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Creating a Simple User Interface for a Function

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  Creating a Simple User Interface for a Function CTSB01 <scott.moore270@gmail.com> - 2013-07-25 09:03 -0700
    Re: Creating a Simple User Interface for a Function Dave Angel <davea@davea.name> - 2013-07-25 15:19 -0400
      Re: Creating a Simple User Interface for a Function CTSB01 <scott.moore270@gmail.com> - 2013-07-25 13:58 -0700
        Re: Creating a Simple User Interface for a Function Terry Reedy <tjreedy@udel.edu> - 2013-07-25 19:00 -0400
        Re: Creating a Simple User Interface for a Function Dave Angel <davea@davea.name> - 2013-07-25 19:01 -0400
        Re: Creating a Simple User Interface for a Function Terry Reedy <tjreedy@udel.edu> - 2013-07-25 19:46 -0400
        RE: Creating a Simple User Interface for a Function "Prasad, Ramit" <ramit.prasad@jpmorgan.com> - 2013-07-26 14:08 +0000

#51238 — Creating a Simple User Interface for a Function

I have the following code that runs perfectly: 

     def psi_j(x, j):
          rtn = []
          for n2 in range(0, len(x) * j - 2):
            n = n2 / j
            r = n2 - n * j
            rtn.append(j * x[n] + r * (x[n + 1] - x[n]))
            print 'n2 =', n2, ': n =', n, ' r =' , r, ' rtn =', rtn
          return rtn

This code takes a string x = [0,1,1,1,2] for example (it must always begin with 0) and a parameter j, say 2, and outputs a string (x = [0, 1, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 3] in this example).

It does this in two steps: First it decomposes some number m into a multiple of j and a remainder.  Then it runs this decomposition through a function on the rtn.append line.  

Notice that this has cj - 1 terms where c is the number of terms in the input string and j is the parameter.  Normally, we would like it to be able to calculate cj terms.  This is an issue with the function that I am more than happy to put aside for the moment.

My key interest is to be able to make this program usable for someone who has no knowledge of programming.  In particular, I need some kind of user interface that prompts the user to input a string (ideally just by putting in numbers in the form 011123334 for example) and a parameter, and then displays the output sequence.  This is essentially what the program already does but the idea is to make it usable for even the most technologically disinclined.  Ideally it would do this without needing to run Python at all.  If anyone is able to make this happen in Python I would be eternally grateful. 

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#51255

On 07/25/2013 12:03 PM, CTSB01 wrote:
> I have the following code that runs perfectly:
>
>       def psi_j(x, j):
>            rtn = []
>            for n2 in range(0, len(x) * j - 2):
>              n = n2 / j
>              r = n2 - n * j
>              rtn.append(j * x[n] + r * (x[n + 1] - x[n]))
>              print 'n2 =', n2, ': n =', n, ' r =' , r, ' rtn =', rtn
>            return rtn
>

No it doesn't run perfectly.  It'll get a syntax error on the print 
function call.  That's assuming you're still using Python 3.3.  You 
really need to start by specifying your environment, without making us 
look back through previous threads from you.


> This code takes a string x = [0,1,1,1,2] for example

That's not a string.  A string would be like
    xx = psi_j("0abcd1234")

Perhaps you mean list?  And is it a list of integers, or of arbitrary 
numbers?  Are there any constraints on the sizes or signs of those numbers?

> (it must always begin with 0) and a parameter j, say 2, and outputs a string (x = [0, 1, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 3] in this example).
>
> It does this in two steps: First it decomposes some number m into a multiple of j and a remainder.

Only if you replace the / with //.  Or just use the function divmod():
       n, r = divmod(n2, m)


>  Then it runs this decomposition through a function on the rtn.append line.
>
> Notice that this has cj - 1 terms where c is the number of terms in the input string and j is the parameter.  Normally, we would like it to be able to calculate cj terms.
> This is an issue with the function that I am more than happy to put aside for the moment.
>
> My key interest is to be able to make this program

So far you have a function, not a program.  If you put it in a text file 
and run it from python, it'll do nothing but display a syntax error 
message.  And when you fix that, it'll just run without doing anything.

  usable for someone who has no knowledge of programming.  In 
particular, I need some kind of user interface that prompts
> the user to input a string (ideally just by putting in numbers in the form 011123334 for example) and a parameter,
> and then displays the output sequence.  This is essentially what the program already does but the idea is to make it usable
> for even the most technologically disinclined.  Ideally it would do this without needing to run Python at all.

