Install Challenge (Newbie)

maintainer: LionKimbro (jabber id: LionKimbro@jabber.org)

We want to get you up and running as quickly as possible.

Your beginning tasks are:

• Get on mailing lists, register on Wiki.

• Install development software.

• Install Jabber, if you want live help.

Assumptions

• You can program Python, at least at a basic level:

  • Comfortable with  [] ,  {} ,  def ,  class ...

• You have installed Python 2.2 or greater.

That out of the way:

Part 1: Register on Mailing Lists

Read MailingLists, and subscribe to:

• wx-users
• wxPython-users
• wxPython-docs.

We'd like to have wxPython-Challengers one day, but we're not quite that prestigious yet.

Part 2: Register on Wiki

Click the Login link at the top of the page to register.

• Squash your user name: "LionKimbro", not "Lion Kimbro".

• Setup "quick links" with these values:

  • FrontPage

  • HelpContents

  • RecentChanges

  • (your username here)

  • ObstacleCourse

  • wxPython Cookbook

Edit your wiki home page, choosing the template for home pages.

Part 3: Install Development Software

Only wxPython is really necessary, but install the auxiliary software as well.

On Linux: You need to install wxPython demo code and docs seperately. Do so. These resources are incredibly important.

I'm not writing much about installation, because good resources already exist.

You may also want to install a wxWigets IDE:

At the very least, be aware of the visual GUI IDEs available to you.

Search Mailing List Archive

Searching the mailing list archives is very important, so try it out now:

1. Go to WxPython.org

2. Click on "Search this Site" in the top-left sidebar.
3. Click "Search lists.wxWindows.org".
4. Search for "gridsizer".
5. Do another search for "wxgridsizer".

Comments

Place your comments here.

Well, that was easy. The hardest part was finding a full-featured, free, Win32 Jabber client. Exodus is pretty good. (http://exodus.jabberstudio.org/) Also, the command to install THREE GUI kits is a little puzzling. Upon further examination, here's what I've discovered: wxGlade is a simple GUI designer that outputs Python, C++, or XML code. BoaConstructor seems to be a huge wxPython IDE with tons of features: advanced debugger, ZOPE support, graphical view of class hierarchies, etc. PythonCard is an interactive GUI designer / IDE; you can edit the GUI as it runs. -- [Cube]

You can get Pidgin http://www.pidgin.im/ for free and it supports Linux/Windows. It is a multi-protocol client, so it should handle all your instant messaging needs. (Jabber/AIM/Yahoo/IRC/etc.) [StevenBlack]

Some stuff here is broken, or out-of-date.

• - There is no wxPython-docs mailing list any more, apparently.

  - The PythonCard installation failed, for me;

  • <Could not create PythonCard-py2.6> dialog, followed by <Could not set key value: Python 2.6 PythonCard-0.8.2> dialog, followed by <Could not set key value: "C:\Python26\RemovePythonCard.exe" -u "C:\Python26\PythonCard-wininst.log"> Then some files get copied, then this message in the Postinstall : <*** run_installscript: internal error 0xFFFFFFFF ***>

  - There is no "Search lists.wxWindows.org" option under "Search this site" at wxPython.org

  [BrianMyers]

I came here because I was finding limitations with PythonCard, seems I need the greater capability of wxPython to create the program I want. Now on to the Challenge.

BTW, I had no trouble installing PythonCard on my Linux Mint (Isadora) or using it on Windows XP at work (via external USB drive). I use Stans Python Editor on Linux although I have had a dalliance or two with Boa Constructor) and Portable Python on the Windows platform. Due to the work restrictions, I'm not an admin, I couldn't do the install properly but it still works well if you have the PythonCard folder in the Portable Python folder.

[BrentMilne]

I'm not sure what you do after installing Jabber or a messaging client. There's no mention of what client to join and I doubt one exists with live python support. [CharlieG]