Summary of the Tk Commands

The following tables list the Tcl commands added by Tk. The page number in the table is the primary reference for the command, and there are other references in the index.

Widget Commands

Table 23-1 lists commands that create widgets. There are 18 different widgets in Tk, although 4 of them are variations on a button, and 5 are devoted to different flavors of text display.

Table 23-1. Tk widget-creation commands

Command	Pg.	Description
button	454	Create a command button.
canvas	557	Create a canvas, which supports lines, boxes, bitmaps, images, arcs, text, polygons, and embedded widgets.
checkbutton	458	Create a toggle button that is linked to a Tcl variable.
entry	507	Create a one-line text entry widget.
frame	485	Create a container widget used with geometry managers.
label	490	Create a read-only, multiline text label.
labelframe	485	Create a container widget used with geometry managers that has extra label attributes. (Tk 8.4)
listbox	519	Create a line-oriented, scrolling text widget.
menu	462	Create a menu.
menubutton	462	Create a button that posts a menu.
message	493	Create a read-only, multiline text message.
panedwindow	429	Create a container widget that controls other widgets in a paned fashion. (Tk 8.4)
radiobutton	458	Create one of a set of radio buttons linked to one variable.
scale	495	Create a scale widget that adjusts the value of a variable.
scrollbar	499	Create a scrollbar that can be linked to another widget.
spinbox	511	Create a spinbox widget that is a composite entry widget with button controls for adjusting the value. (Tk 8.4)
text	531	Create a general-purpose, editable text widget.
toplevel	485	Create a frame that is a new top level window.

Widget Manipulation Commands

Table 23-2 lists commands that manipulate widgets and provide associated functions like input focus, event binding, and geometry management.

Table 23-2. Tk widget-manipulation commands

Command	Pg.	Description
bell	497	Ring the terminal bell device.
bind	435	Bind a Tcl command to an event.
bindtags	437	Create binding classes and control binding inheritance.
clipboard	594	Manipulate the clipboard.
destroy	605	Delete a widget.
event	446	Define and generate virtual events.
focus	603	Control the input focus.
font	641	Set and query font attributes and measurements.
grab	604	Steal the input focus from other widgets.
grid	419	Arrange widgets into a grid with constraints.
image	626	Create and manipulate images.
lower	409	Lower a window in the stacking order.
option	477	Set and query the resources database.
pack	409	Pack a widget in the display with constraints.
place	427	Place a widget in the display with positions.
raise	409	Raise a window in the stacking order.
selection	593	Manipulate the selection.
send	648	Send a Tcl command to another Tk application.
tk	669	Query or set the application name or global caret.
tkerror	202	Handler for background errors.
tkwait	605	Wait for an event.
update	608	Update the display by going through the event loop.
winfo	663	Query window state.
wm	657	Interact with the window manager.

Support Procedures

Table 23-3 lists several support procedures that implement standard dialogs, option menus, and other facilities.

Table 23-3. Tk support procedures

Command	Pg.	Description
tk_bisque	621	Install bisque family of colors.
tk_chooseColor	602	Dialog to select a color. (Tk 4.2)
tk_chooseDirectory	600	Dialog to select a directory. (Tk 8.2)
tk_dialog	599	Create simple dialogs.
tk_focusFollowsMouse	603	Install mouse-tracking focus model.
tk_focusNext	604	Focus on next widget in tab order.
tk_focusPrev	604	Focus on previous widget in tab order.
tk_getOpenFile	600	Dialog to open an existing file. (Tk 4.2)
tk_getSaveFile	600	Dialog to open a new file. (Tk 4.2)
tk_messageBox	600	Message dialog. (Tk 4.2)
tk_optionMenu	465	Create an option menu.
tk_popup	465	Create a pop-up menu.
tk_setPalette	621	Set the standard color palette. (Tk 4.2)