Then why are you asking on the Python forum?  Or perhaps you mean 
without him knowing he's running Python?  In that case, use a shebang 
line at the beginning, which will tell Linux to automatically invoke the 
specified program (or programming language in this case).

>  If anyone is able to make this happen in Python I would be eternally grateful.
>

If we assume you're running Python 3.3 on Linux, and the user is willing 
to us the terminal, then how about parsing the string from the command 
line he types?  You can access it as011123334 a string from sys.argv, 
and convert it to separate numbers.  Of course as it stands now, you 
cannot tell whether the user wanted
   0,1,1,1,2,3,3,3,4
or
   0, 111, 23, 3, 3, 4

or something else.



-- 
DaveA

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#51261

On Thursday, July 25, 2013 3:19:27 PM UTC-4, Dave Angel wrote:
> On 07/25/2013 12:03 PM, CTSB01 wrote:
> 
> > I have the following code that runs perfectly:
> 
> 
> >       def psi_j(x, j):
> 
> >            rtn = []
> 
> >            for n2 in range(0, len(x) * j - 2):
> 
> >              n = n2 / j
> 
> >              r = n2 - n * j
> 
> >              rtn.append(j * x[n] + r * (x[n + 1] - x[n]))
> 
> >              print 'n2 =', n2, ': n =', n, ' r =' , r, ' rtn =', rtn
> 
> >            return rtn
> 
> No it doesn't run perfectly.  It'll get a syntax error on the print 
> 
> function call.  That's assuming you're still using Python 3.3.  You 
> 
> really need to start by specifying your environment, without making us 
> 
> look back through previous threads from you.
> 
> > This code takes a string x = [0,1,1,1,2] for example
> 
> That's not a string.  A string would be like
> 
>     xx = psi_j("0abcd1234")
> 
> Perhaps you mean list?  And is it a list of integers, or of arbitrary 
> 
> numbers?  Are there any constraints on the sizes or signs of those numbers?
> 
> > (it must always begin with 0) and a parameter j, say 2, and outputs a string (x = [0, 1, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 3] in this example).
> 
> > It does this in two steps: First it decomposes some number m into a multiple of j and a remainder.
> 
> Only if you replace the / with //.  Or just use the function divmod():
> 
>        n, r = divmod(n2, m)
> 
> >  Then it runs this decomposition through a function on the rtn.append line.
> 
> > Notice that this has cj - 1 terms where c is the number of terms in the input string and j is the parameter.  Normally, we would like it to be able to calculate cj terms.
> 
> > This is an issue with the function that I am more than happy to put aside for the moment.
> 
> > My key interest is to be able to make this program
> 
> So far you have a function, not a program.  If you put it in a text file 
> 
> and run it from python, it'll do nothing but display a syntax error 
> 
> message.  And when you fix that, it'll just run without doing anything.
> 
>   usable for someone who has no knowledge of programming.  In 
> 
> particular, I need some kind of user interface that prompts
> 
> > the user to input a string (ideally just by putting in numbers in the form 011123334 for example) and a parameter,
> 
> > and then displays the output sequence.  This is essentially what the program already does but the idea is to make it usable
> 
> > for even the most technologically disinclined.  Ideally it would do this without needing to run Python at all.
> 
> Then why are you asking on the Python forum?  Or perhaps you mean 
> 
> without him knowing he's running Python?  In that case, use a shebang 
> 
> line at the beginning, which will tell Linux to automatically invoke the 
> 
> specified program (or programming language in this case).
> 
> >  If anyone is able to make this happen in Python I would be eternally grateful.
> 
> If we assume you're running Python 3.3 on Linux, and the user is willing 
> 
> to us the terminal, then how about parsing the string from the command 
> 
> line he types?  You can access it as011123334 a string from sys.argv, 
> 
> and convert it to separate numbers.  Of course as it stands now, you 
> 
> cannot tell whether the user wanted
> 
>    0,1,1,1,2,3,3,3,4
> 
> or
> 
>    0, 111, 23, 3, 3, 4
>
> or something else.
> 
> DaveA

