How to create a Tip of the day frame (Phoenix)
Keywords : Tip of the Day, CreateFileTipProvider, ShowTip, TipProvider, Dialog, Option.
Contents
Introduction
"Tip of the day" is easily implemented with the wxCreateFileTipProvider function and a text file full of tips.
Your application will need:
Some sort of persistence to remember whether tips are being shown and which tip will be shown next. For this recipe, I'm just referring to self.Persist, but I am not illustrating how self.Persist is created, saved, or restored.
You should also include:
- A settings panel that allows the user to turn the tips on/off, or a menu option for showing a tip of the day. Otherwise, if the user turns the tips off, they will not be able to turn them back on again!
The Recipe
First, create a text file (tips.txt) with helpful tips in it. Lines that begin with a "#" will be treated as comments:
# Dental hygene tips: Brush your teeth three times a day. Floss every day. An apple a day keeps the doctor away.
In your frame's intialization, create a tip provider:
Note that I'm doing a wx.CallAfter so that the initialization process doesn't grind to a halt while waiting for the user to dismiss the tip.
The ShowTipOfTheDay function is:
Finally, when my application is shutting down, I recapture the current tip number so that the tips will pick up from where they left off on the next run.
1 self.Persist.TipOfTheDayIndex = self.TipOfTheDay.CurrentTip
That CurrentTip member doesn't appear to be documented in the help files, but it does seem to do the trick.
Demonstrating :
Tested py3.x, wx4.x and Win10.
Are you ready to use some samples ? 
Test, modify, correct, complete, improve and share your discoveries ! 
Here's a complete example of using
1 # sample_one.py
2
3 import sys
4 import os
5 import wx
6 from wx.adv import CreateFileTipProvider
7 from wx.adv import ShowTip
8 from wx.adv import TipProvider
9
10 # class MyTipOption
11 # class MyFrame
12 # class MyApp
13
14 app_dir = os.path.split(os.path.abspath(sys.argv[0]))[0]
15 config_file = os.path.join(app_dir, "options.cfg")
16
17 #-----------------------------------------------------
18
19 class MyTipOption(wx.Dialog):
20 def __init__(self, parent):
21 wx.Dialog.__init__(self, parent, -1, title="Option tips")
22
23 self.Bind(wx.EVT_CLOSE, self.on_close_window)
24
25 #-------------------
26
27 config = GetConfig()
28 self.checkBox = wx.CheckBox(self, -1,
29 label="Show tips at start up",
30 pos=(20, 20))
31 self.checkBox.SetValue(config.ReadInt("ShowTips", 0))
32 content = self.checkBox.GetValue()
33 print("CheckBox = %s" % (content))
34
35 self.btnClose = wx.Button(self, -1,
36 label="&Close",
37 pos=(20, 120),
38 size=(100, 30))
39
40 self.checkBox.Bind(wx.EVT_CHECKBOX, self.on_check_box)
41 self.Bind(wx.EVT_BUTTON, self.on_close_btn, self.btnClose)
42
43 #-------------------
44
45 self.CentreOnParent(wx.BOTH)
46
47 #-------------------
48
49 self.btnClose = self.ShowModal()
50 self.Close()
51
52 #------------------------
53
54 def on_check_box(self, event):
55 config = GetConfig()
56 config.WriteInt("ShowTips", self.checkBox.GetValue())
57 content = self.checkBox.GetValue()
58 print("CheckBox = %s" % (content))
59
60 def on_close_btn(self, event):
61 self.Close(True)
62
63 def on_close_window(self, event):
64 self.Destroy()
65
66 #-----------------------------------------------------
67
68 class MyFrame(wx.Frame):
69 def __init__(self, parent, id, title):
70 wx.Frame.__init__(self, parent, -1, title)
71
72 #-------------------
73
74 frameicon = wx.Icon("Icons/wxWidgets.ico")
75 self.SetIcon(frameicon)
76
77 #-------------------
78
79 self.Bind(wx.EVT_CLOSE, self.on_close_window)
80
81 #-------------------
82
83 self.panel = wx.Panel(self, -1)
84
85 self.btnTip = wx.Button(self.panel, -1,
86 label="Show &tip setting dialog",
87 pos=(20, 20),
88 size=(230, 30))
89 self.btnClose = wx.Button(self.panel, -1,
90 label="&Quit",
91 pos=(20, 100),
92 size=(100, 30))
93
94 self.Bind(wx.EVT_BUTTON, self.on_tip_btn, self.btnTip)
95 self.Bind(wx.EVT_BUTTON, self.on_close_btn, self.btnClose)
96
97 #-------------------
98
99 # Simplified init method
100 self.create_menu_bar()
101
102 #-------------------
103
104 self.CenterOnScreen()
105
106 #------------------------
107
108 def create_menu_bar(self):
109 menuBar = wx.MenuBar()
110
111 menuFile = wx.Menu(style=wx.MENU_TEAROFF)
112 item = wx.MenuItem(menuFile, -1,
113 text="&Quit\tCtrl+Q",
114 helpString="Quit application.")
