Difference between .pack and .configure for widgets in Tkinter
Tkinter is a Python library commonly used for creating GUI (Graphical User Interface) applications. It offers a variety of widgets that can be used to construct user interfaces easily. While working with widgets in Tkinter, there are two ways to modify their visual properties namely .pack and .configure. Although both these methods are used for similar purposes, they have their own unique ways of functioning. Let us explore the differences between .pack and .configure in Tkinter in detail.
.pack method in Tkinter
.pack() method is one of the options that tkinter offers to put widgets on display. Widgets, such as buttons, text boxes, and labels, are packed inside another container called a Frame, which is a rectangle area on the screen.
Here’s an example code to illustrate the .pack() method:
from tkinter import *
root = Tk()
# creating a frame
frame = Frame(root)
# creating widgets
button1 = Button(frame, text="Button 1")
button2 = Button(frame, text="Button 2")
# arranging widgets in the frame using .pack() method
button1.pack(side=LEFT, fill=X, padx=5, pady=5)
button2.pack(side=LEFT, fill=X, padx=5, pady=5)
# displaying the frame using .pack() method
frame.pack(side=TOP, fill=BOTH, expand=True)
root.mainloop()
This code creates a Frame and two Button widgets. The .pack() method is used to arrange the Buttons in the Frame and the Frame is displayed using .pack() method. The available options used by pack() are:
- side: The side argument specifies which side of the parent widget the packed widget should go. The default value is TOP. Other possible values are BOTTOM, LEFT, and RIGHT.
- fill: The fill argument specifies the extent to which the widget should fill the available space in the parent widget. The options are NONE, X, Y, and BOTH.
- padx and pady: These are used to provide padding on x and y axis respectively.
The .pack() method is straightforward and easy to use for beginners and small applications.
.configure method in Tkinter
The .configure() method is another option to modify the properties of a widget. Unlike .pack(), it is not used to manipulate the layout of the widget, but to change its properties such as its size, color, text, among others.
Let’s look at an example code that uses the .configure() method to modify a Label widget’s text and background color.
from tkinter import *
root = Tk()
# creating a Label widget
label = Label(root, text="Hello World!")
# configuring label properties with .configure() method
label.configure(bg="black", fg="white")
label.pack()
root.mainloop()
In this code, the .configure() option changes the background color (bg) and text color (fg) of the Label widget to black and white, respectively.
Whenever a widget has to be modified only once, .configure() is the best choice, so it is not necessary to create and pack the object again.
Differences
Now let us see the differences between .pack() and .configure() in Tkinter.
- The .pack() method is used to organize widgets in a container while .configure() is used to change widget properties.
- The .configure() method alters a widget’s appearance in a more targeted and concise manner while .pack() manipulates the layout.
- .pack() and .configure() can be used together to achieve a specific layout and appearance.
- Once a widget is positioned with .pack(), it can not be moved later, but its properties can be modified using .configure().
- .pack() will only work once on any widget as it arranges it in a specific way while .configure() can be called any number of times.
Conclusion
.pack() and .configure() methods in Tkinter both have their own unique ways of functioning and are useful for different purposes. Although they can be used together for a specific layout and appearance, it is important to use them correctly as they have different functionalities. If you want to arrange widgets inside a container, use .pack(). If you want to modify the properties of a widget, use .configure().