Develop Reference

How to display widgets on a frame that is mounted on canvas in Tkinter?

I created a main root with two frames.
-One frame is for program toolbar.
-Other frame is for canvas where data will be displayed and a scrollbar widget.
-Inside of the canvas is a third smaller frame which will be used for scrolling trough data.
However, when I try to define new widgets and place them on that third smaller frame, nothing happens. I'm defining new widgets inside of a function call of a button command. I have also tried declaring everything as global variables but without luck.
Hint: I tried placing the code from the function to the top level of the code and it works. Also, if I try to mount these widgets on the toolbar frame it also works. It seems that the only thing I can't do is to mount these new widgets on the small frame that is inside the canvas.
I used a simple for loop to create labels just for testing.
Could anyone tell what I am doing wrong?
from tkinter import *
from tkinter import ttk
#Creating main window
root = Tk()
root.resizable(width=False, height=False)
#Defining Background
toolbar = Frame(root, width=613, height=114)
toolbar.grid(row=0, column=0)
background_frame = Frame(root, width=615, height=560)
background_frame.grid(row=1, column=0)
background = Canvas(background_frame, width=615, height=560)
background.pack(side=LEFT, fill=BOTH, expand=1)
scroll_bar = ttk.Scrollbar(background_frame, orient=VERTICAL, command=background.yview)
scroll_bar.pack(side=RIGHT, fill=Y)
background.configure(yscrollcommand=scroll_bar.set)
background.bind('<Configure>', lambda e:background.configure(scrollregion = background.bbox('all')))
second_frame = Frame(background)
background.create_window(150,100, window=second_frame, anchor='nw')
def confirm1():
for x in range(100):
Label(second_frame, text = x ).grid(row=x, column=1)
show_labels = Button(toolbar, text= "Show labels", fg="black", command=confirm1)
show_labels.grid(row=0, column=2)
root.mainloop()
Picture of the app so far

I surely can't reproduce the issue with your current code, but looking at the previous edit it is pretty clear what your problem is.
(taken from your previous edit)
def confirm1():
global background_image1
background.delete('all') # <--- this line of code
for x in range(100):
Label(second_frame, text = x ).grid(row=x, column=1)
Here you delete all your items from your canvas:
background.delete('all')
hence no item appears.
You should instead delete only those items that you want to remove by passing the id or tags to delete method. You can delete multiple items together at once by giving the same tags.
Another option would be to recreate the frame item again on canvas using create_window (Do note: your frame is not deleted/destroyed, it's only removed from canvas)

How to get all the buttons to be automatically the same size depending on the largest one in tkinter using canvas?

How are you supposed to go around sizing all the buttons to be the same size regardless of the text you insert inside, they should all size according to the biggest one.
There is an answer to a similar question like mine already, but it is done using grid and I am using a canvas to place a background image in the window and to place the buttons.
Is it even worth the hassle to get your buttons to the same size according to text automatically, since my text will always be around the same...
I tried getting the size of the buttons using cget() but that returns 0. Where does it store its width then since it has to size itself somehow even if it does it according to text? Can access that in any way? I was thinking of using that value to adjust the value of other buttons somehow, but it turned out as a fail.
If you are wondering why am I making it into a class, idk either, wanted to try it.
I had it working by putting all the buttons in a frame and telling them to fill=x but using a frame destroys the point of using a canvas since the background can't be seen because the frame covers it. Is there a way to make the frame transparent in the canvas, that could also potentially solve my problem.
from tkinter import *
class ThreeButtonMenu():
def __init__(self, button1_text, button2_text, button3_text, image_height = 600, image_width = 500, bg_input = 'space_background.png'):
self.root = Tk()
HxW = str(image_height)+'x'+str(image_width)
self.root.geometry(HxW)
self.root.maxsize(image_height,image_width)
self.root.minsize(image_height,image_width)
self.root.title('Guess')
bg = PhotoImage(file=bg_input)
background_canvas = Canvas(self.root, width = 600, height=500)
background_canvas.pack(fill="both", expand=True)
background_canvas.create_image(0,0, image=bg, anchor='nw')
button1 = Button(self.root, text=button1_text, font = ('Lato',28))
button2 = Button(self.root, text=button2_text, font = ('Lato',28))
button3 = Button(self.root, text=button3_text, font = ('Lato',28), command = self.root.destroy)
button1_window = background_canvas.create_window(300,45, anchor=N, window=button1)
button2_window = background_canvas.create_window(300,160, anchor=N, window=button2)
button3_window = background_canvas.create_window(300,275, anchor=N, window=button3)
print(button1.cget('width'))
print(button2.cget('width'))
print(button3.cget('width'))
self.root.mainloop()
start_menu = ThreeButtonMenu('Start Game', 'Leaderboard', 'Quit')
Thank you for your answers.

