Which means '& string' in wxpython / python

Question

I'm a noob with Python. I read the wxPython Linux Tutorial.

and found that there is a '&' in front of the lines, for example:

Then we add some items into the menu. This can be done in two ways. file.Append(101, '&Open', 'Open a new document') file.Append(102, '&Save', 'Save the document') 

and

 Menus are then added into the menubar. menubar.Append(file, '&File') menubar.Append(edit, '&Edit') 

What is the meaning of & ?

Thanks for the help!

Answer 1

The accelerator letter is indicated in the menu.

You can go to this menu item when the menu is open, and you press this letter on the keyboard or as a combination of keys together with a modifier key ( ALT-F to open an entry in the File menu, etc.).

From the documentation :

The label string for ordinary menu items (not separators) may include an accelerator that you can use to activate a menu item from the keyboard. The accelerator key can be set using the ampersand & symbol. To insert an ampersand character in the text of a menu item, the ampersand must be doubled.

Using ampersand to mark an accelerator key is not limited to wxPython; This is an agreement introduced by Microsoft Windows, and you will find that it is used in many different graphical interfaces. According to Wikipedia :

This convention arose in the first WIN32 api and is used in Windows Forms, and is also copied to many other entries on several operating systems.