Simple Text-based GUI (TUI) using Textual

This example demonstrates using the Python package Textual to create a simple Text Based Interface to control Zaber devices.

Hardware Requirements

Any Zaber linear motion device connected to a serial port.

Dependencies / Software Requirements / Prerequisites

The script uses pipenv to manage virtual environment and dependencies.

Windows:

py -m pip install --user --upgrade pipenv

Linux / MacOS:

python3 -m pip install --user --upgrade pipenv

For full installation instruction, including making sure that 'pipenv' is available in your path after installation, please refer to the official documentation on Installing Pipenv.

Note: if pipenv is not in your path after installtion, you can still call it by

• py -m pipenv (Windows)
• python3 -m pipenv (Linux / MacOS)

The dependencies are listed in Pipfile.

Configuration / Parameters

The serial port to connect to can be entered into the input box after script startup.

Optinally, you can edit the following constants in the script before running the script:

• SERIAL_PORT: the serial port that your device is connected to.
  For more information on how to identify the serial port,
  see Find the right serial port name.

Running the Script

To run the script, make sure you are running in a stand-alone terminal instead of in the terminal of your IDE.

cd src/gui_textual
pipenv install
pipenv run python tui.py

Text-based User Interface

A Text-based User Interface (TUI) is similar to a Graphical User Interface (GUI), except that the elements are rendered using ASCII text directly in the terminal. Textual is a Python package that provides a Rapid Application Development framework that enables a very simple example that is a step up from Command Line Interface (CLI).