Python Tkinter Grid Layout – Arrange Widgets Using Rows and Columns

Understanding row and column
anchor: Widget Alignment in Grid
Sticky Option
Columnspan
Rowspan
padx,pady,ipadx,ipady
grid_size
grid_slaves: List of widgets in the grid
grid_remove: Temporarily remove the widget from grid
grid_forget: Remove the widget from current location
Remove the widget after some time delay
Remove all widgets or from a location
Delete widget from grid
grid_info() : information about the widget in grid
Example: Creating a Grid of Buttons Using Loops
Choosing Between grid(), pack(), and place() in Tkinter Layouts

The grid() layout manager places widgets in a table-like structure using rows and columns. It is the most commonly used layout in Tkinter. .

Podcast on Tkinter the Python GUI Development

Empty rows and columns are ignored. ( row=3 is same as row=1 if row=1 and row=2 are not used)

Another method of layout is Pack, never mix Pack and grid in same window.

Understanding row and column 🔝

Tkinter Grid layout management by row & columns & aligning in both horizontal & vertical directions

Horizontal placement is done by rows and vertical placement is done by columns.
Tkinter row and column

# Import the tkinter library for creating the GUI
import tkinter as tk

# Create the main window instance
my_w = tk.Tk()

# Set the size of the window to 300x200 pixels
my_w.geometry("300x200")  

# Create a label and place it in row 1, column 1
l1 = tk.Label(my_w, text='row=1,column=1 ')
l1.grid(row=1, column=1) 

# Create a label and place it in row 1, column 2
l2 = tk.Label(my_w, text=' row=1,column=2')
l2.grid(row=1, column=2) 

# Create a label and place it in row 2, column 1
l3 = tk.Label(my_w, text='row=2,column=1 ')
l3.grid(row=2, column=1) 

# Create a label and place it in row 2, column 2
l4 = tk.Label(my_w, text=' row=2,column=2')
l4.grid(row=2, column=2) 

# Run the event loop to display the window
my_w.mainloop()

The top line is row=1 and second line is row=2, similarly first vertical column is column=1 and next vertical column is column=2

anchor: Widget Alignment in Grid 🔝

We can use the anchor attribute to customize widget alignment within the grid cell, such as aligning text or widgets to the top-left, bottom-right, or center of the cell.

import tkinter as tk

my_w = tk.Tk() 
my_w.geometry("300x150")  # Adding labels with different anchor points

label1 = tk.Label(
    my_w, 
    text='Top Left', 
    anchor='nw', 
    bg='yellow', 
    height=3, 
    width=15
) 
label1.grid(row=0, column=0, sticky='nsew') 

label2 = tk.Label(
    my_w, 
    text='Bottom Right', 
    anchor='se', 
    bg='yellow', 
    height=3, 
    width=15
) 
label2.grid(row=1, column=1, sticky='nsew') 

my_w.mainloop()

anchor helps position text or widgets within the grid cell, offering more fine-grained control over their layout.
You can align widgets to the top-left (nw), bottom-right (se), or any other direction using combinations like n, s, e, w.

Key Differences: ( Sticky & Anchor )

Sticky: Determines the widget's alignment and stretch within its grid cell.
Anchor: Controls the alignment of content inside the widget.

They are often used together to provide fine control over both the widget's placement and the alignment of its content.

sticky option 🔝

If the component size is less than the available grid space, then we can use 'E','W','N','S' to align right left top and bottom.

Check F Name and L Name is aligned to left and right. We can align the components to top and bottom also.
Tkinter grid sticky

import tkinter as tk
my_w = tk.Tk()
my_w.geometry("250x100")  
my_w.title("plus2net.com")  # Adding a title

l1 = tk.Label(my_w,  text='F Name (sticky=\'W\')' ) #added one Label 
l1.grid(row=1,column=1,sticky='W') 

e1 = tk.Entry(my_w,   width=10,bg='yellow') # added one Entry box
e1.grid(row=1,column=2) 

l2 = tk.Label(my_w,  text='L Name (sticky=\'E\')')  # 
l2.grid(row=2,column=1,sticky='E') 

e2 = tk.Entry(my_w,   width=10,bg='yellow') # added one Entry box
e2.grid(row=2,column=2)

l3 = tk.Label(my_w,  text='Add Door No and Street address')   
l3.grid(row=3,column=1,sticky='W') 

e3 = tk.Entry(my_w,   width=10,bg='yellow') # added one Entry box
e3.grid(row=3,column=2)

my_w.mainloop()

The option sticky='NSEW' mean occupy all the available space in all directions.

columnspan option 🔝

Tkinter window grid layout using rowspan and columnspan to manage multiple rows and columns

