2. tk Entry

See: https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/python-tkinter-entry-widget/

2.1. Usage

The tkinter.Entry widget provides an single line input field.
The Entry widget is great for simple, single-line inputs like usernames or passwords, while the Text widget is better for larger text inputs, such as comments or descriptions.
To create an entry widget the general syntax is (assuming import via "import tkinter as tk")
entry_widget  = tk.Entry(parent, option=value)
parent is the window or frame object.
Options can be passed as parameters separated by commas.

2.2. Entry example

The font and width are the options used in the entry widget below.
../_images/entry.png 
import tkinter as tk

# Create the main window
root = tk.Tk()
root.geometry("500x300")  # Set window size
root.title("Entry Example")  # Set window title


# Create the entry widget for input
name_entry = tk.Entry(root, font=('calibre', 24, 'normal'), width=20)
name_entry.pack(pady=20)  # Add some padding to the top

# Run the main event loop
root.mainloop()

Tasks

  1. Create a Tkinter application with a window size of 400x300, an Entry widget using the Comic Sans MS font (size 20, normal weight, roman slant), a background color of #fafafa, a foreground color of #2f2f2f, a border width of 2 with a sunken relief style, left-aligned text, and a width of 20 characters, with the widget displayed inside the window using padding of 20 in both directions and internal y padding of 5.

Create a Tkinter window with an entry widget.

import tkinter as tk
from tkinter import font

# Create the main window
root = tk.Tk()
root.title("Entry Alphabet Example")
root.geometry("400x300")

# Define the custom font
custom_font = font.Font(family="Comic Sans MS", size=20, weight="normal", slant="roman")

# First Entry widget
entry = tk.Entry(root, font=custom_font, bg="#fafafa", fg="#2f2f2f", bd=2, relief="sunken", justify="left", width=20)
# ipadx does not move the left justification, so is omitted.
entry.pack(padx=20, pady=20, ipady=5)


# Run the Tkinter event loop
root.mainloop()

2.3. Option details

entry_widget = tk.Entry(parent, option=value)
parent is the window or frame object.
Options can be passed as parameters separated by commas.

Parameters:

background
bg
Syntax: entry_widget = tk.Entry(parent, bg="color")
Description: Sets the background color of the entry field.
Default: SystemWindow RGB: (255, 255, 255)
Example: entry_widget = tk.Entry(root, bg="lightgrey")
bd
borderwidth
Syntax: entry_widget = tk.Entry(parent, bd=width)
Description: Sets the width of the border around the entry field.
Default: 2
Example: entry_widget = tk.Entry(root, bd=5)
cursor
Syntax: entry_widget = tk.Entry(parent, cursor="cursor_type")
Description: Changes the cursor when hovering over the entry field.
Default: None
Example: entry_widget = tk.Entry(root, cursor="xterm")
Possible values include:

  • "arrow": Standard arrow cursor.

  • "xterm": I-beam cursor for text selection.

  • "hand2": Hand cursor.

  • "cross": Crosshair cursor.

  • "plus": Plus sign cursor.

  • "wait": Hourglass cursor.

