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entry

entry(n)                     Tk Built-In Commands                     entry(n)



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NAME
       entry - Create and manipulate entry widgets

SYNOPSIS
       entry pathName ?options?

STANDARD OPTIONS
       -background           -highlightbackground -insertontime-selectforeground
       -borderwidth          -highlightcolor      -insertwidth-takefocus
       -cursor               -highlightthickness  -justify-textvariable
       -exportselection      -insertbackground    -relief-xscrollcommand
       -font                 -insertborderwidth   -selectbackground
       -foreground           -insertofftime       -selectborderwidth

       See the options manual entry for details on the standard options.

WIDGET-SPECIFIC OPTIONS
       Command-Line Name:-invalidcommand or -invcmd                            |
       Database Name:  invalidCommand                                          |
       Database Class: InvalidCommand                                          |

              Specifies a script to eval when validateCommand returns 0.  Set- |
              ting it to {} disables this feature (the default).  The best use |
              of  this  option is to set it to bell.  See Validation below for |
              more information.

       Command-Line Name:-show
       Database Name:  show
       Database Class: Show

              If this option is specified, then the true contents of the entry
              are not displayed in the window.  Instead, each character in the
              entry's value will be displayed as the first  character  in  the
              value  of this option, such as ``*''.  This is useful, for exam-
              ple, if the entry is to be used to enter a password.  If charac-
              ters  in the entry are selected and copied elsewhere, the infor-
              mation copied will be what is displayed, not the  true  contents
              of the entry.

       Command-Line Name:-state
       Database Name:  state
       Database Class: State

              Specifies  one of two states for the entry:  normal or disabled.
              If the entry is disabled then the value may not be changed using
              widget  commands and no insertion cursor will be displayed, even
              if the input focus is in the widget.                             |

       Command-Line Name:-validate                                             |
       Database Name:  validate                                                |
       Database Class: Validate                                                |

              Specifies the mode in which  validation  should  operate:  none, |
              focus,  focusin,  focusout,  key,  or all.  It defaults to none. |
              When you want validation, you must explicitly state  which  mode |
              you wish to use.  See Validation below for more.                 |

       Command-Line Name:-validatecommand or -vcmd                             |
       Database Name:  validateCommand                                         |
       Database Class: ValidateCommand                                         |

              Specifies  a  script to eval when you want to validate the input |
              into the entry widget.  Setting it to {} disables  this  feature |
              (the  default).   This  command  must return a valid tcl boolean |
              value.  If it returns 0 (or the valid  tcl  boolean  equivalent) |
              then  it  means you reject the new edition and it will not occur |
              and the invalidCommand will be evaluated if it  is  set.  If  it |
              returns  1,  then  the new edition occurs.  See Validation below |
              for more information.

       Command-Line Name:-width
       Database Name:  width
       Database Class: Width

              Specifies an integer value indicating the desired width  of  the
              entry  window,  in average-size characters of the widget's font.
              If the value is less than or equal to zero, the widget  picks  a
              size just large enough to hold its current text.
_________________________________________________________________


DESCRIPTION
       The entry command creates a new window (given by the pathName argument)
       and makes it into  an  entry  widget.   Additional  options,  described
       above,  may  be specified on the command line or in the option database
       to configure aspects of the entry such as its colors, font, and relief.
       The entry command returns its pathName argument.  At the time this com-
       mand is invoked, there must not exist  a  window  named  pathName,  but
       pathName's parent must exist.

       An  entry  is  a widget that displays a one-line text string and allows
       that string to be edited using widget commands described  below,  which
       are  typically  bound to keystrokes and mouse actions.  When first cre-
       ated, an entry's string is empty.   A  portion  of  the  entry  may  be
       selected  as  described  below.  If an entry is exporting its selection
       (see the exportSelection option), then it will observe the standard X11
       protocols  for  handling the selection;  entry selections are available
       as type STRING.  Entries also observe the standard Tk rules for dealing
       with the input focus.  When an entry has the input focus it displays an
       insertion cursor to indicate where new characters will be inserted.

