Tkinter Treeview insert(): Add Rows, Parent and Child Nodes

The Tkinter ttk.Treeview.insert() method adds an item to a Treeview. The new item can be a top-level row or a child of another item, so the same method works for both table-style and hierarchical data.

Treeview insert() Syntax 🔝

tree.insert(parent, index, iid=None, **options)

The method returns the iid of the newly created item.

Create a Flat Treeview Table 🔝

If the Treeview is being used only as a table and no parent-child hierarchy is needed, the tree column can be hidden with show='headings'.

import tkinter as tk
from tkinter import ttk

root=tk.Tk()
root.geometry('520x250')

columns=('id', 'name', 'class', 'mark', 'gender')
tree=ttk.Treeview(root, columns=columns, show='headings', selectmode='browse')

tree.heading('id', text='ID')
tree.heading('name', text='Name')
tree.heading('class', text='Class')
tree.heading('mark', text='Mark')
tree.heading('gender', text='Gender')

tree.column('id', width=50, anchor='center')
tree.column('name', width=120)
tree.column('class', width=90, anchor='center')
tree.column('mark', width=70, anchor='center')
tree.column('gender', width=90, anchor='center')

tree.pack(padx=20, pady=20, fill='x')

root.mainloop()

Insert One Row 🔝

Use an empty string as the parent to add a top-level row.

tree.insert('', 'end', values=(1, 'Alex', 'Four', 78, 'Male'))

The first argument:

''

represents Treeview's invisible root, so the new record becomes a top-level item.

Treeview iid and the Returned Item ID 🔝

Every Treeview item has a unique identifier called an iid.

Let Treeview Generate the iid

item_id=tree.insert('', 'end', values=(1, 'Alex', 'Four', 78, 'Male'))

print(item_id)

insert() returns the generated iid. This identifier can later be used with methods such as item(), delete(), move() and see().

Supply Your Own iid

tree.insert('', 'end', iid='student_1', values=(1, 'Alex', 'Four', 78, 'Male'))

Treeview iid vs Database ID

The Treeview iid and an application's record ID do not have to be the same value.

student_id=36

item_id=tree.insert('', 'end', values=(student_id, 'King', 'Five', 45, 'Male'))

Here student_id is application data, while item_id is the Treeview identifier.

Insert a Row at the Top or Bottom 🔝

Add at the Bottom

tree.insert('', 'end', values=(2, 'Ravi', 'Five', 82, 'Male'))

Add at the Top

tree.insert('', 0, values=(2, 'Ravi', 'Five', 82, 'Male'))

Insert at a Specific Position

tree.insert('', 1, values=(3, 'Raju', 'Four', 75, 'Male'))

The index is relative to the other children of the same parent.

Insert User-Entered Data into Treeview 🔝

We can collect data using Entry, Combobox, Radiobutton and a Button, then insert the new row.

import tkinter as tk
from tkinter import ttk

root=tk.Tk()
root.geometry('600x420')
root.title('Treeview insert() - plus2net')

columns=('id', 'name', 'class', 'mark', 'gender')
tree=ttk.Treeview(root, columns=columns, show='headings', selectmode='browse')
tree.grid(row=0, column=0, columnspan=5, padx=20, pady=20)

headings=('ID', 'Name', 'Class', 'Mark', 'Gender')
for column, heading in zip(columns, headings):
    tree.heading(column, text=heading)
    tree.column(column, width=100, anchor='center')

tree.insert('', 'end', values=(1, 'Alex', 'Four', 78, 'Male'))

next_id=2

def add_data():
    global next_id

    name=name_entry.get().strip()
    student_class=class_combo.get()
    mark=mark_entry.get().strip()
    gender=gender_var.get()

    item_id=tree.insert('', 'end', values=(next_id, name, student_class, mark, gender))
    tree.selection_set(item_id)
    tree.focus(item_id)
    tree.see(item_id)

    next_id+=1
    name_entry.delete(0, tk.END)
    mark_entry.delete(0, tk.END)
    class_combo.set('')
    status_var.set('Data added')
    name_entry.focus_set()
    root.after(3000, lambda: status_var.set(''))

tk.Label(root, text='Name').grid(row=1, column=0)
name_entry=tk.Entry(root, width=14)
name_entry.grid(row=2, column=0, padx=5)

tk.Label(root, text='Class').grid(row=1, column=1)
class_combo=ttk.Combobox(root, values=('Three', 'Four', 'Five'), state='readonly', width=10)
class_combo.grid(row=2, column=1, padx=5)

tk.Label(root, text='Mark').grid(row=1, column=2)
mark_entry=tk.Entry(root, width=8)
mark_entry.grid(row=2, column=2, padx=5)

gender_var=tk.StringVar(value='Female')
tk.Radiobutton(root, text='Male', variable=gender_var, value='Male').grid(row=2, column=3)
tk.Radiobutton(root, text='Female', variable=gender_var, value='Female').grid(row=2, column=4)

tk.Button(root, text='Add Record', command=add_data).grid(row=3, column=0, columnspan=5, pady=15)

status_var=tk.StringVar()
tk.Label(root, textvariable=status_var).grid(row=4, column=0, columnspan=5)

root.mainloop()

