Tkinter Scale

Tkinter Scale is a widget that adds sliders to your GUI. Imagine the sliders you use to adjust volume or brightness on your devices – Tkinter Scale brings that same functionality to your Python applications. It’s a visual way for users to pick values within a set range.

The Tkinter Scale has a classic appearance. If you’re interested in a more updated appearance, you might want to take a look at the ttk scale.

However, in this tutorial, we’ll focus solely on the traditional Tkinter scale widget.

Creating Your First Slider

Now, let’s make our very first basic Tkinter slider.

Example:

import tkinter as tk

root = tk.Tk()
root.title("My First Slider")

slider = tk.Scale(root, from_=0, to=100)
slider.pack()

root.mainloop()

Output:

Mainly Used Tkinter Scale Options

Tkinter Scale widgets offer a range of options to fine-tune your sliders, making them perfect for various applications. Let’s explore some mostly used options:

from_ : This sets the starting value of your slider. Users can select values from this minimum value onwards.

to : Conversely, this sets the maximum value of your slider. Users can choose values up to this maximum.

digits : Control how many decimal places are shown for float values. It helps you manage precision in your slider’s displayed values.

length : Determine how long your slider track appears. This affects how much space the slider takes up in your layout, measured in pixels.

width : Adjust the width of the slider handle. This affects its visual appearance and how easy it is to click or interact with.

orient : Choose whether your slider is horizontal (tk.HORIZONTAL) or vertical (tk.VERTICAL). This determines its orientation in your layout.

command : Specify a function to call whenever the slider value changes. This allows you to dynamically respond to user interactions with the slider.

Example:

import tkinter as tk

def update_value(new_value):
    label.config(text=f"Value: {new_value}")

root = tk.Tk()
root.title("Slider Customization")

slider = tk.Scale(root, from_=0, to=10, digits=2, length=300, width=20, orient="horizontal", command=update_value)
slider.pack()

label = tk.Label(root, text="Value: 0")
label.pack()

root.mainloop()

Output:

Enhancing Slider Appearance

In Tkinter, sliders are not just functional; they can also be styled to match the aesthetic of your application. Two key options for customizing the appearance of sliders are sliderrelief and sliderlength.

Here’s how you can use both options together:

Example:

import tkinter as tk

# Create the main Tkinter window
root = tk.Tk()
root.title("Styled Slider")

# Create a Scale widget with customized relief and length
slider = tk.Scale(root, from_=0, to=100, sliderrelief="flat", sliderlength=40)
slider.pack()

# Start the Tkinter event loop
root.mainloop()

Output:

Additional Tkinter Scale Options

Now, let’s explore some additional options that make your sliders more informative and user-friendly.

Here’s an example that tells you about these additional options:

Example:

import tkinter as tk

# Function to update the displayed value and slider variable
def update_value(new_value):
    display_label.config(text=f"Value: {new_value}")
    slider_variable.set(new_value)

# Create the main Tkinter window
root = tk.Tk()
root.title("Enhanced Slider")

# Create a Tkinter variable to store the slider value
slider_variable = tk.DoubleVar()

# Create a Scale widget with label, variable, showvalue, and command options
slider = tk.Scale(root, from_=0, to=100, label="Adjust Volume:", variable=slider_variable, showvalue=True, command=update_value)
slider.pack()

# Create a label to display the current slider value dynamically
display_label = tk.Label(root, text="Value: 0")
display_label.pack()

# Start the Tkinter event loop
root.mainloop()

In this example:

The label option adds a description to the slider, like “Adjust Volume”.

The variable option links the slider to a variable (slider_variable) for easy value access.

The showvalue option controls whether the current value of the slider is displayed next to the slider visually.

The command option calls the update_value() function whenever the slider value changes.

Output:

Here are the other standard options for customizing the Tkinter Scale widget:

• activebackground
• background
• borderwidth
• cursor
• font
• foreground
• highlightbackground
• highlightthickness
• orient
• relief
• takefocus
• troughcolor

For more details on these options, you can check out the Tkinter Standard Options.

Example:

import tkinter as tk

# Create the main Tkinter window
root = tk.Tk()
root.title("Unique Slider Designs")

# Create and configure Slider 1
slider1 = tk.Scale(root, from_=0, to=100, orient="horizontal", length=200, sliderlength=20, font="times 16 bold", troughcolor="lightgreen", foreground="red")
slider1.pack(pady=10)

# Create and configure Slider 2
slider2 = tk.Scale(root, from_=50, to=200, orient="horizontal", length=200, sliderlength=50, font="georgia 16 bold", troughcolor="lightblue", highlightthickness=5, highlightbackground="purple")
slider2.pack(pady=10)

# Create and configure Slider 3
slider3 = tk.Scale(root, from_=0.0, to=10.0, orient="horizontal", length=200, sliderlength=5.0, font="georgia 16 bold", troughcolor="orange", background="red", foreground="white", highlightthickness=20, highlightbackground="pink")
slider3.pack(pady=10)

# Start the Tkinter event loop
root.mainloop()

Output :

Event Binding with Tkinter Scale

Event binding involves associating a function or callback with a specific event that occurs within a Tkinter widget. For Tkinter Scale widgets, common events include "<ButtonRelease-1>" (mouse button released) and "<Motion>" (mouse movement).

Example:

import tkinter as tk

def slider_released(event):
    display_label.config(text=f"Released Value: {slider.get()}")

root = tk.Tk()
root.title("Events and Sliders")

slider = tk.Scale(root, from_=0, to=100, font="arial 16")
slider.pack()

display_label = tk.Label(root, text="Released Value: 0", font="arial 16")
display_label.pack()

slider.bind("<ButtonRelease-1>", slider_released)

root.mainloop()

Output: