Tkinter, update widgets real time if list is modified - python

Let say I've a list of widgets that are generated by tkinter uisng a loop (it's customtkinter in this case but since tkinter is more well known so I think it'd be better to make an example with it), each widgets lie in the same frame with different label text. Here is an example for the code:
x=0
self.scrollable_frame = customtkinter.CTkScrollableFrame(self, label_text="CTkScrollableFrame")
self.scrollable_frame.grid(row=1, column=2, padx=(20, 0), pady=(20, 0), sticky="nsew")
self.scrollable_frame.grid_columnconfigure(0, weight=1)
self.scrollable_frame_switches = []
for i in range(x,100):
switch = customtkinter.CTkSwitch(master=self.scrollable_frame, text=f"CTkSwitch {i}")
switch.grid(row=i, column=0, padx=10, pady=(0, 20))
self.scrollable_frame_switches.append(switch)
My question is, if the list that help generated those widgets change (in this case it's just a loop ranging from 0-100, might change the widgets text, list size..), what would be the best way for real time update the tkinter window contents?
Ps: I've tried to look for my answer from many places but as of right now, the best answer I can come up with is to update the whole frame with same grid but changed list content, I'll put it bellow. Is there any way better than this? Thank you

Like I said before, while the existing answer might work, it might be inefficient since you are destroying and creating new widgets each time there is a change. Instead of this, you could create a function that will check if there is a change and then if there is extra or less items, the changes will take place:
from tkinter import *
import random
root = Tk()
def fetch_changed_list():
"""Function that will change the list and return the new list"""
MAX = random.randint(5, 15)
# Create a list with random text and return it
items = [f'Button {x+1}' for x in range(MAX)]
return items
def calculate():
global items
# Fetch the new list
new_items = fetch_changed_list()
# Store the length of the current list and the new list
cur_len, new_len = len(items), len(new_items)
# If the length of new list is more than current list then
if new_len > cur_len:
diff = new_len - cur_len
# Change text of existing widgets
for idx, wid in enumerate(items_frame.winfo_children()):
wid.config(text=new_items[idx])
# Make the rest of the widgets required
for i in range(diff):
Button(items_frame, text=new_items[cur_len+i]).pack()
# If the length of current list is more than new list then
elif new_len < cur_len:
extra = cur_len - new_len
# Change the text for the existing widgets
for idx in range(new_len):
wid = items_frame.winfo_children()[idx]
wid.config(text=new_items[idx])
# Get the extra widgets that need to be removed
extra_wids = [wid for wid in items_frame.winfo_children()
[-1:-extra-1:-1]] # The indexing is a way to pick the last 'n' items from a list
# Remove the extra widgets
for wid in extra_wids:
wid.destroy()
# Also can shorten the last 2 steps into a single line using
# [wid.destroy() for wid in items_frame.winfo_children()[-1:-extra-1:-1]]
items = new_items # Update the value of the main list to be the new list
root.after(1000, calculate) # Repeat the function every 1000ms
items = [f'Button {x+1}' for x in range(8)] # List that will keep mutating
items_frame = Frame(root) # A parent with only the dynamic widgets
items_frame.pack()
for item in items:
Button(items_frame, text=item).pack()
root.after(1000, calculate)
root.mainloop()
The code is commented to make it understandable line by line. An important thing to note here is the items_frame, which makes it possible to get all the dynamically created widgets directly without having the need to store them to a list manually.
The function fetch_changed_list is the one that changes the list and returns it. If you don't want to repeat calculate every 1000ms (which is a good idea not to repeat infinitely), you could call the calculate function each time you change the list.
def change_list():
# Logic to change the list
...
calculate() # To make the changes
After calculating the time for function executions, I found this:
Widgets redrawn
Time before (in seconds)
Time after (in seconds)
400
0.04200148582458496
0.024012088775634766
350
0.70701003074646
0.21500921249389648
210
0.4723021984100342
0.3189823627471924
700
0.32096409797668457
0.04197263717651367
Where "before" is when destroying and recreating and "after" is only performing when change is needed.

