Creating an Exe File for a GUI Game Practice Program in Python Tkinter for Beginners

In this tutorial, we will be creating a simple aiming exercise game using Python’s tkinter module. This game will help you practice your aiming skills by clicking on targets that appear on the screen. We will also learn how to convert the Python script into an executable (.exe) file using PyInstaller.

Step 1: Setting up the GUI
First, let’s import the necessary modules and create a basic tkinter window for our game. Create a new Python script and add the following code:

import tkinter as tk

# Create the main window
root = tk.Tk()
root.title("Aim Exercise Game")

# Set the window size
root.geometry("400x400")

# Add a canvas for displaying the targets
canvas = tk.Canvas(root, width=400, height=400, bg="white")
canvas.pack()

# Run the main loop
root.mainloop()

Run the script to see the empty window. We will now add the functionality for creating and displaying targets on the canvas.

Step 2: Adding Targets
Let’s create a function that generates targets on the canvas at random positions. We will use the create_oval method of the canvas to draw circles as targets.

Add the following code to your script:

import random

def create_target():
    x = random.randint(10, 390)
    y = random.randint(10, 390)
    canvas.create_oval(x-10, y-10, x+10, y+10, fill="red")

# Call the function to create a target
create_target()

Run the script and you should see a red circle representing a target on the canvas.

Step 3: Adding Click Events
Now, let’s add functionality to detect when the user clicks on a target. We will use the bind method of the canvas to register a click event handler.

Add the following code to your script:

def on_click(event):
    item = canvas.find_closest(event.x, event.y)
    tags = canvas.gettags(item)

    if "target" in tags:
        canvas.delete(item)

canvas.bind("<Button-1>", on_click)

This code defines a function on_click that gets called whenever the user clicks on the canvas. It checks if the clicked item is a target and deletes it if it is. We need to modify the create_target function to assign the "target" tag to the created oval:

def create_target():
    x = random.randint(10, 390)
    y = random.randint(10, 390)
    target = canvas.create_oval(x-10, y-10, x+10, y+10, fill="red")
    canvas.addtag_withtag("target", target)

Now, when you run the script and click on the target, it should disappear.

Step 4: Converting to .exe File
To convert our Python script into an executable (.exe) file, we will use PyInstaller. First, install PyInstaller by running:

pip install pyinstaller

Create a spec file for PyInstaller by running:

pyi-makespec aim_game.py

Modify the spec file aim_game.spec to include the necessary imports and settings:

hiddenimports=['tkinter', 'random'],

Finally, build the executable by running:

pyinstaller aim_game.spec

This will generate a dist folder containing the .exe file of your game.

Congratulations! You have successfully created a simple aiming exercise game using tkinter and converted it into an executable file. You can now share your game with others without requiring them to have Python installed. Happy gaming!