Inserting Unicode chars in Entry widget

[Alan Graham]

Hello Python experts,

I want to insert Unicode chars in an Entry widget by pushing on buttons;
one for each Unicode character I need. I have made the Unicode buttons.
I just need a simple function that will send the Unicode character to
the Entry widget.
Is there a better approach?

Alan

 

[Chris Angelico]

Hello Python experts,

I want to insert Unicode chars in an Entry widget by pushing on buttons;
one for each Unicode character I need. I have made the Unicode buttons.
I just need a simple function that will send the Unicode character to
the Entry widget.
Is there a better approach?

What GUI toolkit are you using?

Whatever it is, there ought to be a simple method on the Entry widget
that inserts a character. Poke around with it and you'll probably find
it, though you may find it under a name you don't expect. (Happens a
lot. GTK calls something "sensitive" when the rest of the world calls
it "enabled".)

ChrisA

 

[Irmen de Jong]

Hello Python experts,

I want to insert Unicode chars in an Entry widget by pushing on buttons;
one for each Unicode character I need. I have made the Unicode buttons.
I just need a simple function that will send the Unicode character to
the Entry widget.
Is there a better approach?

Alan

Not sure what the question is. A better approach to doing what?

I assuming you're doing tkinter (it is helpful if you mention the toolkit when posting a
question). I'd create a function that you bind to all 'unicode buttons', and let the
function insert the correct character depending on which button triggered it.

A possible way to do that is to use a lambda with a different parameter for every
button, like this:

b1=Button(f, text='char1', command=lambda b=1: insert_char(b))
b2=Button(f, text='char2', command=lambda b=2: insert_char(b))
....etc..

def insert_char(b):
if b==1:
entrywidget.insert(0, u"\u20ac") # inserts € in the entry widget e
elif b==2:
entrywidget.insert(0, ...some other char...)
...


Or simply define a different command function for every button, then you don't have to
use the lambda.

-irmen

 

[Chris Angelico]

b1=Button(f, text='char1', command=lambda b=1: insert_char(b))
b2=Button(f, text='char2', command=lambda b=2: insert_char(b))
...etc..

def insert_char(b):
if b==1:
entrywidget.insert(0, u"\u20ac") # inserts € in the entry widget e
elif b==2:
entrywidget.insert(0, ...some other char...)
...

I'm not familiar with tkinter syntax, but why not:

b1=Button(f, text='char1', command=lambda: insert_char(1))
b2=Button(f, text='char2', command=lambda: insert_char(2))

or even:

b1=Button(f, text='char1', command=lambda: insert_char(u"\u20ac"))
b2=Button(f, text='char2', command=lambda: insert_char("... some other
char..."))

Seems weird to multiplex like that, but if there's a good reason for
it, sure. I'm more of a GTK person than tkinter, and more of a
command-line guy than either of the above.

ChrisA

 

[Irmen de Jong]

I'm not familiar with tkinter syntax, but why not:

b1=Button(f, text='char1', command=lambda: insert_char(1))
b2=Button(f, text='char2', command=lambda: insert_char(2))

or even:

b1=Button(f, text='char1', command=lambda: insert_char(u"\u20ac"))
b2=Button(f, text='char2', command=lambda: insert_char("... some other
char..."))

Seems weird to multiplex like that, but if there's a good reason for
it, sure. I'm more of a GTK person than tkinter, and more of a
command-line guy than either of the above.

ChrisA

You're right there's nothing special about tkinter there, I was copying some existing
code a bit too literally. Simplify the lambdas as needed.

Irmen