Creating Standalone Data Processing Applications with Python and Tkinter

Sam Giebner

1. Background

2. Sharing scripts/tools

3. Example Apps

4. Tkinter

5. Considerations

6. Resources

Python Anyone?

Powerful

Easy to learn

Open-source

Cross-platform

Large user community

Background

Request

Client

Coworker

Goals:

• Save time
• Eliminate/reduce error
• Fill gaps in existing tools
• Amplify everyday and non-GIS users

Sharing Scripts/Tools

Traditional Options:

• Standalone script
• Script in an ArcGIS Toolbox
• ArcGIS Python Add-in

Great, but...

Why would I create a standalone data processing application?

• Lightweight
• Efficient
• Stable
• "On the fly" data validation
• Fully customizable user experience
• "Reactive" error handling
• Not reliant on ESRI products
• *Cross-platform
• *No Installation

Tkinter

Graphical

User

Interface?

• Native Python!
• Most commonly used GUI toolkit for Python 
• Object-oriented layer on top of Tcl/Tk
  • Tcl: Tool Command Languege
  • Tk: standard Tcl GUI toolkit 

What is Tkinter?

Essentially, it's a collection of Python modules

Tkinter App: 3 Main Parts

1. Tk instance

2. Widgets

3. Tkinter event loop

Tk Instance

    from Tkinter import *

    root = Tk()

• Button

• Canvas

• Checkbutton

• Entry

• Frame

• Label

• Listbox

• Menu

• Menubutton

• Message

• Radiobutton

• Scale

• Scrollbar

• Text

• Toplevel

• LabelFrame

• PanedWindow

• Spinbox

18 Core Widget Classes

Widget Workflow

    # Create widget instance     
    new_button = Button(tk_instance)

    # Style widget
    new_button['text'] = 'Click Here'
    new_button['command'] = do_something()

    # Place widget
    new_button.grid(row=0, column=2)

Initiate Tkinter event loop

    root.mainloop()

Examples

Consider the Following:

Is it worth the time?

Create/use templates!

Modules

    import arcpy

Prerequisites

Classes

    class NewClass():

        def __init__.py(self):
            pass

        def method_one(self):
            print("I'm a method!")

Sam's Favorite Tkinter Resources

tutorialspoint.com

http://tutorialspoint.com/python/python_gui_programming

effbot.org

http://effbot.org/tkinterbook

Workshop Resources

Slides:

http://slides.com/northpointgis/fall2016_python_applications_ws

GitHub Repository:

https://github.com/northpointgis/Simple-Python-Applications-Workshop

Questions?

Sam Giebner

samg@northpointgis.com

218.720.67.47 ext 4