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Modern Tkinter for Busy Python Developers: Quickly learn to create great looking user interfaces for Windows, Mac and Linux using Python's standard GUI toolkit
NEW—Fourth Edition (September/2025): thoroughly revised and expanded! Updated for Python 3.14. Now includes Tkinter API reference, and bonus material on structuring and refining Tkinter code and third-party themes and widgets.
Quickly learn the right way to build attractive and modern graphical user interfaces with Python and Tkinter, its standard GUI toolkit.
Tkinter has been around forever. There's a lot of documentation, much of it created years ago. But it's all wrong. Tkinter took a quantum leap forward since that documentation was written. Your program needs to be written differently to take advantage of that. Modern Tkinter shows you the right way to do it.
Whether you're entirely new to Tkinter, or just need to bring your Tkinter knowledge up to date, this book gives you all you need to build modern, attractive Tkinter user interfaces that run on Windows, macOS, and Linux.
You'll learn all the modern best practices. You'll build your user interface the right way the first time, without having to learn anything extra or irrelevant. It starts at the beginning, shows you what you need to know, and covers all the essential elements of building your modern user interface. This
all the standard GUI widgetsattractively laying out your user interfacemanaging menus, windows, and dialogsorganizing more complex user interfacesTkinter's powerhouse canvas and textcustomizing the look of your user interfacemaking it all work on macOS, Windows, and LinuxYou may have been using older documentation or are updating a Tkinter program written years ago. If so, you'll find warnings of what to avoid using, and how to replace it with a modern solution. There's even a full case study of modernizing the user interface of a seriously out-of-date Tkinter application you may be familiar with.
Let veteran software developer Mark Roseman show you the right way to build user interfaces with Python and Tkinter. He's been using Tk (the technology behind Tkinter) since its early days. He's shipped dozens of open source tools and commercial applications based on it.
He's also the author of the multi-lingual TkDocs.com website, the de facto online guide for building modern Tk user interfaces. This book brings together all new material and Python-specific information from that site and supports its further evolution.
Contents
IntroductionTk and Then and NowInstalling TkinterA First (Real) ExampleTkinter ConceptsBasic WidgetsThe Grid Geometry ManagerStructuring Tkinter CodeRefining our CodeMore WidgetsEvent LoopMenusWindows and DialogsOrganizing Complex InterfacesFonts, Colors, ImagesCanvasTextTreeviewStyles and ThemesCustom Styles and ThemesCase IDLE Tkinter Class API Reference
Quickly learn the right way to build attractive and modern graphical user interfaces with Python and Tkinter, its standard GUI toolkit.
Tkinter has been around forever. There's a lot of documentation, much of it created years ago. But it's all wrong. Tkinter took a quantum leap forward since that documentation was written. Your program needs to be written differently to take advantage of that. Modern Tkinter shows you the right way to do it.
Whether you're entirely new to Tkinter, or just need to bring your Tkinter knowledge up to date, this book gives you all you need to build modern, attractive Tkinter user interfaces that run on Windows, macOS, and Linux.
You'll learn all the modern best practices. You'll build your user interface the right way the first time, without having to learn anything extra or irrelevant. It starts at the beginning, shows you what you need to know, and covers all the essential elements of building your modern user interface. This
all the standard GUI widgetsattractively laying out your user interfacemanaging menus, windows, and dialogsorganizing more complex user interfacesTkinter's powerhouse canvas and textcustomizing the look of your user interfacemaking it all work on macOS, Windows, and LinuxYou may have been using older documentation or are updating a Tkinter program written years ago. If so, you'll find warnings of what to avoid using, and how to replace it with a modern solution. There's even a full case study of modernizing the user interface of a seriously out-of-date Tkinter application you may be familiar with.
Let veteran software developer Mark Roseman show you the right way to build user interfaces with Python and Tkinter. He's been using Tk (the technology behind Tkinter) since its early days. He's shipped dozens of open source tools and commercial applications based on it.
He's also the author of the multi-lingual TkDocs.com website, the de facto online guide for building modern Tk user interfaces. This book brings together all new material and Python-specific information from that site and supports its further evolution.
Contents
IntroductionTk and Then and NowInstalling TkinterA First (Real) ExampleTkinter ConceptsBasic WidgetsThe Grid Geometry ManagerStructuring Tkinter CodeRefining our CodeMore WidgetsEvent LoopMenusWindows and DialogsOrganizing Complex InterfacesFonts, Colors, ImagesCanvasTextTreeviewStyles and ThemesCustom Styles and ThemesCase IDLE Tkinter Class API Reference
- GenresProgramming
479 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 11, 2025
62 people are currently reading
31 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
April 14, 2022
This is a very good tutorial book on Tkinter. It explains the essentials clearly and concisely with enough examples. It's very easy for a Python developer to grasp the necessary information regarding GUI with Tkinter.
Especially, this book focuses on ttk and only uses the classic widgets when absolutely necessary. It gives the readers a very clear idea about which widgets to use and why.
Especially, this book focuses on ttk and only uses the classic widgets when absolutely necessary. It gives the readers a very clear idea about which widgets to use and why.
December 28, 2021
A Useful Introduction
I had already been using tkinter for a little while so much of this book was familiar to me. Having said that, I also learned a lot. I think the book would benefit from more illustrations. If you are going to give code examples then you should also show how they display.
I had already been using tkinter for a little while so much of this book was familiar to me. Having said that, I also learned a lot. I think the book would benefit from more illustrations. If you are going to give code examples then you should also show how they display.
May 3, 2020
Great work
Solid info, very concise, easy to find the important parts.
I'd recommend reading this as a reference and just skipping through to what you need.
Solid info, very concise, easy to find the important parts.
I'd recommend reading this as a reference and just skipping through to what you need.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews