In this blog post, we will explore how to format rich text using the wxPython library in Python. Rich text formatting allows us to enhance the appearance of text by applying styles such as bold, italic, underline, and more.

Setting up wxPython

Before we begin, make sure you have wxPython installed. You can install it using pip:

pip install wxPython

Creating a Rich Text Control

To create a rich text control, we need to import the necessary modules and define a class that inherits from wx.richtext.RichTextCtrl. Here’s an example:

import wx
import wx.richtext as rt

class RichTextFrame(wx.Frame):
    def __init__(self, parent):
        wx.Frame.__init__(self, parent, -1, "Rich Text Format")
        
        self.rtc = rt.RichTextCtrl(self, style=wx.VSCROLL|wx.HSCROLL|wx.NO_BORDER)
        self.rtc.Freeze()
        self.rtc.SetInsertionPoint(0)
        self.rtc.Thaw()
        
app = wx.App()
frame = RichTextFrame(None)
frame.Show()
app.MainLoop()

In the above code, we create a custom frame called RichTextFrame and a rich text control rtc inside it.

Applying Formatting Styles

Bold Text

To make text bold, we first need to get the attributes of the current selection and then set the wx.TEXT_ATTR_FONT_WEIGHT attribute to wx.BOLD.

attr = self.rtc.GetStyle(self.rtc.GetInsertionPoint())
attr.SetFontWeight(wx.BOLD)
self.rtc.SetStyle(self.rtc.GetInsertionPoint(), attr)

Italic Text

Italicizing text follows a similar approach. We get the attributes and set the wx.TEXT_ATTR_FONT_STYLE attribute to wx.ITALIC.

attr = self.rtc.GetStyle(self.rtc.GetInsertionPoint())
attr.SetFontStyle(wx.ITALIC)
self.rtc.SetStyle(self.rtc.GetInsertionPoint(), attr)

Underline Text

To apply an underline to text, we need to set the wx.TEXT_ATTR_TEXT_UNDERLINE attribute to True.

attr = self.rtc.GetStyle(self.rtc.GetInsertionPoint())
attr.SetTextUnderline(True)
self.rtc.SetStyle(self.rtc.GetInsertionPoint(), attr)

Conclusion

In this blog post, we have explored how to format rich text using wxPython in Python. We have learned to create a rich text control, and apply formatting styles such as bold, italic, and underline. With these techniques, you can now enhance the appearance of text in your wxPython applications.