After inserting the row, this part selects it, gives it focus and scrolls it into view if required:

tree.selection_set(item_id)
tree.focus(item_id)
tree.see(item_id)

Validate User Input Before insert() 🔝

The earlier example demonstrates insertion. In an actual form, validate the input before adding a record.

def add_data():
    global next_id

    name=name_entry.get().strip()
    student_class=class_combo.get()
    mark_text=mark_entry.get().strip()
    gender=gender_var.get()

    if not name:
        status_var.set('Enter student name')
        return

    if not student_class:
        status_var.set('Select a class')
        return

    try:
        mark=int(mark_text)
    except ValueError:
        status_var.set('Mark must be an integer')
        return

    if not 0 <= mark <= 100:
        status_var.set('Mark must be from 0 to 100')
        return

    item_id=tree.insert('', 'end', values=(next_id, name, student_class, mark, gender))
    next_id+=1

Validation prevents incomplete or invalid records from being displayed in the Treeview.

Insert Parent and Child Items 🔝

Treeview is not limited to flat tables. An item can be inserted under another item's iid.

parent_id=tree.insert('', 'end', text='Alex', values=('Four', 78, 'Male'), open=True)

child_id=tree.insert(parent_id, 'end', text='Ravi', values=('Five', 82, 'Male'))

The important difference is the first argument:

tree.insert('', 'end', ...)          # top-level parent
tree.insert(parent_id, 'end', ...)   # child of parent_id

Use the #0 Tree Column for Parent-Child Display 🔝

For hierarchical data, do not hide the tree portion with show='headings'. Instead use:

tree=ttk.Treeview(root, columns=('class', 'mark', 'gender'), show='tree headings')

The special #0 column contains the hierarchy, item text and expand/collapse indicator.

tree.heading('#0', text='Student')
tree.column('#0', width=150)

Additional data is placed in the configured columns.

tree.heading('class', text='Class')
tree.heading('mark', text='Mark')
tree.heading('gender', text='Gender')

Insert a Child under the Selected Parent 🔝

Use selection() to obtain the selected Treeview item.

selected=tree.selection()

if selected:
    parent_id=selected[0]
    tree.insert(parent_id, 'end', text='New Child')

With selectmode='browse', only one item can be selected by the user, so the first selected iid is used.

Allow Children Only under Top-Level Parents

Treeview supports multiple hierarchy levels. If the application should allow children only under top-level parents, check the selected item's parent.

selected=tree.selection()

if selected:
    parent_id=selected[0]

    if tree.parent(parent_id) == '':
        tree.insert(parent_id, 'end', text='New Child')

Add Parent and Child Records from User Input 🔝

This example provides separate buttons for adding top-level parent rows and child rows. The Add Child button becomes available when a top-level parent is selected.

import tkinter as tk
from tkinter import ttk

root=tk.Tk()
root.geometry('600x500')
root.title('Treeview Parent and Child - plus2net')

columns=('class', 'mark', 'gender')
tree=ttk.Treeview(root, columns=columns, show='tree headings', selectmode='browse')
tree.grid(row=0, column=0, columnspan=4, padx=20, pady=20, sticky='nsew')

tree.heading('#0', text='Name')
tree.heading('class', text='Class')
tree.heading('mark', text='Mark')
tree.heading('gender', text='Gender')

tree.column('#0', width=160)
tree.column('class', width=90, anchor='center')
tree.column('mark', width=80, anchor='center')
tree.column('gender', width=90, anchor='center')

tree.insert('', 'end', text='Alex', values=('Four', 78, 'Male'), open=True)

def read_form():
    name=name_entry.get().strip()
    student_class=class_combo.get()
    mark_text=mark_entry.get().strip()
    gender=gender_var.get()

    if not name or not student_class:
        status_var.set('Enter name and select class')
        return None

    try:
        mark=int(mark_text)
    except ValueError:
        status_var.set('Enter a valid mark')
        return None

    if not 0 <= mark <= 100:
        status_var.set('Mark must be from 0 to 100')
        return None

    return name, student_class, mark, gender

def clear_form():
    name_entry.delete(0, tk.END)
    mark_entry.delete(0, tk.END)
    class_combo.set('')
    name_entry.focus_set()

def add_parent():
    data=read_form()

    if data is None:
        return

    name, student_class, mark, gender=data
    item_id=tree.insert('', 'end', text=name, values=(student_class, mark, gender), open=True)
    tree.selection_set(item_id)
    tree.focus(item_id)
    tree.see(item_id)
    status_var.set('Parent added')
    clear_form()

def add_child():
    selected=tree.selection()

    if not selected:
        status_var.set('Select a parent row')
        return

    parent_id=selected[0]

    if tree.parent(parent_id) != '':
        status_var.set('Select a top-level parent')
        return

    data=read_form()