       Entries are capable of displaying strings that  are  too  long  to  fit
       entirely  within  the widget's window.  In this case, only a portion of
       the string will be displayed;  commands described below may be used  to
       change the view in the window.  Entries use the standard xScrollCommand
       mechanism for interacting with scrollbars (see the description  of  the
       xScrollCommand  option  for  details).   They also support scanning, as
       described below.


VALIDATION                                                                     |
       Validation works by setting the  validateCommand  option  to  a  script |
       which will be evaluated according to the validate option as follows:    |


       none                                                                    ||
                 Default.  This means no validation will occur.                |

       focus                                                                   ||
                 validateCommand  will  be  called  when the entry receives or |
                 loses focus.                                                  |

       focusin                                                                 ||
                 validateCommand will be called when the entry receives focus. |

       focu-                                                                   |
       sout                                                                |   |
                 validateCommand will be called when the entry loses focus.    |

       key                                                                     ||
                 validateCommand will be called when the entry is edited.      |

       all                                                                     ||
                 validateCommand will be called for all above conditions.      |

       It  is  posible to perform percent substitutions on the validateCommand |
       and invalidCommand, just as you would in a bind script.  The  following |
       substitutions are recognized:                                           |


       %d                                                                      ||
            Type of action: 1 for insert, 0  for  delete,  or  -1  for  focus, |
            forced or textvariable validation.                                 |

       %i                                                                      ||
            Index of char string to be inserted/deleted, if any, otherwise -1. |

       %P                                                                      ||
            The value of the entry should edition occur.  If you are configur- |
            ing  the entry widget to have a new textvariable, this will be the |
            value of that textvariable.                                        |

       %s                                                                      ||
            The current value of entry before edition.                         |

       %S                                                                      ||
            The text string being inserted/deleted, if any, {} otherwise.      |

       %v                                                                      ||
            The type of validation currently set.                              |

       %V                                                                      ||
            The type of validation that triggered the callback (key,  focusin, |
            focusout, forced).                                                 |

       %W                                                                      ||
            The name of the entry widget.                                      |

       In general, the textVariable and validateCommand can  be  dangerous  to |
       mix.  Any problems have been overcome so that using the validateCommand |
       will not interfere with the traditional behavior of the  entry  widget. |
       Using  the  textVariable  for read-only purposes will never cause prob- |
       lems.  The danger comes when you try set the textVariable to  something |
       that  the  validateCommand  would  not accept, which causes validate to |
       become none (the invalidCommand will not be triggered).  The same  hap- |
       pens when an error occurs evaluating the validateCommand.               |

       Primarily,  an error will occur when the validateCommand or invalidCom- |
       mand encounters an error in its script while evaluating or validateCom- |
       mand  does  not  return a valid tcl boolean value.  The validate option |
       will also set itself to none when you edit the entry widget from within |
       either  the  validateCommand or the invalidCommand.  Such editions will |
       override the one that was being validated.  If you  wish  to  edit  the |
       entry  widget  (for  example  set it to {}) during validation and still |
       have the validate option set, you should include the command            |
                   after idle {%W config -validate %v}                         |
       in the validateCommand or invalidCommand (whichever one you were  edit- |
       ing the entry widget from).  It is also recommended to not set an asso- |
       ciated textVariable during validation, as that can cause the entry wid- |
       get to become out of sync with the textVariable.


WIDGET COMMAND
       The  entry  command  creates  a new Tcl command whose name is pathName.
       This command may be used to invoke various operations  on  the  widget.
       It has the following general form:
              pathName option ?arg arg ...?
       Option and the args determine the exact behavior of the command.