So I've decided that if I want to click a button, that button should be able to update the list. Hence, I bind a non-related buttons in the widget to this function:
def sidebar_button_event(self):
global x
x=10
self.scrollable_frame.destroy()
self.after(0,self.update())
Which will then call for an update function that store the change value, and the update function will just simply overwrite the grid:
def update(self):
self.scrollable_frame = customtkinter.CTkScrollableFrame(self, label_text="CTkScrollableFrame")
self.scrollable_frame.grid(row=1, column=2, padx=(20, 0), pady=(20, 0), sticky="nsew")
self.scrollable_frame.grid_columnconfigure(0, weight=1)
self.scrollable_frame_switches = []
for i in range(x,100):
switch = customtkinter.CTkSwitch(master=self.scrollable_frame, text=f"CTkSwitch {i}")
switch.grid(row=i, column=0, padx=10, pady=(0, 20))
self.scrollable_frame_switches.append(switch)

Related

How do I collect multiple entries into a single label using tkinter?

I'm trying to create a tkinter program that allows for dynamically adding Entry fields using a button. I have that in place but now I am trying to store the user inputs as variables for however many entry boxes are added. Ideas?
For example if I hit the button 4 times and 4 Entry boxes are added I want to store those 4 user entries as 4 variables (or at least strings) for further use
Current code:
# add() adds multiple text boxes
all_unq = []
count = 0
def add():
global count
MAX_NUM = 15
if count <= MAX_NUM:
all_unq.append(tk.Entry(main)) # Create and append to list
all_unq[-1].grid(row=14+count,column=1,`enter code here`pady=5)
# Place the just created widget
count += 1 # Increase the count by 1
First, you'll need some initial variables...
import tkinter as tk
root = tk.Tk()
entries = []
createEntry = tk.Button(root, text="click me!")
createEntry.grid(column=0, row=0, pady=15)
Then, you will need a function to create the entry when the button is clicked...
def makeEntry():
entry = tk.Entry(root)
entry.grid(column=len(entries)+1, row=0, pady=3)
entries.append(entry)
Finally, you wrap everything up by calling root.mainloop and binding the button to the mouse to make it responsive...
createEntry.bind("<Button-1>", command=makeEntry)
root.mainloop()
You have a list of entry widgets, just iterate over it. For example, here's how to print the value from each entry widget. Note that you'll need to declare all_unq as global if you want to do this in a separate function.
for entry in all_unq:
print(entry.get())
If you want a list with all of the values, you can use a list comprehension:
all_values = [entry.get() for entry in all_unq]

Tkinter - Removing n nameless Labels

I will try to exemplify as much as possible.
I am developing a program in which I have data recorded in a database.db and access it through the SQLite3 library. I created a function to return the data for a specific column that I want and it will be several Labels with the data returned.
In this program I use the .pack() method and I know that if I use the pack_forget() command, the Label will be removed from the window with every new query I make.
The problem is that as there are several Labels for each data returned, I do not create names for each Label and now I have this problem. For each search, I want to remove all Labels for the newest search. How can I remove Labels from the window if they do not have a variable name. Below is an example:
def clear():
# ???
Label.pack_forget()
def search(v):
# 'v' cames from Entry's textvariable
tmp4Label = []
var4Len = list(c.execute(
f'SELECT * FROM table WHERE element = "{v.get()}"').fetchall())
for i in range(len(var4Len)):
# Getting just the first column data
#'c' is the cursor
a.append(list(c.execute(
f'SELECT * FROM table WHERE element = "{v.get()}"').fetchall())[i][0])
for i in tmp4Label:
# Labels for each data, removing '[' and ']' characters
Label(root, text=f"{str([i]).replace('[', '').replace(']', '')}",font=('Arial 18 bold')).pack()
One solution is to store the Labels in a list:
list_of_labels = []
def clear():
while list_of_labels:
list_of_labels.pop().pack_forget() # remove from the list
def search(v):
for i in tmp4Label:
lbl = Label(root, text=i)
lbl.pack()
list_of_labels.append(lbl) # add to the list
Another solution is to use a single label instead of a stack of them.
def clear():
data_label.pack_forget()
def search(v):
global data_label
data_label = Label(root, text='\n'.join(map(str, tmp4Label)))
data_label.pack()
Whatever you do it's extremely important to use 2 lines to define the Label. The first to define it, the second to lay it out (pack it). You cannot combine those 2 lines.

