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Newsgroups: comp.lang.python
Date: Sat, 14 Jul 2012 20:10:27 -0700 (PDT)
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Subject: Re: Tkinter.event.widget: handler gets name instead of widget.
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On Thursday, July 12, 2012 1:53:54 PM UTC-5, Frederic Rentsch wrote:

> The "hit list" is a table of investment titles (stock, funds, bonds)
> that displays upon entry of a search pattern into a respective template.
> The table displays the matching records: name, symbol, ISIN, CUSIP, Sec.
> Any line can be click-selected. So they are to look like buttons.

Hmm. If they "appear" like a button widget anyway, then why not just use a =
button widget?

> Representing the mentioned names and id codes in Label widgets was the
> simplest way I could come up with to align them in columns, admittedly
> without the benefit of much experience. But it does look good. the
> layout is fine.

But is it really the "simplest"? :)

## START CODE ##
import Tkinter as tk
from Tkconstants import *

colWidths =3D (5,10,30,5)
N_COLS =3D len(colWidths)
N_ROWS =3D 6

root =3D tk.Tk()
for r in range(N_ROWS):
    # Create some imaginary text to display in each column.
    # Also try using string methods "center" and "rjust" to
    # see alternative justification of text.
    lst =3D [str(r).ljust(colWidths[r]) for r in range(N_COLS)]
    b=3Dtk.Button(root, text=3D''.join(lst))
    b.pack(padx=3D5, pady=3D5)
root.mainloop()
## END CODE ##

You could easily expand that into something reusable.

Now. If you need to place fancy borders around the texts, or use multiple f=
onts, or use images, or blah blah blah... then you may want to use the "can=
vas items" provided by the Tkinter.Canvas widget INSTEAD of buttons.=20

With the canvas, you can create a simple rectangle (canvas.create_rectangle=
) that represents a button's outside dimension and give it a "button styled=
" border. Then you can bind click events to mimic the button press action. =
Then you can place canvas_text items on top of that fake button and configu=
re them to be invisible to click events. These text items will not interfer=
 like the Tkinter.Label widgets are currently doing.=20

However, i would suggest the Tkinter.Button solution is the easiest by far.

> I find the Tkinter system quite challenging. Doing a layout isn't so
> much a matter of dimensioning and placing things as a struggle to trick
> a number of automatic dimensioning and placing mechanisms into
> obliging--mechanisms that are rather numerous and hard to remember.

I don't think i agree with that assessment.=20

## START TANGENTIAL MEANDERINGS ##
I find the geometry management of Tkinter to be quite powerful whilst being=
 simultaneously simplistic. You only have three main types of management: "=
Grid", "Place", and "Pack". Each of which has a very specific usage. One ca=
veat to know is that you can NEVER mix "Grid" and "Pack" in the same contai=
ner widget! I find myself using grid and pack the most, with grid being at =
the top of the list.

Now, i will agree that grid can be confusing at first until you understand =
how to "rowconfigure" and "columnconfigue" the containing widget (be it a f=
rame or a toplevel). There is also the "sticky" attribute to consider.=20
## END TANGENTIAL MEANDERINGS ##

But all in all, i would say the most difficult part of the Tkinter geometry=
 management API is coming to grips as to which of the three geometry manage=
rs is the best choice for the particular problem at hand -- and you will fi=
nd yourself using more than one manager in a single GUI app!

But i don't see you solving this problem by stacking one widget on another.=
 I believe it's time to seek out a new solution.

EASY: Using rows of Tkinter.Button coupled with a per-formatted text string=
.
ADVANCED: Creating "pseudo buttons" on a canvas and stacking text objects (=
or whatever you like) on them.