checkbutton(n) Tk Built-In Commands checkbutton(n) NAME checkbutton - Create and manipulate checkbutton widgets SYNOPSIS checkbutton pathName ?options? -activebackground -font -pady -activeforeground -foreground -relief -anchor -highlightback- ground -takefocus -background -highlightcolor -text -bit- map -highlightthickness -textvariable -border- width -image -underline -cursor -justify -wraplength -disabled- foreground -padx WIDGET-SPECIFIC OPTIONS Specifies a Tcl command to associate with the button. This command is typically invoked when mouse button 1 is released over the button win- dow. The button's global variable (-variable option) will be updated before the command is invoked. Specifies a desired height for the but- ton. If an image or bitmap is being displayed in(1,8) the button then the value is in(1,8) screen units(1,7) (i.e. any of the forms acceptable to Tk_Get- Pixels); for text it is in(1,8) lines of text. If this option isn't speci- fied, the button's desired height is computed from the size of the image or bitmap or text being displayed in(1,8) it. Specifies whether or not the indicator should be drawn. Must be a proper boolean value. If false, the relief option is ignored and the widget's relief is always sunken if(3,n) the widget is selected and raised otherwise. Specifies the relief for the checkbutton when the indicator is not drawn and the checkbutton is off. The default value is "raised". By setting this option to "flat" and setting -indicatoron to false and -overrelief to raised, the effect is achieved of having a flat button that raises on mouse-over and which is depressed when activated. This is the behavior typically exhibited by the Bold, Italic, and Underline checkbuttons on the toolbar of a word-processor, for example. Specifies value to store in(1,8) the button's associated variable whenever this button is deselected. Defaults to ``0''. Specifies value to store in(1,8) the button's associated variable whenever this button is selected. Defaults to ``1''. Speci- fies an alternative relief for the checkbutton, to be used when the mouse cursor is over the widget. This option can be used to make tool- bar buttons, by configuring -relief flat -overrelief raised. If the value of this option is the empty string(3,n), then no alternative relief is used when the mouse cursor is over the checkbutton. The empty string(3,n) is the default value. Specifies a background color to use when the button is selected. If indicatorOn is true then the color applies to the indicator. Under Windows, this color is used as the background for the indicator regardless of the select(2,7,2 select_tut) state. If indicatorOn is false, this color is used as the background for the entire widget, in(1,8) place of background or activeBackground, whenever the widget is selected. If specified as an empty string(3,n) then no special color is used for display- ing when the widget is selected. Specifies an image to display (in(1,8) place of the image option) when the checkbutton is selected. This option is ignored unless the image option has been specified. Speci- fies one of three states for the checkbutton: normal, active, or dis- abled. In normal state the checkbutton is displayed using the fore- ground and background options. The active state is typically used when the pointer is over the checkbutton. In active state the checkbutton is displayed using the activeForeground and activeBackground options. Disabled state means that the checkbutton should be insensitive: the default bindings will refuse to activate the widget and will ignore mouse button presses. In this state the disabledForeground and back- ground options determine how the checkbutton is displayed. Specifies name of global variable to set(7,n,1 builtins) to indicate whether or not this button is selected. Defaults to the name of the button within its parent (i.e. the last element of the button window's path name). Specifies a desired width for the button. If an image or bitmap is being displayed in(1,8) the button then the value is in(1,8) screen units(1,7) (i.e. any of the forms acceptable to Tk_GetPixels); for text it is in(1,8) characters. If this option isn't specified, the button's desired width is computed from the size of the image or bitmap or text being displayed in(1,8) it. DESCRIPTION The checkbutton command creates a new window (given by the pathName argument) and makes it into a checkbutton widget. Additional options, described above, may be specified on the command line or in(1,8) the option database to configure aspects of the checkbutton such as its colors, font, text, and initial relief. The checkbutton command returns its pathName argument. At the time(1,2,n) this command is invoked, there must not exist a window named(5,8) pathName, but pathName's parent must exist. A checkbutton is a widget that displays a textual string(3,n), bitmap or image and a square called an indicator. If text is displayed, it must all be in(1,8) a single