How do I retrieve the values from a particular grid location in tkinter?

I am working on my first GUI project, and I have placed my code at the bottom of the post (this is a work in progress, so please bear with any ugliness or inefficiency in the code).
I'm making a GURPS character sheet which will automate character creation for my players, and then (though it isn't implemented yet) spit out a nicely formatted PDF.
The way the program works currently, I have functions which perform cost calculations based on the desired rank in an attribute, derived attribute, or skill. Pressing the "calculate" button then spits out the point cost of taking the attribute or skill at the desired level.
I generate my rows using the while-loops near the end of the class definition. The loops call functions which tell the program to create rows that carry out a certain type of calculation.
By choice, all output values appear in column 4 of each row. I would like to know if there is a way for me to easily find the value of those columns and rows without tracking the values as I go. Perhaps a method, like .grid(column,row).get() or something that would return whatever is in some specific grid location.
class Character_sheet:
#Our default class which will house our character sheet.
def __init__(self):
#Total Point Calculator?
def sum_of_values():
list = self.grid_slaves(column=3)
sum = 0
for each in list:
sum += int(each["text"])
total_cost.set(sum)
#Generators for Rows and Columns.
def attr_widget_10(index):
#The below syntax/structure works.
def attr_10():
cost.set((rank.get()-10)*10)
return None
rank = IntVar()
rank.set(10)
cost = IntVar()
input = ttk.Entry(self.window, textvariable = rank).grid(column=2, row=index)
ttk.Button(self.window, text='Calculate', command=attr_10).grid(column=3,row=index)
ttk.Label(self.window, width=7, textvariable=cost).grid(column=4,row=index)
return None
def attr_widget_20(index):
def attr_20():
cost.set((rank.get()-10)*20)
return None
rank = IntVar()
rank.set(10)
cost = IntVar()
input = ttk.Entry(self.window, textvariable = rank).grid(column=2, row=index)
ttk.Button(self.window, text='Calculate', command=attr_20).grid(column=3,row=index)
ttk.Label(self.window, width=7, textvariable=cost).grid(column=4,row=index)
def derived_attr_widget(dictionary, index):
return None
def skill_widget(dictionary, index):
return None
def total_cost():
return None
#Basic window functions.
self.root = tk.Tk()
self.root.title('GURPS Character Sheet')
self.window = ttk.Frame(self.root)
self.window.grid()
self.root.columnconfigure(0, weight=1)
self.root.rowconfigure(0, weight=1)
"""Core Functionality:
Below are labels for set attributes. Each references an appropriate calculator.
This does not address skills.
For now, inputs start on row 1.
"""
#Labels for attributes and derived attributes.
#ATTRIBUTES
ttk.Label(self.window, width=10, text='Strength').grid(column=1, row=1)
ttk.Label(self.window, width=10, text='Health').grid(column=1, row=2)
ttk.Label(self.window, width=10, text='Intelligence').grid(column=1, row=3)
ttk.Label(self.window, width=10, text='Dexterity').grid(column=1, row=4)
#DERIVED ATTRIBUTES
ttk.Label(self.window, width=10, text='HP').grid(column=1,row=5)
ttk.Label(self.window, width=10, text='FP').grid(column=1,row=6)
ttk.Label(self.window, width=10, text='Will').grid(column=1,row=7)
ttk.Label(self.window, width=10, text='Perception').grid(column=1,row=8)
ttk.Label(self.window, width=10, text='Basic Speed').grid(column=1,row=9)
ttk.Label(self.window, width=10, text='Basic Move').grid(column=1,row=10)
index = 1
while index <= 2:
attr_widget_10(index)
index += 1
while index <= 4:
attr_widget_20(index)
index += 1
total_cost = IntVar()
#ttk.Button(self.window, text='Total Cost', command=sum_of_values).grid(column=2,row=index+1)
#ttk.Label(self.window, width=7, textvariable=total_cost).grid(column=4,row=index+1)
###CREATES WINDOW###
self.window.mainloop()
A couple of things to note right off:
stovfl's comment answers the question as it is written
I agree fully with furas' comment about separating the gui fully from the logic. Your code should be refactored- imo- so that the Sheet GUI should be separate from the Character as an abstract collection of statistics, and also should be separate from the code which executes/manages the GUI (which is currently all handled under the umbrella Character_sheet class).
While I'll leave fully disentangling the Character_sheet to you, we can at least get you started while developing a pattern for gaining access to the values in the GUI.
Each of the first 4 rows represent statistics that the user can change and relate to a label, which you created already. Two of the statistics have a cost modifier of 10, and the other two have a modifier of 20.
## Place in the global space for the time being
BASE_STATISTICS = ["Strength","Health","Intelligence","Will"]
## Note that prior to Python 3.7 dictionary order was not guaranteed, so
## collections.OrderedDict would be preferable for versions before that
STATISTIC_COSTS = {"Strength":10,"Health":10,"Intelligence":20,"Will":20}
(collections.OrderedDict)
Presumably, each given Character Sheet would have its own, independent widgets and values for these statistics. Again, you should rewrite the code to be more detached, but for now we'll preserve as much of your code as possible.
## Place at the top of Character_sheet.__init__
## The value for each stat is a dictionary in order to store arbitrary data until the code is reworked further
self.base_stats = {stat:{} for stat in BASE_STATISTICS}
With these additions we now have a framework for both referring to the widget rows that you are creating and for determining what the cost modifier is for those Statistics.
## This will replace the Label and attr_widget_X loops and functions
## You can place it where the Attributes labels currently are, and delete both attr_widget_x functions
## enumerate pairs each element of an iterable with a sequential integer
for i,stat in enumerate(BASE_STATISTICS):
## These IntVars are useful, so we'll keep them around
rank = IntVar()
rank.set(10)
cost = IntVar()
## We'll set up the gui just like you did, just with a minor tweak
ttk.Label(self.window, width=10, text=stat).grid(column=1, row=i)
ttk.Entry(self.window, textvariable = rank).grid(column=2, row=i)
## I've removed the Generate button for reasons I'll get into below
ttk.Label(self.window, width=7, textvariable=cost).grid(column=3,row=i)
## Here we save all our references so that we can come back to them later
## self.base_stats[stat]['row'] will tell us which row of the grid the widgets are located
## self.base_stats[stat]['rank'] will now give us direct access to the rank IntVar at all times
## self.base_stats[stat]['cost'] likewise gives us easy access to the cost IntVar whenever we need it
self.base_stats[stat].update({'row':i,'rank': rank,'cost':cost})
(enumerate)
Tkinter gives you access to different signal types; specifically for our uses, tkinter Variables can be bound using their trace method. By using the 'w' mode, whenever the Variable changes, the given callback (function) will be called. Using this we can make the GUI more responsive by getting rid of the need to constantly hit the Generate Button.
## This should go right after "cost = IntVar()"
## The lambda statement here is technically the function that is being passed to trace
## The lambda itself is capturing all information it gets passed as e
## stat = stat creates a reference within the lambda definition to the current value of stat
## (as you iterate, the stat value in the local scope will change, so we need to preserve it)
## and then calling self.updatestat and passing that the stat we're updating.
rank.trace('w',lambda *e,stat = stat: self.updatestat(stat))
(lambda)
And now we can add Character_sheet.updatestat so it actually functions:
def updatestat(self,stat):
""" Queries the current value of the stat's rank and then sets the cost appropriately """
## Get the IntVar for the given stat from your stats dict
rankvar = self.base_stats[stat]['rank']
## Since we're using an Entry (instead of e.g.- a spinbox), there's
## no garauntee that it contains a valid integer, so we use try/except
## to catch the mistake
try:
rank = rankvar.get()
rank = int(rank)
except:
## We'll reset the value if it's invalid
rank = 10
rankvar.set(rank)
## Use STATISTIC_COSTS to determine the cost modifier
## Calculate cost
cost = (rank - 10)*STATISTIC_COSTS[stat]
## find our IntVar for the given stat
costvar = self.base_stats[stat]['cost']
## Set it to cost
costvar.set(cost)
## Note that "return None" is the implicit default
And that gets you just a little closer to getting your GUI separated from your programming logic while allowing you to reference those values in the rows and columns like you were trying to do (i.e.- self.stats['Strength']['rank'].get())

