[Matplotlib-users] 'remote control' matplotlib window

[Peter M. <pet...@ya...>]

I have a question, how to control matplotlib from another application.

Let me explain. We want to monitor some sensor data. The monitoring application already offers a toolbar to choose the view for several embedded windows. For example, buttons like "Reset view","Back/Forward", "Pan", "Zoom" and many more are available. The same functions that are shown in each TkAgg matplotlib window (like the six buttons in the bottom of http://postneo.com/pix/matplotlib.png, for example).

Because we don't want to duplicate the buttons, we want to
* Hide the buttons in the matplotlib window
* Show only the plot without any decorations
* Embed the matplotlib window into out wxPython application (this step is nice-to-have, but we can also work with another toplevel window, which is not embedded)
* Finally, but most important: control from our wxPython application when to set the matplotlib window into Zoom/Pan/Rotate mode

How can we implement the last step? Do we have to implement our own Backend? What we need is documented for Chaco in detail, but has it been done with matplotlib before? We prefer matplotlib because it is more advanced except for the UI integration.

Please guide us in the right direction
Peter