mirror of https://github.com/python/cpython
823 lines
31 KiB
ReStructuredText
823 lines
31 KiB
ReStructuredText
:mod:`Tkinter` --- Python interface to Tcl/Tk
|
|
=============================================
|
|
|
|
.. module:: Tkinter
|
|
:synopsis: Interface to Tcl/Tk for graphical user interfaces
|
|
.. moduleauthor:: Guido van Rossum <guido@Python.org>
|
|
|
|
|
|
The :mod:`Tkinter` module ("Tk interface") is the standard Python interface to
|
|
the Tk GUI toolkit. Both Tk and :mod:`Tkinter` are available on most Unix
|
|
platforms, as well as on Windows systems. (Tk itself is not part of Python; it
|
|
is maintained at ActiveState.)
|
|
|
|
.. note::
|
|
|
|
:mod:`Tkinter` has been renamed to :mod:`tkinter` in Python 3. The
|
|
:term:`2to3` tool will automatically adapt imports when converting your
|
|
sources to Python 3.
|
|
|
|
.. seealso::
|
|
|
|
`Python Tkinter Resources <http://www.python.org/topics/tkinter/>`_
|
|
The Python Tkinter Topic Guide provides a great deal of information on using Tk
|
|
from Python and links to other sources of information on Tk.
|
|
|
|
`TKDocs <http://www.tkdocs.com/>`_
|
|
Extensive tutorial plus friendlier widget pages for some of the widgets.
|
|
|
|
`Tkinter reference: a GUI for Python <http://infohost.nmt.edu/tcc/help/pubs/tkinter/>`_
|
|
On-line reference material.
|
|
|
|
`Tkinter docs from effbot <http://effbot.org/tkinterbook/>`_
|
|
Online reference for tkinter supported by effbot.org.
|
|
|
|
`Tcl/Tk manual <http://www.tcl.tk/man/tcl8.5/>`_
|
|
Official manual for the latest tcl/tk version.
|
|
|
|
`Programming Python <http://www.amazon.com/Programming-Python-Mark-Lutz/dp/0596158106/>`_
|
|
Book by Mark Lutz, has excellent coverage of Tkinter.
|
|
|
|
`Modern Tkinter for Busy Python Developers <http://www.amazon.com/Modern-Tkinter-Python-Developers-ebook/dp/B0071QDNLO/>`_
|
|
Book by Mark Rozerman about building attractive and modern graphical user interfaces with Python and Tkinter.
|
|
|
|
`An Introduction to Tkinter <http://www.pythonware.com/library/an-introduction-to-tkinter.htm>`_
|
|
Fredrik Lundh's on-line reference material.
|
|
|
|
`Python and Tkinter Programming <http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1884777813>`_
|
|
The book by John Grayson (ISBN 1-884777-81-3).
|
|
|
|
|
|
Tkinter Modules
|
|
---------------
|
|
|
|
Most of the time, the :mod:`Tkinter` module is all you really need, but a number
|
|
of additional modules are available as well. The Tk interface is located in a
|
|
binary module named :mod:`_tkinter`. This module contains the low-level
|
|
interface to Tk, and should never be used directly by application programmers.
|
|
It is usually a shared library (or DLL), but might in some cases be statically
|
|
linked with the Python interpreter.
|
|
|
|
In addition to the Tk interface module, :mod:`Tkinter` includes a number of
|
|
Python modules. The two most important modules are the :mod:`Tkinter` module
|
|
itself, and a module called :mod:`Tkconstants`. The former automatically imports
|
|
the latter, so to use Tkinter, all you need to do is to import one module::
|
|
|
|
import Tkinter
|
|
|
|
Or, more often::
|
|
|
|
from Tkinter import *
|
|
|
|
|
|
.. class:: Tk(screenName=None, baseName=None, className='Tk', useTk=1)
|
|
|
|
The :class:`Tk` class is instantiated without arguments. This creates a toplevel
|
|
widget of Tk which usually is the main window of an application. Each instance
|
|
has its own associated Tcl interpreter.
|
|
|
|
.. FIXME: The following keyword arguments are currently recognized:
|
|
|
|
.. versionchanged:: 2.4
|
|
The *useTk* parameter was added.