Beginner Python Keyboard GUI setup

I am beginning GUI in Python 3.5, and I am trying to setup a simple qwerty keyboard. Based on the examples, I tried the following code
from tkinter import Tk, Label, RAISED, Button, Entry
self.window = Tk()
#Keyboard
labels = [['q','w','e','r','t','y','u','i','o','p'],
['a','s','d','f','g','h','j','k','l'],
['z','x','c','v','b','n','m','<']]
n = 10
for r in range(3):
for c in range(n):
n -= 1
label = Label(self.window,
relief=RAISED,
text=labels[r][c])
label.grid(row=r,column=c)
continue
This gives me the first row, but it does not return anything else. I tried simply using 10 as the range, which created the first two rows of the keyboard, but it still did not continue onto the last row.
Your issue is in the line n -= 1. Every time a label is created, you make n one less- after the first whole row, n==0, and thus the range is 0>0, and ranges never include the high bound- for c in range(0) will just drop from the loop (as it has looped through all the nonexistent contents).
A better solution involves iterating through the lists instead of through the indexes- for loops take any iterable (list, dictionary, range, generator, set, &c.);
for lyst in labels:
# lyst is each list in labels
for char in lyst:
# char is the character in that list
label = Label(... text=char) # everything else in the Label() looks good.
label.grid(...) # You could use counters for this or use ennumerate()-ask if you need.
# The continue here was entirely irrelevant.
Is this what you want it to do? Let me know if you need me to explain it further but basically what I'm doing is first filling the columns in each row. So row remains 0 and then as I loop through the column (the inner list) I fill in each of the keys, then on to the next row and etc.
from tkinter import Tk, Label, RAISED, Button, Entry
window = Tk()
#Keyboard
labels = [['q','w','e','r','t','y','u','i','o','p'],
['a','s','d','f','g','h','j','k','l'],
['z','x','c','v','b','n','m','<']]
for r in labels:
for c in r:
label = Label(window, relief=RAISED, text=str(c))
label.grid(row=labels.index(r), column=r.index(c))
window.mainloop()

Programatically add and remove tkinter python labels causes IndexError: list index out of range