115 menuFile.Append(item)
116 self.Bind(wx.EVT_MENU, self.on_close_btn, item)
117
118 menuOption = wx.Menu(style=wx.MENU_TEAROFF)
119 item = wx.MenuItem(menuOption, -1,
120 text="&Tip\tCtrl+K",
121 helpString="Show or hide tip at start up.")
122 menuOption.Append(item)
123 self.Bind(wx.EVT_MENU, self.on_tip_btn, item)
124
125 menuBar.Append(menuFile, title="&File")
126 menuBar.Append(menuOption, title="&Option")
127 self.SetMenuBar(menuBar)
128
129 def show_tip(self):
130 config = GetConfig()
131
132 # Tip status (show or hide)
133 showTip = config.ReadInt("ShowTips", 1)
134 if showTip == 1 :
135 print("Show tip = %s" % (True))
136 elif showTip == 0 :
137 print("Show tip = %s" % (False))
138
139 index = config.ReadInt("TipIndex", 0)
140 print("Index = %s" % (index))
141
142
143 if showTip:
144 tipProvider = CreateFileTipProvider("tips.txt", index)
145 showTip = ShowTip(self, tipProvider)
146 index = tipProvider.GetCurrentTip()
147
148 config.WriteInt("ShowTips", showTip)
149 config.WriteInt("TipIndex", index)
150
151 def on_tip_btn(self, event):
152 self.tip = MyTipOption(self)
153
154 def on_close_btn(self, event):
155 self.Close(True)
156
157 def on_close_window(self, event):
158 self.Destroy()
159
160 #-----------------------------------------------------
161
162 class MyApp(wx.App):
163 def OnInit(self):
164 self.SetAppName("Test_Tip")
165
166 frame = MyFrame(None, -1, "Test show tip at start up")
167 frame.Show(True)
168 self.SetTopWindow(frame)
169
170 if os.path.exists("tips.txt"):
171 wx.CallAfter(frame.show_tip)
172
173 return True
174
175 #-----------------------------------------------------
176
177 def GetConfig():
178 config = wx.FileConfig(appName="Test_Tip",
179 localFilename=config_file)
180 return config
181
182 #-----------------------------------------------------
183
184 if __name__ == "__main__":
185 app = MyApp(False)
186 app.MainLoop()
How change the widget text and internationalization support (i18n)
1 # sample_two.py
2
3 import sys
4 import os
5 import wx
6 from wx.adv import CreateFileTipProvider
7 from wx.adv import ShowTip
8 from wx.adv import TipProvider
9
10 # class MyTipOption
11 # class MyFrame
12 # class MyApp
13
14 app_dir = os.path.split(os.path.abspath(sys.argv[0]))[0]
15 config_file = os.path.join(app_dir, "options.cfg")
16
17 # Define a translation string
18 _ = wx.GetTranslation
19
20 #-----------------------------------------------------
21
22 class MyTipOption(wx.Dialog):
23 def __init__(self, parent):
24 wx.Dialog.__init__(self, parent, -1, title=_("Option"))
25
26 self.Bind(wx.EVT_CLOSE, self.on_close_window)
27
28 #-------------------
29
30 config = GetConfig()
31 self.checkBox = wx.CheckBox(self, -1,
32 label=_("Show tips at start up"),
33 pos=(20, 20))
34 self.checkBox.SetValue(config.ReadInt("ShowTips", 0))
35 content = self.checkBox.GetValue()
36 print("CheckBox = %s" % (content))
37
38 self.text = wx.StaticText(self, -1,
39 label=_("Language :"),
40 pos=(20, 68))
41
42 self.language = wx.Choice(self, -1,
43 choices=[_("English"),
44 _("French")],
45 pos=(100, 65),
46 size=(100, -1))
47
48 self.btnClose = wx.Button(self, -1,
49 label=_("&Close"),
50 pos=(20, 120),
51 size=(100, 30))
52
53 self.checkBox.Bind(wx.EVT_CHECKBOX, self.on_check_box)
54 self.Bind(wx.EVT_CHOICE, self.on_language)
55 self.Bind(wx.EVT_BUTTON, self.on_close_btn, self.btnClose)
56
57 #-------------------
58
59 self.CentreOnParent(wx.BOTH)
60
61 #-------------------
62
63 self.btnClose = self.ShowModal()
64 self.Close()
65
66 #------------------------
67
68 def on_language(self, event):
69 choice = self.language.GetSelection()
70 print("Selection = %s" % (choice))
71
72 config = GetConfig()
73 if choice == 0:
74 val = "LANGUAGE_ENGLISH"
75 else:
76 val = "LANGUAGE_FRENCH"
77 print("Language = %s" % (val))
78 config.Write("Language", val)
79
80 def on_check_box(self, event):
81 config = GetConfig()
82 config.WriteInt("ShowTips", self.checkBox.GetValue())
83 content = self.checkBox.GetValue()
84 print("CheckBox = %s" % (content))
85
86 def on_close_btn(self, event):
87 self.Close(True)
88
89 def on_close_window(self, event):
90 self.Destroy()
91
92 #-----------------------------------------------------