font, but it can occupy multiple lines on the screen (if(3,n) it contains newlines or if(3,n) wrapping occurs because of the wrapLength option) and one of the characters may optionally be under- lined using the underline option. A checkbutton has all of the behav- ior of a simple button, including the following: it can display itself in(1,8) either of three different ways, according to the state option; it can be made to appear raised, sunken, or flat; it can be made to flash; and it invokes a Tcl command whenever mouse button 1 is clicked over the checkbutton. In addition, checkbuttons can be selected. If a checkbutton is selected then the indicator is normally drawn with a selected appear- ance, and a Tcl variable associated with the checkbutton is set(7,n,1 builtins) to a particular value (normally 1). Under Unix, the indicator is drawn with a sunken relief and a special color. Under Windows, the indicator is drawn with a check mark inside. If the checkbutton is not selected, then the indicator is drawn with a deselected appearance, and the asso- ciated variable is set(7,n,1 builtins) to a different value (typically 0). Under Unix, the indicator is drawn with a raised relief and no special color. Under Windows, the indicator is drawn without a check mark inside. By default, the name of the variable associated with a checkbutton is the same as the name used to create the checkbutton. The variable name, and the ``on'' and ``off'' values stored in(1,8) it, may be modified with options on the command line or in(1,8) the option database. Configuration options may also be used to modify the way the indicator is displayed (or whether it is displayed at all). By default a checkbutton is con- figured to select(2,7,2 select_tut) and deselect itself on alternate button clicks. In addition, each checkbutton monitors its associated variable and auto- matically selects and deselects itself when the variables value changes to and from the button's ``on'' value. WIDGET COMMAND The checkbutton command creates a new Tcl command whose name is path- Name. 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. The following commands are possible for checkbutton widgets: pathName cget option Returns the current value of the configuration option given by option. Option may have any of the values accepted by the checkbutton 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(5,8) option (this list will be identical to the corresponding sublist of the value returned if(3,n) 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(1,8) this case the command returns an empty string. Option may have any of the values accepted by the checkbutton command. pathName deselect Deselects the checkbutton and sets the associated variable to its ``off'' value. pathName flash Flashes the checkbutton. This is accomplished by redisplaying the checkbutton several times, alternating between active and normal colors. At the end of the flash the checkbutton is left in(1,8) the same normal/active state as when the command was invoked. This command is ignored if(3,n) the checkbutton's state is disabled. pathName invoke Does just what would have happened if(3,n) the user invoked the checkbutton with the mouse: toggle the selection state of the button and invoke the Tcl command associated with the checkbut- ton, if(3,n) there is one. The return value is the return value from the Tcl command, or an empty string(3,n) if(3,n) there is no command asso- ciated with the checkbutton. This command is ignored if(3,n) the checkbutton's state is disabled. pathName select(2,7,2 select_tut) Selects the checkbutton and sets the associated variable to its ``on'' value. pathName toggle Toggles the selection state of the button, redisplaying it and modifying its associated variable to reflect the new state. BINDINGS Tk automatically creates class bindings for checkbuttons that give them the following default behavior: [1] On Unix systems, a checkbutton activates whenever the mouse passes over it and deactivates whenever the mouse leaves the checkbutton. On Mac and Windows systems, when mouse button 1 is pressed over a checkbutton, the button activates whenever the mouse pointer is inside the button, and deactivates whenever the mouse pointer leaves the button. [2] When mouse button 1 is pressed over a checkbutton, it is invoked (its selection state toggles and the command associated with the button is invoked, if(3,n) there is one). [3] When a checkbutton has the input focus, the space key causes the checkbutton to be invoked. Under Windows, there are additional key bindings; plus (+) and equal (=) select(2,7,2 select_tut) the button, and minus (-) deselects the button. If the checkbutton's state is disabled then none of the above actions occur: the checkbutton is completely non-responsive. The behavior of checkbuttons can be changed by defining new bindings for individual widgets or by redefining the class bindings. KEYWORDS checkbutton, widget Tk 4.4 checkbutton(n)