Kivy is a powerful tool for building cross-platform mobile apps with Python. It supports multitouch events in addition to conventional input and allows for the development of apps that can run on Android, iOS, Linux, OS X, and Windows. I will help you get started with your first mobile app using Kivy.
Installing Kivy
First, ensure you have Python installed. Then, install Kivy by running:
pip install kivy
Creating a Basic App
Let’s create a simple app that displays “Hello, Kivy” on the screen. Save the following code in a file named main.py:
from kivy.app import App
from kivy.uix.label import Label
class MyApp(App):
def build(self):
return Label(text='Hello, Kivy')
if __name__ == '__main__':
MyApp().run()
Designing the User Interface
Kivy’s design language, KV, allows you to separate the app’s logic from its layout. Create a .kv file with the same name as your app class to define the UI:
#:kivy 1.0.9
<MyApp>:
Label:
text: 'Hello, Kivy'
Compiling Your App for Mobile Devices
To run your Kivy app on a mobile device, you’ll need to compile it into a package for your target platform. For Android, use Buildozer or Pyjnius, and for iOS, use Pyobjus or toolchain.
Install Buildozer with:
pip install buildozer
Then, navigate to your project directory and initialize Buildozer:
buildozer init
Edit the generated buildozer.spec file to configure your build and then compile your app:
buildozer -v android debug
With Kivy, Python developers can easily extend their skills to mobile app development, creating interactive, cross-platform applications with the same language they know and love. I introduced you to Kivy and shown you how to get started with building and compiling a simple app. The possibilities are endless, and with Kivy, you’re well-equipped to explore them.