Pygubu: A GUI Designer for Python and Tkinter

Pygubu: A GUI Designer for Python and Tkinter

Pygubu is a RAD (Rapid Application Development) tool that helps you build graphical user interfaces for Python applications using the Tkinter toolkit. It allows you to design interfaces visually and generate the corresponding Python code.

Key Features

• Visual Designer: Drag-and-drop interface builder
• Tkinter Support: Generates standard Tkinter code
• Cross-platform: Works on Windows, Linux, and macOS
• Simple Integration: Easy to connect GUI designs with application logic
• Custom Widgets: Supports extending with custom widgets

Installation

You can install Pygubu using pip:

pip install pygubu

Basic Usage

1. Design your interface using the Pygubu designer
2. Save the design as a .ui file (XML format)
3. Load the UI file in your Python code:

import tkinter as tk
import pygubu

class MyApplication:
    def __init__(self):
        # Create builder
        self.builder = pygubu.Builder()
        
        # Load UI file
        self.builder.add_from_file('my_ui.ui')
        
        # Get the main window
        self.mainwindow = self.builder.get_object('main_window')
        
        # Connect callbacks
        self.builder.connect_callbacks(self)

    def run(self):
        self.mainwindow.mainloop()

if __name__ == '__main__':
    app = MyApplication()
    app.run()

Creating a Simple UI

1. Run the designer:

pygubu-designer

2. Drag widgets from the palette to the canvas
3. Configure widget properties in the properties panel
4. Save the design as a .ui file

Advantages

• Faster GUI development compared to coding Tkinter manually
• Separation of UI design from application logic
• Easy to modify the interface without changing code

Limitations

• Primarily for Tkinter (not for other GUI toolkits)
• May require manual tweaking for complex layouts

Pygubu is a good choice for simple to medium complexity desktop applications where you want to leverage Tkinter’s cross-platform capabilities with a visual design approach.

Would you like more specific information about any aspect of Pygubu?