       Many  of  the  widget  commands for entries take one or more indices as
       arguments.  An index specifies a particular character  in  the  entry's
       string, in any of the following ways:

       number      Specifies  the character as a numerical index, where 0 cor-
                   responds to the first character in the string.

       anchor      Indicates the anchor point for the selection, which is  set
                   with the select from and select adjust widget commands.

       end         Indicates  the  character  just  after  the last one in the
                   entry's string.  This is equivalent to specifying a numeri-
                   cal index equal to the length of the entry's string.

       insert      Indicates the character adjacent to and immediately follow-
                   ing the insertion cursor.

       sel.first   Indicates the first character in the selection.  It  is  an
                   error  to use this form if the selection isn't in the entry
                   window.

       sel.last    Indicates the character just after  the  last  one  in  the
                   selection.   It  is an error to use this form if the selec-
                   tion isn't in the entry window.

       @number     In this form, number is treated as an x-coordinate  in  the
                   entry's  window;   the character spanning that x-coordinate
                   is used.  For example, ``@0'' indicates the left-most char-
                   acter in the window.

       Abbreviations  may  be  used  for any of the forms above, e.g. ``e'' or
       ``sel.f''.  In general, out-of-range indices are automatically  rounded
       to the nearest legal value.

       The following commands are possible for entry widgets:

       pathName bbox index
              Returns  a  list  of four numbers describing the bounding box of
              the character given by index.  The first  two  elements  of  the
              list  give  the  x and y coordinates of the upper-left corner of
              the screen area covered by the character (in pixels relative  to
              the  widget) and the last two elements give the width and height
              of the character, in pixels.  The bounding box may  refer  to  a
              region outside the visible area of the window.

       pathName cget option
              Returns  the  current value of the configuration option given by
              option.  Option may have any of the values accepted by the entry
              command.

       pathName configure ?option? ?value option value ...?
              Query  or modify the configuration options of the widget.  If no
              option is specified, returns a list describing all of the avail-
              able  options for pathName (see Tk_ConfigureInfo for information
              on the format of this list).  If option  is  specified  with  no
              value,  then the command returns a list describing the one named
              option (this list will be identical to the corresponding sublist
              of  the  value  returned  if no option is specified).  If one or
              more option-value pairs are specified, then the command modifies
              the  given widget option(s) to have the given value(s);  in this
              case the command returns an empty string.  Option may  have  any
              of the values accepted by the entry command.

       pathName delete first ?last?
              Delete one or more elements of the entry.  First is the index of
              the first character to delete, and last  is  the  index  of  the
              character  just  after  the  last  one to delete.  If last isn't
              specified it defaults to first+1, i.e.  a  single  character  is
              deleted.  This command returns an empty string.

       pathName get
              Returns the entry's string.

       pathName icursor index
              Arrange for the insertion cursor to be displayed just before the
              character given by index.  Returns an empty string.

       pathName index index
              Returns the numerical index corresponding to index.

       pathName insert index string
              Insert the characters of string just before the character  indi-
              cated by index.  Returns an empty string.

       pathName scan option args
              This  command  is used to implement scanning on entries.  It has
              two forms, depending on option:

              pathName scan mark x
                     Records x and the current view in the entry window;  used
                     in  conjunction  with  later scan dragto commands.  Typi-
                     cally this command is  associated  with  a  mouse  button
                     press in the widget.  It returns an empty string.

              pathName scan dragto x
                     This  command computes the difference between its x argu-
                     ment and the x argument to the last scan mark command for
                     the widget.  It then adjusts the view left or right by 10
                     times the difference in x-coordinates.  This  command  is
                     typically associated with mouse motion events in the wid-
                     get, to produce the effect of dragging the entry at  high
                     speed  through  the window.  The return value is an empty
                     string.

       pathName selection option arg
              This command is used to adjust the selection  within  an  entry.
              It has several forms, depending on option:

              pathName selection adjust index
                     Locate  the end of the selection nearest to the character
                     given by index, and adjust that end of the  selection  to
                     be  at  index (i.e including but not going beyond index).
                     The other end of the selection is made the  anchor  point
                     for  future  select  to commands.  If the selection isn't
                     currently in the entry, then a new selection  is  created
                     to  include  the  characters  between  index and the most
                     recent selection anchor  point,  inclusive.   Returns  an
                     empty string.

