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





NAME


options - Standard options supported by widgets








DESCRIPTION


This manual entry describes the common configuration options
    supported by widgets in the Tk toolkit. Every widget does not necessarily
    support every option (see the manual entries for individual widgets for a
    list of the standard options supported by that widget), but if a widget does
    support an option with one of the names listed below, then the option has
    exactly the effect described below.


In the descriptions below, “Command-Line Name”
    refers to the switch used in class commands and configure widget
    commands to set this value. For example, if an option's command-line switch
    is -foreground and there exists a widget .a.b.c, then the
    command




.a.b.c  configure  -foreground black



may be used to specify the value black for the option in the widget
  .a.b.c. Command-line switches may be abbreviated, as long as the
  abbreviation is unambiguous. “Database Name” refers to the
  option's name in the option database (e.g. in .Xdefaults files).
  “Database Class” refers to the option's class value in the
  option database.



Command-Line Name:	-activebackground
Database Name:	activeBackground
Database Class:	Foreground



  

  
Specifies background color to use when drawing active elements. An element
      (a widget or portion of a widget) is active if the mouse cursor is
      positioned over the element and pressing a mouse button will cause some
      action to occur. If strict Motif compliance has been requested by setting
      the tk_strictMotif variable, this option will normally be ignored;
      the normal background color will be used instead. For some elements on
      Windows and Macintosh systems, the active color will only be used while
      mouse button 1 is pressed over the element.






Command-Line Name:	-activeborderwidth
Database Name:	activeBorderWidth
Database Class:	BorderWidth



  

  
Specifies a non-negative value indicating the width of the 3-D border
      drawn around active elements. See above for definition of active elements.
      The value may have any of the forms acceptable to Tk_GetPixels.
      This option is typically only available in widgets displaying more than
      one element at a time (e.g. menus but not buttons).






Command-Line Name:	-activeforeground
Database Name:	activeForeground
Database Class:	Background



  

  
Specifies foreground color to use when drawing active elements. See above
      for definition of active elements.






Command-Line Name:	-anchor
Database Name:	anchor
Database Class:	Anchor



  

  
Specifies how the information in a widget (e.g. text or a bitmap) is to be
      displayed in the widget. Must be one of the values n, ne,
      e, se, s, sw, w, nw, or
      center. For example, nw means display the information such
      that its top-left corner is at the top-left corner of the widget.






Command-Line Name:	-background or -bg
Database Name:	background
Database Class:	Background



  

  
Specifies the normal background color to use when displaying the
    widget.






Command-Line Name:	-bitmap
Database Name:	bitmap
Database Class:	Bitmap



  

  
Specifies a bitmap to display in the widget, in any of the forms
      acceptable to Tk_GetBitmap. The exact way in which the bitmap is
      displayed may be affected by other options such as -anchor or
      -justify. Typically, if this option is specified then it overrides
      other options that specify a textual value to display in the widget but
      this is controlled by the -compound option; the -bitmap
      option may be reset to an empty string to re-enable a text display. In
      widgets that support both -bitmap and -image options,
      -image will usually override -bitmap.






Command-Line Name:	-borderwidth or -bd
Database Name:	borderWidth
Database Class:	BorderWidth



  

  
Specifies a non-negative value indicating the width of the 3-D border to
      draw around the outside of the widget (if such a border is being drawn;
      the -relief option typically determines this). The value may also
      be used when drawing 3-D effects in the interior of the widget. The value
      may have any of the forms acceptable to Tk_GetPixels.






Command-Line Name:	-cursor
Database Name:	cursor
Database Class:	Cursor



  

  
Specifies the mouse cursor to be used for the widget. The value may have
      any of the forms acceptable to Tk_GetCursor. In addition, if an
      empty string is specified, it indicates that the widget should defer to
      its parent for cursor specification.






Command-Line Name:	-compound
Database Name:	compound
Database Class:	Compound



  

  
Specifies if the widget should display text and bitmaps/images at the same
      time, and if so, where the bitmap/image should be placed relative to the
      text. Must be one of the values none, bottom, top,
      left, right, or center. For example, the (default)
      value none specifies that the bitmap or image should (if defined)
      be displayed instead of the text, the value left specifies that the
      bitmap or image should be displayed to the left of the text, and the value
      center specifies that the bitmap or image should be displayed on
      top of the text.






