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Kivy has been successfully used by users to develop a wide range of desktop applications, including a venture management app, in a short …
Overview
What is Kivy?
Kivy is an open-source Python app development framework designed to build and distribute cross-platform GUI applications. It is said to be suitable for companies of all sizes, from small startups to large enterprises. Professionals in software development, app development, UI/UX design, IT, as well...
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- Tech Details
What is Kivy?
Kivy is an open-source Python app development framework designed to build and distribute cross-platform GUI applications. It is said to be suitable for companies of all sizes, from small startups to large enterprises. Professionals in software development, app development, UI/UX design, IT, as well as the education and e-learning industries, can leverage Kivy's features to create visually appealing and interactive user interfaces.
Key Features
Easy-to-use Framework: According to the vendor, Kivy provides a simple and intuitive API that abstracts the complexities of cross-platform development. Developers can quickly build GUI applications using Python without worrying about platform-specific details.
Cross-Platform Development: The vendor claims that Kivy enables developers to create apps that run on Android, iOS, Linux, macOS, and Windows. They can deploy their apps on multiple operating systems using a single codebase, potentially saving time and effort in maintaining separate codebases.
Beautiful GUI Design: Kivy offers a wide range of customizable UI elements and widgets to create visually appealing and interactive user interfaces. It is said to support touch, mouse, and keyboard input, providing seamless interaction with the user interface.
Event-Driven Programming: According to the vendor, Kivy follows an event-driven programming paradigm, allowing developers to define event handlers and respond to user interactions such as button clicks or touch gestures. This is claimed to enable dynamic and interactive application behavior.
Kv Language: The vendor states that Kivy provides the Kv language, a declarative language for designing user interfaces. Developers can describe the structure and appearance of the UI in a concise and readable format, which is said to promote clean code architecture and easier maintenance.
Layout Management: Kivy offers various layout managers, including box layouts, grid layouts, and anchor layouts, to arrange and position UI elements within the application window. The layouts are claimed to automatically handle resizing and positioning, adapting to different screen sizes and orientations.
Drawing and Animation: According to the vendor, Kivy includes powerful drawing and animation capabilities for creating visually engaging applications. Developers can draw shapes, lines, and images on the canvas, apply transformations and effects, and utilize animation tools for smooth transitions and movements.
Packaging and Distribution: Kivy provides tools and utilities for packaging applications into platform-specific formats. Developers can create standalone executables or package apps as APKs for Android or IPA files for iOS. The vendor claims that integration with platform-specific APIs and services is also supported.
Kivy Technical Details
| Deployment Types | Software as a Service (SaaS), Cloud, or Web-Based |
|---|---|
| Operating Systems | Web-Based |
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Community Insights
TrustRadius Insights are summaries of user sentiment data from TrustRadius reviews and, when necessary, 3rd-party data sources. Have feedback on this content? Let us know!
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Kivy has been successfully used by users to develop a wide range of desktop applications, including a venture management app, in a short time frame. It is particularly useful for creating small applications and games, allowing developers to handle their projects effectively. The integration of Kivy with Plyer also enables users to utilize APIs across multiple platforms without code changes, making it valuable for creating cross-platform solutions. Users have praised Kivy for its ability to create complex applications that are difficult to build using other modules, eliminating the need for third-party software to connect code to the user interface. Additionally, Kivy's ease of use has allowed beginners to develop apps like rock-paper-scissors games during lockdown periods, and it serves as an important tool for those who have learned Python and want to develop their own applications. Despite some negative experiences shared by users who struggled with dynamically changing the UI or found it unsuitable for their specific needs, Kivy's quick application development capabilities and compatibility with powerful Python libraries continue to make it a popular choice among developers seeking efficient and convenient ways to build multi-platform applications.
Simple and Intuitive Syntax: Users have consistently praised Kivy for its simple and intuitive syntax, with many stating that it has made coding easy. The straightforward nature of the syntax allows users to quickly create widgets and write code without any confusion.
Good Community Support: Numerous reviewers have highlighted the availability of a strong community support system as a positive aspect of using Kivy. This support system includes forums and IRC channels where users can seek assistance, share ideas, and collaborate with others in the community. The helpfulness and friendliness of the online community have been commended by users.
Platform Independence: Many users appreciate the platform independence feature of Kivy, which allows them to seamlessly work on different operating systems. This flexibility makes it easier for developers to create cross-platform applications without having to rewrite code specifically for each platform.
Unresponsive Widgets: Several users have reported that the widgets in Kivy are not responsive, resulting in a slower user experience.
Difficult Packaging Process: The process of packaging Kivy applications to apk and iOS has been described as difficult by a number of users. They have also mentioned that this difficulty often leads to crashes.
Outdated Look: Some users find the look of Kivy applications to be outdated, which is seen as a negative aspect by these individuals.
Users commonly recommend Kivy based on their experiences and opinions. The most common recommendations are as follows:
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Familiarity with Python: Users suggest that knowing Python and being comfortable with the language is beneficial when using Kivy. This recommendation implies that having a solid understanding of Python helps in easily setting up and developing applications with Kivy.
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Documentation and Understanding: It is advised to thoroughly follow the documentation provided by Kivy to avoid potential issues. Users emphasize the importance of understanding what Kivy can and cannot do, relative to the specific requirements of their projects. This recommendation suggests that a clear understanding of the framework's capabilities is essential for successful implementation.
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Interface Creation: Users mention that Kivy offers better interface creation options compared to Tkinter, especially for new developers. This recommendation implies that Kivy provides a more user-friendly environment for designing visually appealing and user-friendly interfaces.
These recommendations highlight the benefits of using Kivy for desktop application development, including its compatibility with Python, thorough documentation, and enhanced interface creation capabilities.