GSoC/2024/StatusReports/IsraelGaladima

Improve Python Interoperability with LabPlot

LabPlot is a data analysis and visualisation application in KDE. Since Python is heavily used within the data science community, this project aims to make LabPlot a more "Python-friendly" application. The project goals are to:

• Create Python bindings to LabPlot's C++ backend, and
• Enable Python programs to control a running LabPlot application.

These goals will respectively allow users to:

• Access LabPlot's data analysis and visualisation tools from a Python program, and
• Create complex workflows using Python within a running LabPlot application.

Work report

Week 1

• Continued researching about using shiboken2 for python bindings generation
• Set up the cmake build for generating python bindings for a few classes in the backend folder
• Removed the -DQT_STRICT_ITERATORS compilation flag since it was conflicting with the shiboken2 c++ output

Week 2

• Fixed an issue with circular dependencies in the bindings generation by moving some class members to pimpl classes
• Generated python bindings for more classes from the backend folder

Week 3

• Fixed an issue in the bindings generation for some classes by building pyside2 and shiboken2 from source
• Created an MR containing minor fixes to the codebase needed for the bindings generation [1]

Week 4

• Created an MR for the python bindings generation [2]
• Started researching about how to script a C++ application using python. Outlined two approaches: IPC or CPython API

Week 5

• Implemented the ScriptEditor and ScriptEditorView classes
• Added the "Script Editor" menu option under the "File > Add New" menu and the "Script Editor" button to the Project Toolbar, both for adding a new script editor to the current project

Week 6

• Implemented the ScriptManager and Script classes
• Implemented the PythonScript class to utilize the CPython API for executing python code from the script editor
• Injected the MainWin object from LabPlot into the Python interpreter to allow python code to modify the running application

Week 7

• Injected the Project object into the Python interpreter instead of the MainWin object
• Added the bindings as an extension module to the embedded python interpreter
• Fixed an issue which was causing the application to crash by calling Py_Initialize and Py_Finalize only once in the application
• Integrated the ScriptEditorView (KTextEditor) settings into the application settings dialog
• Reworked the application settings dialog to use a tree view instead of a list view, to enable sub pages

Links to Blogs and other writing

• Blog Post #1
• Blog Post #2
• Blog Post #3