|
|
|
|
|
|
.. function:: Tcl(screenName=None, baseName=None, className='Tk', useTk=0)
|
|
|
|
The :func:`Tcl` function is a factory function which creates an object much like
|
|
that created by the :class:`Tk` class, except that it does not initialize the Tk
|
|
subsystem. This is most often useful when driving the Tcl interpreter in an
|
|
environment where one doesn't want to create extraneous toplevel windows, or
|
|
where one cannot (such as Unix/Linux systems without an X server). An object
|
|
created by the :func:`Tcl` object can have a Toplevel window created (and the Tk
|
|
subsystem initialized) by calling its :meth:`loadtk` method.
|
|
|
|
.. versionadded:: 2.4
|
|
|
|
Other modules that provide Tk support include:
|
|
|
|
:mod:`ScrolledText`
|
|
Text widget with a vertical scroll bar built in.
|
|
|
|
:mod:`tkColorChooser`
|
|
Dialog to let the user choose a color.
|
|
|
|
:mod:`tkCommonDialog`
|
|
Base class for the dialogs defined in the other modules listed here.
|
|
|
|
:mod:`tkFileDialog`
|
|
Common dialogs to allow the user to specify a file to open or save.
|
|
|
|
:mod:`tkFont`
|
|
Utilities to help work with fonts.
|
|
|
|
:mod:`tkMessageBox`
|
|
Access to standard Tk dialog boxes.
|
|
|
|
:mod:`tkSimpleDialog`
|
|
Basic dialogs and convenience functions.
|
|
|
|
:mod:`Tkdnd`
|
|
Drag-and-drop support for :mod:`Tkinter`. This is experimental and should become
|
|
deprecated when it is replaced with the Tk DND.
|
|
|
|
:mod:`turtle`
|
|
Turtle graphics in a Tk window.
|
|
|
|
These have been renamed as well in Python 3; they were all made submodules of
|
|
the new ``tkinter`` package.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Tkinter Life Preserver
|
|
----------------------
|
|
|
|
.. sectionauthor:: Matt Conway
|
|
|
|
|
|
This section is not designed to be an exhaustive tutorial on either Tk or
|
|
Tkinter. Rather, it is intended as a stop gap, providing some introductory
|
|
orientation on the system.
|
|
|
|
Credits:
|
|
|
|
* Tkinter was written by Steen Lumholt and Guido van Rossum.
|
|
|
|
* Tk was written by John Ousterhout while at Berkeley.
|
|
|
|
* This Life Preserver was written by Matt Conway at the University of Virginia.
|
|
|
|
* The html rendering, and some liberal editing, was produced from a FrameMaker
|
|
version by Ken Manheimer.
|
|
|
|
* Fredrik Lundh elaborated and revised the class interface descriptions, to get
|
|
them current with Tk 4.2.
|
|
|
|
* Mike Clarkson converted the documentation to LaTeX, and compiled the User
|
|
Interface chapter of the reference manual.
|
|
|
|
|
|
How To Use This Section
|
|
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
|
|
|
|
This section is designed in two parts: the first half (roughly) covers
|
|
background material, while the second half can be taken to the keyboard as a
|
|
handy reference.
|
|
|
|
When trying to answer questions of the form "how do I do blah", it is often best
|
|
to find out how to do"blah" in straight Tk, and then convert this back into the
|
|
corresponding :mod:`Tkinter` call. Python programmers can often guess at the
|
|
correct Python command by looking at the Tk documentation. This means that in
|
|
order to use Tkinter, you will have to know a little bit about Tk. This document
|
|
can't fulfill that role, so the best we can do is point you to the best
|
|
documentation that exists. Here are some hints:
|
|
|
|
* The authors strongly suggest getting a copy of the Tk man pages. Specifically,
|
|
the man pages in the ``mann`` directory are most useful. The ``man3`` man pages
|
|
describe the C interface to the Tk library and thus are not especially helpful
|
|
for script writers.
|
|
|
|
* Addison-Wesley publishes a book called Tcl and the Tk Toolkit by John
|
|
Ousterhout (ISBN 0-201-63337-X) which is a good introduction to Tcl and Tk for
|
|
the novice. The book is not exhaustive, and for many details it defers to the
|
|
man pages.
|
|
|
|
* :file:`Tkinter.py` is a last resort for most, but can be a good place to go
|
|
when nothing else makes sense.
|
|
|
|
|
|
.. seealso::
|
|
|
|
`ActiveState Tcl Home Page <http://tcl.activestate.com/>`_
|
|
The Tk/Tcl development is largely taking place at ActiveState.
