visualpython-users

[Visualpython-users] Re: compile problem (graphing in python)

[Chris B. <bu...@hv...>]

Hi all.

Just thought I'd mention that the kind of graphing Arnd is looking for
is available through BLT, a widget set for Tcl/Tk.  Luckily, BLT is
available through the Python Mega Widgets (Pmw).  It's a bit of a pain
to setup (need to install BLT, then Pmw) and since BLT is a Tcl/Tk
add-on, it uses it's own vectors (not Numeric arrays).  However, the
interface is rather nice:  you make a vector and tell BLT to graph it.
Then, when you change the vector, BLT automagically updates the graph
widget (line, markers, scaling, etc).  It's by no means as slick as Visual
(e.g., you need to use Tkinter to dress up the widget), but works well for 
some purposes.

See:

Python Mega-Widgets:              http://pmw.sourceforge.net/
BLT in Python (lots of examples): http://heim.ifi.uio.no/~hpl/Pmw.Blt/doc/
The official BLT:                 http://incrtcl.sourceforge.net/blt/

I used it to build an interactive ODE integrator (for watching choatic
systems evolve while they are being integrated).  If you're interested, have
a look:  
http://pathfinder.scar.utoronto.ca/~csca57/RKFgraph.html

Chris

--
Chris Burns
Visiting Assistant Professor
Dept. of physics and astronomy, Swarthmore College
cb...@sw...      http://astro.swarthmore.edu/~burns

[Visualpython-users] Re: compile problem (graphing in python) -- BLT

[Gary P. <pa...@in...>]

> See:
>
> Python Mega-Widgets:              http://pmw.sourceforge.net/
> BLT in Python (lots of examples): http://heim.ifi.uio.no/~hpl/Pmw.Blt/doc/
> The official BLT:                 http://incrtcl.sourceforge.net/blt/


Thanks, Chris.
I want to point out that the link to the Windows BLT executable given on the
official BLT site seems to be broken.

See instead:  http://sourceforge.net/projects/blt/

The binaries can be downloaded from there.

-gary pajer

Re: [Visualpython-users] Re: compile problem (graphing in python) -- BLT

[Gary P. <pa...@in...>]

>
> See instead:  http://sourceforge.net/projects/blt/
>
> The binaries can be downloaded from there.
>
> -gary pajer

Futhermore, the installation of BLT on a Win98/Python/Tcl/Tk/Pmw system
requires a couple of manual tweaks.
Here's what I found in a google groups search.  This procedure worked for
me.

-gary

---------------------------------------------------------------
From: Peter Brown (ph...@ac...)
Subject: Re: BLT installation woes under W98 (Python 2.1)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.python
Date: 2001-04-24 19:17:07 PST


I got it!  (At least, it looks like I got it--the BLT-dependent demos
of Pmw now run.  I have not started using the setup for real work.)

What I did:
- Stock Python install.  I dropped back to 2.0 (Pmw 0.8.5 passes its
  tests in 2.0 and doesn't in 2.1), so my Python went into
  C:/Python20.  (Note: I know of no reason why this wouldn't work with
  2.1.  I just haven't tested it there.)
- Install BLT 2.4u into C:/Python20/tcl, using BLT's installer (the
  one for Tcl/Tk 8.3).  This gives you bin, include, and lib subdirs
  of C:/Python/tcl, with all the BLT stuff in them.
- Copy C:/Python20/tcl/lib/blt2.4 into C:/Python20/tcl/tcl8.3.
- Put the BLT DLLs in a directory on your PATH (not necessarily a
  system directory, just has to be on your PATH).

And it works.  (For me--usual disclaimers apply.)  I did not move any
of the other BLT files.

[Visualpython-users] Re: compile problem (graphing in python)

[<ba...@ph...>]

Hi,

thanks for pointing out Pmw - actually I played with this
over the weekend. Basically it does what I want, _but_
it seems (please tell me that I am wrong here !!)
that for each point one wants to plot a tag has to be given.
In consequence, when plotting _many_ points in this way
substantially increasing memory is used.
Alternatively, it might be possible to
just set up one vector and append the points at
the end (I haven't tried this yet), but still
the vector has to be kept in memory
(also I would like the points to have different colors later on...).

To give you an idea about what I am after I attach
the current pmw version of my example
(it opens with an empty window, clicking with the mouse
somewhere will iterate that point 1000 times - watch
with top the size of the program!).

Arnd




On Tue, 21 Jan 2003, Chris Burns wrote:

> Hi all.
>
> Just thought I'd mention that the kind of graphing Arnd is looking for
> is available through BLT, a widget set for Tcl/Tk.  Luckily, BLT is
> available through the Python Mega Widgets (Pmw).  It's a bit of a pain
> to setup (need to install BLT, then Pmw) and since BLT is a Tcl/Tk
> add-on, it uses it's own vectors (not Numeric arrays).  However, the
> interface is rather nice:  you make a vector and tell BLT to graph it.
> Then, when you change the vector, BLT automagically updates the graph
> widget (line, markers, scaling, etc).  It's by no means as slick as Visual
> (e.g., you need to use Tkinter to dress up the widget), but works well for
> some purposes.
>
> See:
>
> Python Mega-Widgets:              http://pmw.sourceforge.net/
> BLT in Python (lots of examples): http://heim.ifi.uio.no/~hpl/Pmw.Blt/doc/
> The official BLT:                 http://incrtcl.sourceforge.net/blt/
>
> I used it to build an interactive ODE integrator (for watching choatic
> systems evolve while they are being integrated).  If you're interested, have
> a look:
> http://pathfinder.scar.utoronto.ca/~csca57/RKFgraph.html
>
> Chris
>
> --
> Chris Burns
> Visiting Assistant Professor
> Dept. of physics and astronomy, Swarthmore College
> cb...@sw...      http://astro.swarthmore.edu/~burns
>
>
>
>