              pathName selection clear
                     Clear  the  selection  if it is currently in this widget.
                     If the selection isn't in this widget  then  the  command
                     has no effect.  Returns an empty string.

              pathName selection from index
                     Set the selection anchor point to just before the charac-
                     ter  given  by  index.   Doesn't  change  the  selection.
                     Returns an empty string.

              pathName selection present
                     Returns  1  if  there  is  are characters selected in the
                     entry, 0 if nothing is selected.

              pathName selection range start end
                     Sets the selection to  include  the  characters  starting
                     with  the  one  indexed  by start and ending with the one
                     just before end.  If end refers to the same character  as
                     start  or  an  earlier one, then the entry's selection is
                     cleared.

              pathName selection to index
                     If index is before the anchor point, set the selection to
                     the  characters  from  index  up to but not including the
                     anchor point.  If index is the same as the anchor  point,
                     do  nothing.  If index is after the anchor point, set the
                     selection to the characters from the anchor point  up  to
                     but  not including index.  The anchor point is determined
                     by the most recent select from or select  adjust  command
                     in  this  widget.   If the selection isn't in this widget
                     then a new selection is created  using  the  most  recent
                     anchor  point specified for the widget.  Returns an empty
                     string.

       pathName vali-                                                          |
       date                                                       |            |
              This  command is used to force an evaluation of the validateCom- |
              mand independent of the conditions  specified  by  the  validate |
              option.  This is done by temporarily setting the validate option |
              to all.  It returns 0 or 1.

       pathName xview args
              This command is used to query and change the horizontal position
              of the text in the widget's window.  It can take any of the fol-
              lowing forms:

              pathName xview
                     Returns a list containing two elements.  Each element  is
                     a  real fraction between 0 and 1;  together they describe
                     the horizontal span that is visible in the  window.   For
                     example,  if  the first element is .2 and the second ele-
                     ment is .6, 20% of the entry's text is off-screen to  the
                     left, the middle 40% is visible in the window, and 40% of
                     the text is off-screen to the right.  These are the  same
                     values  passed  to  scrollbars  via  the  -xscrollcommand
                     option.

              pathName xview index
                     Adjusts the view in the  window  so  that  the  character
                     given  by index is displayed at the left edge of the win-
                     dow.

              pathName xview moveto fraction
                     Adjusts the view in the  window  so  that  the  character
                     fraction  of the way through the text appears at the left
                     edge of the window.  Fraction must be a fraction  between
                     0 and 1.

              pathName xview scroll number what
                     This  command shifts the view in the window left or right
                     according to number and what.  Number must be an integer.
                     What  must be either units or pages or an abbreviation of
                     one of these.  If what is units, the view adjusts left or
                     right  by number average-width characters on the display;
                     if it is pages then the view adjusts  by  number  screen-
                     fuls.   If  number is negative then characters farther to
                     the left become visible;  if it is positive then  charac-
                     ters farther to the right become visible.


DEFAULT BINDINGS
       Tk  automatically creates class bindings for entries that give them the
       following default behavior.  In the descriptions below, ``word'' refers
       to  a  contiguous group of letters, digits, or ``_'' characters, or any
       single character other than these.

       [1]    Clicking mouse button 1  positions  the  insertion  cursor  just
              before the character underneath the mouse cursor, sets the input
              focus to this widget, and clears any selection  in  the  widget.
              Dragging with mouse button 1 strokes out a selection between the
              insertion cursor and the character under the mouse.

       [2]    Double-clicking with mouse button 1 selects the word  under  the
              mouse and positions the insertion cursor at the beginning of the
              word.  Dragging after a double click will stroke out a selection
              consisting of whole words.

       [3]    Triple-clicking  with  mouse button 1 selects all of the text in
              the entry and positions the insertion cursor  before  the  first
              character.

