<refentry id="pythonsupport" revision="26 Feb 2011">
 <refmeta>
   <refentrytitle>Python Gtk widgets support</refentrytitle>
   <refmiscinfo>Glade UI</refmiscinfo>
 </refmeta>
 <refnamediv>
   <refname>Add python support to your catalog</refname>
   <refpurpose>
How to write and install a catalog for a python widget library
   </refpurpose>
 </refnamediv>

 <refsect1>
   <title>Introduction</title>
   <para>
Glade supports loading widgets coded in python by linking and running the python
interpreter from the gladepython catalog plugin.
   </para>

   <para>
So in order for glade to include your python gtk widgets you will have to:

<varlistentry><listitem>
a) specify gladepython support code as your plugin library.
</listitem></varlistentry>

<varlistentry><listitem>
b) set glade_python_init as you init function.
</listitem></varlistentry>

<varlistentry><listitem>
c) make sure your catalog name is the same as your python import library since
glade_python_init() will use this name to import your widgets into the
interpreter.
</listitem></varlistentry>

     <programlisting>
<![CDATA[
<glade-catalog name="pythonplugin" library="gladepython"
domain="glade-3" depends="gtk+">
 <init-function>glade_python_init</init-function>

 <glade-widget-classes>
   <glade-widget-class title="MyBox" name="MyBox" generic-name="mybox"/>
 </glade-widget-classes>

 <glade-widget-group name="python" title="Python">
   <glade-widget-class-ref name="MyBox"/>
 </glade-widget-group>
</glade-catalog>]]>
     </programlisting>
   </para>

   <para>
Glade's python interpreter will look up for your widgets in the same
places it looks
for regular catalogs plugins, that is $GLADE_ENV_MODULE_PATH
enviroment variable
and `pkg-config --variable=moduledir gladeui-2.0`

So the easiest thing would be to make a symlink in one of those directory, just
do not forget that the name should be the one specified in your catalog name.
   </para>

   <para>
pythonplugin.py
     <programlisting>
<![CDATA[
from gi.repository import Gtk

class MyBox(Gtk.HBox):
       __gtype_name__ = 'MyBox'

       def __init__(self):
               Gtk.HBox.__init__(self)
]]>
     </programlisting>
   </para>
 </refsect1>
</refentry>