The Canvas widget in Tkinter is a versatile widget that can be used to
draw shapes, such as lines, rectangles, ovals, and more. You can also use it to
place images and text. Here's a step-by-step guide to using the Canvas
widget in Tkinter.
First, let's create a basic canvas.
Example: Creating a Basic Canvas
import tkinter as tk
# Create the main window
root = tk.Tk()
root.title("Basic Canvas Example")
root.geometry("400x300")
# Create a Canvas widget
canvas = tk.Canvas(root, width=300, height=200, bg="white")
canvas.pack(pady=20)
# Run the application
root.mainloop()
tk.Canvas(root, width=300, height=200, bg="white"): Creates a Canvas widget with
specified width, height, and background color.canvas.pack(pady=20): Adds the Canvas widget to the window.You can draw various shapes on the canvas, such as lines, rectangles, ovals, polygons, and arcs.
import tkinter as tk
# Create the main window
root = tk.Tk()
root.title("Canvas Shapes Example")
root.geometry("400x300")
# Create a Canvas widget
canvas = tk.Canvas(root, width=300, height=200, bg="white")
canvas.pack(pady=20)
# Draw a line
canvas.create_line(10, 10, 200, 10, fill="black", width=2)
# Draw a rectangle
canvas.create_rectangle(50, 50, 150, 100, outline="blue", width=2, fill="lightblue")
# Draw an oval
canvas.create_oval(200, 50, 300, 150, outline="green", width=2, fill="lightgreen")
# Draw a polygon
canvas.create_polygon(150, 150, 200, 180, 250, 150, 200, 120, outline="purple", fill="lavender", width=2)
# Draw an arc
canvas.create_arc(10, 100, 100, 200, start=0, extent=180, outline="red", fill="pink", width=2)
# Run the application
root.mainloop()
canvas.create_line(x1, y1, x2, y2, options): Draws a line from (x1, y1) to (x2,
y2).canvas.create_rectangle(x1, y1, x2, y2, options): Draws a rectangle with the
top-left corner at (x1, y1) and bottom-right corner at (x2, y2).canvas.create_oval(x1, y1, x2, y2, options): Draws an oval inside the bounding box
defined by (x1, y1) and (x2, y2).canvas.create_polygon(x1, y1, x2, y2, ..., options): Draws a polygon with the
specified vertices.canvas.create_arc(x1, y1, x2, y2, options): Draws an arc within the bounding box
defined by (x1, y1) and (x2, y2).You can add text to the canvas using the create_text method.
Example: Adding Text
import tkinter as tk
# Create the main window
root = tk.Tk()
root.title("Canvas Text Example")
root.geometry("400x300")
# Create a Canvas widget
canvas = tk.Canvas(root, width=300, height=200, bg="white")
canvas.pack(pady=20)
# Add text to the canvas
canvas.create_text(150, 100, text="Hello, Canvas!", font=("Arial", 20), fill="black")
# Run the application
root.mainloop()
canvas.create_text(x, y, options): Places text at the specified (x, y) coordinates.
You can add images to the canvas using the create_image method. Note that you need to
use the PhotoImage class to load images.
Example: Adding Images
import tkinter as tk
# Create the main window
root = tk.Tk()
root.title("Canvas Image Example")
root.geometry("400x300")
# Create a Canvas widget
canvas = tk.Canvas(root, width=300, height=200, bg="white")
canvas.pack(pady=20)
# Load an image
image = tk.PhotoImage(file="path/to/your/image.png")
# Add the image to the canvas
canvas.create_image(150, 100, image=image)
# Keep a reference to the image to prevent it from being garbage collected
canvas.image = image
# Run the application
root.mainloop()
tk.PhotoImage(file="path/to/your/image.png"): Loads an image from the specified
file.canvas.create_image(x, y, image=image): Places the image at the specified (x, y)
coordinates.canvas.image = image: Keeps a reference to the image to prevent it from being
garbage collected.You can add interactivity to canvas items using tags and event bindings.
Example: Making Shapes Interactive
import tkinter as tk
def on_click(event):
canvas.itemconfig(event.widget.find_withtag(tk.CURRENT), fill="red")
# Create the main window
root = tk.Tk()
root.title("Canvas Interaction Example")
root.geometry("400x300")
# Create a Canvas widget
canvas = tk.Canvas(root, width=300, height=200, bg="white")
canvas.pack(pady=20)
# Draw shapes with tags
rect = canvas.create_rectangle(50, 50, 150, 100, outline="blue", width=2, fill="lightblue", tags="rect")
oval = canvas.create_oval(200, 50, 300, 150, outline="green", width=2, fill="lightgreen", tags="oval")
# Bind the click event to the shapes
canvas.tag_bind("rect", "", on_click)
canvas.tag_bind("oval", "", on_click)
# Run the application
root.mainloop()
tags: Assigns tags to canvas items, allowing you to reference them easily.canvas.tag_bind(tag, event, callback): Binds an event to a canvas item with the
specified tag.canvas.itemconfig(item, options): Configures the specified item with new options.
The Canvas widget in Tkinter is a powerful tool for creating custom drawings, shapes,
images, and interactive graphics. By understanding how to use its methods and properties, you can
create complex and dynamic visualizations in your Tkinter applications.