Has anyone used DialogBlocks with wxPython? I'm assuming it works with wxPython since it saves to XRC files, though the web site doesn't mention wxPython directly. Can anyone comment on how good it is relative to some of the other dialog designers?
I'm using wxDesigner, which I like quite a bit, but recently I needed to design a frame (to be used as a modeless dialog box with menus) and wxDesigner doesn't do frames; DialogBlocks does.
http://www.anthemion.co.uk/dialogblocks/
Bob
DialogBlocks works just fine by generating XRC files. It's fairly nice. Probably my favorite feature is the "Description Window" that shows the meaning of each property.
There are some things about wxDesigner that I like better -- in particular how it converts graphics to Python source code -- but I guess you can't do that in XRC.
Lately I have moved to XRCed because I prefer basic tools to the fancier ones. DialogBlocks is one of the best fancy ones. I'm pretty sure they a offer free trial so it shouldn't be too hard to evaluate.
Nate
On Jun 29, 2005, at 8:20 AM, Bob Klimek wrote:
Has anyone used DialogBlocks with wxPython? I'm assuming it works with wxPython since it saves to XRC files, though the web site doesn't mention wxPython directly. Can anyone comment on how good it is relative to some of the other dialog designers?
*From:* Bob Klimek <klimek@grc.nasa.gov>
*To:* wxPython-users@lists.wxwidgets.org
*Date:* Wed, 29 Jun 2005 11:20:32 -0400Has anyone used DialogBlocks with wxPython? I'm assuming it works with
wxPython since it saves to XRC files, though the web site doesn't
mention wxPython directly. Can anyone comment on how good it is
relative to some of the other dialog designers?I'm using wxDesigner, which I like quite a bit, but recently I needed
to design a frame (to be used as a modeless dialog box with menus) and
wxDesigner doesn't do frames; DialogBlocks does.Bob
Although wxDesigner refers specifically to 'Dialogs', 'Menubars' and
'Toolbars' in its own menus, I think it is agnostic when it comes to
dialogs, it simply adds the controls you specify onto the parent control
of your choice. In my case, half the time they are wxDialogs and the rest
are wxPanels, that I add to notebook pages, but which could just as easily
sit in a frame - I seem to remember reading somewhere in this list that
it's better to use an intermediate panel rather than add to a frame
directly in order to support keyboard navigation better.
Regards,
David Hughes
Forestfield Software
Nate Silva wrote:
Has anyone used DialogBlocks with wxPython? I'm assuming it works with wxPython since it saves to XRC files, though the web site doesn't mention wxPython directly. Can anyone comment on how good it is relative to some of the other dialog designers?
DialogBlocks works just fine by generating XRC files. It's fairly nice. Probably my favorite feature is the "Description Window" that shows the meaning of each property.
Okay, I figured that but it's good to know for sure.
Lately I have moved to XRCed because I prefer basic tools to the fancier ones. DialogBlocks is one of the best fancy ones. I'm pretty sure they a offer free trial so it shouldn't be too hard to evaluate.
Yes, I prefer basic tools as well. But how do you work with XRCed? From my experience, something is seriously wrong with it. Just to give you one example, starting at the base XML tree you add wxFrame, to that add wxPanel, to the panel add wxFlexGridSizer, change cols to 3 and rows to 1, add wxPanel to the first column, add a wxGridSizer to the second column. Now on the right side where it shows the options its totally messed up. It looks like the options from the previously inserted panel were not erased and the new grid sizer options were overlaid on top. Now if you try to click anything on the XML tree, its options are overwritten on top, making the right side of the XRCed window a total mess. Also if you click the Test button now, nothing happens. The app seems to have froze up.
Another little problem is that if you try to add a wxBoxSizer to the panel, it doesn't show up.
This must be a recent problem with XRCed because I played around with it about a year ago and it worked perfectly.
BTW I'm running on win2000, python 2.3.4, wxPython 2.6.1.0.
Bob
On Jun 29, 2005, at 8:20 AM, Bob Klimek wrote:
David Hughes wrote:
*From:* Bob Klimek <klimek@grc.nasa.gov>
*To:* wxPython-users@lists.wxwidgets.org
*Date:* Wed, 29 Jun 2005 11:20:32 -0400Has anyone used DialogBlocks with wxPython? I'm assuming it works with wxPython since it saves to XRC files, though the web site doesn't mention wxPython directly. Can anyone comment on how good it is relative to some of the other dialog designers?
I'm using wxDesigner, which I like quite a bit, but recently I needed to design a frame (to be used as a modeless dialog box with menus) and wxDesigner doesn't do frames; DialogBlocks does.
Bob
Although wxDesigner refers specifically to 'Dialogs', 'Menubars' and 'Toolbars' in its own menus, I think it is agnostic when it comes to dialogs, it simply adds the controls you specify onto the parent control of your choice. In my case, half the time they are wxDialogs and the rest are wxPanels, that I add to notebook pages, but which could just as easily sit in a frame - I seem to remember reading somewhere in this list that it's better to use an intermediate panel rather than add to a frame directly in order to support keyboard navigation better.
Yes, it appears you're right. I just got a reply from Robert Roebling and he essentially said the same thing. FYI, here's the reply.
Bob
***
The editor lets you create new classes, and wxFrame derived classes
are among them. You can then use wxDesigner to create your menus
and out them into the frame. You should then create the contents of your dialog box, but instead
of creating a wxDialog derived class for it, create a wxPanel and
use the dialog function to fill it up. wxWidgets doesn't "like"
anything to be directly in a wxFrame, neither drawing nor dialog
style widgets. Instead you should always put an intermediate
window in, in this case a wxPanel (or a class derived from it).
***
Hello,
Yes, I prefer basic tools as well. But how do you work with XRCed? From
my experience, something is seriously wrong with it. Just to give you
one example, starting at the base XML tree you add wxFrame, to that add
wxPanel, to the panel add wxFlexGridSizer, change cols to 3 and rows to
1, add wxPanel to the first column, add a wxGridSizer to the second
column. Now on the right side where it shows the options its totally
messed up. It looks like the options from the previously inserted panel
were not erased and the new grid sizer options were overlaid on top. Now
if you try to click anything on the XML tree, its options are
overwritten on top, making the right side of the XRCed window a total
mess. Also if you click the Test button now, nothing happens. The app
seems to have froze up.
Another little problem is that if you try to add a wxBoxSizer to the
panel, it doesn't show up.
This must be a recent problem with XRCed because I played around with it
about a year ago and it worked perfectly.
BTW I'm running on win2000, python 2.3.4, wxPython 2.6.1.0.
Just my 2 cents.
All my GUI designed exclusively in XRCed. XRCed is the _only_ xrc editor
which works correctly with languages other than english.
All other GUI builders including commercial ones like DialogBlocks,wxDesigner, etc,
that i've tried don't support displaying and saving non english languages (not
unicode), or don't save correct encoding in generated xrc file.
XRCed of course have his own glitches (last one add empty lines in
your xrc file) but it works for me from 0day _with my language
symbols_ correctly!
Just checked: my xrc file describing GUI on my current project is about 220 kb.
Everything is designed in XRCed.
Thank you, Roman Rolinsky! 
--
Igor