By default columnspan=1, we can set to different value by increasing it to expand more than one column.
Tkinter grid columnspan

l1 = tk.Label(my_w, text='First', width=20)
l1.grid(row=1,column=1) 
l2 = tk.Label(my_w, text='Second', width=20)
l2.grid(row=1,column=2) 

l3 = tk.Label(my_w, text='Both First and Second, columnspan=2')
l3.grid(row=2,column=1,columnspan=2)

rowspan options 🔝

We can use rowspan=3 to expand to three rows.
Tkinter grid rowspan

import tkinter as tk
my_w = tk.Tk()
my_w.geometry("300x150")  
l1 = tk.Label(my_w, text='First', width=20)
l1.grid(row=1,column=1) 
l2 = tk.Label(my_w, text='Second', width=20)
l2.grid(row=2,column=1) 
l3 = tk.Label(my_w, text='Third', width=20)
l3.grid(row=3,column=1) 

t1 = tk.Text(my_w,  height=3, width=8,bg='yellow') #text box
t1.grid(row=1,column=2,rowspan=3)

my_w.mainloop()

padx, pady, ipadx, ipady options 🔝

Tkinter window grid layout using padx pady and internal padding by using ipadx, ipady

ipadx and ipady adds inner padding or the internal padding of the widget border.

l4=tk.Label(my_w,text='ipadx=50,ipady=50',
	borderwidth=2,relief='ridge')
l4.grid(row=2,column=2,ipadx=50,ipady=50)

padx and pady adds padding from the widget to the grid boarder.

l4=tk.Label(my_w,text='padx=50,pady=50',
	borderwidth=2,relief='ridge')
l4.grid(row=2,column=2,padx=50,pady=50)

grid_size() 🔝

This will return a tuple showing the total number of columns and rows used in the grid. In this example we have used upto row=3 and column=3 so we will get output as (4, 4).

import tkinter as tk
my_w = tk.Tk()
my_w.geometry("300x150")  
l1 = tk.Label(my_w, text='First', width=8)
l1.grid(row=1,column=1) 
l2 = tk.Label(my_w, text='Second', width=8)
l2.grid(row=2,column=2) 
l3 = tk.Label(my_w, text='Third', width=8)
l3.grid(row=3,column=3) 

print(my_w.grid_size()) # tuple  columns , rows 

my_w.mainloop()

Output

(4, 4)

You can remove the last element and check the output. We will set the value as column=2 for last element.

l3 = tk.Label(my_w, text='Third', width=8)
l3.grid(row=3,column=2)

Output

(3, 4)

grid_slaves(row=None, column=None) 🔝

We will get a list of widgets manage by the grid.

import tkinter as tk
my_w = tk.Tk()
my_w.geometry("300x150")  
l1 = tk.Label(my_w, text='First', width=8)
l1.grid(row=1,column=1) 
l2 = tk.Label(my_w, text='Second', width=8)
l2.grid(row=2,column=2) 
l3 = tk.Label(my_w, text='Third', width=8)
l3.grid(row=3,column=2) 

print(my_w.grid_slaves()) 

my_w.mainloop()

Output

[<tkinter.Label object .!label3>, <tkinter.Label object .!label2>,
 <tkinter.Label object .!label>]

We can use row and column number to get the widget.

print(my_w.grid_slaves(row=2,column=2))

Output

[<tkinter.Label object .!label2>]

grid_remove() 🔝

Remove the widget from the particular grid. Can be added again.

import tkinter as tk
my_w = tk.Tk()
my_w.geometry("300x150")  
l1 = tk.Label(my_w, text='First', width=8)
l1.grid(row=1,column=1) 
l2 = tk.Label(my_w, text='Second', width=8)
l2.grid(row=2,column=2) 
l3 = tk.Label(my_w, text='Third', width=8)
l3.grid(row=3,column=2) 
l3.grid_remove()
my_w.mainloop()

To restore the widget in same location we have to just use grid()

l3.grid()

Understanding `grid_forget()` 🔝

The grid_forget() method is a built-in Tkinter function used to unmap a widget from the grid manager.

Temporary Hiding: Unlike destroy(), which deletes the widget permanently, grid_forget() simply hides it from view. The widget still exists in the background, allowing it to be reapplied to the layout later.
Clearing the Layout: It is effectively used to "clear" the table before a search. By looping through the grid slaves and calling grid_forget(), we can remove all data rows instantly without losing the underlying objects.
Flexible Re-entry: When you want to show the widget again, you must call grid() with specific row and column coordinates. This makes it perfect for dynamic filtering where the position of a row might change based on the search results.

