more gradient issues for panel backgrounds

I know this comes up from time to time. I am trying to have a gradient as
the background of a panel and have managed to come to *some* success, but it
is not all the way there yet. So I have two questions:

1) Would it be possible for wxPython to have a good approach for doing
gradients, one that automatically dealt with the issues I will describe in
the next point? I think this would be valuable. Gradients are "just"
aesthetic, but aesthetics matter, I feel, and they are fairly highly
associated these days with professional-looking software. Having to do some
of the tricks that have been discussed on this group lately strikes me as
unfortunate (I know, you can't have everything, but I am just throwing this
out there).

2) Until that time, here is my issue. I have enclosed a runnable sample.
What I've done is placed a few controls (using sizers) on a gradient
background, and, since wxStaticText forces you to see the background and
thus breaks the gradient there, I have drawn on text directly with the DC.
I had been having problems with the gradient being broken after a resizing
of the frame, but that seems to be fixed by calling .Refresh() after each
resize. However, as you will see if you try it, after each resize, the
DC-drawn text sometimes just isn't there (in this example you have to resize
the frame for it to appear), it flickers quite noticeably, sometimes
disappears, or becomes darker and kind of ugly. It's not acceptable.
Anyone know how I can stop this behavior?

My point (2) here is really not a great solution. There are other problems
with gradients. is that buttons on a gradient have an extra pixel or so
grey border around the edges, which is not pleasant. I know Andrea's nice
ButtonPanel is useful for dealing with that, but, if AFAIK that only works
with buttons that are specially made of transparent PNGs and not the
standard wxButton. Another is that wxCheckBoxes are like wxStaticText and
will show the frame's background as their background, and not the
gradient they look ugly on a gradient.

So, again, it would be nice if there were a built-in way to deal with these
things, so that any standard widget from wxPython could sit on the gradient
background nicely.

Code follows.

Thanks,
Che

#
#Boa:Frame:Frame1

import wx

def create(parent):
return Frame1(parent)

[wxID_FRAME1, wxID_FRAME1BUTTN1, wxID_FRAME1CHICE1, wxID_FRAME1PANEL1,
wxID_FRAME1STATICTEXT1, wxID_FRAME1TEXTCTRL1,
] = [wx.NewId() for _init_ctrls in range(6)]

class Frame1(wx.Frame):
def _init_coll_boxSizer1_Items(self, parent):
# generated method, don't edit

parent.AddSpacer(wx.Size(25, 25), border=0, flag=0)
parent.AddWindow(self.staticText1, 0, border=5, flag=wx.ALL)
parent.AddSpacer(wx.Size(25, 25), border=0, flag=0)
parent.AddWindow(self.choice1, 0, border=5, flag=wx.ALL)
parent.AddSpacer(wx.Size(25, 25), border=0, flag=0)
parent.AddWindow(self.textCtrl1, 0, border=5, flag=wx.ALL)
parent.AddSpacer(wx.Size(8, 8), border=0, flag=0)
parent.AddWindow(self.button1, 0, border=5, flag=wx.ALL)

def _init_sizers(self):
# generated method, don't edit
self.boxSizer1 = wx.BoxSizer(orient=wx.VERTICAL)

(self.boxSizer1)

self.panel1.SetSizer(self.boxSizer1)

def _init_ctrls(self, prnt):
# generated method, don't edit
wx.Frameinit__(self, id=wxID_FRAME1, name='', parent=prnt,
pos=wx.Point(276, 281), size=wx.Size(402, 489),
style=wx.NFULL_REPAINTN_RESIZE | wx.DEFAULT_FRAME_STYLE,
title='Frame1')
self.SetClientSize(wx.Size(394, 455))
self.Bind(wx.EVT_PAINT, Frame1Paint)
self.Bind(wx.EVT_SIZE, Frame1Size)

self.panel1 = wx.Panel(id=wxID_FRAME1PANEL1, name='panel1',
parent=self,
pos=wx.Point(0, 0), size=wx.Size(394, 455),
style=wx.NFULL_REPAINTN_RESIZE | wx.TAB_TRAVERSAL)
self.panel1.Bind(wx.EVT_ERASE_BACKGRUND,
Panel1EraseBackground)

self.choice1 = wx.Choice(choices=[], id=wxID_FRAME1CHICE1,
name='choice1', parent=self.panel1, pos=wx.Point(5, 78),
size=wx.Size(130, 21), style=0)

self.textCtrl1 = wx.TextCtrl(id=wxID_FRAME1TEXTCTRL1,
name='textCtrl1',
parent=self.panel1, pos=wx.Point(5, 134), size=wx.Size(100,
21),
style=0, value='textCtrl1')

self.staticText1 = wx.StaticText(id=wxID_FRAME1STATICTEXT1,
label=u'Notice how background is showing in this staticText?',
name='staticText1', parent=self.panel1, pos=wx.Point(5, 30),
size=wx.Size(272, 13), style=0)

self.button1 = wx.Button(id=wxID_FRAME1BUTTN1, label='button1',
name='button1', parent=self.panel1, pos=wx.Point(5, 173),
size=wx.Size(75, 23), style=0)

self._init_sizers()

def __init__(self, parent):
self._init_ctrls(parent)

def Panel1EraseBackground(self, event):
event.GetDC().GradientFillLinear(self.GetClientRec t(),
"white", "green", wx.NRTH )

def Frame1Paint(self, event):
wx.PaintDC(self)
dc = wx.ClientDC(self.panel1)
dc.SetFont(wx.Font(12, wx.DEFAULT, wx.NRMAL, wx.NRMAL))
dc.SetPen(wx.Pen(wx.NamedColour('black'), 20))
dc.DrawText("This text is drawn on with DC",5,6)

dc.SetFont(wx.Font(10, wx.DEFAULT, wx.NRMAL, wx.NRMAL))
dc.SetPen(wx.Pen(wx.NamedColour('black'), 18))
dc.DrawText("This text is also drawn on with DC",5,55)

dc.SetFont(wx.Font(10, wx.DEFAULT, wx.NRMAL, wx.NRMAL))
dc.SetPen(wx.Pen(wx.NamedColour('red'), 18))
dc.DrawText("This text is also drawn on with DC",5,98)
event.Skip()

def Frame1Size(self, event):
self.Refresh()
event.Skip()

if __name__ == '__main__':
app = wx.PySimpleApp()
frame = create(None)
frame.Show()

app.MainLoop()