is well organized. It starts with simple examples and builds up to complex programs. I'm personally puzzled why this was written in a cookbook style. It reads more like a tutorial that teaches you Python GUI concepts, but breaks the sections into 'recipes'. It works well enough, but should probably be written as a tutorial style book instead.Did This Book Succeed?I think the book was mostly successful. The content is there, but the prose takes away from that. The organization is right where it needs to be, but the use of a cookbook style puzzles me. I know I'll find this book useful, but it may or may not be my primary book for GUI development.Rating and Final ThoughtsI have to give this book a 4 our of 5. It's well done and useful, but the language is sometimes dry. There is no personality showing through, outside of a few occasions. That makes it difficult to work through the book. Otherwise, it's a useful book with a lot to offer for anyone who wants to create a GUI for their project.
Amazon Verified review
John M. LyonsFeb 13, 2020
1
Numerous bugs. One psy (ToolTip) never worked. Screen shots in the first two chapters were inconsistent, The flip side was I had to debug it. Gave up on it after 4 chapters, Really just a set of powerpoint scrreens slapped into a book. No real work problems. I'm sure there are other books describing the tkinter class.
Burkhard Meier is a professional software test automation designer, developer, and analyst. He has more than 17 years' professional experience working for several software companies in California, USA.
He is the author of Python GUI Programming Cookbook, First and Second Edition. This book is also available as a Packt video course.
He is also the author of the Python Projects Packt video course.
In his professional career, he developed advanced in-house testing frameworks written in Python 3. He also developed advanced test automation GUIs in Python, which highly increased the productivity of the software development testing team.
When not dreaming in Python code, he reads programming books about design, likes to go for long walks, and reads classical poetry.
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