Sorry Dave, to answer each part of your response:

1) I decided to use Python 2.7, and I will be sure to specify this in all future threads.
2) It is a list of positive integers.  In fact, it is always going to be a list of positive increasing integers.
3) You're right.  What I meant was that if after running that bit of code I enter
>>> x = [0,1,2,3,4,5]
>>> psi_j(x,2) 
I will get output that matches my requirements.
4) Yes, sorry that's what I meant (if I understood correctly).  I was told elsewhere that I might want to try using tkinter.  Essentially I'm trying to create a user interface that allows the user to just type in a string 01112345 for example, and choose a parameter (say j=2) and then click a button to run the function.  I'd like to be able to run send a .exe file that the user can just open up and use with no further setup.  

So on top of the user interface I would also it looks like need to determine how to make Python change a string 01112345 into a list so that it does that automatically when the user clicks 'run'.  

Would a shebang still be the right way to go?  

Thanks again Dave, apologies for the ambiguity.

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#51265

On 7/25/2013 4:58 PM, CTSB01 wrote:

> 1) I decided to use Python 2.7, and I will be sure to specify this in
> all future threads.

Given that you are not using any libraries, let alone one that does not
run on Python 3, I strongly recommend using the latest version (3.3).

> 2) It is a list of positive integers.  In fact, it is always going to
> be a list of positive increasing integers.

Your example below starts with 0, which is not positive.
Perhaps you mean that all integers after a single leading 0 have to be 
positive and increasing.

If you run digits together, then the max int is 9. Do you intend this?

> 4) Yes, sorry that's what I meant (if I understood correctly).  I was
> told elsewhere that I might want to try using tkinter.

If users start the program at a command line, the core of an input 
function would be
   input = (raw)input('Enter digits: ')  # Include "raw" on 2.x
You would need a more elaborate prompt printed first, and input checking 
with the request repeated if the input does not pass the check.

It would be pretty simple to do the equivalent with a tkinter dialog box.

> I'd like to be
> able to run send a .exe file that the user can just open up and use
> with no further setup.

There are programs that will package your code with an interpreter. But 
do give people the option to get just the program without installing a 
duplicate interpreter.

> So on top of the user interface I would also it looks like need to
> determine how to make Python change a string 01112345 into a list so
> that it does that automatically when the user clicks 'run'.

 >>> list('01112345')
['0', '1', '1', '1', '2', '3', '4', '5']
 >>> '0,1,1,1,2,3,4,5'.split(',')
['0', '1', '1', '1', '2', '3', '4', '5']

> Would a shebang still be the right way to go?

On Linux, definitely, whether you have user enter on the command line or
in response to a prompt. On windows, it only helps with 3.3+.

-- 
Terry Jan Reedy

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#51266

On 07/25/2013 04:58 PM, CTSB01 wrote:

    <snip>
>
> Sorry Dave, to answer each part of your response:
>
> 1) I decided to use Python 2.7, and I will be sure to specify this in all future threads.
> 2) It is a list of positive integers.  In fact, it is always going to be a list of positive increasing integers.
> 3) You're right.  What I meant was that if after running that bit of code I enter
>>>> x = [0,1,2,3,4,5]
>>>> psi_j(x,2)
> I will get output that matches my requirements.
> 4) Yes, sorry that's what I meant (if I understood correctly).  I was told elsewhere that I might want to try using tkinter.  Essentially I'm trying to create a user interface that allows the user to just type in a string 01112345 for example, and choose a parameter (say j=2) and then click a button to run the function.  I'd like to be able to run send a .exe file

But Linux doesn't understand exe files.

Once again, you need to tell us your environment.  I'm now supposing you 
mean your user will be using Windows.  I have no experience with making 
a single runnable .exe file for Windows.  But many others here do, and 
can presumably help you.