Command-Line Name:	-disabledforeground
Database Name:	disabledForeground
Database Class:	DisabledForeground



  

  
Specifies foreground color to use when drawing a disabled element. If the
      option is specified as an empty string (which is typically the case on
      monochrome displays), disabled elements are drawn with the normal
      foreground color but they are dimmed by drawing them with a stippled fill
      pattern.






Command-Line Name:	-exportselection
Database Name:	exportSelection
Database Class:	ExportSelection



  

  
Specifies whether or not a selection in the widget should also be the X
      selection. The value may have any of the forms accepted by
      Tcl_GetBoolean, such as true, false, 0,
      1, yes, or no. If the selection is exported, then
      selecting in the widget deselects the current X selection, selecting
      outside the widget deselects any widget selection, and the widget will
      respond to selection retrieval requests when it has a selection. The
      default is usually for widgets to export selections.






Command-Line Name:	-font
Database Name:	font
Database Class:	Font



  

  
Specifies the font to use when drawing text inside the widget. The value
      may have any of the forms described in the font manual page under
      FONT DESCRIPTION.






Command-Line Name:	-foreground or -fg
Database Name:	foreground
Database Class:	Foreground



  

  
Specifies the normal foreground color to use when displaying the
    widget.






Command-Line Name:	-highlightbackground
Database Name:	highlightBackground
Database Class:	HighlightBackground



  

  
Specifies the color to display in the traversal highlight region when the
      widget does not have the input focus.






Command-Line Name:	-highlightcolor
Database Name:	highlightColor
Database Class:	HighlightColor



  

  
Specifies the color to use for the traversal highlight rectangle that is
      drawn around the widget when it has the input focus.






Command-Line Name:	-highlightthickness
Database Name:	highlightThickness
Database Class:	HighlightThickness



  

  
Specifies a non-negative value indicating the width of the highlight
      rectangle to draw around the outside of the widget when it has the input
      focus. The value may have any of the forms acceptable to
      Tk_GetPixels. If the value is zero, no focus highlight is drawn
      around the widget.






Command-Line Name:	-image
Database Name:	image
Database Class:	Image



  

  
Specifies an image to display in the widget, which must have been created
      with the image create command. Typically, if the -image
      option is specified then it overrides other options that specify a bitmap
      or textual value to display in the widget, though this is controlled by
      the -compound option; the -image option may be reset to an
      empty string to re-enable a bitmap or text display.






Command-Line Name:	-insertbackground
Database Name:	insertBackground
Database Class:	Foreground



  

  
Specifies the color to use as background in the area covered by the
      insertion cursor. This color will normally override either the normal
      background for the widget (or the selection background if the insertion
      cursor happens to fall in the selection).






Command-Line Name:	-insertborderwidth
Database Name:	insertBorderWidth
Database Class:	BorderWidth



  

  
Specifies a non-negative value indicating the width of the 3-D border to
      draw around the insertion cursor. The value may have any of the forms
      acceptable to Tk_GetPixels.






Command-Line Name:	-insertofftime
Database Name:	insertOffTime
Database Class:	OffTime



  

  
Specifies a non-negative integer value indicating the number of
      milliseconds the insertion cursor should remain “off” in
      each blink cycle. If this option is zero then the cursor does not blink:
      it is on all the time.






Command-Line Name:	-insertontime
Database Name:	insertOnTime
Database Class:	OnTime



  

  
Specifies a non-negative integer value indicating the number of
      milliseconds the insertion cursor should remain “on” in each
      blink cycle.






Command-Line Name:	-insertwidth
Database Name:	insertWidth
Database Class:	InsertWidth



  

  
Specifies a value indicating the total width of the insertion cursor. The
      value may have any of the forms acceptable to Tk_GetPixels. If a
      border has been specified for the insertion cursor (using the
      -insertborderwidth option), the border will be drawn inside the
      width specified by the -insertwidth option.






Command-Line Name:	-jump
Database Name:	jump
Database Class:	Jump



  

  
For widgets with a slider that can be dragged to adjust a value, such as
      scrollbars, this option determines when notifications are made about
      changes in the value. The option's value must be a boolean of the form
      accepted by Tcl_GetBoolean. If the value is false, updates are made
      continuously as the slider is dragged. If the value is true, updates are
      delayed until the mouse button is released to end the drag; at that point
      a single notification is made (the value “jumps” rather than
      changing smoothly).






