EZInput

Write once, run everywhere - Create interactive GUIs that work seamlessly in both Jupyter notebooks and terminal environments with the exact same code.

EZInput is a Python library that simplifies creating user interfaces for data science, image analysis, and computational research. Whether you're prototyping in a notebook or deploying a command-line tool, your UI code remains identical.

✨ Key Features

• 🔄 Unified API: Same code works in Jupyter notebooks (.ipynb) and terminal scripts (.py)
• 📋 Copy-Pastable: Move code between notebooks and scripts without modification
• 💾 Auto-Persistence: Widget values are automatically saved and restored between sessions
• 🎯 Type-Safe: Validated inputs with type checking (int, float, text, paths, etc.)
• 🎨 Rich Widgets: Sliders, dropdowns, text inputs, file pickers, and more
• ⚡ Zero Boilerplate: No environment detection code needed - it just works

Note: This project is currently in alpha stage and may undergo API changes.

🎯 Perfect For

• Image analysis pipelines requiring user parameters
• Data science workflows with interactive configuration
• Research tools that need both notebook and CLI interfaces
• Teaching and tutorials with reproducible parameter sets

📦 Installation

Install EZInput using pip:

pip install ezinput

For development with all optional dependencies:

pip install ezinput[all]

Requirements

• Python >= 3.9
• Dependencies are automatically installed:
  • ipywidgets and ipyfilechooser for Jupyter notebooks
  • prompt-toolkit for terminal interfaces
  • pyyaml for configuration persistence

🚀 Quick Start

The Simplest Example

from ezinput import EZInput

# Create a GUI (works in both Jupyter and terminal!)
gui = EZInput("my_app")

# Add widgets - order of adding determines display order
name = gui.add_text("name", "Enter your name:")
age = gui.add_int_range("age", "Select age:", 18, 100)
confirm = gui.add_check("confirm", "Proceed with analysis?")

# In Jupyter: display the widgets
gui.show()

# Access values
print(f"Hello {name.value}, you are {age.value} years old")
if confirm.value:
    print("Starting analysis...")

Running Jupyter Notebooks from Terminal

Execute notebooks as scripts using the ezinput command:

# Run a notebook from terminal
ezinput my_notebook.ipynb

# The notebook will execute with terminal-style prompts
# for all EZInput widgets

This is perfect for:

• Running analysis pipelines in batch mode
• Deploying notebook-based tools as CLI applications
• CI/CD integration

💡 Copy-Paste Friendly: This exact code works in both:

• Jupyter notebooks (.ipynb files) - displays interactive widgets
• Terminal scripts (.py files) - shows interactive prompts

Run in terminal with:

python my_script.py

Real-World Example: Image Analysis

Here's a complete example for an image analysis pipeline:

from ezinput import EZInput
import numpy as np

# One EZInput instance per analysis task recommended
gui = EZInput("image_analysis_v1")

# Configuration section
gui.add_label(value="=== Image Processing Parameters ===")
input_file = gui.add_text("input", "Input image path:", 
                          placeholder="/path/to/image.tif")
threshold = gui.add_float_range("threshold", "Detection threshold:", 
                                0.0, 1.0)
min_size = gui.add_int_range("min_size", "Minimum object size (pixels):", 
                             10, 1000)

gui.add_label(value="=== Output Options ===")
save_results = gui.add_check("save", "Save results to disk?")
output_format = gui.add_dropdown("format", ["PNG", "TIFF", "JPEG"], 
                                 "Output format:")

# Display GUI (in Jupyter) or collect inputs (in terminal)
gui.show()

# Your analysis code using the values
def run_analysis(values):
    """Process image with user-provided parameters."""
    print(f"Processing {values['input'].value}")
    print(f"Using threshold: {values['threshold'].value}")
    print(f"Minimum size: {values['min_size'].value}")
    
    # Your image processing code here
    # ...
    
    if values['save'].value:
        print(f"Saving as {values['format'].value}")

# Add a callback button (in Jupyter: creates button, in terminal: executes after show())
gui.add_callback("process", run_analysis, gui.get_values(), 
                 description="Run Analysis")

Key Points:

• Widget tags (like "input", "threshold") must be unique within each GUI instance
• Create one EZInput instance per analysis task or computational pipeline
• The order you add widgets is the order they appear on screen
• Use remember_value=True parameter on widgets to persist values between runs

Terminal vs Jupyter: Same Code, Different Experience

In Jupyter Notebook:

• Widgets appear as interactive UI elements
• Sliders, dropdowns, and buttons are fully visual
• Call gui.show() to display the interface

In Terminal:

• Interactive prompts appear sequentially
• Type-validated input with autocomplete
• Press Enter to submit each value
• Run with: python your_script.py

📚 Core Concepts

1. Automatic Environment Detection

EZInput automatically detects whether it's running in Jupyter or terminal:

from ezinput import EZInput

# No environment detection code needed!
gui = EZInput("my_app")

# Or import specific versions if needed:
from ezinput import EZInputJupyter  # Jupyter-specific
from ezinput import EZInputPrompt   # Terminal-specific

2. Value Persistence & Priority

Values are automatically saved to ~/.ezinput/{title}.yml. Priority order:

1. Loaded parameters (from load_parameters())
2. Remembered values (from previous runs, if remember_value=True parameter)
3. Explicit defaults (passed via default= parameter)
4. Widget defaults (empty string, 0, False, etc.)

