<<TableOfContents>>

== Introduction ==

This topic is about how to add a named border to a group of widgets.

== What Objects are Involved ==

Two wxPython classes are used: wx``Static``Box and wx``Static``Box``Sizer.

== Process Overview ==

I found these two classes to be hard to work with, and require a slightly different coding style than the other containers.  So, I wrote a subclass of wxPanel that encapsulates how they work, make the application programmer's job easier.  Here's an example of how to use my class (Named``Panel).  This code creates a panel with a name and border around it.  The panel contains a single button.

{{{
#!python
namedPanel = NamedPanel(frame, 'My name goes here')
aButton    = wxButton(namedPanel, -1, 'aButton')
namedPanel.setup()
}}}


== Special Concerns ==

The coding for Named``Panel is very simple: it expects just one child component.  So, if you want to put multiple components in the named panel, first lay them out in a seperate wxPanel and then add that one wxPanel.

== Source Code: NamedPanel.py ==

{{{
#!python
import wx

class NamedPanel(wx.Panel):
    """
    A wx.Panel subclass that has a border and a visible name.
    Here's how it's used:
    
      namedPanel = NamedPanel(frame, 'My name goes here')
      aButton    = wx.Button(namedPanel, -1, 'aButton')
      namedPanel.setup()

    I hope to figure out how to avoid the need to call setup()
    explicitly.
    
    Author: Robb Shecter (robb@acm.org)
    """

    def __init__(self, parent, name='No Name'):
        "Instantiate a new NamedPanel with the given name."
        wx.Panel.__init__(self, parent, -1)
        group      = wx.StaticBox(self, -1, name)
        if "__WXMAC__" in wx.PlatformInfo:
            self.box   = wx.StaticBoxSizer(group)
        else:
            self.box   = wx.StaticBoxSizer(group, wx.VERTICAL)
        
        self.isSetup = 0

    def setup(self):
        "Prepare the UI. Required before the panel is shown."
        self.__setChildPanel(self.GetChildren()[1])

    def __setChildPanel(self, aPanel):
        "Specify the panel to display inside the named border"
        if self.isSetup:
            raise 'NamedPanel.__setChildPanel() was called twice'
        self.isSetup = 1
        if "__WXMAC__" in wx.PlatformInfo:
            self.box.Add(aPanel, 1, 4)
        else:
            self.box.Add(aPanel, 1, wx.EXPAND|wx.ALL, 4)
            
        self.SetAutoLayout(True)
        self.SetSizer(self.box)
        self.box.Fit(self)
        self.box.SetSizeHints(self)

if __name__ == '__main__':
    """Create a window with a NamedPanel containing a wx.Button"""
    app = wx.PySimpleApp()
    frame = wx.Frame(None, -1, 'NamedPanel Test', size=(300,300))

    namedPanel = NamedPanel(frame, 'My name goes here')
    aButton    = wx.Button(namedPanel, -1, 'aButton')
    namedPanel.setup()

    frame.Show(1)
    app.MainLoop()
}}}

=== Comments ===

Page originally created by RobbShecter, robb@acm.org

Page updated to use 2.5.3.1 wx. syntax and tested to work on OSX 10.3.7 with Python 2.4 (without the check for __WXMAC__, the text for the button appears in the wrong place when the window is drawn or resized....can someone please fix this!) by JonStevens, jon@latchkey.com

The following code from UsingSizers should be helpful here:

{{{
#!python
wxStaticBoxSizer( wxStaticBox( parent_window, id, "label" ), wxHORIZONTAL )
}}}

-- LionKimbro <<DateTime(2003-08-17T19:41:18)>>