widget focus switching problems.

I'm having difficulty switching focus between widgets in my
program. This  
is a mostly non-functioning GUI to be used for database
creation, saving  
and retreival. The code currently looks horrifyingly
unPythonic since I'm  
very new to this and I'm just kind of hacking my way through
it. It's also  
several hundred more lines than I should put in here. My
major question is  
if there is a Python or Tkinter piece of code that will
excecute itself as  
though I had pressed the tab button? In other words, I'd
like to bind the  
return key, when pressed in my Entry box, to switch focus
(or Tab) to the  
next item in the focus loop. I have the focus turned off for
all other  
widgets aside from the ones created by the function below
and one button  
(the one that will save the entries to the db). Sorry if
this is  
long-winded, but I'm not sure what I'm talking about enough
to be concise.  
Anyway, here's the code so far and what I think it does:

##########################

variables = []					# clears previously collected values
for field in SHORTKEYS:				# iterates over a list of 40
items
     ent = Entry(rite)				# creates the entry box
     ent.pack(side = TOP, fill = X)		# packs the entry box
     if field == 'name':				# 'name' is the first entry
box,
         ent.focus_set()				# so it gets focus on startup
     ent.bind('<Return>', return_pressed)	# binds
<Return> on all entry  
boxes
     var = StringVar()				#
     ent.config(textvariable=var)		# all the other lines
convert the entries
     variables.append(var)			# to a list I can use later.
return variables				#

##########################

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Nick
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On Sat, 13 Oct 2007 03:52:43 -0500
Nicholas <nicholaskrizgmail.com> wrote:

> I'm having difficulty switching focus between widgets
in my program. This  
> is a mostly non-functioning GUI to be used for database
creation, saving  
> and retreival. The code currently looks horrifyingly
unPythonic since I'm  
> very new to this and I'm just kind of hacking my way
through it. It's also  
> several hundred more lines than I should put in here.
My major question is  
> if there is a Python or Tkinter piece of code that will
excecute itself as  
> though I had pressed the tab button? In other words,
I'd like to bind the  
> return key, when pressed in my Entry box, to switch
focus (or Tab) to the  
> next item in the focus loop. I have the focus turned
off for all other  
> widgets aside from the ones created by the function
below and one button  
> (the one that will save the entries to the db). Sorry
if this is  
> long-winded, but I'm not sure what I'm talking about
enough to be concise.  
> Anyway, here's the code so far and what I think it
does:
> 
> ##########################
> 
> variables = []					# clears previously collected
values
> for field in SHORTKEYS:				# iterates over a list of 40
items
>      ent = Entry(rite)				# creates the entry box
>      ent.pack(side = TOP, fill = X)		# packs the entry
box
>      if field == 'name':				# 'name' is the first entry
box,
>          ent.focus_set()				# so it gets focus on
startup
>      ent.bind('<Return>', return_pressed)	# binds
<Return> on all entry  
> boxes
>      var = StringVar()				#
>      ent.config(textvariable=var)		# all the other
lines convert the entries
>      variables.append(var)			# to a list I can use
later.
> return variables				#
> 

Hi Nick,

you will want to use the widget's event_generate() method to
emulate the Tab-keystroke,
so your callback might look like:

    def return_pressed(event):
        event.widget.event_generate('<Tab>')
        return 'break'

The "return 'break'" statement stops the
<Return> event from triggering its default callback
(if any).
I hope this helps.

Michael

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