TextBox

__init__(
    self,
    master,
    text="",
    width=10,
    height=1,
    grid=None,
    align=None,
    visible=True,
    enabled=None,
    multiline=False,
    scrollbar=False,
    command=None,
    hide_text=False)

What is it

The TextBox object displays a text box which the user can type in.

How do I make one?

Create a TextBox object like this:

from guizero import App, TextBox
app = App()
input_box = TextBox(app)
app.display()

Starting parameters

When you create a TextBox object you must specify master and you can specify any of the optional parameters. Specify parameters in the brackets, like this: textbox = TextBox(app, text="Please enter some text")

Parameter	Data type	Default	Compulsory	Description
master	App, Window or Box	-	Yes	The container to which this widget belongs
align	string	None	-	Alignment of this widget within its container. Possible values: "top", "bottom", "left", "right".
grid	List [int, int]	None	-	[x,y] coordinates of this widget. This parameter is only required if the master object has a grid layout.
text	string	""	-	Any text you wish to be pre-filled in the text box
width	int	10	-	Set the width of the widget in characters or to "fill"
height	int	1	-	Set the height of the widget in characters or to "fill", only effective if multiline is True
visible	boolean	True	No	If the widget should be visible.
enabled	boolean	None	No	If the widget should be enabled. If None (the default) the enabled property will be inherited from the master
multiline	boolean	False	No	Create a multi-line text box.
scrollbar	boolean	False	No	Add a vertical scrollbar to a multi-line text box
command	function name	None	-	The name of a function to call when the text is changed. This function MUST take either zero or one argument, if the function takes one argument the key which was added to the textbox will be returned.
hide_text	boolean	False	-	When set to True will hide the text replacing typed characters with *. Setting to a character will result in the text being hidden with that character.

Methods

You can call the following methods on your TextBox object.

Method	Takes	Returns	Description
after(time, command, args=None)	time (int), command (function name), args (list of arguments)	-	Schedules a single call to command after time milliseconds. (To repeatedly call the same command, use repeat())
append(text)	text (string)	-	Adds the provided text to the end of the current text within the text box
cancel(command)	command (function name)	-	Cancels a scheduled call to command
clear()	-	-	Clears the textbox
destroy()	-	-	Destroys the widget
disable()	-	-	Disables the widget so that it is "greyed out" and cannot be interacted with
enable()	-	-	Enables the widget
focus()	-	-	Gives focus to the widget (e.g. focusing a TextBox so that the user can type inside it)
hide()	-	-	Hides the widget from view. This method will unpack the widget from the layout manager.
repeat(time, command, args=None)	time (int), command (function name), args (list of arguments)	-	Repeats command every time milliseconds. This is useful for scheduling a function to be regularly called, for example updating a value read from a sensor.
resize(width, height)	width (int), height (int)	-	Sets the width and height of the widget
show()	-	-	Displays the widget if it was previously hidden
update_command(command)	command (function name)	-	Updates the function to call when the text is changed.

Properties

You can set and get the following properties:

Method	Data type	Description
align	string	The alignment of this widget within its container
bg	color	The background colour of the widget
cursor_position	int	The current position of the cursor
enabled	boolean	True if the widget is enabled
font	string	The font of the text
grid	List	[x,y] coordinates of this widget. This parameter is only required if the master object has a grid
height	size	Set the height of the widget in characters or to "fill", only effective if multiline is True
hide_text	boolean / char	When set to True will hide the text replacing typed characters with *. Setting to a character will result in the text being hidden with that character.
master	App or Box	The container to which this widget belongs
value	string	The text in the TextBox
visible	boolean	If this widget is visible
width	size	Set the width of the widget in characters or to "fill"
text_size	int	The size of the text
text_color	color	The colour of the text
tk	tkinter.Entry	The internal tkinter object, see Using tkinter
wrap	boolean	Whether text in a multiline text box should be wrapped. Defaults to True. If its a single line TextBox, None will be returned and a warning displayed when trying to set.

Examples

Creating a TextBox with default text

You can set the default text in a TextBox when it is created using the text parameter:

from guizero import App, TextBox
app = App()
input_box = TextBox(app, text="Type here")
app.display()

Creating a password TextBox with hidden text

You can hide the text in a TextBox using the hide_text parameter:

from guizero import App, TextBox
app = App()
password_box = TextBox(app, hide_text=True)
app.display()

Creating a multi-line TextBox

You can create a text box which is capable of capturing multiple lines of text by setting the multiline parameter to True and giving the textbox a height:

from guizero import App, TextBox
app = App()
input_box = TextBox(app, text="Type lines here", height=10, multiline=True)
app.display()

Multi-line text boxes can also be given a scrollbar by setting the scrollbar parameter to True:

input_box = TextBox(app, text="Type lines here", height=10, multiline=True, scrollbar=True)