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Should you be using QT for Python as a GUI? Part one of an eight-part series of blogs
If you need to build a GUI system in Python, PyQt5 is probably the best choice, but don't take our word for it - read this blog and see what you think. Should you be using PyQt? (this blog) QT Designer Widgets Layouts Forms and code Slots and Signals CSS and Formatting Models and Data

Should you be using QT for Python as a GUI?

Part one of an eight-part series of blogs

If you need to build a GUI system in Python, PyQt5 is probably the best choice, but don't take our word for it - read this blog and see what you think.

Posted by Andy Brown on 21 June 2022

Should you be using PyQt?

This is the blog I wish I could have read a couple of months ago, when we were trying to decide whether to use QT for Python for our new HTML editor. The blog shows how to do the following in QT:

Part	What it shows
The QT Designer	An overview of what the QT Designer looks like, and how you can use it to draw forms on screen.
Widgets	An overview of the different widgets (controls) that you can add to forms in QT.
Layouts	How horizontal, vertical, grid and form layouts allow you to make forms responsive.
Forms and code	Four ways to integrate widgets, layouts and Python code to display QT forms, with thoughts on the pros and cons of each.
Slots and signals	How to get widgets that you add to a form to respond to events such as clicks and changes of data.
CSS and formatting	Applying CSS style sheets to QT forms to provide consistent formatting.
Models and data	Binding widgets like combo boxes to SQL Server queries using QT models.

This blog was written in June 2022 using PyQt5 and Windows 11 (I haven't upgraded to PyQt6 because most answers to questions on the web seem to still use PyQt5).

This blog isn't meant to be a tutorial - it's nowhere near detailed enough for that - but it should enable you to make a decision on whether QT is right for you, and help you get started and overcome some of the main stumbling blocks that you'll encounter.

An update: after persevering with PyQt5 for several weeks I eventually gave up on it - it may be helpful to read why.