Using Timers and Clocks in TKinter – Python Tkinter GUI Tutorial #79

In this tutorial, we will be focusing on how to create timers and clocks using Tkinter in Python. Timers and clocks are commonly used in applications where you need to keep track of time or display a countdown. By the end of this tutorial, you will have a good understanding of how to implement timers and clocks in your Tkinter applications.

To get started, make sure you have Python and Tkinter installed on your system. If you don’t have Tkinter installed, you can install it using the following command:

pip install tk

Now, let’s create a new Python script and import the necessary modules:

import tkinter as tk
from time import strftime

Next, let’s create a basic Tkinter window with a label to display the time:

root = tk.Tk()
root.title("Tkinter Timer and Clock Tutorial")

label = tk.Label(root, font=('calibri', 40, 'bold'), background='black', foreground='white')
label.pack(anchor='center')

Now, let’s define a function called time that will update the label with the current time:

def time():
    string = strftime('%H:%M:%S %p')
    label.config(text=string)
    label.after(1000, time)

In this function, we use the strftime function to get the current time in the format HH:MM:SS AM/PM. We then update the text of the label widget with the current time and call the after method to update the time every second.

Finally, let’s call the time function to start updating the label with the current time:

time()
root.mainloop()

When you run the script, you should see a window displaying the current time that updates every second. This is a simple clock implementation using Tkinter.

Next, let’s create a countdown timer using Tkinter. We will prompt the user to enter the duration of the timer in minutes, and then count down from that duration until it reaches zero.

First, let’s create a new function called countdown that takes the duration of the timer as an argument:

def countdown(duration):
    current_time = duration * 60
    while current_time > 0:
        mins, secs = divmod(current_time, 60)
        timer = '{:02d}:{:02d}'.format(mins, secs)
        label.config(text=timer)
        label.update()
        time.sleep(1)
        current_time -= 1

In this function, we first calculate the total number of seconds based on the duration entered by the user. We then loop through each second, converting it to minutes and seconds, updating the label with the remaining time, and decrementing the current time by 1 every second.

Now, let’s prompt the user to enter the duration of the timer using a simple entry widget and a button:

entry = tk.Entry(root, font=('calibri', 20))
entry.pack()

button = tk.Button(root, text='Start Timer', command=lambda: countdown(int(entry.get())))
button.pack()

When the user clicks the "Start Timer" button, we call the countdown function with the duration entered by the user.

That’s it! You now have a basic countdown timer implemented in Tkinter. You can further customize the appearance of the window, label, and buttons to make it more visually appealing.

I hope this tutorial was helpful in understanding how to create timers and clocks using Tkinter in Python. Try experimenting with different functionalities and design elements to create your own customized timers and clocks for your applications. Happy coding!