I'm making a python script that should run in the background and notify a user of changes, and I'd quite like it to work cross-platform. Main problem is, I don't have access to a mac at all, so coding specifically for it could be very difficult. wxPython seems like massive overkill for simple popups, so is there anything with a lighter footprint?
+1
A:
Adobe Wave is a cross-platform notification framework however I have not used it and I do not believe it is a desktop-oriented deal, but rather something for rich Internet Apps and plugging into web sites. Still, it's some sort of cross-platform notification so possibly worth a look-see.
That reminds me, you may be able to find an AIR notification system out there that you could somehow trigger from Python. Mono with GTK# comes to mind as it supports the three major desktop platforms. See this GtkSharpNotification example perhaps.
Finally, for my third strike, maybe a cross-platform GUI toolkit like wxWidgets has the widget you need.
jhs
2009-12-12 13:07:30
All good suggestions! Unfortunately, it all really seems like overkill for literally just a box that pops onto and off the screen! :(
Phoshi
2009-12-12 13:18:57
Yes it definitely depends on your situation and whether it's a retail app, business app, or what. I admit, I find none of my ideas very compelling but you're trying to avoid mainaining three codebases, long-term.
jhs
2009-12-12 13:19:18
They're good ideas, and I'd certainly consider them if this were a larger project, but it's not at all :(
Phoshi
2009-12-12 13:23:25
Just added a second shoot-from-the-hip answer about Tk. Sorry, I'm all out of ideas! :)
jhs
2009-12-12 13:23:57
+1
A:
Does Python on Windows and Mac also ship with Tk wrappers? If so, you might be able to roll your own notification box. I do not think they have a dead-simple notification API (i.e. you pass it a string and a cute box pops up for 5 seconds) however at least you will only have one codebase to maintain.
I am thinking about other cross-platform apps such as Skype, Dropbox, and Thunderbird. Skype and Thunderbird seem to have rolled their own, and Dropbox went the platform-specific route.
jhs
2009-12-12 13:23:01