|
|
|
|
`Tcl and the Tk Toolkit <http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/020163337X>`_
|
|
The book by John Ousterhout, the inventor of Tcl .
|
|
|
|
`Practical Programming in Tcl and Tk <http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0130220280>`_
|
|
Brent Welch's encyclopedic book.
|
|
|
|
|
|
A Simple Hello World Program
|
|
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
|
|
|
|
::
|
|
|
|
from Tkinter import *
|
|
|
|
class Application(Frame):
|
|
def say_hi(self):
|
|
print "hi there, everyone!"
|
|
|
|
def createWidgets(self):
|
|
self.QUIT = Button(self)
|
|
self.QUIT["text"] = "QUIT"
|
|
self.QUIT["fg"] = "red"
|
|
self.QUIT["command"] = self.quit
|
|
|
|
self.QUIT.pack({"side": "left"})
|
|
|
|
self.hi_there = Button(self)
|
|
self.hi_there["text"] = "Hello",
|
|
self.hi_there["command"] = self.say_hi
|
|
|
|
self.hi_there.pack({"side": "left"})
|
|
|
|
def __init__(self, master=None):
|
|
Frame.__init__(self, master)
|
|
self.pack()
|
|
self.createWidgets()
|
|
|
|
root = Tk()
|
|
app = Application(master=root)
|
|
app.mainloop()
|
|
root.destroy()
|
|
|
|
|
|
A (Very) Quick Look at Tcl/Tk
|
|
-----------------------------
|
|
|
|
The class hierarchy looks complicated, but in actual practice, application
|
|
programmers almost always refer to the classes at the very bottom of the
|
|
hierarchy.
|
|
|
|
Notes:
|
|
|
|
* These classes are provided for the purposes of organizing certain functions
|
|
under one namespace. They aren't meant to be instantiated independently.
|
|
|
|
* The :class:`Tk` class is meant to be instantiated only once in an application.
|
|
Application programmers need not instantiate one explicitly, the system creates
|
|
one whenever any of the other classes are instantiated.
|
|
|
|
* The :class:`Widget` class is not meant to be instantiated, it is meant only
|
|
for subclassing to make "real" widgets (in C++, this is called an 'abstract
|
|
class').
|
|
|
|
To make use of this reference material, there will be times when you will need
|
|
to know how to read short passages of Tk and how to identify the various parts
|
|
of a Tk command. (See section :ref:`tkinter-basic-mapping` for the
|
|
:mod:`Tkinter` equivalents of what's below.)
|
|
|
|
Tk scripts are Tcl programs. Like all Tcl programs, Tk scripts are just lists
|
|
of tokens separated by spaces. A Tk widget is just its *class*, the *options*
|
|
that help configure it, and the *actions* that make it do useful things.
|
|
|
|
To make a widget in Tk, the command is always of the form::
|
|
|
|
classCommand newPathname options
|
|
|
|
*classCommand*
|
|
denotes which kind of widget to make (a button, a label, a menu...)
|
|
|
|
*newPathname*
|
|
is the new name for this widget. All names in Tk must be unique. To help
|
|
enforce this, widgets in Tk are named with *pathnames*, just like files in a
|
|
file system. The top level widget, the *root*, is called ``.`` (period) and
|
|
children are delimited by more periods. For example,
|
|
``.myApp.controlPanel.okButton`` might be the name of a widget.
|
|
|
|
*options*
|
|
configure the widget's appearance and in some cases, its behavior. The options
|
|
come in the form of a list of flags and values. Flags are preceded by a '-',
|
|
like Unix shell command flags, and values are put in quotes if they are more
|
|
than one word.
|
|
|
|
For example::
|
|
|
|
button .fred -fg red -text "hi there"
|
|
^ ^ \_____________________/
|
|
| | |
|
|
class new options
|
|
command widget (-opt val -opt val ...)
|
|
|
|
Once created, the pathname to the widget becomes a new command. This new
|
|
*widget command* is the programmer's handle for getting the new widget to
|
|
perform some *action*. In C, you'd express this as someAction(fred,
|
|
someOptions), in C++, you would express this as fred.someAction(someOptions),
|
|
and in Tk, you say::
|
|
|
|
.fred someAction someOptions
|
|
|
|
Note that the object name, ``.fred``, starts with a dot.
