Linux Format - UK (2020-03)

88 LXF260 March 2020 http://www.linuxformat.com

CODING ACADEMY Python & Qt5

of Figure 3. All other widgets should have their

focusPolicy set to StrongFocus. All widgets should have

their enabled check box checked and should also have

their toolTip and whatsThis text properties set to

something descriptive.

We now want to set the size policy of all of the

widgets so that the dialog will resize properly. The four

widgets on the upper left of the dialog and the two

QButtons have their horizontal and vertical size policies

set to Fixed. They won’t be resized. We want all the other

widgets to stretch when we resize the dialog. The Status

label has its horizontal and vertical size policies set to

Preferred. The two list widgets, listWidgetRepo and

listWidgetStatus, have their horizontal and vertical size

policies set to Minimum Expanding.

Select Form > Preview from the menu and make sure

that the dialog resizes properly when you stretch it by

pulling on the bottom right-hand corner of the dialog.

There are just a couple more steps. Select Edit > Edit

Buddies from the menu and make the Git Repositories

label a buddy of listWidgetRepo. Then make the Status

label a buddy of listWidgetStatus.

Now, select Edit > Edit Tab Order from the menu

and set the tab order to 1. listWidgetRepo,

2. listWidgetStatus, 3. pushButtonRefresh and


3. pushButtonClose.
   Finally, select Edit > Edit Signals/Slots and drag a
   line between pushButtonClose and the Close Button on
   the top right-hand corner of the gitStatus Dialog. Use
   the Configure Connection dialog to make the SIGNAL
   clicked(bool) connect to the SLOT accept(). This is

o you need a hand keeping all your git

repositories up to date? Do you want a visual

reminder of the modified, added, renamed,

untracked and deleted files in your git working

directories? Build a Qt 5 Python 3 GUI application that

finds all of your git repositories and displays their status

through colours.

The left panel of Figure 1 (see right) shows the

locations of all of the git working directories sorted

alphabetically. We have selected the git working

directory home/js/Development/historyDialog.

Notice that its colour is red, which indicates the

presence of modified files in the working directory.

There are also deleted and untracked files, but the

overall status is determined by the presence of modified

files. The right panel shows the issues that git reports

about individual files in the git working directory. They

are colour-coded by importance, where red signifies an

important issue, orange signifies a less-important issue

and green signifies that git reported no issues.

Our historyDialog directory shown in Figure 1 is not

currently used. It could be deleted, but we can also tell

gitStatus.py to ignore this repository by adding it to the

gitStatus.ini file in the same directory.

You’ll build the dialog-based application visually

using Qt 5 Designer and then save it as

GitStatusDialog.ui. This is an XML file that contains

information about all of the widgets in the application

and their properties and configurations. You’re going to

use a tool to convert it into a Python script.

Execute Qt 5 Designer from the system menu or

from the command line. In order to run it from the

command line type: designer-qt5.

You should see the File > New Dialog as shown in

Figure 2 (see opposite). You need to add the methods

shown in the boxout (see opposite). Build the dialog

from scratch by clicking on Dialog Without Buttons

under Templates/Forms. You can also, of course, start

with your copy of GitStatusDialog.ui.

If you’re building it from scratch, you will want to add

widgets from the palette found on the left; add three

QLabels, two QTextEdits, two QListWidgets and two

QButtons and position them as shown in Figure 3 (see

page 90). The upper-right corner of the screen in Figure

3 shows the added widgets and their assigned names.

The QLabels and the QTextEdit widgets should have

a focusPolicy of NoFocus selected. Set the properties of

these in the property editor, seen on the right-hand side

Figure 1: The gitStatus application has found the git repositories. The

Status pane shows issues reported by git for the historyDialog repository.

Monitor git projects

John Schwartzman discusses a PyQt5 program that will find all of

your git repositories and display their status.

John

Schwartzman

is a long-time

engineering

consultant to

business and

government. He

also teaches

Computer

Science at a

local college.

John can be

reached at john@

fortesystem.

com.

D

PYTHON

OUR

EXPERT

Running pydoc

./gitStatus.py

provides a list

of the methods

and data in

gitStatus.py

and allows

you to browse

it using less.

Running pydoc

./gitStatus.py

> gitStatus.txt

will produce

gitStatus.txt

you can browse

in your editor.

CODING ACADEMY

88 LXF260 March 2020 http://www.linuxformat.com

ofFigure3.Allotherwidgetsshouldhavetheir

focusPolicysettoStrongFocus.Allwidgetsshould have

theirenabledcheckboxcheckedandshouldalso have

theirtoolTipandwhatsThistextpropertiessetto

somethingdescriptive.

