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Tkinter entry with placeholder (Python recipe) by Miguel Martínez López
ActiveState Code (http://code.activestate.com/recipes/580768/)

The function add_placeholder_to adds a placeholder to a tkinter entry.

Parameters:

  • entry: Tkinter widget to add placeholder
  • placeholder: Text of placeholder
  • color: Color of placeholder (optional)
  • font: Font of placeholder (optional)

A placeholder state object is attached to attribute "placeholder_state" of entry widget for future reference. It makes more easier to configure state of placeholder, or change the preferences of the user for color and font for the placeholder.

This widget is added also to my Metro Tkinter recipe:

https://code.activestate.com/recipes/580729-metro-ui-tkinter/

Python, 82 lines
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# Author: Miguel Martinez Lopez

try:
    import Tkinter as tk
except ImportError:
    import tkinter as tk

class Placeholder_State(object):
     __slots__ = 'normal_color', 'normal_font', 'placeholder_text', 'placeholder_color', 'placeholder_font', 'with_placeholder'

def add_placeholder_to(entry, placeholder, color="grey", font=None):
    normal_color = entry.cget("fg")
    normal_font = entry.cget("font")
    
    if font is None:
        font = normal_font

    state = Placeholder_State()
    state.normal_color=normal_color
    state.normal_font=normal_font
    state.placeholder_color=color
    state.placeholder_font=font
    state.placeholder_text = placeholder
    state.with_placeholder=True

    def on_focusin(event, entry=entry, state=state):
        if state.with_placeholder:
            entry.delete(0, "end")
            entry.config(fg = state.normal_color, font=state.normal_font)
        
            state.with_placeholder = False

    def on_focusout(event, entry=entry, state=state):
        if entry.get() == '':
            entry.insert(0, state.placeholder_text)
            entry.config(fg = state.placeholder_color, font=state.placeholder_font)
            
            state.with_placeholder = True

    entry.insert(0, placeholder)
    entry.config(fg = color, font=font)

    entry.bind('<FocusIn>', on_focusin, add="+")
    entry.bind('<FocusOut>', on_focusout, add="+")
    
    entry.placeholder_state = state

    return state

if __name__ == "__main__":
    root = tk.Tk()

    login_frame = tk.LabelFrame(root, text="Login", padx=5, pady=5)
    login_frame.pack(padx=10, pady=10)
    
    label = tk.Label(login_frame, text="User: ")
    label.grid(row=0, column=0, sticky=tk.E)

    # I add a border of 1px width and color #bebebe to the entry using these parameters:
    #  - highlightthickness=1
    #  - highlightbackground="#bebebe"
    #
    entry = tk.Entry(login_frame, bd=1, bg="white", highlightbackground="#bebebe", highlightthickness=1)
    
    # I make the entry a little bit more height using ipady option
    entry.grid(row=0, column=1, ipady=1)

    add_placeholder_to(entry, 'Enter your username...')

    label = tk.Label(login_frame, text="Password: ")
    label.grid(row=1, column=0, sticky=tk.E)

    entry = tk.Entry(login_frame, bd=1, bg="white", highlightbackground="#bebebe", highlightthickness=1)
    entry.grid(row=1, column=1, ipady=1)

    add_placeholder_to(entry, 'Password...')
    
    # Every row has a minimum size
    login_frame.grid_rowconfigure(0, minsize=28)
    login_frame.grid_rowconfigure(1, minsize=28)
    
    root.mainloop()
Tags: entry, placeholder, tkinter