|
|
|
|
As you'd expect, the legal values for *someAction* will depend on the widget's
|
|
class: ``.fred disable`` works if fred is a button (fred gets greyed out), but
|
|
does not work if fred is a label (disabling of labels is not supported in Tk).
|
|
|
|
The legal values of *someOptions* is action dependent. Some actions, like
|
|
``disable``, require no arguments, others, like a text-entry box's ``delete``
|
|
command, would need arguments to specify what range of text to delete.
|
|
|
|
|
|
.. _tkinter-basic-mapping:
|
|
|
|
Mapping Basic Tk into Tkinter
|
|
-----------------------------
|
|
|
|
Class commands in Tk correspond to class constructors in Tkinter. ::
|
|
|
|
button .fred =====> fred = Button()
|
|
|
|
The master of an object is implicit in the new name given to it at creation
|
|
time. In Tkinter, masters are specified explicitly. ::
|
|
|
|
button .panel.fred =====> fred = Button(panel)
|
|
|
|
The configuration options in Tk are given in lists of hyphened tags followed by
|
|
values. In Tkinter, options are specified as keyword-arguments in the instance
|
|
constructor, and keyword-args for configure calls or as instance indices, in
|
|
dictionary style, for established instances. See section
|
|
:ref:`tkinter-setting-options` on setting options. ::
|
|
|
|
button .fred -fg red =====> fred = Button(panel, fg = "red")
|
|
.fred configure -fg red =====> fred["fg"] = red
|
|
OR ==> fred.config(fg = "red")
|
|
|
|
In Tk, to perform an action on a widget, use the widget name as a command, and
|
|
follow it with an action name, possibly with arguments (options). In Tkinter,
|
|
you call methods on the class instance to invoke actions on the widget. The
|
|
actions (methods) that a given widget can perform are listed in the Tkinter.py
|
|
module. ::
|
|
|
|
.fred invoke =====> fred.invoke()
|
|
|
|
To give a widget to the packer (geometry manager), you call pack with optional
|
|
arguments. In Tkinter, the Pack class holds all this functionality, and the
|
|
various forms of the pack command are implemented as methods. All widgets in
|
|
:mod:`Tkinter` are subclassed from the Packer, and so inherit all the packing
|
|
methods. See the :mod:`Tix` module documentation for additional information on
|
|
the Form geometry manager. ::
|
|
|
|
pack .fred -side left =====> fred.pack(side = "left")
|
|
|
|
|
|
How Tk and Tkinter are Related
|
|
------------------------------
|
|
|
|
From the top down:
|
|
|
|
Your App Here (Python)
|
|
A Python application makes a :mod:`Tkinter` call.
|
|
|
|
Tkinter (Python Module)
|
|
This call (say, for example, creating a button widget), is implemented in the
|
|
*Tkinter* module, which is written in Python. This Python function will parse
|
|
the commands and the arguments and convert them into a form that makes them look
|
|
as if they had come from a Tk script instead of a Python script.
|
|
|
|
tkinter (C)
|
|
These commands and their arguments will be passed to a C function in the
|
|
*tkinter* - note the lowercase - extension module.
|
|
|
|
Tk Widgets (C and Tcl)
|
|
This C function is able to make calls into other C modules, including the C
|
|
functions that make up the Tk library. Tk is implemented in C and some Tcl.
|
|
The Tcl part of the Tk widgets is used to bind certain default behaviors to
|
|
widgets, and is executed once at the point where the Python :mod:`Tkinter`
|
|
module is imported. (The user never sees this stage).
|
|
|
|
Tk (C)
|
|
The Tk part of the Tk Widgets implement the final mapping to ...
|
|
|
|
Xlib (C)
|
|
the Xlib library to draw graphics on the screen.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Handy Reference
|
|
---------------
|
|
|
|
|
|
.. _tkinter-setting-options:
|
|
|
|
Setting Options
|
|
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
|
|
|
|
Options control things like the color and border width of a widget. Options can
|
|
be set in three ways:
|
|
|
|
At object creation time, using keyword arguments
|
|
::
|
|
|
|
fred = Button(self, fg = "red", bg = "blue")
|
|
|
|
After object creation, treating the option name like a dictionary index
|
|
::
|
|
|
|
fred["fg"] = "red"
|
|
fred["bg"] = "blue"
|
|
|
|
Use the config() method to update multiple attrs subsequent to object creation
|
|
::
|
|
|
|
fred.config(fg = "red", bg = "blue")
|
|
|
|
For a complete explanation of a given option and its behavior, see the Tk man
|
|
pages for the widget in question.
|
|
|
|
Note that the man pages list "STANDARD OPTIONS" and "WIDGET SPECIFIC OPTIONS"
|
|
for each widget. The former is a list of options that are common to many
|
|
widgets, the latter are the options that are idiosyncratic to that particular
|
|
widget. The Standard Options are documented on the :manpage:`options(3)` man
|
|
page.
|
|
|
|
No distinction between standard and widget-specific options is made in this
|
|
document. Some options don't apply to some kinds of widgets. Whether a given
|
|
widget responds to a particular option depends on the class of the widget;
|
|
buttons have a ``command`` option, labels do not.
|
|
|
|
The options supported by a given widget are listed in that widget's man page, or
|
|
can be queried at runtime by calling the :meth:`config` method without
|
|
arguments, or by calling the :meth:`keys` method on that widget. The return
|
|
value of these calls is a dictionary whose key is the name of the option as a
|
|
string (for example, ``'relief'``) and whose values are 5-tuples.
|
|
|
|
Some options, like ``bg`` are synonyms for common options with long names
|
|
(``bg`` is shorthand for "background"). Passing the ``config()`` method the name
|
|
of a shorthand option will return a 2-tuple, not 5-tuple. The 2-tuple passed
|
|
back will contain the name of the synonym and the "real" option (such as
|
|
``('bg', 'background')``).
|
|
|
|
+-------+---------------------------------+--------------+
|
|
| Index | Meaning | Example |
|
|
+=======+=================================+==============+
|
|
| 0 | option name | ``'relief'`` |
|
|
+-------+---------------------------------+--------------+
|
|
| 1 | option name for database lookup | ``'relief'`` |
|
|
+-------+---------------------------------+--------------+
|
|
| 2 | option class for database | ``'Relief'`` |
|
|
| | lookup | |
|
|
+-------+---------------------------------+--------------+
|
|
| 3 | default value | ``'raised'`` |
|
|
+-------+---------------------------------+--------------+
|
|
| 4 | current value | ``'groove'`` |
|
|
+-------+---------------------------------+--------------+
|
|
|
|
Example::
|
|
|
|
>>> print fred.config()
|
|
{'relief' : ('relief', 'relief', 'Relief', 'raised', 'groove')}
|
|
|
|
Of course, the dictionary printed will include all the options available and
|
|
their values. This is meant only as an example.
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Packer
|
|
^^^^^^^^^^
|
|
|
|
.. index:: single: packing (widgets)
|
|
|
|
The packer is one of Tk's geometry-management mechanisms. Geometry managers
|
|
are used to specify the relative positioning of the positioning of widgets
|
|
within their container - their mutual *master*. In contrast to the more
|
|
cumbersome *placer* (which is used less commonly, and we do not cover here), the
|
|
packer takes qualitative relationship specification - *above*, *to the left of*,
|
|
*filling*, etc - and works everything out to determine the exact placement
|
|
coordinates for you.
|
|
|
|
The size of any *master* widget is determined by the size of the "slave widgets"
|
|
inside. The packer is used to control where slave widgets appear inside the
|
|
master into which they are packed. You can pack widgets into frames, and frames
|
|
into other frames, in order to achieve the kind of layout you desire.
|
|
Additionally, the arrangement is dynamically adjusted to accommodate incremental
|
|
changes to the configuration, once it is packed.
|
|
|
|
Note that widgets do not appear until they have had their geometry specified
|
|
with a geometry manager. It's a common early mistake to leave out the geometry
|
|
specification, and then be surprised when the widget is created but nothing
|
|
appears. A widget will appear only after it has had, for example, the packer's
|
|
:meth:`pack` method applied to it.
|
|
|
|
The pack() method can be called with keyword-option/value pairs that control
|
|
where the widget is to appear within its container, and how it is to behave when
|
|
the main application window is resized. Here are some examples::
|
|
|
|
fred.pack() # defaults to side = "top"
|
|
fred.pack(side = "left")
|
|
fred.pack(expand = 1)
|
|
|
|
|
|
Packer Options
|
|
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
|
|
|
|
For more extensive information on the packer and the options that it can take,
|
|
see the man pages and page 183 of John Ousterhout's book.