> that the user can just open up and use with no further setup.
>
> So on top of the user interface I would also it looks like need to determine how to make Python change a string 01112345 into a list so that it does that automatically when the user clicks 'run'.

Since you give no upper limits to the numbers the user might be 
specifying (other than saying their strictly positively monatonic), the 
string "01112345" could be interpreted only as:


0, 1, 11, 23, 45
0, 11, 12, 345
0, 11, 12345
0, 111, 2345

(If the individual numbers were limited to the range 0-9, then we'd come 
up with the sequence 0,1,1,1,2,3,4,5, but that's not increasing, so it 
wouldn't be legal.)

Is there a reason you don't want the user to have to separate the 
numbers, either with spaces or commas?  If they typed  "0 1 11 23 45" 
you could trivially parse that with something like:
     [int(x) for x in data.split()]


>
> Would a shebang still be the right way to go?

A shebang is a Linux/Unix concept.  Although with Python 3.3 there's a 
similar Windows concept that lets a user switch between Python versions 
using the shebang, it's not really the same thing, and we shouldn't 
discuss it till we know whether you're talking Windows or Linux.

>
> Thanks again Dave, apologies for the ambiguity.
>


-- 
DaveA

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#51267

Some additional comments.

On 7/25/2013 7:00 PM, Terry Reedy wrote:
> On 7/25/2013 4:58 PM, CTSB01 wrote:
>
>> 1) I decided to use Python 2.7, and I will be sure to specify this in
>> all future threads.
>
> Given that you are not using any libraries, let alone one that does not
> run on Python 3, I strongly recommend using the latest version (3.3).

It would be pretty easy to make your simple code run on both 3.x and 
2.6/7. Start your file (after any docstring or initial comment) with
from __future__ import division, print_function

Use "except XyxError as e:" instead of "except XyzError, e:".

> If users start the program at a command line, the core of an input
> function would be
>    numbers = input('Enter digits: ')  # see below
> You would need a more elaborate prompt printed first, and input checking
> with the request repeated if the input does not pass the check.

# To run on both 2.x and 3.x, put this after the __future__ import:
try:
     input = raw_input
except NameError:
     pass

>> I'd like to be
>> able to run send a .exe file that the user can just open up and use
>> with no further setup.
>
> There are programs that will package your code with an interpreter.

A Python pre-built binary is overkill for such a small function. The 
reason for doing so, packaging all dependencies together, does not 
apply. Any binary is limited to what machines it will run on.

> do give people the option to get just the program without installing a
> duplicate interpreter.

A Python file, especially if designed to run on 2.6, will run on most 
any recent installation.

