Hey everyone! I'm curious if it's possible to create a GUI in Python that's similar to what MATLAB offers. I've dabbled with Tkinter, and while it works fine, I really don't want to code every aspect of the GUI. I'm looking for something that lets me design the interface using drag-and-drop features (think buttons, text boxes, etc.), and then I can handle the coding part separately.
My goal is to build a simple app that processes data from HDF5 files, allows me to plot this data (like line charts), and lets me manipulate the data in real time using the GUI (like trimming peaks or adding curves together). I have background in VBA, MATLAB, and Python and have developed some useful scripts, but I'm hoping to consolidate everything into one software with a user-friendly GUI instead of juggling multiple scripts. I've looked online and found that Windows Forms could be an option, but it still seems a bit beyond what I'm after.
I'd love to hear your ideas! I'm really keen on avoiding a situation where I start something and find out I can't finish it. Thanks!
2 Answers
You might want to consider using Matplotlib for your plotting needs! It's quite powerful and you could embed it in a GUI. But for what you're talking about, like filtering channels and real-time graph updates, you might want to explore an IDE like PyQT for a more robust solution. It allows for some level of drag-and-drop design and could fit your needs pretty well. Tkinter is good, but it can get a little tricky with real-time updates.
I hear you on wanting to avoid MATLAB if licensing is an issue. That said, Python doesn’t really have powerful drag-and-drop GUI frameworks like MATLAB. You might still end up coding a lot even with UI designers.
Plotly offers some interesting UI interactions, but anyway, it does involve coding too! I think investing a bit more in Tkinter will really pay off; you'll get the hang of adding complex functionalities in no time!
Totally get your point! I've been learning Tkinter too, and while the drag-and-drop is absent, once you understand the structure, it opens up tons of possibilities. Just keep pushing through!
Yeah, Matplotlib works awesome for plots, but make sure you check out integrating it with Tkinter! It’s not out of reach, and you can definitely manage those GUI updates with some effort.