Command-Line Name:	-justify
Database Name:	justify
Database Class:	Justify



  

  
When there are multiple lines of text displayed in a widget, this option
      determines how the lines line up with each other. Must be one of
      left, center, or right. Left means that the
      lines' left edges all line up, center means that the lines' centers
      are aligned, and right means that the lines' right edges line
    up.






Command-Line Name:	-orient
Database Name:	orient
Database Class:	Orient



  

  
For widgets that can lay themselves out with either a horizontal or
      vertical orientation, such as scrollbars, this option specifies which
      orientation should be used. Must be either horizontal or
      vertical or an abbreviation of one of these.






Command-Line Name:	-padx
Database Name:	padX
Database Class:	Pad



  

  
Specifies a non-negative value indicating how much extra space to request
      for the widget in the X-direction. The value may have any of the forms
      acceptable to Tk_GetPixels. When computing how large a window it
      needs, the widget will add this amount to the width it would normally need
      (as determined by the width of the things displayed in the widget); if the
      geometry manager can satisfy this request, the widget will end up with
      extra internal space to the left and/or right of what it displays inside.
      Most widgets only use this option for padding text: if they are displaying
      a bitmap or image, then they usually ignore padding options.






Command-Line Name:	-pady
Database Name:	padY
Database Class:	Pad



  

  
Specifies a non-negative value indicating how much extra space to request
      for the widget in the Y-direction. The value may have any of the forms
      acceptable to Tk_GetPixels. When computing how large a window it
      needs, the widget will add this amount to the height it would normally
      need (as determined by the height of the things displayed in the widget);
      if the geometry manager can satisfy this request, the widget will end up
      with extra internal space above and/or below what it displays inside. Most
      widgets only use this option for padding text: if they are displaying a
      bitmap or image, then they usually ignore padding options.






Command-Line Name:	-relief
Database Name:	relief
Database Class:	Relief



  

  
Specifies the 3-D effect desired for the widget. Acceptable values are
      raised, sunken, flat, ridge, solid, and
      groove. The value indicates how the interior of the widget should
      appear relative to its exterior; for example, raised means the
      interior of the widget should appear to protrude from the screen, relative
      to the exterior of the widget.






Command-Line Name:	-repeatdelay
Database Name:	repeatDelay
Database Class:	RepeatDelay



  

  
Specifies the number of milliseconds a button or key must be held down
      before it begins to auto-repeat. Used, for example, on the up- and
      down-arrows in scrollbars.






Command-Line Name:	-repeatinterval
Database Name:	repeatInterval
Database Class:	RepeatInterval



  

  
Used in conjunction with -repeatdelay: once auto-repeat begins,
      this option determines the number of milliseconds between
    auto-repeats.






Command-Line Name:	-selectbackground
Database Name:	selectBackground
Database Class:	Foreground



  

  
Specifies the background color to use when displaying selected items.






Command-Line Name:	-selectborderwidth
Database Name:	selectBorderWidth
Database Class:	BorderWidth



  

  
Specifies a non-negative value indicating the width of the 3-D border to
      draw around selected items. The value may have any of the forms acceptable
      to Tk_GetPixels.






Command-Line Name:	-selectforeground
Database Name:	selectForeground
Database Class:	Background



  

  
Specifies the foreground color to use when displaying selected items.






Command-Line Name:	-setgrid
Database Name:	setGrid
Database Class:	SetGrid



  

  
Specifies a boolean value that determines whether this widget controls the
      resizing grid for its top-level window. This option is typically used in
      text widgets, where the information in the widget has a natural size (the
      size of a character) and it makes sense for the window's dimensions to be
      integral numbers of these units. These natural window sizes form a grid.
      If the -setgrid option is set to true then the widget will
      communicate with the window manager so that when the user interactively
      resizes the top-level window that contains the widget, the dimensions of
      the window will be displayed to the user in grid units and the window size
      will be constrained to integral numbers of grid units. See the section
      GRIDDED GEOMETRY MANAGEMENT in the wm manual entry for more
      details.






