Getting Started with wxGlade — A Beginner’s GuidewxGlade is a GUI designer for the wxPython toolkit that helps you design graphical interfaces visually and generate Python code (or XRC resources) for your layouts. This guide walks you through installation, the wxGlade interface, building a simple application, common widgets and layout containers, best practices, and tips for integrating generated code into larger projects.
What is wxGlade and when to use it
wxGlade is an open-source RAD tool that accelerates GUI creation by letting you drag-and-drop widgets, configure properties, and export working code. Use wxGlade when you want to:
- Quickly prototype UI layouts without writing boilerplate code.
- Generate maintainable wxPython code or XRC resource files.
- Learn wxPython by inspecting generated code structure.
It’s not ideal if you prefer hand-coded, highly customized dynamic interfaces where programmatic control of widget creation is essential.
Installing wxGlade
wxGlade runs on Python and requires wxPython. Installation steps:
- Ensure you have Python 3.8+ installed.
- Install wxPython:
- On Windows/macOS: pip install -U wxPython
- On Linux: use pip or your distribution’s packages if available.
- Install wxGlade:
- pip install wxglade
- Run wxGlade from the command line:
- wxglade
If pip install fails for wxPython (large binary), download wheels from the wxPython website or use a platform package manager.
Exploring the wxGlade interface
When you open wxGlade you’ll see a layout divided into panels:
- Widget palette — a list of available widgets (Buttons, TextCtrls, Sizers, Menus).
- Object tree — hierarchical view of the current GUI, showing parent-child relationships.
- Properties panel — configure widget properties (labels, sizes, IDs, events).
- Preview/Canvas — design surface showing the window/dialog layout.
- Code generation options — choose target language (Python) or XRC and adjust code style.
Tip: turn on “Show IDs” and “Show sizer boundaries” while learning to better understand layout mechanics.
Basic concepts: Widgets, Sizers, and Events
- Widgets are UI elements (wx.Button, wx.TextCtrl, wx.StaticText).
- Sizers are layout managers (BoxSizer, GridSizer, FlexGridSizer). They control sizing and spacing across platforms.
- Events connect UI actions to functions (e.g., button click to handler). In wxGlade you assign event handlers which are referenced in the generated code.
Always prefer sizers over absolute positioning to ensure your UI adapts to different platforms and font sizes.
Building a simple application: Step-by-step
We’ll create a small “Contact Form” window with name, email, message, and Submit/Cancel buttons.
- Create a new Frame (File → New → Frame).
- Add a BoxSizer (vertical) to the frame.
- Add a StaticText “Name” and a TextCtrl beneath it. Repeat for “Email”.
- Add a StaticText “Message” and a multi-line TextCtrl (wx.TextCtrl with style TE_MULTILINE).
- Create a horizontal BoxSizer for buttons. Add two Buttons: “Submit” and “Cancel”.
- Set identifiers and labels in the Properties panel. For the multi-line text control, set a minimum size.
- Assign event handlers: bind the Submit button to on_submit and Cancel to on_cancel.
- Save the project and generate Python code (Project → Generate code). Choose a suitable filename and output folder.
Example of generated handler stubs you’ll see in the code:
def on_submit(self, event): # TODO: implement submit logic pass def on_cancel(self, event): self.Close() Fill in on_submit with input validation and any persistence or network logic your app needs.
Integrating generated code into a project
wxGlade offers two main approaches:
- Generated code as a starting point: edit the generated file directly. Good for small projects but can be overwritten by re-generating.
- Generated code + subclassing: keep generated code untouched and subclass the main frame to add logic. This is safer — re-generate UI code without losing custom logic.
Example structure:
- myapp_ui.py (generated by wxGlade) — contains UI classes and stubs.
- app.py — imports UI classes and subclasses or composes them, adding business logic.
When regenerating, avoid modifying widget IDs and handler names you rely on, or reapply changes.
Common widgets and useful properties
- wx.Button — label, default/accept flags.
- wx.TextCtrl — styles (TE_MULTILINE), max length.
- wx.CheckBox / wx.RadioBox — for options.
- wx.Choice / wx.ComboBox — dropdown selections.
- wx.Notebook — tabbed panes.
- wx.TreeCtrl / wx.ListCtrl — for hierarchical or table-like data.
- wx.StatusBar / wx.ToolBar — standard frame components.
Useful properties: minsize, proportion (for sizers), flags (wx.ALIGN_CENTER, wx.EXPAND), and tooltips.
Layout tips and best practices
- Use nested sizers instead of absolute positions.
- Set proportion and EXPAND flags to make controls resize properly.
- Use spacers and borders for consistent padding.
- Test on different platforms and DPI settings.
- Keep IDs and handler names consistent if you plan to re-generate.
Handling custom widgets
If you need custom widgets, create a placeholder in wxGlade (e.g., CustomWidget) and replace it in code, or extend generated classes to instantiate your custom control. You can also include custom widget code in the same project and import it into the generated file if you’re not regenerating often.
Localization and XRC
wxGlade can export XRC resource files, which separate UI from code and make localization easier. Generate XRC when you want designers or translators to edit UI without touching Python code. Load XRC at runtime using wx.xrc.XmlResource.
Debugging and common issues
- UI looks different on other platforms: ensure you use sizers and avoid hard-coded sizes.
- Events not firing: verify handler names match and controls have IDs.
- Missing imports after generation: check code generation settings include necessary imports for widgets and styles.
Resources and further learning
- wxPython demos — study example code and controls.
- wxWidgets/wxPython documentation for detailed widget behavior.
- wxGlade project repository and issue tracker for updates and bug fixes.
wxGlade speeds up GUI creation while keeping your code readable and portable. Start by building small windows, inspect the generated code to learn wxPython patterns, and adopt subclassing to keep UI generation and app logic cleanly separated.
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