Interface and application programming¶

Group assignment:¶

Compare as many tool options as possible

Result¶

In the group, we tested mainly 2 options:

• The easy way (as Gilles): using Python with Tkinter and Pyserial.
• And the hard way (as Axel), who worked on an Inkscape plugin using Python, to interface our machine.

Comparing the results, we can highlight several points:

• Tkinter and Pyserial are simple libraries that allow a quick learning curve, and a basic use can be enough to collect or send simple data.
• However, they are limited. As example, Tkinter become quiclky havy and complex if you want more fancy interfaces. For example, here is the interface that Gilles obtained: not fancy at all but functional.

• More, if you want more complex interfaces, for example to control a machine, you’ll need other tools, that become more complicated to use, but allow more possibilities, as Axel did and documented.