Quick and easy with PySimpleGUI
Simple Is Good
Use the same code for your Python GUI and web apps.
The PySimpleGUI project has two main goals: a simpler method for creating graphical user interfaces (GUIs), and common code for Tkinter, QT, Wx, and web graphics. Although I feel comfortable doing my own Python Tkinter and web interfaces, having common code for both local GUI and web apps could be extremely useful, especially for Raspberry Pi projects. In this article, I introduce PySimpleGUI and create both a local GUI and a web interface to control a Raspberry Pi rover, all in less than 60 lines of code.
Getting Started
The Python PySimpleGUI [1] project has a number of "ports" or versions. The main full-featured version is for Tkinter-based graphics. The versions for Qt, Wx, and web graphics are still in development, so some testing will be required if you are hoping for full code compatibility between the different libraries.
Although you probably won't encounter a lot of cases in which you would want to flip between Qt, Wx, and Tkinter graphic engines, the possibility exists. Figure 1 shows examples of the same code applied to the different graphic libraries.
To install the default version of PySimpleGUI for Tkinter enter:
pip install pysimpleGUI
PySimpleGUI has a wide range of graphic widgets or elements. Graphic presentations are built by creating a layout variable, and elements are placed in separate rows defined by enclosing square brackets. A row can have a single element or multiple elements. Figure 2 is a graphic GUI example with three rows.
A Button Interface
The rover project I create in this article uses a five-row layout (Listing 1; Figure 3). The first row contains feedback text, and rows 2-5 contain buttons.
Listing 1
PySimpleGUI Button
01 # Create a simple graphic interface 02 # 03 import PySimpleGUI as sg 04 05 layout = [ [sg.Text("the feedback" , key="feedback")], 06 [sg.Button("FORWARD")], 07 [sg.Button("LEFT"),sg.Button("RIGHT")], 08 [sg.Button("STOP")], 09 [sg.Button("QUIT")] 10 ] 11 # Create the Window 12 window = sg.Window('My First App', layout) 13 # Event Loop to process "events" 14 while True: 15 event, values = window.read() 16 window['feedback'].Update(event) # show the button in the feedback text 17 print(event,values) 18 if event in (None, 'QUIT'): 19 break 20 window.close()
The PySimpleGUI sg.window()
method displays a window with the title and a layout definition (line 12). The window.read()
method returns events and values that have changed (line 15). The feedback text element (line 5) is given the key name feedback
, which is used by the Update
method to indicate which button is pressed (line 16).
Standalone Web Apps
The PySimpleGUIWeb library is excellent for creating a lightweight standalone web interface. The real beauty in PySimpleGUIWeb is that no HTML, style sheets, Ajax, or JavaScript code is required. PySimpleGUIWeb is ideal for small, single-user web interfaces, and it supports features like a tabbed interface, tables, and graphics; however, it would not be a good fit if you need a multipage-multiuser web environment.
To install PySimpleGUIWeb enter:
pip install remi pip install pysimpleGUIweb
If I use my earlier button example, but this time use the PySimpleGUIWeb library, the code is identical, except for some added window options (Figure 4). If you are working locally on a Raspberry Pi, you can use the default sg.window
settings; however, if you want to work remotely, you need to define a web server address (web_ip
) and port (web_port
) and to disable the auto launching of the a web browser (web_start_browser = False
).
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
Red Hat Adds New Deployment Option for Enterprise Linux Platforms
Red Hat has re-imagined enterprise Linux for an AI future with Image Mode.
-
OSJH and LPI Release 2024 Open Source Pros Job Survey Results
See what open source professionals look for in a new role.
-
Proton 9.0-1 Released to Improve Gaming with Steam
The latest release of Proton 9 adds several improvements and fixes an issue that has been problematic for Linux users.
-
So Long Neofetch and Thanks for the Info
Today is a day that every Linux user who enjoys bragging about their system(s) will mourn, as Neofetch has come to an end.
-
Ubuntu 24.04 Comes with a “Flaw"
If you're thinking you might want to upgrade from your current Ubuntu release to the latest, there's something you might want to consider before doing so.
-
Canonical Releases Ubuntu 24.04
After a brief pause because of the XZ vulnerability, Ubuntu 24.04 is now available for install.
-
Linux Servers Targeted by Akira Ransomware
A group of bad actors who have already extorted $42 million have their sights set on the Linux platform.
-
TUXEDO Computers Unveils Linux Laptop Featuring AMD Ryzen CPU
This latest release is the first laptop to include the new CPU from Ryzen and Linux preinstalled.
-
XZ Gets the All-Clear
The back door xz vulnerability has been officially reverted for Fedora 40 and versions 38 and 39 were never affected.
-
Canonical Collaborates with Qualcomm on New Venture
This new joint effort is geared toward bringing Ubuntu and Ubuntu Core to Qualcomm-powered devices.