Command-Line Name:	-takefocus
Database Name:	takeFocus
Database Class:	TakeFocus



  

  
Determines whether the window accepts the focus during keyboard traversal
      (e.g., Tab and Shift-Tab). Before setting the focus to a window, the
      traversal scripts consult the value of the -takefocus option. A
      value of 0 means that the window should be skipped entirely during
      keyboard traversal. 1 means that the window should receive the
      input focus as long as it is viewable (it and all of its ancestors are
      mapped). An empty value for the option means that the traversal scripts
      make the decision about whether or not to focus on the window: the current
      algorithm is to skip the window if it is disabled, if it has no key
      bindings, or if it is not viewable. If the value has any other form, then
      the traversal scripts take the value, append the name of the window to it
      (with a separator space), and evaluate the resulting string as a Tcl
      script. The script must return 0, 1, or an empty string: a
      0 or 1 value specifies whether the window will receive the
      input focus, and an empty string results in the default decision described
      above. Note: this interpretation of the option is defined entirely by the
      Tcl scripts that implement traversal: the widget implementations ignore
      the option entirely, so you can change its meaning if you redefine the
      keyboard traversal scripts.






Command-Line Name:	-text
Database Name:	text
Database Class:	Text



  

  
Specifies a string to be displayed inside the widget. The way in which the
      string is displayed depends on the particular widget and may be determined
      by other options, such as -anchor or -justify.






Command-Line Name:	-textvariable
Database Name:	textVariable
Database Class:	Variable



  

  
Specifies the name of a global variable. The value of the variable is a
      text string to be displayed inside the widget; if the variable value
      changes then the widget will automatically update itself to reflect the
      new value. The way in which the string is displayed in the widget depends
      on the particular widget and may be determined by other options, such as
      -anchor or -justify.






Command-Line Name:	-troughcolor
Database Name:	troughColor
Database Class:	Background



  

  
Specifies the color to use for the rectangular trough areas in widgets
      such as scrollbars and scales. This option is ignored for scrollbars on
      Windows (native widget does not recognize this option).






Command-Line Name:	-underline
Database Name:	underline
Database Class:	Underline



  

  
Specifies the integer index of a character to underline in the widget.
      This option is used by the default bindings to implement keyboard
      traversal for menu buttons and menu entries. 0 corresponds to the first
      character of the text displayed in the widget, 1 to the next character,
      and so on.






Command-Line Name:	-wraplength
Database Name:	wrapLength
Database Class:	WrapLength



  

  
For widgets that can perform word-wrapping, this option specifies the
      maximum line length. Lines that would exceed this length are wrapped onto
      the next line, so that no line is longer than the specified length. The
      value may be specified in any of the standard forms for screen distances.
      If this value is less than or equal to 0 then no wrapping is done: lines
      will break only at newline characters in the text.






Command-Line Name:	-xscrollcommand
Database Name:	xScrollCommand
Database Class:	ScrollCommand



  

  
Specifies the prefix for a command used to communicate with horizontal
      scrollbars. When the view in the widget's window changes (or whenever
      anything else occurs that could change the display in a scrollbar, such as
      a change in the total size of the widget's contents), the widget will
      generate a Tcl command by concatenating the scroll command and two
      numbers. Each of the numbers is a fraction between 0 and 1, which
      indicates a position in the document. 0 indicates the beginning of the
      document, 1 indicates the end, .333 indicates a position one third the way
      through the document, and so on. The first fraction indicates the first
      information in the document that is visible in the window, and the second
      fraction indicates the information just after the last portion that is
      visible. The command is then passed to the Tcl interpreter for execution.
      Typically the -xscrollcommand option consists of the path name of a
      scrollbar widget followed by “set”, e.g.
      “.x.scrollbar set”: this will cause the scrollbar to be
      updated whenever the view in the window changes. If this option is not
      specified, then no command will be executed.






Command-Line Name:	-yscrollcommand
Database Name:	yScrollCommand
Database Class:	ScrollCommand



  

  
Specifies the prefix for a command used to communicate with vertical
      scrollbars. This option is treated in the same way as the
      -xscrollcommand option, except that it is used for vertical
      scrollbars and is provided by widgets that support vertical scrolling. See
      the description of -xscrollcommand for details on how this option
      is used.








SEE ALSO


colors, cursors, font






KEYWORDS


class, name, standard option, switch







  

    4.4
    Tk