-- 
Terry Jan Reedy

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#51304

CTSB01 wrote:
> On Thursday, July 25, 2013 3:19:27 PM UTC-4, Dave Angel wrote:
> > On 07/25/2013 12:03 PM, CTSB01 wrote:
> >
> > > I have the following code that runs perfectly:
> >
> >
> > >       def psi_j(x, j):
> >
> > >            rtn = []
> >
> > >            for n2 in range(0, len(x) * j - 2):
> >
> > >              n = n2 / j
> >
> > >              r = n2 - n * j
> >
> > >              rtn.append(j * x[n] + r * (x[n + 1] - x[n]))
> >
> > >              print 'n2 =', n2, ': n =', n, ' r =' , r, ' rtn =', rtn
> >
> > >            return rtn
> >
> > No it doesn't run perfectly.  It'll get a syntax error on the print
> >
> > function call.  That's assuming you're still using Python 3.3.  You
> >
> > really need to start by specifying your environment, without making us
> >
> > look back through previous threads from you.
> >
> > > This code takes a string x = [0,1,1,1,2] for example
> >
> > That's not a string.  A string would be like
> >
> >     xx = psi_j("0abcd1234")
> >
> > Perhaps you mean list?  And is it a list of integers, or of arbitrary
> >
> > numbers?  Are there any constraints on the sizes or signs of those numbers?
> >
> > > (it must always begin with 0) and a parameter j, say 2, and outputs a string (x = [0, 1, 2, 2, 2,
> 2, 2, 3] in this example).
> >
> > > It does this in two steps: First it decomposes some number m into a multiple of j and a remainder.
> >
> > Only if you replace the / with //.  Or just use the function divmod():
> >
> >        n, r = divmod(n2, m)
> >
> > >  Then it runs this decomposition through a function on the rtn.append line.
> >
> > > Notice that this has cj - 1 terms where c is the number of terms in the input string and j is the
> parameter.  Normally, we would like it to be able to calculate cj terms.
> >
> > > This is an issue with the function that I am more than happy to put aside for the moment.
> >
> > > My key interest is to be able to make this program
> >
> > So far you have a function, not a program.  If you put it in a text file
> >
> > and run it from python, it'll do nothing but display a syntax error
> >
> > message.  And when you fix that, it'll just run without doing anything.
> >
> >   usable for someone who has no knowledge of programming.  In
> >
> > particular, I need some kind of user interface that prompts
> >
> > > the user to input a string (ideally just by putting in numbers in the form 011123334 for example)
> and a parameter,
> >
> > > and then displays the output sequence.  This is essentially what the program already does but the
> idea is to make it usable
> >
> > > for even the most technologically disinclined.  Ideally it would do this without needing to run
> Python at all.
> >
> > Then why are you asking on the Python forum?  Or perhaps you mean
> >
> > without him knowing he's running Python?  In that case, use a shebang
> >
> > line at the beginning, which will tell Linux to automatically invoke the
> >
> > specified program (or programming language in this case).
> >
> > >  If anyone is able to make this happen in Python I would be eternally grateful.
> >
> > If we assume you're running Python 3.3 on Linux, and the user is willing
> >
> > to us the terminal, then how about parsing the string from the command
> >
> > line he types?  You can access it as011123334 a string from sys.argv,
> >
> > and convert it to separate numbers.  Of course as it stands now, you
> >
> > cannot tell whether the user wanted
> >
> >    0,1,1,1,2,3,3,3,4
> >
> > or
> >
> >    0, 111, 23, 3, 3, 4
> >
> > or something else.
> >
> > DaveA
> 
> Sorry Dave, to answer each part of your response:
> 
> 1) I decided to use Python 2.7, and I will be sure to specify this in all future threads.
> 2) It is a list of positive integers.  In fact, it is always going to be a list of positive increasing
> integers.
> 3) You're right.  What I meant was that if after running that bit of code I enter
> >>> x = [0,1,2,3,4,5]
> >>> psi_j(x,2)
> I will get output that matches my requirements.
> 4) Yes, sorry that's what I meant (if I understood correctly).  I was told elsewhere that I might want
> to try using tkinter.  Essentially I'm trying to create a user interface that allows the user to just
> type in a string 01112345 for example, and choose a parameter (say j=2) and then click a button to run
> the function.  I'd like to be able to run send a .exe file that the user can just open up and use with
> no further setup.

Any UI will work whether graphical or command line. TK is a good choice if you assume that the user
has Python installed. If you are planning to create an exe (Windows) then you can probably
bundle any GUI library (wx/gtk/qt) but you might be limited by the support of the exe creating
tool. I have never created an executable like this, so I am not sure. 

> 
> So on top of the user interface I would also it looks like need to determine how to make Python change
> a string 01112345 into a list so that it does that automatically when the user clicks 'run'.

This really does not make sense to me. Does that mean 0, 1, 11, 23, 45 or 0, 111, 2345 or 0,11, 
2345 or something else entirely? If you are doing this on the shell I would have the user pass 
in a string of delimited values. "0,1,11,23,45" and then do a .split(',') on the string. If 
you are doing this via GUI then you can create separate fields for each number or still ask 
for a delimited string.

However, if the parameter (j=2) determines parsing of numbers then you can ignore my concerns.

> 
> Would a shebang still be the right way to go?

The shebang is useful when executing a script from cmd/shell directly.

$ ./script.py 
# rather than 
$ python script.py

If you are making an executable (.exe in Windows) then I do not
think it will matter either way for 2.7.

> 
> Thanks again Dave, apologies for the ambiguity.


~Ramit



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