Python Tkinter multiple selection Listbox
Question:
I have a listbox which is set up with selectmode='multiple'.
I then try to obtain a list of all the options the user has selected, by the code name.get(ACTIVE).
The problem is that it doesn’t always get all the options I have highlighted in the listbox GUI.
If I highlight one, it brings this back correctly.
If I highlight two or more (by a single click on each) it only returns the last item I selected
If I have multiple highlighted, but then click to un-highlight one, it’s this last one I clicked that gets returned even though it unhighlighted.
I’m expecting for the code to bring back what ever is highlighted.
The code to set up the listbox is:
self.rightBT3 = Listbox(Frame1,selectmode='multiple',exportselection=0)
The code to retrieve the selections is:
selection = self.rightBT3.get(ACTIVE)
This is a screenshot of what the Application looks like in action, at the top you can see the console only registered the one selection (last one I clicked).
Answers:
It seems the correct way to get a list of selected items in a Tkinter listbox is to use self.rightBT3.curselection(), which returns a tuple containing the zero-based index of the selected lines. You can then get() each line using those indices.
(I haven’t actually tested this though)
I find the above solution a little bit “obscure”. Specially when we are dealing here with programers that are learning the craft or learning python/tkinter.
I came out with, what I think, a more explanatory solution, which is the following. I hope that this works out better for you.
#-*- coding: utf-8 -*-
# Python version 3.4
# The use of the ttk module is optional, you can use regular tkinter widgets
from tkinter import *
from tkinter import ttk
main = Tk()
main.title("Multiple Choice Listbox")
main.geometry("+50+150")
frame = ttk.Frame(main, padding=(3, 3, 12, 12))
frame.grid(column=0, row=0, sticky=(N, S, E, W))
valores = StringVar()
valores.set("Carro Coche Moto Bici Triciclo Patineta Patin Patines Lancha Patrullas")
lstbox = Listbox(frame, listvariable=valores, selectmode=MULTIPLE, width=20, height=10)
lstbox.grid(column=0, row=0, columnspan=2)
def select():
reslist = list()
seleccion = lstbox.curselection()
for i in seleccion:
entrada = lstbox.get(i)
reslist.append(entrada)
for val in reslist:
print(val)
btn = ttk.Button(frame, text="Choices", command=select)
btn.grid(column=1, row=1)
main.mainloop()
Please note that the use ot the ttk themed widgets is completely optional. You can use normal tkinter’s widgets.
To get a list of text items selected in a listbox, I find the below solution to be the most elegant:
selected_text_list = [listbox.get(i) for i in listbox.curselection()]
I too came across the same problem. After some research I’ve come to a somewhat workable solution that allows for multiple selections to be made in a Listbox. It’s not ideal, in that a scrollbar is still missing from the field (a UX clue that there are additional values). However, it does allow for multi-selections.
from tkinter import *
window_app = Tk()
# ### Allows for multi-selections ###
def listbox_used(event):
curselection = listbox.curselection()
for index in curselection:
print(listbox.get(index)) # Gets current selection from listbox
# Only challenge with this implementation is the incremental growth of the list.
# However, this could be resolved with a Submit button that gets the final selections.
listbox = Listbox(window_app, height=4, selectmode='multiple')
fruits = ["Apple", "Pear", "Orange", "Banana", "Cherry", "Kiwi"]
for item in fruits:
listbox.insert(fruits.index(item), item)
listbox.bind("<<ListboxSelect>>", listbox_used) # bind function allows any selection to call listbox_used function.
listbox.pack(padx=10, pady=10) # Adds some padding around the field, because...fields should be able to breathe :D
window_app.mainloop()
I have a listbox which is set up with selectmode='multiple'.
I then try to obtain a list of all the options the user has selected, by the code name.get(ACTIVE).
The problem is that it doesn’t always get all the options I have highlighted in the listbox GUI.
If I highlight one, it brings this back correctly.
If I highlight two or more (by a single click on each) it only returns the last item I selected
If I have multiple highlighted, but then click to un-highlight one, it’s this last one I clicked that gets returned even though it unhighlighted.
I’m expecting for the code to bring back what ever is highlighted.
The code to set up the listbox is:
self.rightBT3 = Listbox(Frame1,selectmode='multiple',exportselection=0)
The code to retrieve the selections is:
selection = self.rightBT3.get(ACTIVE)
This is a screenshot of what the Application looks like in action, at the top you can see the console only registered the one selection (last one I clicked).
It seems the correct way to get a list of selected items in a Tkinter listbox is to use self.rightBT3.curselection(), which returns a tuple containing the zero-based index of the selected lines. You can then get() each line using those indices.
(I haven’t actually tested this though)
I find the above solution a little bit “obscure”. Specially when we are dealing here with programers that are learning the craft or learning python/tkinter.
I came out with, what I think, a more explanatory solution, which is the following. I hope that this works out better for you.
#-*- coding: utf-8 -*-
# Python version 3.4
# The use of the ttk module is optional, you can use regular tkinter widgets
from tkinter import *
from tkinter import ttk
main = Tk()
main.title("Multiple Choice Listbox")
main.geometry("+50+150")
frame = ttk.Frame(main, padding=(3, 3, 12, 12))
frame.grid(column=0, row=0, sticky=(N, S, E, W))
valores = StringVar()
valores.set("Carro Coche Moto Bici Triciclo Patineta Patin Patines Lancha Patrullas")
lstbox = Listbox(frame, listvariable=valores, selectmode=MULTIPLE, width=20, height=10)
lstbox.grid(column=0, row=0, columnspan=2)
def select():
reslist = list()
seleccion = lstbox.curselection()
for i in seleccion:
entrada = lstbox.get(i)
reslist.append(entrada)
for val in reslist:
print(val)
btn = ttk.Button(frame, text="Choices", command=select)
btn.grid(column=1, row=1)
main.mainloop()
Please note that the use ot the ttk themed widgets is completely optional. You can use normal tkinter’s widgets.
To get a list of text items selected in a listbox, I find the below solution to be the most elegant:
selected_text_list = [listbox.get(i) for i in listbox.curselection()]
I too came across the same problem. After some research I’ve come to a somewhat workable solution that allows for multiple selections to be made in a Listbox. It’s not ideal, in that a scrollbar is still missing from the field (a UX clue that there are additional values). However, it does allow for multi-selections.
from tkinter import *
window_app = Tk()
# ### Allows for multi-selections ###
def listbox_used(event):
curselection = listbox.curselection()
for index in curselection:
print(listbox.get(index)) # Gets current selection from listbox
# Only challenge with this implementation is the incremental growth of the list.
# However, this could be resolved with a Submit button that gets the final selections.
listbox = Listbox(window_app, height=4, selectmode='multiple')
fruits = ["Apple", "Pear", "Orange", "Banana", "Cherry", "Kiwi"]
for item in fruits:
listbox.insert(fruits.index(item), item)
listbox.bind("<<ListboxSelect>>", listbox_used) # bind function allows any selection to call listbox_used function.
listbox.pack(padx=10, pady=10) # Adds some padding around the field, because...fields should be able to breathe :D
window_app.mainloop()