Python Tkinter List Box

This Article covers the use of the Python Tkinter List box.

What is the Python Tkinter List Box?

A Python Tkinter widget that is used to display a list of options for the user to select. A List Box displays all of its options at once, unlike the ComboBox for instance. Furthermore, all options are in text format.

List Box Syntax

listbox = Listbox(root, option........)

Options

No.	Option	Description
1	bg	Background color for the area around the widget.
2	bd	Size of the border around the widget. Default value is 2 pixels.
3	cursor	When the mouse is hovering over this widget, it can be changed to a special cursor type like an arrow or dot.
4	font	The type of font to be used for this widget.
5	fg	The color for the text.
6	height	Number of lines displayed in the List box. Defaut value is 10.
7	highlightcolor	The text color when the widget is under focus.
8	relief	It specifies the type of the border. Default is Flat, other options include `RAISED` and `SUNKEN`.
9	selectbackground	Background color for text that has been selected.
10	selectmode	It determines the number of items that can be selected from the list and the effects of the mouse on this selection. It can set to BROWSE, SINGLE, MULTIPLE, EXTENDED.
11	width	The width of the widget in characters.
12	xscrollcommand	Allows the user to scroll horizontally.
13	yscrollcommand	Allows the user to scroll vertically.

List Box Example 1.

Below is a demonstration on how to create a Tkinter List box in Python. It’s syntax is relatively simple. Only the List box object needs to be created and you can keep adding items into it using the insert function.

from tkinter import *  
  
root = Tk()
root.geometry("200x220")
frame = Frame(root)
frame.pack()

label = Label(root,text = "A list of Grocery items.")  
label.pack()  
  
listbox = Listbox(root)  
  
listbox.insert(1,"Bread")  
listbox.insert(2, "Milk")  
listbox.insert(3, "Meat")  
listbox.insert(4, "Cheese")
listbox.insert(5, "Vegetables")  
  
listbox.pack()  
root.mainloop()

List Box Example 2.

In this example we’ll demonstrate how to retrieve the selected List box values. The curselection() returns the index of the item that is currently selected. Remember that indexing starts from 0.

from tkinter import *  

def retrieve():
    print(listbox.curselection())
  
root = Tk()
root.geometry("200x220")
frame = Frame(root)
frame.pack()

label = Label(root,text = "A list of Grocery items.")  
label.pack()  
  
listbox = Listbox(root)  
  
listbox.insert(1,"Bread")  
listbox.insert(2, "Milk")  
listbox.insert(3, "Meat")  
listbox.insert(4, "Cheese")
listbox.insert(5, "Vegetables")  
listbox.pack()

bttn = Button(frame, text = "Submit", command = retrieve)
bttn.pack(side= "bottom")
root.mainloop()

Furthermore, you can print out a list of all the items in the list box by using the get() function on the list box object. The get() function takes two inputs, a start and an end point. By using the following code, the get() function will return a list of all the items.

result = listbox.get(0 , END)
print(result)

That concludes our tutorial on the Python Tkinter List Box. You can head back to the main Tkinter article using this link. Any Questions regarding the above content can be asked in the comments section below.