|
|
|
|
anchor
|
|
Anchor type. Denotes where the packer is to place each slave in its parcel.
|
|
|
|
expand
|
|
Boolean, ``0`` or ``1``.
|
|
|
|
fill
|
|
Legal values: ``'x'``, ``'y'``, ``'both'``, ``'none'``.
|
|
|
|
ipadx and ipady
|
|
A distance - designating internal padding on each side of the slave widget.
|
|
|
|
padx and pady
|
|
A distance - designating external padding on each side of the slave widget.
|
|
|
|
side
|
|
Legal values are: ``'left'``, ``'right'``, ``'top'``, ``'bottom'``.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Coupling Widget Variables
|
|
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
|
|
|
|
The current-value setting of some widgets (like text entry widgets) can be
|
|
connected directly to application variables by using special options. These
|
|
options are ``variable``, ``textvariable``, ``onvalue``, ``offvalue``, and
|
|
``value``. This connection works both ways: if the variable changes for any
|
|
reason, the widget it's connected to will be updated to reflect the new value.
|
|
|
|
Unfortunately, in the current implementation of :mod:`Tkinter` it is not
|
|
possible to hand over an arbitrary Python variable to a widget through a
|
|
``variable`` or ``textvariable`` option. The only kinds of variables for which
|
|
this works are variables that are subclassed from a class called Variable,
|
|
defined in the :mod:`Tkinter` module.
|
|
|
|
There are many useful subclasses of Variable already defined:
|
|
:class:`StringVar`, :class:`IntVar`, :class:`DoubleVar`, and
|
|
:class:`BooleanVar`. To read the current value of such a variable, call the
|
|
:meth:`get` method on it, and to change its value you call the :meth:`!set`
|
|
method. If you follow this protocol, the widget will always track the value of
|
|
the variable, with no further intervention on your part.
|
|
|
|
For example::
|
|
|
|
class App(Frame):
|
|
def __init__(self, master=None):
|
|
Frame.__init__(self, master)
|
|
self.pack()
|
|
|
|
self.entrythingy = Entry()
|
|
self.entrythingy.pack()
|
|
|
|
# here is the application variable
|
|
self.contents = StringVar()
|
|
# set it to some value
|
|
self.contents.set("this is a variable")
|
|
# tell the entry widget to watch this variable
|
|
self.entrythingy["textvariable"] = self.contents
|
|
|
|
# and here we get a callback when the user hits return.
|
|
# we will have the program print out the value of the
|
|
# application variable when the user hits return
|
|
self.entrythingy.bind('<Key-Return>',
|
|
self.print_contents)
|
|
|
|
def print_contents(self, event):
|
|
print "hi. contents of entry is now ---->", \
|
|
self.contents.get()
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Window Manager
|
|
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
|
|
|
|
.. index:: single: window manager (widgets)
|
|
|
|
In Tk, there is a utility command, ``wm``, for interacting with the window
|
|
manager. Options to the ``wm`` command allow you to control things like titles,
|
|
placement, icon bitmaps, and the like. In :mod:`Tkinter`, these commands have
|
|
been implemented as methods on the :class:`Wm` class. Toplevel widgets are
|
|
subclassed from the :class:`Wm` class, and so can call the :class:`Wm` methods
|
|
directly.
|
|
|
|
To get at the toplevel window that contains a given widget, you can often just
|
|
refer to the widget's master. Of course if the widget has been packed inside of
|
|
a frame, the master won't represent a toplevel window. To get at the toplevel
|
|
window that contains an arbitrary widget, you can call the :meth:`_root` method.
|
|
This method begins with an underscore to denote the fact that this function is
|
|
part of the implementation, and not an interface to Tk functionality.
|
|
|
|
Here are some examples of typical usage::
|
|
|
|
from Tkinter import *
|
|
class App(Frame):
|
|
def __init__(self, master=None):
|
|
Frame.__init__(self, master)
|
|
self.pack()
|
|
|
|
|
|
# create the application
|
|
myapp = App()
|
|
|
|
#
|
|
# here are method calls to the window manager class
|
|
#
|
|
myapp.master.title("My Do-Nothing Application")
|
|
myapp.master.maxsize(1000, 400)
|
|
|
|
# start the program
|
|
myapp.mainloop()
|
|
|
|
|
|
Tk Option Data Types
|
|
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
|
|
|
|
.. index:: single: Tk Option Data Types
|
|
|
|
anchor
|
|
Legal values are points of the compass: ``"n"``, ``"ne"``, ``"e"``, ``"se"``,
|
|
``"s"``, ``"sw"``, ``"w"``, ``"nw"``, and also ``"center"``.
