[Pythonmac-SIG] Better Aqua support for Tkinter apps via Tile extension (original) (raw)

Kevin Walzer sw at wordtech-software.com
Thu Nov 25 03:23:32 CET 2004

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Hi--just wanted to call everyone's attention to this link if you're using Tkinter:

http://tkinter.unpythonic.net/wiki/UsingTile

This describes how to call the Tk Tile extension from Python. The relevance of Tile is that it offers improved theming support for Tk widgets, and it makes a dramatic difference with Aqua. With Tile, Tk picks up the Aqua "pinstripe" background, adds a native progressbar and notebook widget, and a few other things. I use Tile in a Tcl application I'm developing, and it's a godsend. (See http://wiki.tcl.tk/11075, http://wiki.tcl.tk/12565, and http://wiki.tcl.tk/12786 for more information and screenshots on how Tile Aqua looks.)

If you have the latest TkAqua Batteries Included distribution, v. 8.4.7(see http://tcltkaqua.sourceforge.net), then you have Tile on your machine.

Briefly speaking, here's the code to use with Tkinter (adapted from the Tkinter wiki site):

root = Tk() root.tk.call('package', 'require', 'tile') root.tk.call('namespace', 'import', '-force', 'ttk::*') root.tk.call('tile::setTheme', 'aqua') v = IntVar() Radiobutton(root, text="Hello", variable=v, value=1).pack() Radiobutton(root, text="There", variable=v, value=2).pack()

root.mainloop()

This does indeed work: it creates a little Aqua window with the "pinstripe" background that is lacking in standard TkAqua windows.

I don't want to overstate the value of Tile. It simply brings TkAqua to where it should be in terms of native look and feel, so that it's no longer lagging behind. (Tile will be included in the core Tk distribution coming next year.) And it's not complete, at least for Aqua: it doesn't get scrollbars right, so when I'm working in Tcl/Tk, I use a mix of Tile and standard Tk widgets (esp. scrollbars) to get the best combination. If you're using PyObjC, wxPython, or even PyQt, you get better, more sophisticated Aqua support out of the box. But if you're working with Tkinter, then take a closer look at Tile. You'll see a pretty big difference in how your applications look.

Kevin

Kevin Walzer, PhD WordTech Software--Open Source Applications and Packages for OS X http://www.wordtech-software.com http://www.smallbizmac.com http://www.kevin-walzer.com mailto:sw at wordtech-software.com -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: GnuPG v1.2.4 (Darwin) Comment: Using GnuPG with Thunderbird - http://enigmail.mozdev.org

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