Python GUI – tkinter

Python GUI – tkinter is a standard Python library used for creating graphical user interfaces (GUIs). It provides a great way to build interfaces like windows, frames, and buttons. The library was named after the popular toolkits called Tk–Tkinter. The tkinter module comes as a part of Python standard libraries, so there is no need to install it separately.

Introduction

Tk is one of the most common GUI toolkits for Python. tkinter is the Python interface to Tk, and it comes in a standard Python distribution making it available for all platforms.

With tkinter, we can easily create windows, frames, buttons, text, check-boxes, radio buttons, images, and many more controls.

Installation

There is no need to install tkinter separately, as it comes as standard with Python installations.

Basic Usage

We can create a basic GUI using tkinter with a few lines of code:

import tkinter as tk

root = tk.Tk()
root.title("GUI Sample")
root.mainloop()

The code creates a new buttonless window with the title "GUI Sample". The root object represents the main window of the application. The mainloop() method starts the main event loop and waits for user input.

We can add controls like buttons, labels, and text boxes to the window using the various methods of tkinter.

Widget Methods

Following are some of the methods used in tkinter widgets:

• pack() - organizes the widget in the parent container
• place() - places the widget at a specific position in the parent container
• grid() - places the widget in a grid layout

Code Example

Below is a simple GUI application that includes a button and a label:

import tkinter as tk

def click_me():
   label.config(text="Hello, Python GUI!")

root = tk.Tk()
root.title("Python GUI")

label = tk.Label(root, text="Click the button to see a message!")
label.pack()

button = tk.Button(root, text="Click Me!", command=click_me)
button.pack()

root.mainloop()

The Label widget shows a text message, and the Button widget has an associated callback function, click_me, which changes the message in the label widget.

Conclusion

Tkinter is a great module to create graphical user interfaces. It works on all platforms and is easy to learn. We can create custom widgets, bind events, and create complex layouts using this module.