Kivy to create a Desktop program?

Question

Kivy seems to be very adapted for tablet and phone app , but I wonder how does it scale for a desktop application?

Apart from the look (looking at the standard greyish button, the white label on black background...: but these can evidently be changed), I see other problems for a desktop program:

-There is only one window available by app (you can use a tab module, which is a bit different and without handle to close it apparently?)

-There is no module to print apparently (no use on tablet or phone of course)

Would it be still possible or somebody has already created a full desktop application with kivy?

Kinsman

For a real desktop app in python, you'd be better off with wxPython. Or PyQt. Or even TkInter. (I've only done serious GUI with wxPython). Kivy for a desktop app is like using Pygame for a desktop app. – Zoomorphism

Answer 1

Kivy undeniably doesn't fit in with other applications on the desktop due to its not using 'native' widgets from whatever toolkit is popular on a given platform. Some people do use it for desktop apps if they don't care about this. Whether it's important to you is largely your decision.

-There is only one window available by app (you can use a tab module, which is a bit different and without handle to close it apparently?)

This is correct, if you need multiple windows then kivy will be inconvenient.

-There is no module to print apparently (no use on tablet or phone of course)

I suppose this is true, though it's easy to export a png of the current state (and in some circumstances it would be easy to extend this to include e.g. a larger area than the window size in the png image), and you could print this.

Thermometry

Thanks inclement!. I've still got remarks nevetheless: "This is correct, if you need multiple windows then kivy will be inconvenient." I've found a popup kivy module which could mimic a bit window by the way (except that they can't be reduced). "I suppose this is true, though it's easy to export a png of the current state": You can save it to png but how do you print it from Kivy then? I think this type of limitation is a major drawback for a Desktop Kivy app. – Kinsman

Check the normal python tools for interacting with a printer, you don't need to rely on kivy having a builtin function for it. You could also request this as a feature for plyer. – Thermometry

Kivy has been used to make desktop applications - whether it "fits" it more of a design challenge on the developer. As you came across, the "print" function. I think this is probably what makes Kivy sort of 'weak;' because it is a sublanguage with some pretty rough documentation and a user-base that gravitates to mobile dev, it's easy to forget that it's a SUB-language. You can sill call normal Python control to do things, particularly in a desktop concept. – Aerodyne