Native GUI — Pytigon on the Desktop

Pytigon's desktop client is built on wxPython, giving applications a true native look-and-feel on Windows, Linux, and macOS. The same application logic that powers your web interface renders through wxPython controls — no separate codebase needed.

How It Works

The desktop client is not a separate application. It's a Python process that:

1. Starts an embedded Django server (or connects to a remote one)
2. Opens a wxPython window with web browser integration
3. Renders Pytigon views using native controls or the embedded browser

This architecture means the desktop client automatically benefits from every update to the web application. There's no "desktop build" — just a different rendering target.

The wxPython Client

The wxPython client (pytigon/pytigon/ptig.py) provides:

• Main application window — Frame with menu bar, toolbar, status bar
• Embedded WebKit browser — Displays web-rendered content inline
• Native controls — File dialogs, message boxes, notification toasts
• System tray integration — Minimize to tray, background operation
• Auto-update — Checks for new versions on startup

Hybrid Mode

The desktop client's killer feature is hybrid mode — native controls and web content sharing the same window. For example:

• A list view can use the web browser component for rich table rendering
• The edit form for that same record can use native wxPython text inputs (faster, better keyboard handling)
• The file upload dialog uses the native OS file picker
• Charts and reports render in the embedded browser using Plotly/Chart.js

Communication between native and web components happens through Pytigon's JavaScript bridge, allowing JavaScript to call native functions and vice versa.

The schhtml Renderer (wxPython)

When rendering content for wxPython, Pytigon uses schhtml with a wxPython device context (wxdc). This converts .ihtml templates directly into wxPython widget hierarchies:

.ihtml Template → schhtml Parser → wxPython Widget Tree → Display

The wxPython renderer supports: - Labels, text inputs, dropdown selects - Tables with sorting, column resizing, and inline editing - Image display - Form layout with sizers - Tab panels and notebooks - Dialog windows

Control Tags

Pytigon defines custom control tags for desktop-specific widgets:

[wx_button label="Click me" action="my_action"]
[wx_listbox name="items" source="my_view"]
[wx_treectrl name="hierarchy"]

See Control tags for the complete reference.

Plugins

The desktop client supports a plugin system for extending native functionality:

• File watchers — Monitor directories and react to changes
• System hooks — Integrate with OS-level events
• Custom controls — Register new wxPython control types

See Plugins for the plugin API.

Platforms