You would typically do this when you use a geometry manager (pack, place, or grid).
For example, you need to call pack on each of the buttons. See example of pack below.
import tkinter as tk
root = tk.Tk()
for text in (
"Hello", "short", "All the buttons are not the same size",
"Options", "Test2", "ABC", "This button is so much larger"):
button = tk.Button(root, text=text)
button.pack(side="top", fill="x")
root.mainloop()

My frame is resizing instead of the listbox - tkinter

I'm making a GUI and I'm stuck trying to resize a listbox. The listbox is supposed to expand to fill the frame but instead, the frame shrinks to fit the listbox.
Thanks, in advance, for any help.
I have tried many variations of the code, but none seem to work, so I simplified the code (it still does't work) to put it on here.
import tkinter as tk
w = tk.Tk() # New window
f = tk.Frame(w, width=300, height=500, bg='red') # New frame with specific size
f.grid_propagate(0)
f.grid(row=0, column=0)
lb = tk.Listbox(f, bg='blue') # New listbox
lb.pack(fill=tk.BOTH, expand=True)
I ran these sequentially in IDLE and the frame appears (in red) at the correct size, however, when I pack the listbox, the whole window shrinks to the size of the listbox (and turns completely blue, which is expected).

In my experience, turning off geometry propagation is almost never the right solution. With a couple of decades of using tk and tkinter I've done that only two or three times for very specific edge cases.
Tkinter is very good at making the widget the best size based on the set of widgets you're using. Turning off propagation means you are responsible for doing all calculations to get the window to look right, and your calculations may not be correct when your program runs on a machine with different fonts or a different resolution. Tkinter can handle all of that for you.
Unfortunately, with such a small code example and without knowing your end goal it's hard to solve your layout problems. If your goal is to have a window that is 300x500, the best solution is to make the window that size and then have the frame fill the window, which is easier to do with pack than grid:
import tkinter as tk
w = tk.Tk() # New window
w.geometry("300x500")
f = tk.Frame(w, bg='red') # New frame with specific size
f.pack(fill="both", expand=True)
lb = tk.Listbox(f, bg='blue') # New listbox
lb.pack(fill=tk.BOTH, expand=True)
w.mainloop()

Thank you so much to Tls Chris for your answer and explanation. What I didn't realize is that grid_propagate() and pack_propagate() also affect a widget's children.
Therefore, with the help of Tls Chris, I have fixed my code and it now expands the listbox and doesn't shrink the frame.
Fixed code:
import tkinter as tk
w = tk.Tk() # New window
f = tk.Frame(w, width=300, height=500, bg='red') # New frame
f.grid_propagate(False) # Stopping things (that use grid) resizing the frame
f.pack_propagate(False) # Stopping things (that use pack) resizing the frame
f.grid(row=0, column=0)
lb = tk.Listbox(f, bg='blue') # New listbox
lb.pack(fill=tk.BOTH, expand=True) # Packing the listbox and making it expand and fill the frame