# Values automatically persist when remember_value=True (default for most widgets)
gui = EZInput("my_app")
age = gui.add_int_range("age", "Age:", 0, 120, remember_value=True)
# Next time: shows the previously entered value!

# Load from specific configuration file
gui = EZInput("my_app")
gui.load_parameters("experiment_config.yml")

# Or save current values to share
gui.save_parameters("my_optimal_params.yml")

3. Configuration Files

Create shareable configuration files:

gui = EZInput("my_analysis")

# ... add widgets and collect values ...

# Save current values
gui.save_parameters("my_config.yml")  # Explicit filename
# or
gui.save_parameters("")  # Auto-named: my_analysis_parameters.yml

# Share this file with colleagues!
# They can load it:
gui2 = EZInput("my_analysis", params_file="my_config.yml")

Config file location:

• Explicit saves: wherever you specify
• Auto-saved settings: ~/.ezinput/{title}.yml

Resetting to defaults:

# Clear all remembered values - returns widgets to original defaults
gui.restore_defaults()

# ⚠️ Important: Re-run your cell (Jupyter) or script (terminal) to see the reset take effect
# The method removes the memory file but doesn't immediately change displayed widgets

🎨 Available Widgets

All widgets work identically in Jupyter and terminal. Here's the complete reference:

Text Input Widgets

# Text input with placeholder
email = gui.add_text("email", "Email address:", 
                     placeholder="user@example.com")

# Multi-line text area
notes = gui.add_text_area("description", "Project description:",
                          placeholder="Enter detailed description...")

Numeric Input Widgets

# Slider-style (Jupyter) or validated prompt (terminal)
iterations = gui.add_int_range("iter", "Iterations:", 10, 1000)

# Free-form number input
temperature = gui.add_float_text("temp", "Temperature (°C):")

# Bounded input with automatic clamping
percentage = gui.add_bounded_int_text("coverage", "Coverage %:", 0, 100)

Selection Widgets

# Boolean checkbox (Jupyter) or yes/no prompt (terminal)
debug = gui.add_check("debug", "Enable debug mode?")

# Dropdown with autocomplete in terminal
algorithm = gui.add_dropdown("algo", 
                             ["linear", "rbf", "polynomial"],
                             "Interpolation method:")

File & Path Widgets

# Terminal: autocomplete-enabled path input
input_file = gui.add_path_completer("input", "Select input file:")

# Jupyter: visual file browser
input_file = gui.add_file_upload("input", accept="*.tif")

Display Widgets

# Section headers
gui.add_label(value="=== Input Parameters ===")

# Output area for results (Jupyter)
gui.add_output("results")
with gui["results"]:
    print("Analysis complete!")

# Rich formatting (Jupyter only)
gui.add_HTML("warning", '<p style="color:red">⚠️ Experimental feature</p>')

Callback & Actions

# add_callback ensures naming consistency between Jupyter and terminal
def process_data(values):
    """Process data with current parameter values."""
    threshold = values["threshold"].value
    method = values["method"].value
    print(f"Processing with {method} at threshold {threshold}")
    # Your processing code here...

# In Jupyter: creates a button
# In terminal: executes immediately
gui.add_callback("run", process_data, gui.get_values(), 
                 description="Start Processing")

Why add_callback? The name maintains API consistency between Jupyter (button-based) and terminal (immediate execution) interfaces.

💡 Best Practices

1. Unique Widget Tags

# ✅ Good: unique tags
gui.add_text("input_file", "File:")
gui.add_text("output_file", "Output:")

# ❌ Bad: duplicate tags
gui.add_text("file", "File:")
gui.add_text("file", "Output:")  # Overwrites the first one!

2. One GUI Per Task

# ✅ Good: separate GUIs for different analyses
preprocessing_gui = EZInput("preprocessing_v1")
analysis_gui = EZInput("main_analysis_v2")

# ❌ Avoid: reusing the same GUI instance for different purposes
gui = EZInput("multi_purpose")  # Config files may conflict

3. Meaningful Titles

# ✅ Good: descriptive, versioned titles
gui = EZInput("cell_segmentation_v2")
gui = EZInput("image_denoising_2024")

# ✅ Also good: user/project specific
gui = EZInput("john_experiment_setup")

# ❌ Avoid: generic titles that may conflict
gui = EZInput("test")
gui = EZInput("gui")

4. Display Order Matters

# Widgets appear in the order you add them
gui = EZInput("my_app")

# This order...
gui.add_label(value="=== Step 1 ===")
gui.add_text("name", "Name:")
gui.add_int_range("age", "Age:", 0, 120)
gui.add_label(value="=== Step 2 ===")  
gui.add_check("confirm", "Confirm?")

# ...is the order users see them in
gui.show()

📖 Documentation

• Full Documentation: Comprehensive guides and API reference
• Widget Gallery: Interactive examples of all widgets
• Tutorials: Step-by-step guides
• API Reference: Detailed method documentation

🤝 Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request. For major changes, please open an issue first to discuss what you would like to change.

📄 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE.txt file for details.

Made with ❤️ for the scientific Python community