Python Mobile Development: Exploring the Kivy Framework
Python, a powerful, high-level programming language, has emerged as a popular choice for mobile app development. One of the most popular frameworks for building mobile apps with Python is Kivy.
In this article, we will explore Kivy, its features, and how it compares to other frameworks.
Understanding the Kivy Framework
Kivy is a cross-platform and open-source Python framework for building mobile apps, desktop, and web applications. It is designed for creating beautiful, interactive user interfaces (UIs) using Python.
Kivy’s primary goal is to enable developers to quickly and easily create applications that work across multiple platforms.
Kivy features are designed to take full advantage of the capabilities of modern mobile devices.
It offers multitouch support, GPU acceleration, and a range of input and output support. One of the key features of Kivy is its ability to run on various platforms, including Android, iOS, macOS, Windows, and Linux.
Custom-drawn Widgets and NUI
Kivy offers a range of custom-drawn and pre-defined widgets for building expressive user interfaces. Developers can create custom widgets for their applications or use the existing ones provided by the framework.
Kivy has a wide range of UI elements, including buttons, labels, images, and text inputs. Kivy is also designed to support Natural User Interfaces (NUI), which includes gestures and voice recognition.
Gesture recognition allows the user to interact with an app using movements such as swipe, pinch, or drag. Voice recognition enables the user to interact verbally with an application.
Difference from Native Controls
Native controls refer to the default interface elements of an operating system or device. Native controls are designed by the device manufacturer and take on the look and feel of the platform.
Kivy, on the other hand, provides a customizable interface for developers to create unique UI elements. While native controls generally have a more polished and integrated look-and-feel, Kivy widgets can be customized to better match the application design.
Unlike native controls, Kivy can create consistent UI designs across platforms.
Other Python Frameworks for Mobile Development
Kivy is just one of several Python frameworks for building mobile applications. Among the other frameworks include PyQt and Beeware.
PyQt is a library that interoperates with Qt, a popular GUI framework for C++ applications. Beeware supports building two types of apps; android and iOS.
However, these frameworks have different architectures compared to Kivy. While keeping these variations in mind, the advantages of using Kivy for mobile development make it an attractive option for Python developers.
Conclusion
Python is a powerful language that allows developers to create attractive, interactive mobile apps. As we’ve discussed in this article, Kivy is a cross-platform Python framework that enables developers to build elegant and expressive UIs for their applications.
Kivy provides custom-drawn widgets, support for natural user interfaces, and cross-platform compatibility. While there are other Python frameworks for building mobile apps, Kivy is well-optimized for mobile development and provides excellent support for custom UIs. With the Kivy framework, developers can build native-like mobile apps that work across different platforms.
Installing Kivy
Before you can start working with Kivy, you need to first set up a virtual environment for Python. A virtual environment is a self-contained environment that allows you to install different versions of Python packages without affecting other projects or the system’s installed packages.
1. Setting up a Python virtual environment
To set up a Python virtual environment, you need to install the virtualenv package.
You can do this by entering the following command in your terminal:
pip install virtualenv
After installing the virtualenv package, you can create a new virtual environment by entering the following command:
virtualenv env
This command creates a new folder called `env` in the current directory. You can activate this virtual environment by running the following command:
source env/bin/activate
2. Installing Kivy and dependencies
With the virtual environment set up, you can now install Kivy and its dependencies. You can install the latest stable version of Kivy by running the following command:
pip install kivy
This command installs the latest version of Kivy, along with its dependencies. Depending on your system, you might also need to install additional dependencies, such as the `sdl2` library, which provides low-level multimedia support for Kivy.
Working with Kivy Widgets
Once you have Kivy installed, you can start building your first Kivy app. To do this, you’ll need to work with Kivy widgets.
1. Introduction to widgets
Kivy widgets are graphical user interface (GUI) elements that allow you to create interactive UIs for your app. Widgets are the building blocks of Kivy apps, and you can use them to create buttons, labels, text inputs, images, and other UI elements.
Kivy widgets work similarly to widgets in other GUI toolkits, with some notable differences. One key difference is that Kivy widgets are designed to be highly customizable, allowing you to create complex UIs with animations, effects, and other visual enhancements.
2. “Hello, Kivy!” program
Let’s create a simple “Hello, Kivy!” program using the Label widget.
from kivy.app import App
from kivy.uix.label import Label
class HelloKivy(App):
def build(self):
return Label(text='Hello, Kivy!')
