Re: [Matplotlib-users] pylab vs. embedding in wx

[Ryan K. <rya...@gm...>]

Thanks John.  I know I have some clean up to do, I just want to do it
right so it isn't an annual (or more often) thing....

On 3/15/07, John Hunter <jd...@gm...> wrote:
> On 3/15/07, Ryan Krauss <rya...@gm...> wrote:
>
> > How should I be using matplotlib/pylab in my utility scripts so that
> > they are compatible with embedding in wx?
>
> A good rule of thumb is to never import pylab at the top level for
> modules that need to be imported.  In my own code, I often do
> something like
>
>   def somefunc(figfunc):
>       fig = figfunc()
>       ax = fig.add_subplot(111)
>       ax.plot([1,2,3])
>
> and then I can call it with
>
>   somefunc(pylab.figure)
>
> or a custom func that generates a GUI embedded figure instance.  Eg,
> in my GTKApps, I have a functor like gtk_figure that returns a
> function that creates a figure embedded in a GTK window.
>
> In basemap, Jeffrey Whitaker does something like the following
>
>   def somefunc(ax=None):
>       if ax is None:
>           import pylab
>           ax = pylab.gca()
>
> Here the pylab import is triggered only when the function is called
> with default arguments.  That way you can use it from GUI code without
> triggering a pylab import like
>
>   somefunc(ax)
>
> and from other code where you want pylab do do everything with
>
>   somefunc()
>
> I'm afraid you have some cleanup to do.....  Mixing pylab with
> embedded GUI code is a recipe for pain and misery.
>
> JDH
>