    if data is None:
        return

    name, student_class, mark, gender=data
    child_id=tree.insert(parent_id, 'end', text=name, values=(student_class, mark, gender))
    tree.item(parent_id, open=True)
    tree.selection_set(child_id)
    tree.focus(child_id)
    tree.see(child_id)
    status_var.set('Child added')
    clear_form()

def update_child_button(event=None):
    selected=tree.selection()
    enabled=bool(selected and tree.parent(selected[0]) == '')
    child_button.config(state=tk.NORMAL if enabled else tk.DISABLED)

tk.Label(root, text='Name').grid(row=1, column=0)
name_entry=tk.Entry(root, width=15)
name_entry.grid(row=2, column=0, padx=5)

tk.Label(root, text='Class').grid(row=1, column=1)
class_combo=ttk.Combobox(root, values=('Three', 'Four', 'Five'), state='readonly', width=10)
class_combo.grid(row=2, column=1, padx=5)

tk.Label(root, text='Mark').grid(row=1, column=2)
mark_entry=tk.Entry(root, width=8)
mark_entry.grid(row=2, column=2, padx=5)

gender_var=tk.StringVar(value='Female')
tk.Radiobutton(root, text='Male', variable=gender_var, value='Male').grid(row=2, column=3)
tk.Radiobutton(root, text='Female', variable=gender_var, value='Female').grid(row=2, column=4)

tk.Button(root, text='Add Parent', command=add_parent).grid(row=3, column=0, columnspan=2, pady=15)
child_button=tk.Button(root, text='Add Child', command=add_child, state=tk.DISABLED)
child_button.grid(row=3, column=2, columnspan=2, pady=15)

status_var=tk.StringVar()
tk.Label(root, textvariable=status_var).grid(row=4, column=0, columnspan=4)

tree.bind('<<TreeviewSelect>>', update_child_button)

root.mainloop()

When a child is inserted, this opens the parent and makes the new child visible:

tree.item(parent_id, open=True)
tree.see(child_id)

Treeview selection() vs focus() 🔝

These methods answer different questions.

When responding to:

'<<TreeviewSelect>>'

use:

selected=tree.selection()

to determine which items are selected.

Insert into Treeview after Saving to MySQL 🔝

The examples above modify only the GUI. When Treeview represents database records, the usual workflow is:

1. Read and validate the user input.
2. Insert the data into the database.
3. Commit the database transaction.
4. Get the new database ID if required.
5. Insert the successfully saved record into Treeview.

Common Treeview insert() Mistakes 🔝

1. Using the Wrong Parent

Top-level item:

tree.insert('', 'end', ...)

Child item:

tree.insert(parent_id, 'end', ...)

2. Manually Creating iids When It Is Not Necessary

This is usually enough:

item_id=tree.insert('', 'end', values=data)

Treeview generates a unique iid and returns it.

3. Reusing an Existing iid

If custom iids are supplied, each one must be unique.

4. Hiding the Tree Column for Parent-Child Data

For a flat table:

show='headings'

For visible hierarchical data:

show='tree headings'

5. Expecting text= to Appear with show='headings'

The text option belongs to the special #0 tree column. If the tree portion is hidden, use values for the visible data columns.

6. Using focus() as the Selection

Use:

selected=tree.selection()

when the operation depends on the selected row.

7. Using Text for a Single-Line Form Field

A student's name or mark is better collected with Entry. A Text widget is designed for multi-line input.

8. Inserting Unvalidated Input

Validate required fields and numeric values before inserting them into the Treeview.

9. Assuming Treeview Data Is Automatically Saved

Treeview.insert() changes only the GUI widget. It does not insert records into MySQL, SQLite or another data source.

10. Adding a Child but Leaving the Parent Collapsed

Use:

tree.item(parent_id, open=True)
tree.see(child_id)

when the newly added child should immediately become visible.

Summary of Tkinter Treeview insert() 🔝

• Use Treeview.insert() to add items to a Treeview.
• An empty parent '' creates a top-level item.
• Pass an existing item's iid as the parent to create a child.
• Use 'end' to append an item.
• Use index 0 to insert an item first.
• insert() returns the iid of the newly created item.
• Supplying your own iid is optional.
• A custom iid must be unique.
• The Treeview iid does not have to be the same as a database record ID.
• Use values for additional data columns.
• Use text for the special #0 tree column.
• show='headings' is suitable for a flat table.
• show='tree headings' is suitable for visible parent-child hierarchies.
• Use selection() when logic depends on selected items.
• focus() represents the focus item and should not automatically be treated as the selection.
• Use <<TreeviewSelect>> to react when the selection changes.
• Use parent(iid) to determine whether an item is top-level or nested.
• Use item(parent_id, open=True) to expand a parent.
• Use see(iid) to ensure a newly inserted item is visible.
• Validate user input before inserting it.
• Treeview.insert() updates the GUI only; database storage is a separate operation.

Subhendu Mohapatra

Author & Instructor at plus2net

I write and maintain practical tutorials on Python, PHP, SQL, JavaScript, HTML, jQuery, and web development at plus2net. The tutorials focus on clear explanations, working examples, and code that readers can test and adapt while learning.

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