HelloKivy().run()
This code creates a new Kivy app called `HelloKivy`. The `build` method returns a new Label widget with the text “Hello, Kivy!”.
The last line of the code (`HelloKivy().run()`) runs the `HelloKivy` app.
3. Displaying an image
Kivy also provides the Image widget for displaying images in your app. To display an image, you can use the following code:
from kivy.app import App
from kivy.uix.image import Image
class MyImageApp(App):
def build(self):
return Image(source='image.png')
MyImageApp().run()
In this code, we create a new Kivy app called `MyImageApp`.
The `build` method returns an Image widget with the `source` attribute set to `’image.png’`.
4. Laying out the UI with Layouts
Kivy provides several different layout classes that you can use to organize your UI elements. One of the simplest and most commonly used is the BoxLayout.
The BoxLayout is a container that arranges its child widgets in a vertical or horizontal row. To use the BoxLayout, you need to import it from the `kivy.uix.boxlayout` module and add your widgets as children to the layout.
from kivy.app import App
from kivy.uix.button import Button
from kivy.uix.boxlayout import BoxLayout
class MyBoxLayoutApp(App):
def build(self):
layout = BoxLayout(orientation='vertical')
button1 = Button(text="Button 1")
button2 = Button(text="Button 2")
layout.add_widget(button1)
layout.add_widget(button2)
return layout
MyBoxLayoutApp().run()
In this code, we create a new Kivy app called `MyBoxLayoutApp`. The `build` method creates a new BoxLayout widget with the orientation set to `’vertical’`.
We then create two Button widgets and add them as children to the BoxLayout. Finally, we return the layout from the `build` method.
5. Adding events
Kivy allows you to bind events to widgets to trigger actions when the user interacts with them.
To handle events, you need to define event handlers and register them with your widgets. One way to handle events is to use the `Clock` class, which allows you to schedule functions to be called after a specified amount of time has passed.
from kivy.app import App
from kivy.uix.button import Button
class MyButtonApp(App):
def on_button_press(self, instance):
instance.text = "I was pressed!"
def build(self):
btn = Button(text="Press me!")
btn.bind(on_press=self.on_button_press)
return btn
MyButtonApp().run()
In this code, we create a new Kivy app called `MyButtonApp`. The `build` method creates a new Button widget with the text “Press me!”.
We then register an event handler method called `on_button_press` with the button’s `on_press` event. When the user presses the button, the `on_button_press` method is called, which changes the text of the button to “I was pressed!”.
Conclusion
With Kivy and Python, you can create rich and interactive apps for multiple platforms. We have covered the installation of Kivy and the basics of working with Kivy widgets, such as the Label and Image widgets, and the BoxLayout.
Additionally, we introduced the concept of adding events to your Kivy widgets allowing actions to be triggered. With these basic concepts, you should be well on your way to creating your own Kivy-powered app!
Using the KV Language
Kivy applications can be built using Python’s native object-oriented programming techniques. While this can be very powerful, it can become difficult to manage as applications grow more complex.
Having to instantiate and configure multiple widgets within Python code can be cumbersome, making it challenging to organize and edit code. To solve this problem, Kivy provides a design language called KV that allows developers to define the layout of their user interface using a separate file.
1. Introduction to the KV language
The KV language is a language for designing user interfaces in Kivy. It separates the design of an app’s user interface from the application logic, making it easier to manage and edit code independently.
The KV file is a declarative language that describes only the structure and appearance of the user interface. A different Python file provides any application logic.
The KV language is designed to be intuitive, simple, and expressive. It allows developers to design the user interface of the app using a syntax similar to markup languages, such as HTML.
The KV layout provides a way to declare UI elements as a hierarchy of widget trees.
2. Creating a “Hello, Kivy!” program with KV
Let’s create the “Hello, Kivy!” program using the KV language. This program will feature a button that changes the text of a label when pressed.
First, we create a Python file called `main.py` and a KV file called `main.kv`.
# main.py
from kivy.app import App
from kivy.uix.boxlayout import BoxLayout
class MainLayout(BoxLayout):
pass
class HelloKivyApp(App):
def build(self):
return MainLayout()
# main.kv
:
orientation: "vertical"
Label:
id: my_label
text: "Hello, Kivy!"
Button:
text: "Press Me!"
on_press: my_label.text = "Button Pressed!"