Edit: I think you actually want the listbox to expand to fit the frame. Amended the code to do that as an option
I haven't used pack much but I suspect that grid_propagate changes the behaviour of the grid geometry manager but not of the pack manager.
The below lets app() run with or without propagate set. It uses the grid geometry manager throughout.
import tkinter as tk
def app(propagate = False, expand = False ):
w = tk.Tk() # New window
tk.Label( w, text = 'Propagate: {} \nExpand: {}'.format(propagate, expand) ).grid()
f = tk.Frame(w, width=300, height=500, bg='red') # New frame with specific size
f.grid_propagate(propagate)
f.grid( row=1, column=0 )
lb = tk.Listbox(f, bg='blue') # New listbox
if expand:
f.columnconfigure(0, weight = 1 )
f.rowconfigure(0, weight = 1 )
# lb.pack(fill=tk.BOTH, expand=True)
lb.grid( row=0, column=0, sticky = 'nsew' )
# My guess is that grid_propagate has changed the behaviour of grid, not of pack.
lb.insert(tk.END, 'Test 1', 'Test 2', 'Test 3')
w.mainloop()
This changes the listbox geometry manager to grid. Run app() as below.
app(True, True) # propagate and Expand
app(False, True) # no propagate but expand
app(True, False) # propagate without expand
app() # no propagate or expand

Trying to use "grid" and "place" in one frame after using "pack" in another frame but widgets are not visible

I'm currently working on an invoice generator in python tkinter for my coursework. I am quite new to programming and I have created a basic login page so when the login button is pressed (haven't setup restraints yet) the GUI moves to the next 'screen.' I am using frames to do this. However, on the next 'page' I can only pack() widgets, if I try and place them or use a grid they simply don't appear and I get an empty GUI window.
#!/usr/bin/python
# -- coding: utf-8 --
import tkinter as tk
root = tk.Tk()
def go_to_login():
f1.pack()
f2.pack_forget()
def go_to_first():
f1.pack_forget()
f2.pack()
root.geometry('1280x800')
root.title('Invoice')
f1 = tk.Frame(root)
label_US = tk.Label(f1, text='Username')
label_US.pack()
label_PW = tk.Label(f1, text='Password')
label_PW.pack()
entry_US = tk.Entry(f1)
entry_US.pack()
entry_PW = tk.Entry(f1, show='*')
entry_PW.pack()
checkbox_LI = tk.Checkbutton(f1, text='Keep me logged in')
checkbox_LI.pack()
but_LI = tk.Button(f1, text='login', command=go_to_first)
but_LI.pack()
but_QT = tk.Button(f1, text='Quit', command=quit)
but_QT.pack()
f2 = tk.Frame(root)
but_LO = tk.Button(f2, text='Logout', command=go_to_login)
but_LO.pack() # try to change pack here
but_HP = tk.Button(f2, text='Help')
but_HP.pack() # try to change pack here
but_NX1 = tk.Button(f2, text='Next', command=quit)
but_NX1.pack() # try to change pack here
f1.pack()
root.mainloop()
What I basically want is to be able to place or use grid to set the locations of my widgets also on the second frame, but unless I use pack I get an empty GUI screen. What have I done wrong or how can I place the widgets instead to packing them?
I'm not sure if this is the best way to do things and I have no experience using classes etc but I'm open to suggestions.

As long as you specify the row and column when using .grid(), the code works fine for both 'screens'. I can think of two possible reasons why you're code wasn't working
1) If you try and use .pack and .grid for two labels in the same frame, you will get an error
2) There may be something else in your code causing your error, if so, add it to your question
Anyway, here's the code that worked for me:
f2 = tk.Frame(root)
but_LO = tk.Button(f2, text='Logout', command=go_to_login)
but_LO.grid(row = 0, column = 0) # specify row and column
but_HP = tk.Button(f2, text='Help')
but_HP.grid(row = 1, column = 0)
but_NX1 = tk.Button(f2, text='Next', command=quit)
but_NX1.grid(row = 2, column = 0)

How do you keep a widget in view while scrolling?

