Kivy TextInput: Combining hint_text and focus

Kivy is a powerful Python framework for developing multitouch applications. One of the key components of Kivy is the TextInput widget, which allows users to enter text into an application. In this article, we will explore how to combine the hint_text and focus properties of the TextInput widget to provide a better user experience.

Using hint_text

The hint_text property of the TextInput widget allows you to provide a placeholder text that is displayed when the widget is empty. This can be used to give users a hint about the type of input that is expected. For example, if you have a TextInput widget for entering a username, you can set the hint_text to “Enter your username” to provide a helpful hint to the user.

Using focus

The focus property of the TextInput widget indicates whether the widget has the keyboard focus. By default, the TextInput widget will lose focus when the user taps outside of it or presses the “return” key on the keyboard. You can use the focus property to detect when the user enters and exits the TextInput widget.

Combining hint_text and focus

To provide a better user experience, you can combine the hint_text and focus properties of the TextInput widget. For example, you can set the hint_text to provide a hint about the expected input, and then use the focus property to change the appearance of the TextInput widget when it has the keyboard focus.

	
class MyTextInput(TextInput):
    def on_focus(self, instance, value):
        if value:
            # Set a different hint text when the widget has focus
            self.hint_text = "Start typing..."
        else:
            # Restore the original hint text when the widget loses focus
            self.hint_text = "Enter your username"
	
	

In the example above, we subclass the TextInput widget and override the on_focus method to change the hint_text when the TextInput widget gains or loses focus.

Conclusion

In this article, we have learned how to combine the hint_text and focus properties of the TextInput widget in Kivy to provide a better user experience. By using the hint_text to provide a hint about the expected input and the focus property to change the appearance of the widget when it has focus, you can create a more intuitive and user-friendly interface for your Kivy applications.