Creating Dropdown Menus and Combo Boxes using Python Tkinter – Tutorial #45

In this tutorial, we will learn how to create and bind the dropdown menus and combo boxes in a Python Tkinter GUI application. Dropdown menus and combo boxes are essential elements in GUI applications, as they allow the user to select options from a list.

First, let’s start by importing the necessary modules:

import tkinter as tk
from tkinter import ttk

Next, let’s create a basic Tkinter window:

root = tk.Tk()
root.title("Dropdown Menu and Combo Box Tutorial")
root.geometry("300x200")

Now, let’s create a basic dropdown menu and bind it to a function:

def on_dropdown_selection(event):
    selected_option = dropdown_var.get()
    print("Selected option:", selected_option)

dropdown_var = tk.StringVar()
dropdown = ttk.Combobox(root, textvariable=dropdown_var)
dropdown['values'] = ('Option 1', 'Option 2', 'Option 3')
dropdown.pack()

dropdown_var.set('Select an option')
dropdown.bind('<<ComboboxSelected>>', on_dropdown_selection)

In this code snippet, we first define a on_dropdown_selection function that will be called whenever an option is selected from the dropdown menu. Inside this function, we use the get() method on the dropdown_var variable to get the selected option and print it to the console.

We then create a dropdown_var variable of type StringVar to store the selected option. Next, we create a Combobox widget and assign the values (‘Option 1’, ‘Option 2’, ‘Option 3’) to it. We set the initial value of the dropdown menu using the set() method on the dropdown_var variable. Finally, we bind the <<ComboboxSelected>> event to the on_dropdown_selection function.

Next, let’s create a combo box and bind it to a function:

def on_combobox_selection(event):
    selected_option = combobox_var.get()
    print("Selected option:", selected_option)

combobox_var = tk.StringVar()
combobox = ttk.Combobox(root, textvariable=combobox_var)
combobox['values'] = ('Option A', 'Option B', 'Option C')
combobox.pack()

combobox_var.set('Select an option')
combobox.bind('<<ComboboxSelected>>', on_combobox_selection)

In this code snippet, we follow a similar approach as before. We define a on_combobox_selection function to handle the selection of options from the combo box. We create a combobox_var variable of type StringVar to store the selected option. We create a Combobox widget with the values (‘Option A’, ‘Option B’, ‘Option C’) assigned to it. We set the initial value of the combo box using the set() method on the combobox_var variable. Finally, we bind the <<ComboboxSelected>> event to the on_combobox_selection function.

Finally, let’s run the Tkinter main loop to display the GUI window:

root.mainloop()

Now, when you run the code, you will see a window with a dropdown menu and a combo box. Whenever you select an option from either of them, the selected option will be printed to the console.

That’s it! You have now learned how to bind dropdown menus and combo boxes in a Python Tkinter GUI application. Feel free to customize the options and functions according to your requirements. Happy coding!