topic Re: Why don't Python add-ins provide a dialog box for user input? in Python Questions

Why don't Python add-ins provide a dialog box for user input?

IanBroad — Mon, 04 May 2015 17:53:38 GMT

Currently, we have:

OpenDialog

SaveDialog

GPToolDialog

MessageBox

But there's no way to actually get user input. Why is this? Does ESRI plan on eventually providing a way to get user input?

Re: Why don't Python add-ins provide a dialog box for user input?

JamesCrandall — Sun, 12 Dec 2021 02:34:24 GMT

What are the input requirements?

One solution is to create a new tool in a Toolbox.tbx and setup input parameters. Then you can open/popup this as a UI with:

pythonaddins.GPToolDialog(r'<path>\<toolboxname.tbx>', '<tool name>')

Here's how it might look hooked into an add-in with a button tool:

class ButtonClass_CreateSHP(object):
    """Implementation for my_addin.button_1 (Button)"""
    def __init__(self):
        self.enabled = True
        self.checked = False
    def onClick(self):
        pythonaddins.GPToolDialog(r'<path>\<toolboxname.tbx>', 'CreateShapefile')

Re: Why don't Python add-ins provide a dialog box for user input?

RebeccaStrauch__GISP — Mon, 04 May 2015 18:04:34 GMT

Do you have it in a Toolbox? It's easy to create a Python addin from a tools box that will have a user interface. For what it's worth, I have some steps listed in a power point Python add-ins vs. .NET add-ins?

And there is a tech session Python Add-ins: Tips and Tricks that might be worth checking out.

Re: Why don't Python add-ins provide a dialog box for user input?

IanBroad — Mon, 04 May 2015 18:11:21 GMT

Yeah, I've thought about that. I just see it as kind of a clunky, unattractive way of doing it. I'd be nice to just have a dialog box that the user could enter a value into- it seems simple enough.

One example is that I'd like to have a button that when clicked takes an OID of a specific layer for input, and zooms to that feature based on the OID entered. Easy enough to do, but the whole user input part is missing.

Re: Why don't Python add-ins provide a dialog box for user input?

JamesCrandall — Mon, 04 May 2015 18:26:15 GMT

I think you can accomplish this with the Tool Validator and set the input parameter when you launch the tool:

pythonaddins.GPToolDialog(r'<path>\<toolboxname.tbx>', '<tool name>', '<arg1>', '<arg2')

Re: Why don't Python add-ins provide a dialog box for user input?

IanBroad — Mon, 04 May 2015 18:34:24 GMT

Right. I guess my main point is that I'd like to have a way of getting user input without needing to use an existing toolbox.

Re: Why don't Python add-ins provide a dialog box for user input?

JamesCrandall — Mon, 04 May 2015 18:40:07 GMT

Tkinter maybe? Not sure how well it behaves though.

Re: Why don't Python add-ins provide a dialog box for user input?

Anonymous User — Mon, 04 May 2015 21:32:01 GMT

Check out ArcMap and Python: Closing the VBA Gap | Esri Video

Using wxPython as described in this video works even if it isn't officially supported by esri.

Re: Why don't Python add-ins provide a dialog box for user input?

DanPatterson_Retired — Tue, 05 May 2015 00:59:28 GMT

Rebecca, Jason's presentation is still just a bunch of blank screens with titles..I suspect some iThingy problem. There are still a bunch of posts on that thread...Do you have a link that can be read with all content?

Re: Why don't Python add-ins provide a dialog box for user input?

RebeccaStrauch__GISP — Tue, 05 May 2015 03:18:31 GMT

Dan, your right. I looked at it a while ago and just copied the link. I'll edit my post.

Re: Why don't Python add-ins provide a dialog box for user input?

TI — Mon, 06 May 2019 00:46:42 GMT

ArcMap does not play nicely with any Python modules that have a non-ArcMap GUI. I've tried Tkinter and others, before finding that it just randomly crashes ArcMap. Subsequent Googling found that other people have concluded that non-ArcMap GUI's in Python add-ins clash with ArcMap and cause it to crash.

Re: Why don't Python add-ins provide a dialog box for user input?

TI — Mon, 06 May 2019 00:49:13 GMT

But be cautious. As per my other post about Tkinter, wxPython GUI's in Python add-ins can randomly cause ArcMap to crash. A very simply GUI may not experience the problem, but I would not trust it. My experience with wxPython and several other Python GUIs in a Python add-in all had the same problem (by my GUI was somewhat more complicated).

I then found that other people had concluded that non-ArcMap GUIs in Python addins are incompatible with ArcMap and likely to cause it to crash.