disabledbackground
Syntax: entry_widget = tk.Entry(parent, disabledbackground="color")
Description: Sets the background color when the entry is disabled.
Default: SystemDisabled RGB: (240, 240, 240)
Example: entry_widget = tk.Entry(root, disabledbackground="lightgrey")
disabledforeground
Syntax: entry_widget = tk.Entry(parent, disabledforeground="color")
Description: Sets the text color when the entry is disabled.
Default: SystemDisabledText RGB: (109, 109, 109)
Example: entry_widget = tk.Entry(root, disabledforeground="darkgrey")
exportselection
Syntax: entry_widget = tk.Entry(parent, exportselection=boolean)
Description: Determines if the text selection is exported to the clipboard.
Default: 1
Example: entry_widget = tk.Entry(root, exportselection=False)
font
Syntax: entry_widget = tk.Entry(parent, font=("font_name", size))
Description: Sets the font type and size of the entry text.
Default: System font and size
Example: entry_widget = tk.Entry(root, font=("Arial", 12))
foreground
fg
Syntax: entry_widget = tk.Entry(parent, fg="color")
Description: Sets the text color of the entry field.
Default: SystemWindowText RGB: (0, 0, 0)
Example: entry_widget = tk.Entry(root, fg="blue")
highlightbackground
Syntax: entry_widget = tk.Entry(parent, highlightbackground="color")
Description: Sets the color of the highlight when the entry does not have focus.
Default: SystemButtonFace RGB: (240, 240, 240)
Example: entry_widget = tk.Entry(root, highlightbackground="grey")
highlightcolor
Syntax: entry_widget = tk.Entry(parent, highlightcolor="color")
Description: Sets the color of the highlight when the entry has focus.
Default: SystemHighlight RGB: (100, 100, 100)
Example: entry_widget = tk.Entry(root, highlightcolor="blue")
highlightthickness
Syntax: entry_widget = tk.Entry(parent, highlightthickness=thickness)
Description: Sets the thickness of the focus highlight border.
Default: 1
Example: entry_widget = tk.Entry(root, highlightthickness=2)
insertbackground
Syntax: entry_widget = tk.Entry(parent, insertbackground="color")
Description: Sets the color of the insertion cursor (caret).
Default: SystemWindowText RGB: (0, 0, 0)
Example: entry_widget = tk.Entry(root, insertbackground="red")
insertborderwidth
Syntax: entry_widget = tk.Entry(parent, insertborderwidth=width)
Description: Sets the width of the insertion cursor's border.
Default: 0
Example: entry_widget = tk.Entry(root, insertborderwidth=1)
insertofftime
Syntax: entry_widget = tk.Entry(parent, insertofftime=milliseconds)
Description: Sets the time the insertion cursor is off per blink in milliseconds.
Default: 300
Example: entry_widget = tk.Entry(root, insertofftime=500)
insertontime
Syntax: entry_widget = tk.Entry(parent, insertontime=milliseconds)
Description: Sets the time the insertion cursor is on per blink in milliseconds.
Default: 600
Example: entry_widget = tk.Entry(root, insertontime=500)
insertwidth
Syntax: entry_widget = tk.Entry(parent, insertwidth=width)
Description: Sets the width of the insertion cursor.
Default: 2
Example: entry_widget = tk.Entry(root, insertwidth=3)
justify
Syntax: entry_widget = tk.Entry(parent, justify="alignment")
Description: Specifies how the text is aligned within the entry field.
Default: left
Example: entry_widget = tk.Entry(root, justify="center")
Possible values include:

  • "left": Aligns text to the left.

  • "center": Centers text within the field.

  • "right": Aligns text to the right.

relief
Syntax: entry_widget = tk.Entry(parent, relief="relief_type")
Description: Sets the border style of the entry field.
Default: flat
Example: entry_widget = tk.Entry(root, relief="sunken")
Possible values include:

  • "flat"

  • "raised"

  • "sunken"

  • "groove"

  • "ridge"

show
Syntax: entry_widget = tk.Entry(parent, show="character")
Description: Masks characters, often used for passwords.
Default: None
Example: entry_widget = tk.Entry(root, show="*")
state
Syntax: entry_widget = tk.Entry(parent, state="state")
Description: Sets the state of the entry field.
Default: normal
Example: entry_widget = tk.Entry(root, state="disabled")
Possible values include:

  • "normal"

  • "disabled"

  • "readonly"

takefocus
Syntax: entry_widget = tk.Entry(parent, takefocus=boolean)
Description: Determines if the entry field can receive focus via keyboard navigation.
Default: 1
Example: entry_widget = tk.Entry(root, takefocus=False)
textvariable
Syntax: entry_widget = tk.Entry(parent, textvariable=variable)
Description: Associates a Tkinter variable (usually a StringVar) with the entry text.
Default: None
Example: entry_widget = tk.Entry(root, textvariable=my_var)
validate
Syntax: entry_widget = tk.Entry(parent, validate="validation_type")
Description: Sets the type of validation to apply to the entry field.
Default: none
Example: entry_widget = tk.Entry(root, validate="focusout")
Possible values include:

  • "none": No validation.

  • "focus": Validation occurs when the entry loses focus.

  • "focusin": Validation occurs when the entry gains focus.

  • "focusout": Validation occurs when the entry loses focus.

  • "key": Validation occurs on every keystroke.

width
Syntax: entry_widget = tk.Entry(parent, width=characters)
Description: Sets the width of the entry field in characters.
Default: 20
Example: entry_widget = tk.Entry(root, width=30)
xscrollcommand
Syntax: entry_widget = tk.Entry(parent, xscrollcommand=scroll_function)
Description: Specifies a function for horizontal scrolling.
Default: None
Example: entry_widget = tk.Entry(root, xscrollcommand=my_scroll_function)