Result: Using Python to Develop Graphical Interfaces to Scientific Data
Further Information
At Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Python has proven to be a convenient language for the development of graphical user interfaces (GUIs) which allow scientists to view, plot, and analyze scientific data. Two such applications are described in this paper. The first, EOSView, is a browser application for an equation of state data library at LLNL. EOSView is used by scientists throughout the laboratory who use simulation codes that access the data library, or who need equation of state data for other purposes. EOSView provides graphical visualization capabilities, as well as the capability to analyze the data in many different ways. The second application, Zimp, is a GUI that allows interactive use of the Stark Line Shape Database. It is used to access and plot data. The quick construction of Zimp from elements of the EOSView code provides a useful lesson in code reuse, and illustrates how the object-oriented nature of Python facilitates this goal. In general, Python has proven to be an appropriate choice of language for applications of this type for several reasons, including the easy access to GUI functionality provided by Tkinter, the ease with which C functions can be called from Python, and the convenient handling of strings in Python. Moreover, the features of the Python language, combined with the fact that it is interpreted rather than compiled, have allowed for extremely quick prototyping.