|
|
|
|
bitmap
|
|
There are eight built-in, named bitmaps: ``'error'``, ``'gray25'``,
|
|
``'gray50'``, ``'hourglass'``, ``'info'``, ``'questhead'``, ``'question'``,
|
|
``'warning'``. To specify an X bitmap filename, give the full path to the file,
|
|
preceded with an ``@``, as in ``"@/usr/contrib/bitmap/gumby.bit"``.
|
|
|
|
boolean
|
|
You can pass integers 0 or 1 or the strings ``"yes"`` or ``"no"`` .
|
|
|
|
callback
|
|
This is any Python function that takes no arguments. For example::
|
|
|
|
def print_it():
|
|
print "hi there"
|
|
fred["command"] = print_it
|
|
|
|
color
|
|
Colors can be given as the names of X colors in the rgb.txt file, or as strings
|
|
representing RGB values in 4 bit: ``"#RGB"``, 8 bit: ``"#RRGGBB"``, 12 bit"
|
|
``"#RRRGGGBBB"``, or 16 bit ``"#RRRRGGGGBBBB"`` ranges, where R,G,B here
|
|
represent any legal hex digit. See page 160 of Ousterhout's book for details.
|
|
|
|
cursor
|
|
The standard X cursor names from :file:`cursorfont.h` can be used, without the
|
|
``XC_`` prefix. For example to get a hand cursor (:const:`XC_hand2`), use the
|
|
string ``"hand2"``. You can also specify a bitmap and mask file of your own.
|
|
See page 179 of Ousterhout's book.
|
|
|
|
distance
|
|
Screen distances can be specified in either pixels or absolute distances.
|
|
Pixels are given as numbers and absolute distances as strings, with the trailing
|
|
character denoting units: ``c`` for centimetres, ``i`` for inches, ``m`` for
|
|
millimetres, ``p`` for printer's points. For example, 3.5 inches is expressed
|
|
as ``"3.5i"``.
|
|
|
|
font
|
|
Tk uses a list font name format, such as ``{courier 10 bold}``. Font sizes with
|
|
positive numbers are measured in points; sizes with negative numbers are
|
|
measured in pixels.
|
|
|
|
geometry
|
|
This is a string of the form ``widthxheight``, where width and height are
|
|
measured in pixels for most widgets (in characters for widgets displaying text).
|
|
For example: ``fred["geometry"] = "200x100"``.
|
|
|
|
justify
|
|
Legal values are the strings: ``"left"``, ``"center"``, ``"right"``, and
|
|
``"fill"``.
|
|
|
|
region
|
|
This is a string with four space-delimited elements, each of which is a legal
|
|
distance (see above). For example: ``"2 3 4 5"`` and ``"3i 2i 4.5i 2i"`` and
|
|
``"3c 2c 4c 10.43c"`` are all legal regions.
|
|
|
|
relief
|
|
Determines what the border style of a widget will be. Legal values are:
|
|
``"raised"``, ``"sunken"``, ``"flat"``, ``"groove"``, and ``"ridge"``.
|
|
|
|
scrollcommand
|
|
This is almost always the :meth:`!set` method of some scrollbar widget, but can
|
|
be any widget method that takes a single argument. Refer to the file
|
|
:file:`Demo/tkinter/matt/canvas-with-scrollbars.py` in the Python source
|
|
distribution for an example.
|
|
|
|
wrap:
|
|
Must be one of: ``"none"``, ``"char"``, or ``"word"``.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Bindings and Events
|
|
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
|
|
|
|
.. index::
|
|
single: bind (widgets)
|
|
single: events (widgets)
|
|
|
|
The bind method from the widget command allows you to watch for certain events
|
|
and to have a callback function trigger when that event type occurs. The form
|
|
of the bind method is::
|
|
|
|
def bind(self, sequence, func, add=''):
|
|
|
|
where:
|
|
|
|
sequence
|
|
is a string that denotes the target kind of event. (See the bind man page and
|
|
page 201 of John Ousterhout's book for details).
|
|
|
|
func
|
|
is a Python function, taking one argument, to be invoked when the event occurs.