       [4]    The ends of the selection can be adjusted by dragging with mouse
              button 1 while the Shift key is down;  this will adjust the  end
              of  the selection that was nearest to the mouse cursor when but-
              ton 1 was pressed.  If the button is double-clicked before drag-
              ging  then  the  selection  will  be  adjusted in units of whole
              words.

       [5]    Clicking mouse button 1 with the Control key down will  position
              the  insertion  cursor in the entry without affecting the selec-
              tion.

       [6]    If any normal printing characters are typed in  an  entry,  they
              are inserted at the point of the insertion cursor.

       [7]    The  view  in  the  entry can be adjusted by dragging with mouse
              button 2.  If mouse button  2  is  clicked  without  moving  the
              mouse, the selection is copied into the entry at the position of
              the mouse cursor.

       [8]    If the mouse is dragged out of the entry on the  left  or  right
              sides  while  button  1 is pressed, the entry will automatically
              scroll to make more text visible (if there  is  more  text  off-
              screen on the side where the mouse left the window).

       [9]    The  Left and Right keys move the insertion cursor one character
              to the left or right;  they also  clear  any  selection  in  the
              entry  and  set the selection anchor.  If Left or Right is typed
              with the Shift key down, then the insertion cursor moves and the
              selection  is  extended  to include the new character.  Control-
              Left and Control-Right move the insertion cursor by  words,  and
              Control-Shift-Left  and  Control-Shift-Right  move the insertion
              cursor by words and also extend the  selection.   Control-b  and
              Control-f  behave  the  same  as  Left  and Right, respectively.
              Meta-b and Meta-f behave the same as Control-Left  and  Control-
              Right, respectively.

       [10]   The  Home  key,  or Control-a, will move the insertion cursor to
              the beginning of the entry and clear any selection in the entry.
              Shift-Home  moves  the  insertion cursor to the beginning of the
              entry and also extends the selection to that point.

       [11]   The End key, or Control-e, will move the insertion cursor to the
              end  of  the entry and clear any selection in the entry.  Shift-
              End moves the cursor to the end and  extends  the  selection  to
              that point.

       [12]   The Select key and Control-Space set the selection anchor to the
              position of the insertion cursor.  They don't affect the current
              selection.   Shift-Select  and  Control-Shift-Space  adjust  the
              selection to the  current  position  of  the  insertion  cursor,
              selecting  from  the anchor to the insertion cursor if there was
              not any selection previously.

       [13]   Control-/ selects all the text in the entry.

       [14]   Control-\ clears any selection in the entry.

       [15]   The F16 key (labelled Copy on many Sun workstations)  or  Meta-w
              copies the selection in the widget to the clipboard, if there is
              a selection.

       [16]   The F20 key (labelled Cut on many Sun workstations) or Control-w
              copies  the selection in the widget to the clipboard and deletes
              the selection.  If there is no  selection  in  the  widget  then
              these keys have no effect.

       [17]   The  F18  key  (labelled Paste on many Sun workstations) or Con-
              trol-y inserts the contents of the clipboard at the position  of
              the insertion cursor.

       [18]   The  Delete  key  deletes  the selection, if there is one in the
              entry.  If there is no selection, it deletes  the  character  to
              the right of the insertion cursor.

       [19]   The  BackSpace  key and Control-h delete the selection, if there
              is one in the entry.  If there is no selection, it  deletes  the
              character to the left of the insertion cursor.

       [20]   Control-d  deletes  the  character to the right of the insertion
              cursor.

       [21]   Meta-d deletes the word to the right of the insertion cursor.

       [22]   Control-k deletes all the characters to the right of the  inser-
              tion cursor.

       [23]   Control-t  reverses the order of the two characters to the right
              of the insertion cursor.

       If the entry is disabled using the -state option, then the entry's view
       can  still be adjusted and text in the entry can still be selected, but
       no insertion cursor will be displayed and no  text  modifications  will
       take place.

       The  behavior  of  entries  can be changed by defining new bindings for
       individual widgets or by redefining the class bindings.


KEYWORDS
       entry, widget



Tk                                    8.3                             entry(n)