In this code, we define a `MainLayout` class responsible for holding the application’s widgets.
We define the content of the main.kv file, which declares the UI elements of our Kivy app.
3. Advanced KV features
It is possible to use Python classes as dynamic classes within KV files. Dynamic classes allow for a more modular approach to code.
Developers can also use Python modules to allow more complex UI definitions. Dynamic classes can be defined directly in a KV file.
Define a new rule for a class using the `
:
size_hint: 1, 1
text: "My Button"
Python modules can also be used in KV files, which can be particularly useful when separating the creation of different parts of the UI. You can import any Python module and use functions or variables defined within that module.
#: import MyModule my_module
:
Button:
text: MyModule.button_text()
With this syntax, any code defined in the `my_module` module can be used directly in the KV file.
Creating a Kivy Application
With the knowledge of the Kivy framework and the KV language, let’s explore how to create a calculator application using Kivy.
1. Introduction to the calculator application
A calculator application can be a great example of using the Kivy framework.
We will start by laying out the user interface. The app will have a simple layout; we only need to display a box to write out the calculations and a grid of buttons for the user to input the calculation.
2. Laying out the calculator app
The calculator app layout consists of a text input field on top and a grid of buttons below it.
The text input field displays numbers and operands typed in while the buttons allow the user to input the numbers and operands.
3. Adding functionality
Once we have the user interface laid out, we can add functionality to allow the user to input calculations and display the result. We need to register event handlers for clicking each of the buttons.
from kivy.app import App
from kivy.uix.boxlayout import BoxLayout
from kivy.uix.button import Button
from kivy.uix.textinput import TextInput
class CalculatorApp(App):
def build(self):
main_layout = BoxLayout(orientation='vertical')
# Add the text input field
text_input = TextInput(text='', multiline=False, readonly=True, halign='right', font_size=55, size_hint=[1, 0.2])
# Create and add the grid of buttons
button_grid_layout = BoxLayout(orientation='vertical')
button_rows = [['7', '8', '9', '/'],
['4', '5', '6', '*'],
['1', '2', '3', '-'],
['0', '.', '=', '+']]
for row in button_rows:
button_row_layout = BoxLayout(orientation='horizontal')
for button_text in row:
button = Button(text=button_text, font_size=30, size_hint=[0.25, 0.16])
button.bind(on_press=self.button_pressed)
button_row_layout.add_widget(button)
button_grid_layout.add_widget(button_row_layout)
main_layout.add_widget(text_input)
main_layout.add_widget(button_grid_layout)
return main_layout
def button_pressed(self, button_instance):
pass
CalculatorApp().run()
The code above creates and populates the UI of the Calculator app. Each button has a `button_pressed` method registered as its `on_press` event handler.
We can define the body of this method to get the text of the button pressed and determine what to do next.
4. Adding calculation logic
We can also define a `calculate` method to handle the calculation of the expression entered by the user in the text input field.
from kivy.app import App
from kivy.uix.boxlayout import BoxLayout
from kivy.uix.button import Button
from kivy.uix.textinput import TextInput
from kivy.core.window import Window
class CalculatorApp(App):
def build(self):
main_layout = BoxLayout(orientation='vertical')
# Add the text input field
text_input = TextInput(text='', multiline=False, readonly=True, halign='right', font_size=55, size_hint=[1, 0.2])
# Create and add the grid of buttons
button_grid_layout = BoxLayout(orientation='vertical')
button_rows = [['7', '8', '9', '/'],
['4', '5', '6', '*'],
['1', '2', '3', '-'],
['0', '.', '=', '+']]
for row in button_rows:
button_row_layout = BoxLayout(orientation='horizontal')
for button_text in row:
button = Button(text=button_text, font_size=30, size_hint=[0.25, 0.16])
button.bind(on_press=self.button_pressed)
button_row_layout.add_widget(button)
button_grid_layout.add_widget(button_row_layout)
main_layout.add_widget(text_input)
main_layout.add_widget(button_grid_layout)
return main_layout
def button_pressed(self, button_instance):
current_text = self.root.children[0].text
button_text = button_instance.text
if button_text in ['+', '-', '*', '/']:
self.root.children[0].text = current_text + button_text
elif button_text == '=':
try:
result = str(eval(current_text))
self.root.children[0].text = result
except:
self.root.children[0].text = 'Error'
else:
self.root.children[0].text = current_text + button_text
CalculatorApp().run()