How to put a border around a Frame in Python Tkinter?
When creating a graphical user interface (GUI) in Python Tkinter, one of the most important aspects is the layout and organization of the different widgets. One of the most useful widgets for organizing other widgets is the Frame widget, which acts as a container for other widgets. However, by default, a Frame does not have a visible border, which can make it difficult to distinguish from other widgets. In this article, we will explore how to add a border around a Frame widget in Python Tkinter.
Adding a border to a Frame in Tkinter
In Python Tkinter, we can add a border to a Frame by specifying a border width and a relief style. The border width determines the thickness of the border, while the relief style determines the appearance of the border. Tkinter supports several different relief styles, including “flat”, “raised”, “sunken”, “ridge”, and “groove”.
Here is an example code snippet that creates a Frame widget and adds a border with a width of 2 and a ridge relief style:
import tkinter as tk
root = tk.Tk()
frame = tk.Frame(root, borderwidth=2, relief="ridge")
frame.pack()
root.mainloop()
In this example, we first import the Tkinter library and create a root window using the Tk() function. We then create a Frame widget called “frame” and specify a border width of 2 and a relief style of “ridge”. Finally, we call the pack() method to pack the Frame widget into the root window.
When we run this code, we should see a window with a Frame widget that has a visible border.
Customizing the border style and color
In addition to specifying the border width and relief style, we can also customize the appearance of the border by using the “highlight” options. Tkinter provides several highlight options, including “highlightbackground”, “highlightcolor”, and “highlightthickness”.
Here is an example code snippet that creates a Frame widget and customizes the border color to red using the “highlightbackground” option:
import tkinter as tk
root = tk.Tk()
frame = tk.Frame(root, borderwidth=2, relief="ridge", highlightbackground="red")
frame.pack()
root.mainloop()
In this example, we add the “highlightbackground” option and set it to “red”.
Similarly, we can change the border thickness by using the “highlightthickness” option:
import tkinter as tk
root = tk.Tk()
frame = tk.Frame(root, borderwidth=2, relief="ridge", highlightthickness=5)
frame.pack()
root.mainloop()
In this example, we set the “highlightthickness” option to 5, which makes the border thicker:
Adding a title to a Frame
In addition to adding a border to a Frame, we can also add a title to it by using a Label widget. Here is an example code snippet that creates a Frame with a title using a Label widget:
import tkinter as tk
root = tk.Tk()
frame = tk.Frame(root, borderwidth=2, relief="ridge")
frame.pack()
title_label = tk.Label(frame, text="My Frame Title")
title_label.pack()
root.mainloop()
In this example, we create a Frame widget as before, but we also create a Label widget called “title_label” and pack it inside the Frame widget. We set the text of the Label widget to “My Frame Title”, which becomes the title of the Frame:
Conclusion
In this article, we explored how to add a border to a Frame widget in Python Tkinter by specifying a border width and relief style. We also learned how to customize the appearance of the border by using highlight options, and how to add a title to a Frame using a Label widget. By combining these techniques, we can create well-organized and visually appealing GUIs in Python Tkinter.