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Creating a Yes/No Message Box in Python with tkinter

Creating a Yes/No Message Box using tkinter in Python

Have you ever tried to exit an application, only to click the wrong button and accidentally delete all your progress? It’s frustrating, isn’t it?

That’s why many applications have a Yes/No message box, which gives users a chance to confirm or cancel their action before anything irreversible happens. If you’re a Python programmer who wants to incorporate this useful feature into your application, we’ve got you covered.

In this article, we’ll guide you through the steps of creating a Yes/No message box using tkinter.

Building the GUI

The first step in creating a Yes/No message box is building the graphical user interface (GUI). To achieve this, we’ll be using tkinter – a popular Python package for creating GUI applications.

To get started, we’ll import the tkinter package by typing:

import tkinter as tk

Next, we’ll create a Canvas for the GUI screen, using this code:

root = tk.Tk()
canvas = tk.Canvas(root, width=300, height=200)
canvas.pack()

Here, we’ve defined a new window using tk.Tk(), and created a canvas with a width of 300 and a height of 200 pixels. We’ve also used .pack() to pack the canvas into the window.

Creating the Exit Application function

Now that we’ve created the GUI, we’ll move on to creating a function for the Yes/No message box. In this case, we’ll be using the function to exit the application.

We’ll start by defining the function using def ExitApplication():. Inside this function, we’ll add a message box using the “askquestion” module from tkinter.

Here’s the full code:

from tkinter import messagebox

def ExitApplication():
    MsgBox = messagebox.askquestion("Exit Application", "Are you sure you want to exit the application?", icon='warning')

    if MsgBox == 'yes':
        root.destroy()

In this function, we’ve used messagebox.askquestion() to create the Yes/No message box. The first argument is the title of the message box, and the second argument is the message that will be displayed.

The icon parameter sets the image that will appear on the message box – in this case, we’ve set it to a warning icon. If the user clicks Yes, the if statement will execute and the application will be closed.

Adding an Exit Application button

Finally, we’ll add an Exit Application button to the GUI, which will trigger the message box when clicked. To create this button, we’ll use tk.Button().

Here’s the code:

button = tk.Button(root, text='Exit Application', command=ExitApplication, bg='brown', fg='white')
canvas.create_window(150, 150, window=button)

In this code, we’ve defined a new button with the label Exit Application. We’ve used .create_window() to position the button in the center of the canvas.

When the button is clicked, it will execute the ExitApplication function – which means the Yes/No message box will appear, giving the user the option to confirm or cancel their action.

Background about the code

Now that we’ve seen how to create a Yes/No message box using tkinter, let’s take a closer look at some of the concepts and keywords we’ve used.

Importing tkinter package

To start creating a graphical user interface in Python, we first need to import a package that allows us to do so. In this case, we’re using tkinter – a popular package for creating GUI applications.

Creating Canvas for GUI screen

Once we’ve imported tkinter, we can start building our GUI. In this case, we’ve used canvas to create a drawn area where we can place our widgets (like buttons and text boxes).

This canvas is then packed into the GUI window using .pack().

Creating function for Exit Application button

Functions are blocks of code that can be called multiple times within a program. In this case, we’ve defined a function called ExitApplication() which creates a message box with a Yes/No prompt.

If the user clicks Yes, the application will close.

Adding Exit Application button to GUI

Finally, we’ve added a button to the GUI which executes the ExitApplication function when clicked. This button is defined using tk.Button() and positioned in the center of the canvas using .create_window().

Conclusion

By following the steps outlined in this article, you should now be able to create a Yes/No message box using tkinter in Python. The process involves building a GUI, creating a function for the message box, and adding a button to the GUI which triggers that function.

Using the concepts and keywords we’ve covered – like GUI, tkinter, function, message box, and more – you’ll be well on your way to creating more complex and interactive Python applications for your users. Keep experimenting and exploring – the possibilities are endless!

Running the Python Code

Now that we’ve covered the basics of creating a Yes/No message box using tkinter in Python – building the GUI, creating a function for the message box, and adding the button to the GUI – let’s take a closer look at how to run the code and what happens when the user chooses Yes or No.

Simple GUI with Exit Application button

First, we need to create a simple GUI with an Exit Application button. When the button is clicked, the message box will appear.

Here’s the full code:

import tkinter as tk

from tkinter import messagebox

def ExitApplication():
    MsgBox = messagebox.askquestion("Exit Application", "Are you sure you want to exit the application?", icon='warning')

    if MsgBox == 'yes':
        root.destroy()

root = tk.Tk()
canvas = tk.Canvas(root, width=300, height=200)
canvas.pack()
button = tk.Button(root, text='Exit Application', command=ExitApplication, bg='brown', fg='white')
canvas.create_window(150, 150, window=button)
root.mainloop()

When you run this code, a simple GUI with a single button labeled Exit Application will appear. Clicking the button will trigger the message box.

Choosing Yes/No in message box

When the message box appears, the user will be prompted with the question Are you sure you want to exit the application?. They’ll have two options: Yes and No.

If the user clicks Yes, the application will close.

If they click No, the message box will disappear and they’ll be returned back to the application screen. We achieve this behavior through the messagebox.askquestion() function.

This creates a message box with a Yes/No prompt, and returns the user’s response as either yes or no. The if statement then checks the response and decides whether to destroy the GUI window (in the case of yes) or do nothing (in the case of no).

Returning back to the application screen

When the user clicks No in the message box, they’re returned back to the application screen. But what does that look like?

Well, remember that we’ve only defined a single button here. So, when the user returns to the application screen, they’ll simply see the same GUI with the same button.

They can click the button again to trigger the message box. Alternatively, you could add other widgets or functionalities to your GUI that allow the user to interact with your application in other ways.

Additional Resources

While we’ve covered the basics of creating a Yes/No message box using tkinter in Python in this article, there’s a lot more to learn about tkinter and GUI programming in general. If you want to create a more comprehensive GUI with multiple widgets and functionalities, check out tutorials and resources online.

There are many examples and templates available that can help you get started. One such example is the tkinter GUI Application Development course on Udemy, which covers everything from building simple GUIs to more complex applications with multiple widgets and functionalities.

Another valuable resource is the official tkinter documentation, which provides comprehensive guides, tutorials, and reference materials for all aspects of tkinter programming. By investing time in learning more about tkinter and GUI programming, you’ll be able to create more polished and user-friendly applications that meet your users’ needs.

Happy coding!

In this article, we’ve learned how to use tkinter to create a simple Yes/No message box in Python. We’ve covered the basics of creating a GUI, writing the function for the message box, and adding a button to the GUI.

We also discussed how to run the code and what happens when the user chooses Yes or No. While this tutorial only scratches the surface of tkinter and GUI programming, investing in learning more about these topics can help you create more polished and user-friendly applications. By adding these features to your applications, you can give your users more control over their actions and help prevent accidental deletions or losses of their work.

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