Getting Started with Python GUI using PySimpleGUI

GUI (Graphical User Interface) allows users to interact with programs through visual elements such as buttons, text boxes, and other widgets. In this tutorial, we will focus on creating a super basic GUI using Python and PySimpleGUI, which is a simple yet powerful GUI framework for Python.

Step 1: Install PySimpleGUI
Before we start creating our GUI, we need to install PySimpleGUI. You can install PySimpleGUI using pip by running the following command in your terminal or command prompt:

pip install pysimplegui

Step 2: Creating a Simple GUI Window
Now that we have installed PySimpleGUI, let’s create a simple GUI window using the following code:

import PySimpleGUI as sg

layout = [[sg.Text('Hello, World!')], [sg.Button('OK')]]

window = sg.Window('Simple GUI', layout)

while True:
    event, values = window.read()
    if event == sg.WIN_CLOSED or event == 'OK':
        break

window.close()

In this code snippet, we first import PySimpleGUI as sg. Next, we define the layout of our GUI window using a list of lists. Each inner list represents a row of the GUI layout.

In this example, our layout consists of a Text element displaying ‘Hello, World!’ and a Button element with the label ‘OK’. We then create a window using sg.Window and pass the layout as an argument.

The while True loop is used to keep the window open and listen for events. The event, values = window.read() statement waits for user interaction and assigns the event (e.g., button click) and any corresponding values to the event and values variables, respectively.

If the window is closed or the ‘OK’ button is clicked, the loop breaks using the condition if event == sg.WIN_CLOSED or event == 'OK'. Finally, we close the window using window.close().

Step 3: Running the GUI
To run the GUI, save the code in a Python file (e.g., simple_gui.py) and execute it using your Python interpreter. You should see a window with the text ‘Hello, World!’ and a button labeled ‘OK’. Clicking the ‘OK’ button will close the window.

This is just a simple example to get you started with PySimpleGUI. You can create more complex GUIs by adding additional elements, changing the layout, and customizing the appearance of your GUI using PySimpleGUI’s various options and features.

In conclusion, PySimpleGUI provides a straightforward and intuitive way to create GUIs in Python. With a few lines of code, you can create powerful and user-friendly interfaces for your applications. I hope this tutorial has been helpful in getting you started with creating super basic GUIs in Python using PySimpleGUI.