93
94 class MyFrame(wx.Frame):
95 def __init__(self, parent, id, title):
96 wx.Frame.__init__(self, parent, -1, title)
97
98 #-------------------
99
100 frameicon = wx.Icon("Icons/wxWidgets.ico")
101 self.SetIcon(frameicon)
102
103 #-------------------
104
105 self.Bind(wx.EVT_CLOSE, self.on_close_window)
106
107 #-------------------
108
109 self.panel = wx.Panel(self, -1)
110
111 self.btnTip = wx.Button(self.panel, -1,
112 label=_("Show &tip setting dialog"),
113 pos=(20, 20),
114 size=(230, 30))
115 self.btnClose = wx.Button(self.panel, -1,
116 label=_("&Quit"),
117 pos=(20, 100),
118 size=(100, 30))
119
120 self.Bind(wx.EVT_BUTTON, self.on_tip_btn, self.btnTip)
121 self.Bind(wx.EVT_BUTTON, self.on_close_btn, self.btnClose)
122
123 #-------------------
124
125 # Simplified init method
126 self.create_menu_bar()
127
128 #-------------------
129
130 self.CenterOnScreen()
131
132 #------------------------
133
134 def create_menu_bar(self):
135 menuBar = wx.MenuBar()
136
137 menuFile = wx.Menu(style=wx.MENU_TEAROFF)
138 item = wx.MenuItem(menuFile, -1,
139 text=_("&Quit\tCtrl+Q"),
140 helpString=_("Quit application."))
141 menuFile.Append(item)
142 self.Bind(wx.EVT_MENU, self.on_close_btn, item)
143
144 menuOption = wx.Menu(style=wx.MENU_TEAROFF)
145 item = wx.MenuItem(menuOption, -1,
146 text=_("&Setting\tCtrl+K"),
147 helpString=_("Setting language and tip."))
148 menuOption.Append(item)
149 self.Bind(wx.EVT_MENU, self.on_tip_btn, item)
150
151 menuBar.Append(menuFile, title=_("&File"))
152 menuBar.Append(menuOption, title=_("&Option"))
153 self.SetMenuBar(menuBar)
154
155 def show_tip(self):
156 config = GetConfig()
157
158 # Tip status (show or hide)
159 showTip = config.ReadInt("ShowTips", 1)
160 if showTip == 1 :
161 print("Show tip = %s" % (True))
162 elif showTip == 0 :
163 print("Show tip = %s" % (False))
164
165 index = config.ReadInt("TipIndex", 0)
166 print("Index = %s" % (index))
167
168 if showTip:
169 tipProvider = CreateFileTipProvider("tips.txt", index)
170 showTip = ShowTip(self, tipProvider)
171 index = tipProvider.GetCurrentTip()
172
173 config.WriteInt("ShowTips", showTip)
174 config.WriteInt("TipIndex", index)
175
176 def on_tip_btn(self, event):
177 self.tip = MyTipOption(self)
178
179 def on_close_btn(self, event):
180 self.Close(True)
181
182 def on_close_window(self, event):
183 self.Destroy()
184
185 #-----------------------------------------------------
186
187 class MyApp(wx.App):
188 def OnInit(self):
189 self.SetAppName("Test_Tip_i18n")
190
191 # Retrieve the user configuration language
192 config = GetConfig()
193 language = config.Read("Language", "LANGUAGE_DEFAULT")
194
195 # Setup the locale
196 self.locale = wx.Locale(getattr(wx, language))
197 path = os.path.abspath("./locale") + os.path.sep
198 self.locale.AddCatalogLookupPathPrefix(path)
199 self.locale.AddCatalog(self.GetAppName())
200
201 frame = MyFrame(None, -1, _("Test show tip at start up - i18n"))
202 frame.Show(True)
203 self.SetTopWindow(frame)
204
205 if os.path.exists("tips.txt"):
206 wx.CallAfter(frame.show_tip)
207
208 return True
209
210 #-----------------------------------------------------
211
212 def GetConfig():
213 config = wx.FileConfig(appName="Test_Tip_i18n",
214 localFilename=config_file)
215 return config
216
217 #-----------------------------------------------------
218
219 if __name__ == "__main__":
220 app = MyApp(False)
221 app.MainLoop()
Download source
Additional Information
For the non-ascii characters, save the text file with an utf-8 encoding.
For the translation or editing, you can use Poedit application.
It exist some version for Windows, Mac and Linux.
Link :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poedit
https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poedit
https://wiki.wxpython.org/WikiTipOfTheDay
- - - - -
https://wiki.wxpython.org/TitleIndex
Thanks to
Robin Dunn, Cody Precord, the wxPython community...
Thanks also to all known contributors or anonymous that I forgot.
About this page
Date (d/m/y) Person (bot) Comments :
10/10/18 - Ecco (Created page for wxPython Phoenix).
Comments
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