Wenowwanttosetthesizepolicyofallofthe

widgetssothatthedialogwillresizeproperly.The four

widgetsontheupperleftofthedialogandthetwo

QButtonshavetheirhorizontalandverticalsize policies

settoFixed.Theywon’tberesized.Wewantallthe other

widgets to stretch when we resize the dialog. The Status

label has its horizontal and vertical size policies set to

Preferred. The two list widgets, listWidgetRepo and

listWidgetStatus, have their horizontal and vertical size

policies set to Minimum Expanding.

Select Form > Preview from the menu and make sure

that the dialog resizes properly when you stretch it by

pulling on the bottom right-hand corner of the dialog.

There are just a couple more steps. Select Edit > Edit

Buddies from the menu and make the Git Repositories

label a buddy of listWidgetRepo. Then make the Status

label a buddy of listWidgetStatus.

Now, select Edit > Edit Tab Order from the menu

and set the tab order to 1. listWidgetRepo,

2. listWidgetStatus, 3. pushButtonRefresh and


3. pushButtonClose.
   Finally, select Edit > Edit Signals/Slots and drag a
   line between pushButtonClose and the Close Button on
   the top right-hand corner of the gitStatus Dialog. Use
   the Configure Connection dialog to make the SIGNAL
   clicked(bool) connect to the SLOT accept(). This is

o youneeda handkeepingallyourgit

repositoriesuptodate?Doyouwanta visual

reminderofthemodified,added,renamed,

untrackedanddeletedfilesinyourgitworking

directories?Builda Qt5 Python3 GUIapplicationthat

findsallofyourgitrepositoriesanddisplaystheirstatus

throughcolours.

TheleftpanelofFigure1 (seeright) showsthe

locationsofallofthegitworkingdirectoriessorted

alphabetically.Wehaveselectedthegitworking

directoryhome/js/Development/historyDialog.

Noticethatitscolourisred,whichindicatesthe

presenceofmodifiedfilesintheworkingdirectory.

Therearealsodeletedanduntrackedfiles,butthe

overallstatusisdeterminedbythepresenceofmodified

files.Therightpanelshowstheissuesthatgitreports

aboutindividualfilesinthegitworkingdirectory.They

arecolour-codedbyimportance,whereredsignifiesan

importantissue,orangesignifiesa less-importantissue

andgreensignifiesthatgitreportednoissues.

OurhistoryDialogdirectoryshowninFigure1 isnot

currentlyused.It couldbedeleted,butwecanalsotell

gitStatus.pytoignorethisrepositorybyaddingit tothe

gitStatus.inifileinthesamedirectory.

You’llbuildthedialog-basedapplicationvisually

usingQt5 Designerandthensaveit as

GitStatusDialog.ui. ThisisanXMLfilethatcontains

information about all of the widgets in the application

and their properties and configurations. You’re going to

use a tool to convert it into a Python script.

Execute Qt 5 Designer from the system menu or

from the command line. In order to run it from the

command line type: designer-qt5.

You should see the File > New Dialog as shown in

Figure 2 (see opposite). You need to add the methods

shown in the boxout (see opposite). Build the dialog

from scratch by clicking on Dialog Without Buttons

under Templates/Forms. You can also, of course, start

with your copy of GitStatusDialog.ui.

If you’re building it from scratch, you will want to add

widgets from the palette found on the left; add three

QLabels, two QTextEdits, two QListWidgets and two

QButtons and position them as shown in Figure 3 (see

page 90). The upper-right corner of the screen in Figure

3 shows the added widgets and their assigned names.

The QLabels and the QTextEdit widgets should have

a focusPolicy of NoFocus selected. Set the properties of

these in the property editor, seen on the right-hand side

Figure1: ThegitStatusapplicationhasfoundthegitrepositories. The

StatuspaneshowsissuesreportedbygitforthehistoryDialog repository.

Monitor git projects

John Schwartzman discusses a PyQt5 program that will find all of

yourgitrepositories and display their status.

John

Schwartzman

is a long-time

engineering

consultant to

business and

government. He

also teaches

Computer

Science at a

local college.

John can be

reached at john@

fortesystem.

com.

D

PYTHON

OUR

EXPERT

Runningpydoc

./gitStatus.py

providesa list

ofthemethods

anddatain

gitStatus.py

andallows

youtobrowse

it usingless.

Runningpydoc

./gitStatus.py

> gitStatus.txt

willproduce

gitStatus.txt

youcanbrowse

inyoureditor.

CODING ACADEMY