|
|
An Event instance will be passed as the argument. (Functions deployed this way
|
|
are commonly known as *callbacks*.)
|
|
|
|
add
|
|
is optional, either ``''`` or ``'+'``. Passing an empty string denotes that
|
|
this binding is to replace any other bindings that this event is associated
|
|
with. Passing a ``'+'`` means that this function is to be added to the list
|
|
of functions bound to this event type.
|
|
|
|
For example::
|
|
|
|
def turnRed(self, event):
|
|
event.widget["activeforeground"] = "red"
|
|
|
|
self.button.bind("<Enter>", self.turnRed)
|
|
|
|
Notice how the widget field of the event is being accessed in the
|
|
:meth:`turnRed` callback. This field contains the widget that caught the X
|
|
event. The following table lists the other event fields you can access, and how
|
|
they are denoted in Tk, which can be useful when referring to the Tk man pages.
|
|
::
|
|
|
|
Tk Tkinter Event Field Tk Tkinter Event Field
|
|
-- ------------------- -- -------------------
|
|
%f focus %A char
|
|
%h height %E send_event
|
|
%k keycode %K keysym
|
|
%s state %N keysym_num
|
|
%t time %T type
|
|
%w width %W widget
|
|
%x x %X x_root
|
|
%y y %Y y_root
|
|
|
|
|
|
The index Parameter
|
|
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
|
|
|
|
A number of widgets require"index" parameters to be passed. These are used to
|
|
point at a specific place in a Text widget, or to particular characters in an
|
|
Entry widget, or to particular menu items in a Menu widget.
|
|
|
|
Entry widget indexes (index, view index, etc.)
|
|
Entry widgets have options that refer to character positions in the text being
|
|
displayed. You can use these :mod:`Tkinter` functions to access these special
|
|
points in text widgets:
|
|
|
|
AtEnd()
|
|
refers to the last position in the text
|
|
|
|
AtInsert()
|
|
refers to the point where the text cursor is
|
|
|
|
AtSelFirst()
|
|
indicates the beginning point of the selected text
|
|
|
|
AtSelLast()
|
|
denotes the last point of the selected text and finally
|
|
|
|
At(x[, y])
|
|
refers to the character at pixel location *x*, *y* (with *y* not used in the
|
|
case of a text entry widget, which contains a single line of text).
|
|
|
|
Text widget indexes
|
|
The index notation for Text widgets is very rich and is best described in the Tk
|
|
man pages.
|
|
|
|
Menu indexes (menu.invoke(), menu.entryconfig(), etc.)
|
|
Some options and methods for menus manipulate specific menu entries. Anytime a
|
|
menu index is needed for an option or a parameter, you may pass in:
|
|
|
|
* an integer which refers to the numeric position of the entry in the widget,
|
|
counted from the top, starting with 0;
|
|
|
|
* the string ``'active'``, which refers to the menu position that is currently
|
|
under the cursor;
|
|
|
|
* the string ``"last"`` which refers to the last menu item;
|
|
|
|
* An integer preceded by ``@``, as in ``@6``, where the integer is interpreted
|
|
as a y pixel coordinate in the menu's coordinate system;
|
|
|
|
* the string ``"none"``, which indicates no menu entry at all, most often used
|
|
with menu.activate() to deactivate all entries, and finally,
|
|
|
|
* a text string that is pattern matched against the label of the menu entry, as
|
|
scanned from the top of the menu to the bottom. Note that this index type is
|
|
considered after all the others, which means that matches for menu items
|
|
labelled ``last``, ``active``, or ``none`` may be interpreted as the above
|
|
literals, instead.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Images
|
|
^^^^^^
|
|
|
|
Bitmap/Pixelmap images can be created through the subclasses of
|
|
:class:`Tkinter.Image`:
|
|
|
|
* :class:`BitmapImage` can be used for X11 bitmap data.
|
|
|
|
* :class:`PhotoImage` can be used for GIF and PPM/PGM color bitmaps.
|
|
|
|
Either type of image is created through either the ``file`` or the ``data``
|
|
option (other options are available as well).
|
|
|
|
The image object can then be used wherever an ``image`` option is supported by
|
|
some widget (e.g. labels, buttons, menus). In these cases, Tk will not keep a
|
|
reference to the image. When the last Python reference to the image object is
|
|
deleted, the image data is deleted as well, and Tk will display an empty box
|
|
wherever the image was used.
|
|
|