Version parrot-0.2.6+
By Philip Hunt [email protected]
On Github at https://github.com/cabalamat/parrot
Parrot is a text-based GUI builder. To use it, you write a *.par file with your favourite text editor, then invoke Parrot from the command line. Parrot outputs a file which is source code that when executed will produce the GUI.
Parrot runs on Python 2.7 on Linux. I haven't tested it on other OSes, but I don't anticipate any difficulties in getting it to run on other systems.
Go into the directory you installed Parrot into. At the command line, type:
$ python parrot.py
This causes Parrot to print usage information.
To use Pytk, go into the directory you installed Parrot into, and type:
$ python parrot.py simple2.par Pytk
Parrot will reply that it has created simple2.py. Now run this, by typing:
$ python simple2.py
If everything has worked, a window will appear, titled "My second Window". Parts of the window are coloured in blue or yellow; this is a feature to aid my debugging -- it also makes the window look pretty :-)
Some changes that are underway:
Future changes (in this approximate order):
- finish writing Python/Tkinter backend
- add generic attributes to .par front end
- write PIG - the Parrot Information Generator. This outputs information about what Backends are installed, and what components they understand
- improve documentation, especially programming documentation to encourage other people to contribute backends.
- improve lexical analysis and parsing: add preprocessor, file inclusion, #line directive.
- write other backends, e.g. Glade XML file backend; write Glade XML import module.
- (possible)write import/export routines to Parrot XML format
Parrot contains these files:
README = you're reading it now!
INTRO = introductory documentation
guicomp.txt = the original spec for parrot
CHANGES = list of changes
SPEC = specification of Parrot's file formats
Makefile = ``make clean'' will get rid of unnecessary files
parrot.py = the main module
pparser.py = parses *.par files, uses generic.py to do this
generic.py = John Aycock's SPARK parser framework, version 0.5
tokpos.py = subclasses some of the classes in SPARK-0.5, to enable better error reporting.
inrep.py = classes for internal representation of *.par files
backend.py = generic backend classes, real backends inherit from these
HtmlBackend.py = the HTML backend
PaxoBackend.py = the Paxo backend
PytkBackend.py = the Python/Tkinter backend
macbacl.py = code to make instances of backend classes. Works with the inrep.py and *Backend.py modules.
util.py = various utility functions
*.par = test files demonstrating simple GUI-specifications that Parrot can process
sample5.par produces sample5.py when run with the Pytk backend (see notes above).