Implement Scrollbar Using Grid Manager on a Tkinter Window

Tkinter, a standard Python GUI library, simplifies GUI development, but incorporating a scrollbar into a grid layout can be challenging. This tutorial will help you understand how to effortlessly implement a scrollbar within a grid layout to enhance the visual appeal and functionality of your Tkinter-based applications.

Understanding the Grid Manager

Tkinter's grid manager organizes widgets in a table-like structure, allowing developers to create a flexible and responsive layout. The grid manager simplifies the placement of widgets in rows and columns, providing a convenient way to structure the GUI.

To start, ensure you have Tkinter installed

pip install tk

Now, let's dive into the steps for implementing a scrollbar with the grid manager.

Step 1: Import Tkinter

We import tkinter and ttk (themed Tkinter) for improved aesthetics and additional widgets.

import tkinter as tk
from tkinter import ttk

Step 2: Create the Tkinter Window

This code initializes the main Tkinter window and sets its title.

root = tk.Tk()
root.title("Scrollable Grid Example")

Step 3: Create a Frame for Grid Layout

We use a ttk.Frame to house our grid layout. The sticky="nsew" parameter ensures the frame expands with the window.

frame = ttk.Frame(root)
frame.grid(row=0, column=0, sticky="nsew")

Step 4: Create a Canvas and Scrollbar

Here, we set up a vertical scrollbar connected to a canvas. The yscrollcommand ensures the scrollbar controls the canvas's vertical scrolling.

canvas = tk.Canvas(frame)
scrollbar = ttk.Scrollbar(frame, orient="vertical", command=canvas.yview)
canvas.configure(yscrollcommand=scrollbar.set)

Step 5: Create a Frame for Scrollable Content

This frame within the canvas will contain the scrollable content.

content_frame = ttk.Frame(canvas)

Step 6: Configure the Canvas and Scrollable Content Frame

This binding adjusts the canvas scroll region whenever the size of the content frame changes.

content_frame.bind("<Configure>", lambda e: canvas.configure(scrollregion=canvas.bbox("all")))

Step 7: Add Widgets to the Content Frame

In this step, we add sample widgets to the content frame. Customize this section based on your application's requirements.

label = ttk.Label(content_frame, text="Scrollable Content")
label.grid(row=0, column=0, pady=10)

for i in range(1, 21):
   button = ttk.Button(content_frame, text=f"Button {i}")
   button.grid(row=i, column=0, pady=5)

Step 8: Create Window Resizing Configuration

These configurations ensure that the window and its components expand proportionally when resized.

root.columnconfigure(0, weight=1)
root.rowconfigure(0, weight=1)
frame.columnconfigure(0, weight=1)
frame.rowconfigure(0, weight=1)

Step 9: Pack Widgets onto the Window

Here, we pack the canvas and scrollbar onto the window, with the scrollbar adjacent to the canvas.

canvas.create_window((0, 0), window=content_frame, anchor="nw")
canvas.grid(row=0, column=0, sticky="nsew")
scrollbar.grid(row=0, column=1, sticky="ns")

Step 10: Bind the Canvas to Mousewheel Events

This binding allows users to scroll using the mousewheel.

def _on_mousewheel(event):
   canvas.yview_scroll(int(-1 * (event.delta / 120)), "units")

canvas.bind_all("<MouseWheel>", _on_mousewheel)

Step 11: Run the Tkinter Event Loop

Finally, start the Tkinter event loop to display the window.

root.mainloop()

Putting It All Together

Given below is the complete implementation example for adding a scrollbar with the grid manager in a Tkinter window

Example

import tkinter as tk
from tkinter import ttk

# Step 2: Create the Tkinter Window
root = tk.Tk()
root.title("Scrollable Grid Example")
root.geometry("720x250")

# Step 3: Create a Frame for Grid Layout
frame = ttk.Frame(root)
frame.grid(row=0, column=0, sticky="nsew")

# Step 4: Create a Canvas and Scrollbar
canvas = tk.Canvas(frame)
scrollbar = ttk.Scrollbar(frame, orient="vertical", command=canvas.yview)
canvas.configure(yscrollcommand=scrollbar.set)

# Step 5: Create a Frame for Scrollable Content
content_frame = ttk.Frame(canvas)

# Step 6: Configure the Canvas and Scrollable Content Frame
content_frame.bind("<Configure>", lambda e: canvas.configure(scrollregion=canvas.bbox("all")))

# Step 7: Add Widgets to the Content Frame
# Example widgets (replace with your own)
label = ttk.Label(content_frame, text="Scrollable Content")
label.grid(row=0, column=0, pady=10)

for i in range(1, 21):
   button = ttk.Button(content_frame, text=f"Button {i}")
   button.grid(row=i, column=0, pady=5)

# Step 8: Create Window Resizing Configuration
root.columnconfigure(0, weight=1)
root.rowconfigure(0, weight=1)
frame.columnconfigure(0, weight=1)
frame.rowconfigure(0, weight=1)

# Step 9: Pack Widgets onto the Window
canvas.create_window((0, 0), window=content_frame, anchor="nw")
canvas.grid(row=0, column=0, sticky="nsew")
scrollbar.grid(row=0, column=1, sticky="ns")

# Step 10: Bind the Canvas to Mousewheel Events
def _on_mousewheel(event):
   canvas.yview_scroll(int(-1 * (event.delta / 120)), "units")

canvas.bind_all("<MouseWheel>", _on_mousewheel)

# Step 11: Run the Tkinter Event Loop
root.mainloop()

Output

The above code creates a simple Tkinter window with a scrollable grid layout containing a label and buttons.

Conclusion

Implementing a scrollbar with the grid manager in Tkinter offers an efficient solution for managing scrollable content in GUI applications. By combining the grid manager, canvas, and scrollbar components, developers can create responsive and user-friendly interfaces.