Expert Python Programming - Third Edition

Building responsive interfaces

Let's say you ask your system to copy files from one folder to another through some program with a graphical user interface. The task will possibly be pushed into the background and the interface window will be constantly refreshed by the program. This way, you get live feedback on the progress of the whole process. You will also be able to cancel the operation. This is less irritating than a raw cp or copy shell command that does not provide any feedback until the whole work is finished.

A responsive interface also allows a user to work on several tasks at the same time. For instance, Gimp will let you play around with a picture while another one is being filtered, since the two tasks are independent.

When ...