Python GUI Tutorial for Beginners – Create Simple UIs with Tkinter

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🐍 Python UI Programming Series — Part 1: Getting Started with Tkinter

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📘 Overview

Python is a versatile language with powerful libraries for creating Graphical User Interfaces (GUIs). One of the most beginner-friendly and widely used is Tkinter — it comes bundled with Python and provides all the basic tools to build windows, buttons, input fields, and more.

In this first article, we’ll cover:

• What is a UI in Python?

• Introduction to Tkinter

• Creating your first GUI window

• Adding widgets: Labels, Buttons, and Entry

• Handling events with functions

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🧠 What is a UI in Python?

A User Interface (UI) allows users to interact with software through graphical elements like windows, buttons, text fields, etc., instead of typing commands.

Python supports many UI libraries:

• Tkinter – built-in and beginner-friendly

• PyQt – feature-rich, better for complex UIs

• Kivy – used for multitouch apps and mobile support

• Dear PyGui, PySide, and others...

We’ll start with Tkinter, then explore others in future parts.

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🧰 Why Tkinter?

✅ Built-in with Python
✅ Easy to learn
✅ Cross-platform
✅ Great for prototyping and small projects

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🖼️ Your First GUI with Tkinter

✅ Step 1: Basic Window

import tkinter as tk

# Create a main window
root = tk.Tk()
root.title("My First GUI")
root.geometry("300x200")  # Width x Height

# Start the GUI event loop
root.mainloop()

🎯 This creates a blank window titled "My First GUI".

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🧱 Adding Widgets: Labels, Buttons, and Entry

Let’s add some common UI elements:

✅ Step 2: Label + Entry + Button

import tkinter as tk

def greet_user():
    username = entry.get()
    label_result.config(text=f"Hello, {username}!")

root = tk.Tk()
root.title("Greeting App")
root.geometry("300x150")

label_prompt = tk.Label(root, text="Enter your name:")
label_prompt.pack(pady=5)

entry = tk.Entry(root)
entry.pack(pady=5)

button_greet = tk.Button(root, text="Greet", command=greet_user)
button_greet.pack(pady=5)

label_result = tk.Label(root, text="")
label_result.pack(pady=5)

root.mainloop()

🧠 What’s happening here:

• Label shows text.

• Entry allows input.

• Button triggers a function (greet_user()).

• config() updates the label text dynamically.

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💡 Recap

In this first part, you've learned:

• What a Python GUI is

• Why Tkinter is a good choice

• How to create a window and basic widgets

• How to handle user input and events

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🚀 Coming Up in Part 2:

“Layouts, Frames, and UI Organization”

• Learn how to organize widgets neatly using pack(), grid(), and place().

• Nest widgets using frames and build a cleaner layout.

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