Utilizing Databases in Python GUI Development with Tkinter – Tutorial #19

In this tutorial, we will be learning how to use databases with Tkinter in Python. Databases are a powerful tool for storing and retrieving data, and integrating them with Tkinter can enhance the functionality of your GUI application. In this tutorial, we will be using SQLite as our database management system.

SQLite is a lightweight, serverless, self-contained, and zero-configuration SQL database engine. It is perfect for small to medium-sized applications where a traditional client-server database system like MySQL or PostgreSQL may be unnecessary.

To get started, make sure you have Python installed on your system. You can download the latest version of Python from the official website at https://www.python.org/. Additionally, you will need to install the Tkinter library, which comes pre-installed with Python.

Next, we need to install the sqlite3 library, which will allow us to interact with our SQLite database. You can install the sqlite3 library by running the following command in your terminal or command prompt:

pip install sqlite3

Now that we have all the necessary libraries installed, let’s create a simple Tkinter GUI application that interacts with a SQLite database. We will be creating a To-Do list application where users can add and delete tasks from a database.

First, we need to create a SQLite database and a table to store our tasks. You can create a new SQLite database by running the following code in your Python script:

import sqlite3

# Create a new SQLite database
conn = sqlite3.connect('todo.db')

# Create a new table called tasks
conn.execute('''CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS tasks
             (id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY AUTOINCREMENT,
             task TEXT NOT NULL);''')

conn.commit()
conn.close()

This code creates a new SQLite database called "todo.db" and creates a table called "tasks" with two columns: "id" and "task". The "id" column will be an auto-incrementing integer that serves as the primary key, and the "task" column will store the text of each task.

Next, let’s create a Tkinter GUI application that allows users to add and delete tasks from the database.

import tkinter as tk
import sqlite3

# Create a new SQLite database
conn = sqlite3.connect('todo.db')

root = tk.Tk()
root.title("To-Do List")

# Function to add a new task to the database
def add_task():
    task = task_entry.get()
    if task:
        conn.execute("INSERT INTO tasks (task) VALUES (?)", (task,))
        conn.commit()
        update_list()
        task_entry.delete(0, tk.END)

# Function to delete a selected task from the database
def delete_task():
    selected_index = tasks_listbox.curselection()
    if selected_index:
        task_id = tasks_listbox.get(selected_index)[0]
        conn.execute("DELETE FROM tasks WHERE id=?", (task_id,))
        conn.commit()
        update_list()

# Function to update the tasks listbox with the current tasks from the database
def update_list():
    tasks_listbox.delete(0, tk.END)
    cursor = conn.execute("SELECT id, task FROM tasks")
    for row in cursor:
        tasks_listbox.insert(tk.END, row)

# Entry widget to enter a new task
task_entry = tk.Entry(root, width=50)
task_entry.pack()

# Button to add a new task
add_button = tk.Button(root, text="Add Task", command=add_task)
add_button.pack()

# Listbox to display current tasks
tasks_listbox = tk.Listbox(root, width=50)
tasks_listbox.pack()

# Button to delete a selected task
delete_button = tk.Button(root, text="Delete Task", command=delete_task)
delete_button.pack()

# Initialize the tasks listbox with current tasks from the database
update_list()

root.mainloop()

In this code, we create a Tkinter GUI application with an entry widget for users to input new tasks, a button to add tasks to the database, a listbox to display the current tasks, and a button to delete selected tasks.

The add_task() function inserts a new task into the database when the user clicks the "Add Task" button. The delete_task() function deletes the selected task from the database when the user clicks the "Delete Task" button. The update_list() function updates the tasks listbox with the current tasks from the database.

Make sure to replace the database connection code with your database file location.

That’s it! You have now created a simple To-Do list application using Tkinter and SQLite. You can further enhance this application by adding features like editing tasks, sorting tasks, or setting task priorities. Experiment with different Tkinter widgets and SQLite query statements to customize the application to your liking.

I hope you found this tutorial helpful. If you have any questions or run into any issues, feel free to ask for help in the comments section below. Happy coding!