Sorry for the vague title but I didn't know how to explain myself better. Basically what I try to do in tkinter here is adding and removing labels. The label value gets updated so that I always have an increment of 1 even though I deleted a label in the beginning. If I generate labels and delete them from the bottom up I have no problems but it I delete one from the middle and then try to clean my list I get an error:
Exception in Tkinter callback
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "/opt/local/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/lib/python2.7/lib-tk/Tkinter.py", line 1536, in __call__
return self.func(*args)
File "/Users/XXXX/Helper/development/dynamicListLabels.py", line 21, in <lambda>
labelList[index].append(ttk.Button(root, text="Remove", command=lambda: removeLabel(labelList[index][0], index)))
IndexError: list index out of range
My python code looks like this:
#!/usr/bin/python
from Tkinter import *
import ttk
def removeLabel(labelToRemove, bla):
labelList[labelToRemove.get()][1].destroy()
labelList[labelToRemove.get()][2].destroy()
del labelList[labelToRemove.get()]
for label in labelList:
index = labelList.index(label)
label[0].set(index)
def addNewLabel():
labelList.append([IntVar()])
index = len(labelList) - 1
labelList[index][0].set(index)
labelList[index].append(ttk.Label(root, textvariable=labelList[index][0]))
labelList[index].append(ttk.Button(root, text="Remove", command=lambda: removeLabel(labelList[index][0], index)))
labelList[index][1].grid(column=0)
labelList[index][2].grid(column=1, row=labelList[index][1].grid_info()['row'])
root = Tk()
labelList = []
ttk.Button(root, text="add label", command=addNewLabel).grid(column=1, row=0)
root.mainloop()
And my GUI looks like this:
Thanks for your help!
Design
The main problem comes when dealing with different indexes. Trying to manipulate them carefully leads to complicated operations resulting in a long and inefficient code. To remedy to this problem, we simply get rid of them and take advantage of the label class variable Tkinter.IntVar() you already are using. This gives us full control of the labels and associated widgets.
An other efficient decision to take that prevents from getting lot of headache is to attach each (label, button) couple widgets to a unique Tkinter.Frame() instance. This offers the advantage of deleting the frame using destroy() method leading automatically to the destruction of the widgets it contains. In the same time, this keeps the look of your GUI and makes your it scalable as it offers you the possibility to add more widgets.
Designing addNewLabel()
There is nothing new here compared to your original code except, as I said in 2. each (label, button) couple will be drawn into a single and unique Tkinter.Frame() instance. Of course, the list frames must be declared global in this method.
Designing removeLabel()
From 1. the only argument we need to pass to removeLabel() is the Tkinter variable (var in the code below) inherent to the label we want to get rid of.
We need then to loop over list of frames (frames in the code below) using winfo_children() to seek for the label which has the text variable we are looking for.
Note that because I draw the label before the button inside individual frames, winfo_children() returns as first widget list element the label
winfo_children():
Returns a list containing the path names of all the children of window. Top-level windows are returned as children of their logical
parents. The list is in stacking order, with the lowest window first,
except for Top-level windows which are not returned in stacking order.
Use the wm stackorder command to query the stacking order of Top-level
windows.
This is why it is correct to write : if frame.winfo_children()[0].var == var and destroy the frame that contains the label which satisfies this condition.
Solution
Here is the program. I commented the lines which I think deserve to be commented:
'''
Created on Jun 25, 2016
#author: billal begueradj
'''
from Tkinter import *
import ttk
def removeLabel(var):
global frames
z = -1
# Loop over the list of rames
for frame in frames:
z = z + 1
# Check the text variable of the label of this frame
if frame.winfo_children()[0].var == var:
# Destroy the related frame
frame.destroy()
# Update the size of the list of frames
frames = frames[:z] + frames[z+1:]
# Do not forget to always rest this flag back to -1
z = -1
# Update the labels' numbers
r = 0
for frame in frames:
frame.winfo_children()[0].var.set(r)
r = r + 1
def addNewLabel():
global frames, i
var = IntVar()
frame = Frame(root)
i = i + 1
frame.grid(row=i, column=0)
var.set(len(frames))
l = ttk.Label(frame, textvariable=var)
l.grid(row=0, column=0)
l.var = var
b = ttk.Button(frame, text="Remove", command=lambda: removeLabel(var))
b.grid(row=0, column=1)
frames.append(frame)
if __name__ == '__main__':
root = Tk()
frames = []
i = 1
ttk.Button(root, text="add label", command=addNewLabel).grid(column=0, row=0)
root.mainloop()
Demo
Let us create 6 labels:
Now let us delete the label number 3. You can see that the numbering of the labels is automatically updated:
Now let us add a new label. You can see the newly added label has a number which is consecutive to the last existing label number in the list:
Note that the length of the list is updated all the time as you wanted.

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