Can't copy the value of a Tkinter Entry

Question

So i have this code:

from Tkinter import *
Admin = Tk()

def searches():
    gett = search.get()
    lab = Label(frame, text='searching for ' + gett)
    lab.pack(side='bottom')
frame = Frame(Admin)
frame.pack()
search = Entry(frame)
search.pack(side='left')

button = Button(frame, text='Search', command=searches)
button.pack(side='right')

getts = search.get()

Admin.mainloop()

other = getts

print other

but the "other" doesn't inherit the text in the entry please help.

`getts` is being assigned the value before `mainloop` (i.e. before your window is even being displayed); assigning `other` to `getts` won't help you. Instead, look into callbacks for an appropriate time to get the value. — li.davidm, Apr 05 '11 at 02:22

score 0 · Answer 1 · answered Apr 05 '11 at 02:36

You are calling search.get() and assigning the result to getts -- and then assigning that to other -- prior to the GUI ever being displayed on the screen. Because of this the result of search.get() will be the empty string since you don't pre-load the widget with any data. And because getts is empty, when it is assigned to other, other is empty, too.

score 0 · Answer 2 · edited May 23 '17 at 09:58

You're setting getts before the main loop executes. When you run the program and enter something in the Entry field, that doesn't change the value of a variable you've already set.

If you want to read the value of the entry field after Admin.mainloop() exits, you'll have to have a Tkinter object set the value of getts in response to some GUI action. One way would be with an on-exit callback. See Intercept Tkinter "Exit" command? for example. In your case you want something like

Admin.protocol("WM_DELETE_WINDOW", SomeFunctionWhichSetsGetts)

Or better yet (perusing that linked post further) create a subclass of Entry with a destroy() method that sets getts for you.

Can't copy the value of a Tkinter Entry

2 Answers2