I am using Tix to automatically create a scroll bar as the content changes. I want to keep a button or two in the user's view while they scroll through the contents of the application.
I haven't seen this question for Tkinter/Tix yet so I thought I'd ask.
The following code will create a sample of the problem where the button is at a fixed point in the window, and is subject to being scrolled.
from Tkinter import *
import Tix
class some_GUI:
def __init__(self, root):
sw= Tix.ScrolledWindow(root, scrollbar=Tix.AUTO)
sw.pack(fill=Tix.BOTH, expand=1)
frame1 = Frame(sw.window)
frame1.grid(row = 0, column = 1)
frame2 = Frame(sw.window)
frame2.grid(row = 0, column = 2)
def quit():
root.quit()
for i in range(0,300):
label1 = Label(frame1, text = "foo")
label1.grid(row = i, column = 0)
button = Button(frame2, text = "Quit", command = quit)
button.pack()
root = Tix.Tk()
display = some_GUI(root)
root.mainloop()
I want the button(s) to be in "frame2" and centered vertically relative to the application's window. I tried using winfo_height/winfo_width to find the frame's height/ width to work with update, but these values didn't change with the addition of the labels and button.
Attempted/possible solutions:
I put frame2 in sw.subwidgets_all[1] by doing the following:
frame1.pack(side = LEFT)
frame2 = Frame(sw.subwidgets_all()[1])
frame2.pack(side = RIGHT)
button = Button(frame2, text = "Quit", command = quit)
button.pack(side = RIGHT)
This allows the fixed position relative to the application, but the window resizes relative to the button's parent instead of frame1. Another drawback is that the horizontal scrollbar is only relative to frame1.
Find the midpoint of the scrollbar and update the position of the buttons relative to those coordinates using place(maybe?) not sure how to accomplish this, and seeing SO solutions in general I think this might be an inefficient way of doing this.
EDIT: Although this isn't exactly what I had in mind, the following code works as per falsetru's suggestion in the comments:
from Tkinter import *
import Tix
class some_GUI:
def __init__(self, root):
def quit():
root.quit()
frame2 = Frame(root)
frame2.pack(side = RIGHT)
button = Button(frame2, text = "Quit", command = quit)
button.pack()
frame1 = Frame(root)
frame1.pack(side = LEFT)
sw= Tix.ScrolledWindow(frame1, scrollbar=Tix.AUTO)
sw.pack(fill=Tix.BOTH, expand=1)
for widget in sw.subwidgets_all():
print widget
for i in range(0,300):
label1 = Label(sw.window, text = "foo")
label1.grid(row = i, column = i)
print root.winfo_toplevel()
for widget in sw.subwidgets_all():
print widget
root = Tix.Tk()
display = some_GUI(root)
root.mainloop()

You can put the button out of ScrollWindows:
import Tix
from Tkinter import *
def build_ui(root):
sw = Tix.ScrolledWindow(root, scrollbar=Tix.AUTO)
sw.pack(side=LEFT, fill=Tix.BOTH, expand=1)
for i in range(300):
label1 = Label(sw.window, text="foo")
label1.grid(row=i, column=0)
button = Button(root, text="Quit", command=root.quit)
button.pack(side=RIGHT)
root = Tix.Tk()
build_ui(root)
root.mainloop()

The second option you mentioned could be the one that satisfies your situation, however that is computationally expensive as you will need to delete the button(s) and redraw them over and over relatively to the scrollbar up/down motion. Not only this is ugly by design but it can be an obstacle for any further scalability of your application or even lead to unexpected bugs if your application runs some serious operations.
The only realistic solution I see for your problem is to fix the button(s) on (for example the bottom of) the upper canvas (or whatever region you want to set) and outside the scrollable region as #falsetru commented you.