Python 3 – Tkinter LabelFrame

Tkinter is a standard GUI (Graphical User Interface) package that comes installed with Python. It is easy to use and allows users to create interactive and graphical applications. Tkinter has several widgets that can be used to create applications, and LabelFrame is one such widget. In this article, we will investigate the LabelFrame widget in detail.

Overview

The LabelFrame widget is used to group together other widgets into a logical section. It is similar to a frame, but with a label that is displayed on the top. The label can be used to define the purpose of the grouped widgets.

Syntax

The syntax for creating a LabelFrame widget is:

labelFrame = LabelFrame(parent, options)

Where parent is the widget to which the label frame will be added, and options are the options that can be used to configure the label frame.

Here is a simple example that demonstrates how to create and add widgets to a LabelFrame:

from tkinter import *

root = Tk()
root.geometry("200x150")

my_label_frame = LabelFrame(root, text="My Label Frame", padx=5, pady=5)
my_label_frame.pack(fill="both", expand="yes")

my_label = Label(my_label_frame, text="Hello, World!")
my_label.pack()

root.mainloop()

In the above example, we create a LabelFrame widget named my_label_frame and set its text to “My Label Frame”. We also add padding to the widget using the padx and pady options. We then add this LabelFrame widget to the root widget using the pack method.

Inside the LabelFrame widget, we create a Label widget named my_label and set its text to “Hello, World!”. We then add this Label widget to the my_label_frame widget using the pack method.

Options

The following options can be used to configure a LabelFrame widget:

• bg – sets the background color of the widget.
• bd – sets the border width of the widget.
• fg – sets the foreground (text) color of the widget.
• font – sets the font used for the text in the widget.
• height – sets the height of the widget in pixels.
• labelanchor – sets the anchor for the label, which can be “n”, “s”, “w”, “e”, “nw”, “ne”, “sw”, or “se”. Defaults to “nw”.
• pady – sets the padding on the top and bottom of the widget in pixels.
• padx – sets the padding on the left and right sides of the widget in pixels.
• relief – sets the relief style of the widget, which can be “flat”, “raised”, “sunken”, “groove”, or “ridge”. Defaults to “raised”.
• text – sets the text displayed on the label of the widget.
• width – sets the width of the widget in pixels.

Methods

The following methods can be used with a LabelFrame widget:

• configure(**options) – configures one or more of the widget’s options.
• pack(**options) – packs the widget into its parent widget.
• place(**options) – places the widget at a specific position in its parent widget.
• grid(**options) – organizes the widget in a grid layout.

Example

Here is a more advanced example that demonstrates how to use the LabelFrame widget to create a form with multiple widgets:

from tkinter import *

root = Tk()
root.geometry("300x200")

personal_info_frame = LabelFrame(root, text="Personal Information", padx=5, pady=5)
personal_info_frame.pack(fill="both", expand="yes")

first_name_label = Label(personal_info_frame, text="First Name:")
first_name_label.grid(row=0, column=0, sticky="e")

first_name_entry = Entry(personal_info_frame)
first_name_entry.grid(row=0, column=1)

last_name_label = Label(personal_info_frame, text="Last Name:")
last_name_label.grid(row=1, column=0, sticky="e")

last_name_entry = Entry(personal_info_frame)
last_name_entry.grid(row=1, column=1)

address_label = Label(personal_info_frame, text="Address:")
address_label.grid(row=2, column=0, sticky="ne")

address_entry = Text(personal_info_frame, width=20, height=3)
address_entry.grid(row=2, column=1)

gender_label = Label(personal_info_frame, text="Gender:")
gender_label.grid(row=3, column=0, sticky="e")

gender_var = StringVar()
gender_var.set("Male")

male_radio_button = Radiobutton(personal_info_frame, text="Male", variable=gender_var, value="Male")
male_radio_button.grid(row=3, column=1, sticky="w")

female_radio_button = Radiobutton(personal_info_frame, text="Female", variable=gender_var, value="Female")
female_radio_button.grid(row=4, column=1, sticky="w")

root.mainloop()

In this example, we create a LabelFrame widget named personal_info_frame and set its text to “Personal Information”. We also add padding to the widget using the padx and pady options. We then add this LabelFrame widget to the root widget using the pack method.

Inside the personal_info_frame widget, we create several other widgets, including Label widgets for the first name, last name, and gender fields, Entry widgets for the first name and last name fields, a Text widget for the address field, and Radiobutton widgets for the gender field.

We then use the grid method to position each widget in a 2-column grid layout.

Conclusion

LabelFrame is a useful widget in Tkinter that allows users to group together other widgets into a logical section. It is similar to a frame, but with a label that is displayed on the top. Users can easily configure the LabelFrame widget using various options and add other widgets inside it to create more complex UI elements. It is a great way to organize the UI elements and make it more readable and user-friendly.