Remove the widget from the particular grid. Can be added again at the new location. We have to specify the location while restoring, by default it takes the next new location.

l3.grid_forget()

To restore at the same location we have to specify the row and column.

l3.grid(row=3,column=2)

Removing after some time delay 🔝

We can use the widget as message box and want to remove it after 3 seconds.

l3.after(3000, lambda: l3.grid_remove() )

Remove all widgets 🔝

for w in my_w.grid_slaves(): # Loop through each row 
    w.grid_forget() # remove the row

Remove all widgets of 2nd row only

for w in my_w.grid_slaves(2):
    w.grid_forget()

or , any one of these lines will work

#for w in my_w.grid_slaves(2): #  
    #    w.grid_forget()  # remove all elements of 2nd row 
#for w in my_w.grid_slaves(2):w.grid_forget()
[w.grid_forget() for w in my_w.grid_slaves(2)]

Remove all widgets of 2nd column

for w in my_w.grid_slaves(None,2):
    w.grid_forget()

Delete widgets 🔝

By using destroy() method we can delete a widget permanently. We can't restore it again.

import tkinter as tk
my_w = tk.Tk()
my_w.geometry("300x150")  

b1=tk.Button(my_w,text='Hide: \n grid_forget()',
      command=lambda:l1.grid_forget())
b1.grid(row=0,column=0,padx=2,pady=10)
b2=tk.Button(my_w,text='Display : \n grid()',
      command=lambda:l1.grid())
b2.grid(row=0,column=1,padx=2,pady=10) 
b3=tk.Button(my_w,text='Destroy : \n destroy()',
      command=lambda:l1.destroy())
b3.grid(row=0,column=2,padx=2)

l1 = tk.Label(my_w, text='Hi Welcome', width=10)
l1.grid(row=1,column=0,pady=10) 
my_w.mainloop()

By using grid_slaves() and grid_forget() we can refresh the window after any delete or update operation. See example of deleting record

grid_info() 🔝

All information about the widget layout in the grid.

import tkinter  as tk 
from tkinter import *
my_w = tk.Tk()
my_w.geometry("400x200")  # Size of the window 
my_w.title("www.plus2net.com")  # Adding a title
l1 = tk.Label(my_w, text='row=1,column=1 ')
l1.grid(row=1,column=1,padx=10,pady=10,ipadx=3,ipady=4) 

#dictionary elements(row,column,ipadx,ipday,sticky,rowspan,columnspan)
print(l1.grid_info()) # dictionary all elements value 
print(l1.grid_info()['column'])# 1
print(l1.grid_info()['padx'])  # 10         

my_w.mainloop()  # Keep the window open

Example: Creating a Grid of Buttons Using Loops 🔝

Dynamically creating grid and placing buttons

import tkinter as tk
my_w = tk.Tk() # Main window
my_w.geometry("300x300")

# Create a 5x5 grid of buttons
for i in range(5):
    for j in range(5):
        btn = tk.Button(my_w, text=f"({i},{j})", width=8, height=2)
        btn.grid(row=i, column=j, padx=5, pady=5)

my_w.mainloop()

Explanation:

The outer loop iterates over rows, and the inner loop iterates over columns.
Each button is labeled with its grid position using `(i, j)` as text.
padx and pady add spacing around each button.

Choosing Between grid(), pack(), and place() in Tkinter Layouts 🔝

In this podcast, we compare the three primary layout managers in Python's Tkinter: grid(), pack(), and place(). Discover how each method works to position and arrange widgets in your application, along with the pros and cons of using each. The tutorial offers practical insights into choosing the right layout manager for different scenarios, helping you design efficient and user-friendly GUIs in Python.

Understanding Layout Management in Python Tkinter - Grid, Pack, and Place #tkinter #pythonGUI

rowconfigure() & columnconfigure()
Pack Layout in Tkinter place layout Frame

Python Tkinter Tkinter Projects Python- Tutorials

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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	11-03-2023
En.grid(coumn=0, row=0, columnspan=3, ipadx=4, ipady=8)

	29-03-2021
CAN YOU SEND ME EBOOKS ON TKINTER

Python Tkinter Grid Layout — Arrange Widgets in Rows and Columns

Understanding row and column 🔝

anchor: Widget Alignment in Grid 🔝

sticky option 🔝

columnspan option 🔝

rowspan options 🔝

padx, pady, ipadx, ipady options 🔝

grid_size() 🔝

grid_slaves(row=None, column=None) 🔝

grid_remove() 🔝

Understanding grid_forget() 🔝

Removing after some time delay 🔝

Remove all widgets 🔝

Remove all widgets of 2nd row only

Remove all widgets of 2nd column

Delete widgets 🔝

grid_info() 🔝

Example: Creating a Grid of Buttons Using Loops 🔝

Explanation:

Choosing Between grid(), pack(), and place() in Tkinter Layouts 🔝

Subhendu Mohapatra

Understanding `grid_forget()` 🔝