Tk - aligning Labels

[packetstormer]

Hello

I am using Tk for the first time and I can't seem to align the label/entry correctly vertically. Has anyone done this beofore? I did try padding out the text but it looks terrible

#!/usr/bin/perl

use strict;
use Tk;

my $btypes;
my $locations;
my $bstats;

my $mw;

$mw = MainWindow->new;
$mw->geometry("400x300");
$mw->title("First App");

my $frmTop = $mw->Frame(-bd => 2,-relief => 'ridge')->pack(-side => 't
+op', -fill => 'x', -pady => 3);

# Location label/entry
my $frmLocations = $frmTop->Frame(-bd => 2)->pack(-side => 'top', -fil
+l => 'y');
my $lblLocationsID = $frmLocations->Label(-text => "Locations")->pack(
+-side => 'left');
my $edtLocationsID = $frmLocations->Entry(-textvariable => \$locations
+,-background => 'white')->pack(-side => 'left');

# type label/entry
my $frmLocations = $frmTop->Frame(-bd => 2)->pack(-side => 'top', -fil
+l => 'y');
my $lblBtypeID = $frmLocations->Label(-text => "Types"    )->pack(-sid
+e => 'left');
my $edtBtypeID = $frmLocations->Entry(-textvariable => \$btypes,-backg
+round => 'white')->pack(-side => 'left');
        
 
MainLoop;

Thanks!

EDIT: Not sure about the $frmLocations being overwritten in the "type lable/entry" !

[thundergnat]

Maybe use a different geometry manager? grid perhaps? Just remember to not mix geometry managers in a single container widget. e.g. Below, the stuff in $mw is 'pack'ed but the stuff in $frmTop is 'grid'ed.

UPDATE: added -sticky attributes.

#!/usr/bin/perl

use strict;
use Tk;

my $btypes;
my $locations;
my $bstats;

my $mw;

$mw = MainWindow->new;
$mw->geometry("400x300");
$mw->title("First App");

my $frmTop = $mw->Frame(-bd => 2,-relief => 'ridge')->pack(-side => 't
+op', -fill => 'x', -pady => 3);

# Location label/entry
my $lblLocationsID = $frmTop->Label(-text => "Locations")
  ->grid(-row => 0, -column => 0, -sticky => 'w');
my $edtLocationsID = $frmTop->Entry(-textvariable => \$locations,-back
+ground => 'white')
  ->grid(-row => 0, -column => 1);

# type label/entry
my $lblBtypeID = $frmTop->Label(-text => "Types")
  ->grid(-row => 1, -column => 0, -sticky => 'w');
my $edtBtypeID = $frmTop->Entry(-textvariable => \$btypes, -background
+ => 'white')
  ->grid(-row => 1, -column => 1);
        
MainLoop;

[stefbv]

Another option is to use the 'form' geometry manager:

#!/usr/bin/perl
use strict;
use warnings;
use Tk;
use Tk::widgets qw(LabFrame);

my $mw = MainWindow->new;
$mw->title('First App');

#--- Locations

my $locations_f = $mw->LabFrame(
    -label      => 'Locations',
    -labelside  => 'acrosstop',
    -foreground => 'blue',
);
$locations_f->pack(
    -side   => 'top',
    -expand => 1,
    -fill   => 'x',
);

#-- locations

my $llocations = $locations_f->Label( -text => 'Locations' );
$llocations->form(
    -top  => [ %0, 0 ],
    -left => [ %0, 5 ],
);
my $elocations = $locations_f->Entry(
    -width => 20,
);
$elocations->form(
    -top      => [ %0, 0 ],
    -left     => [ %0, 80 ],
    -padright => 5,
);

#-- types

my $ltypes = $locations_f->Label( -text => 'Types' );
$ltypes->form(
    -top  => [ $llocations, 8 ],
    -left => [ %0, 5 ],
);

my $etypes = $locations_f->Entry(
    -width => 15,
);
$etypes->form(
    -top       => [ '&', $ltypes, 0 ],
    -left      => [ %0,  80 ],
    -padbottom => 5,
);

MainLoop;

Regards, Ştefan

[Khen1950fx]

I used windowCreate:

#!/usr/bin/perl

use strict;
use warnings;
use Tk;

my $btypes;
my $locations;
my $bstats;

my $mw = MainWindow->new;
$mw->geometry("400x300");
$mw->title("First App");

my $f = $mw->Frame->pack(-side => 'bottom');
$f->Button(
    -text    => "Exit", 
    -command => sub { exit; }
)->pack(-side => 'left');

my $t = $mw->Scrolled("Text", 
    -width => 50, 
    -wrap => 'none'
    )->pack(-expand => 1, -fill => 'both');

foreach (qw/Locations Types/) {
     $mw = $t->Label(
         -text => "$_:", 
         -relief => 'groove', 
         -width => 30,
     );
     $t->windowCreate('end', -window => $mw);
     $mw = $t->Entry(
         -width => 20, 
         -textvariable => \$locations,
     );
     $t->windowCreate('end', -window => $mw);
     $t->insert('end', "\n");
};
$t->configure(-state => 'enabled'); 

MainLoop;

[Sandy]

This is actually VERY easy to do, if you use some of the options to LABEL.

Add ,-width=>15,-anchor=>'w' to your Label definitions and it will look much better.

Modified code:

#!/usr/bin/perl

use strict;
use Tk;

my $btypes;
my $locations;
my $bstats;

my $mw;

$mw = MainWindow->new;
$mw->geometry("400x300");
$mw->title("First App");

my $frmTop = $mw->Frame(-bd => 2,-relief => 'ridge')->pack(-side => 't
+op', -fill => 'x', -pady => 3);

# Location label/entry
my $frmLocations = $frmTop->Frame(-bd => 2)->pack(-side => 'top', -fil
+l => 'y');
my $lblLocationsID = $frmLocations->Label(-text => "Locations",-width=
+>15,-anchor=>'w')->pack(-side => 'left');
my $edtLocationsID = $frmLocations->Entry(-textvariable => \$locations
+,-background => 'white')->pack(-side => 'left');

# type label/entry
my $frmLocations = $frmTop->Frame(-bd => 2)->pack(-side => 'top', -fil
+l => 'y');
my $lblBtypeID = $frmLocations->Label(-text => "Types",-width=>15, -an
+chor=>'w'   )->pack(-side => 'left');
my $edtBtypeID = $frmLocations->Entry(-textvariable => \$btypes,-backg
+round => 'white')->pack(-side => 'left');
        
 
MainLoop;

[sundialsvc4]

You’d have to use a system of nested frames ...

... and, to be quite honest with you, I’m not sure that I would actually bother.   Especially if you consider how the window should look if it is resized by the user, it just might be “good enough” if the entry fields do not precisely line-up vertically.   I used to lose a lot of sleep over issues like that; I don’t anymore.