How to add a console to a tkinter window

Question

I want a way to add a console to a tkinter window or redirect the output of the eval or exec functions to the maybe a uneditable text widget in tkinter. Also I want it so the code does not have to be saved first to get executed, I want it to be executed nevertheless. I have already viewed a few similar asked questions but have not understood what they do properly enough to implement it as I want myself to be able to customize it once I make it and not just copy down the code for it and use it. The official ipython console docs tell that ipython support qt and pyside but does not mention about tkinter(atleast till where I have seen).

Answer 1

I have a fully functional windows terminal in python tkinter. It even supports full screen apps. You can ssh from inside the window to a Linux host and run full screen terminal apps like vi and htop. You can install via pip to test. It's called tkwinterm, here's the full repo https://github.com/scottpeterman/tkwinterm

Answer 2

Ok, So for any other person who also needs to have a console in tkinter, I would like to mention below the way I have did it, thanks to @lime I was able to figure this out.

CODE-:

import tkinter as tk
import os
import subprocess
import threading

def compile_terminal_command(terminal_command, last_line_index) :
    # The last line index stores the line where the command thread has to output in the listbox
    # since the listbox may have also received more commands in that span and the thread may take 
    # some time to give output
    
    command_summary = terminal_command.split(' ') # Split the command and args.
    os.environ["PYTHONUNBUFFERED"] = "1" # MAKE SURE THE PREVIOUS OUTPUT IS NOT RECIEVED
    
    # > We use the subprocess module's run method to run the command and redirect output and errors
    # to the pipe from where we can extract it later.
    # > I will suggest running this with shell = True since that was the way it was working for me and was
    # not working with shell = False for some reason.
    # > Also the current working directory argument can be passed but did not work in my case where i set
    # the current working directory to the system drive C: in my case and put a python file there
    # when I ran the file it did not run and picked up my local directory and not the C:
    result = subprocess.run(command_summary, stdout=subprocess.PIPE, stderr=subprocess.STDOUT, shell = True, env = os.environ)
    
    output = result.stdout
    # To make sure we print output line by line and not in one single line we use splitlines.
    output_lines = output.splitlines()
    for k in output_lines :
        terminal_listbox.insert(last_line_index, k)
        last_line_index += 1 # Increases line index to make sure output is printed line by line.
    
    return

def refresh_terminal(backspace = False) :
    # refreshes the terminal when a change is done to terminal by the user.
    global terminal_text
    
    if terminal_text != '>> ' or backspace :
        terminal_listbox.delete(tk.END)
    terminal_listbox.insert(tk.END, terminal_text)
    return

def append_to_terminal_text(text) :
    # can append a single character or more to the terminal
    global terminal_text
    
    terminal_listbox.delete(tk.END)
    terminal_text = terminal_text + text
    terminal_listbox.insert(tk.END, terminal_text)
    terminal_listbox.yview_moveto(1)
    return

def terminal_enter_key_callback() :
    global terminal_text
    
    # The thread that compiles the output is run in background to make sure it does not hang the 
    # program or does not stop the terminal incase the output is taking time to be generated.
    compiler_thread = threading.Thread(target = compile_terminal_command, args = (terminal_text[3 : ], terminal_listbox.size()))
    compiler_thread.daemon = True
    compiler_thread.start()
    
    terminal_text = '>> ' # Resetting the terminal_text variable that stores the text of the current line of the terminal.
    
    terminal_listbox.insert(tk.END, terminal_text) # Insert the terminal text(basically a new line in this case) to the terminal listbox.
    terminal_listbox.yview_moveto(1) # scrolls down the listbox down to the very last.
    return

def type_to_terminal(string) :
    # types a given string automatically to the terminal.
    for k in string :
        append_to_terminal_text(k)
    
    terminal_listbox.yview_moveto(1)
    return

def terminal_backspace_callback() :
    # callback for backspace key erases the last character.
    global terminal_text
    
    if len(terminal_text) > 3 :
        terminal_text = terminal_text[ : -1]
    refresh_terminal(backspace = True)
    return

root = tk.Tk()
root.title('Command Prompt In Tkinter')
root.geometry('677x343')

# Making a frame, this terminal frame can be packed or used as a toplevel window instead.
terminal = tk.Frame(root, bg = 'black')

# Initializing a listbox to act as terminal with bg and fg of your own choice.
# NOTE:  in the listbox to make it so the selection of listbox items is not visible
# I have changed the highlight color and select color to background color and also have set
# the active style i.e. the style used to display a selection to tk.NONE, and have also set
# the highlight thickness to 0.
terminal_listbox = tk.Listbox(terminal, bg = 'black', fg = 'white', highlightcolor = 'black', highlightthickness = 0, selectbackground = 'black', activestyle = tk.NONE)
terminal_scrollbar = tk.Scrollbar(terminal)
terminal_scrollbar.pack(side = tk.RIGHT, fill = tk.Y)

# packing and stuff.
terminal_listbox.pack(expand = True, fill = tk.BOTH)
terminal.pack(expand = True, fill = tk.BOTH)

# Inserting the copyright thingy.
terminal_listbox.insert(tk.END, 'Tkinter Terminal')
terminal_listbox.insert(tk.END, '© Copyright blah blah')
terminal_listbox.insert(tk.END, 'By Matrix Programmer!')

# Intializes the terminal text for the first line.
terminal_text = '>> '

# Assigns a scrollbar to the terminal.
terminal_listbox.config(yscrollcommand = terminal_scrollbar.set)
terminal_scrollbar.config(command = terminal_listbox.yview)

# THE FIRST EVER INSERTED ITEM DOES NOT APPEAR SO THIS IS A BUFFER ITEM TO FILL THAT SPOT
terminal_listbox.insert(tk.END, '')
terminal_listbox.insert(tk.END, '')

append_to_terminal_text('') # Buffer.

# SETTING UP BINDINGS FOR ENTER AND BACKSPACE CALLBACKS WITH THEIR RESPECTIVE KEYS
terminal_listbox.bind('<Return>', lambda x : terminal_enter_key_callback())
terminal_listbox.bind('<BackSpace>', lambda x : terminal_backspace_callback())

# SETTING UP KEYBOARD INPUT FOR A LISTBOX HARDCODINGLY.
terminal_listbox.bind('a', lambda x : append_to_terminal_text('a'))
terminal_listbox.bind('b', lambda x : append_to_terminal_text('b'))
terminal_listbox.bind('c', lambda x : append_to_terminal_text('c'))
terminal_listbox.bind('d', lambda x : append_to_terminal_text('d'))
terminal_listbox.bind('e', lambda x : append_to_terminal_text('e'))
terminal_listbox.bind('f', lambda x : append_to_terminal_text('f'))
terminal_listbox.bind('g', lambda x : append_to_terminal_text('g'))
terminal_listbox.bind('h', lambda x : append_to_terminal_text('h'))
terminal_listbox.bind('i', lambda x : append_to_terminal_text('i'))
terminal_listbox.bind('j', lambda x : append_to_terminal_text('j'))
terminal_listbox.bind('k', lambda x : append_to_terminal_text('k'))
terminal_listbox.bind('l', lambda x : append_to_terminal_text('l'))
terminal_listbox.bind('m', lambda x : append_to_terminal_text('m'))
terminal_listbox.bind('n', lambda x : append_to_terminal_text('n'))
terminal_listbox.bind('o', lambda x : append_to_terminal_text('o'))
terminal_listbox.bind('p', lambda x : append_to_terminal_text('p'))
terminal_listbox.bind('q', lambda x : append_to_terminal_text('q'))
terminal_listbox.bind('r', lambda x : append_to_terminal_text('r'))
terminal_listbox.bind('s', lambda x : append_to_terminal_text('s'))
terminal_listbox.bind('t', lambda x : append_to_terminal_text('t'))
terminal_listbox.bind('u', lambda x : append_to_terminal_text('u'))
terminal_listbox.bind('v', lambda x : append_to_terminal_text('v'))
terminal_listbox.bind('w', lambda x : append_to_terminal_text('w'))
terminal_listbox.bind('x', lambda x : append_to_terminal_text('x'))
terminal_listbox.bind('y', lambda x : append_to_terminal_text('y'))
terminal_listbox.bind('z', lambda x : append_to_terminal_text('z'))
terminal_listbox.bind('A', lambda x : append_to_terminal_text('A'))
terminal_listbox.bind('B', lambda x : append_to_terminal_text('B'))
terminal_listbox.bind('C', lambda x : append_to_terminal_text('C'))
terminal_listbox.bind('D', lambda x : append_to_terminal_text('D'))
terminal_listbox.bind('E', lambda x : append_to_terminal_text('E'))
terminal_listbox.bind('F', lambda x : append_to_terminal_text('F'))
terminal_listbox.bind('G', lambda x : append_to_terminal_text('G'))
terminal_listbox.bind('H', lambda x : append_to_terminal_text('H'))
terminal_listbox.bind('I', lambda x : append_to_terminal_text('I'))
terminal_listbox.bind('J', lambda x : append_to_terminal_text('J'))
terminal_listbox.bind('K', lambda x : append_to_terminal_text('K'))
terminal_listbox.bind('L', lambda x : append_to_terminal_text('L'))
terminal_listbox.bind('M', lambda x : append_to_terminal_text('M'))
terminal_listbox.bind('N', lambda x : append_to_terminal_text('N'))
terminal_listbox.bind('O', lambda x : append_to_terminal_text('O'))
terminal_listbox.bind('P', lambda x : append_to_terminal_text('P'))
terminal_listbox.bind('Q', lambda x : append_to_terminal_text('Q'))
terminal_listbox.bind('R', lambda x : append_to_terminal_text('R'))
terminal_listbox.bind('S', lambda x : append_to_terminal_text('S'))
terminal_listbox.bind('T', lambda x : append_to_terminal_text('T'))
terminal_listbox.bind('U', lambda x : append_to_terminal_text('U'))
terminal_listbox.bind('V', lambda x : append_to_terminal_text('V'))
terminal_listbox.bind('W', lambda x : append_to_terminal_text('W'))
terminal_listbox.bind('X', lambda x : append_to_terminal_text('X'))
terminal_listbox.bind('Y', lambda x : append_to_terminal_text('Y'))
terminal_listbox.bind('Z', lambda x : append_to_terminal_text('Z'))
terminal_listbox.bind('1', lambda x : append_to_terminal_text('1'))
terminal_listbox.bind('2', lambda x : append_to_terminal_text('2'))
terminal_listbox.bind('3', lambda x : append_to_terminal_text('3'))
terminal_listbox.bind('4', lambda x : append_to_terminal_text('4'))
terminal_listbox.bind('5', lambda x : append_to_terminal_text('5'))
terminal_listbox.bind('6', lambda x : append_to_terminal_text('6'))
terminal_listbox.bind('7', lambda x : append_to_terminal_text('7'))
terminal_listbox.bind('8', lambda x : append_to_terminal_text('8'))
terminal_listbox.bind('9', lambda x : append_to_terminal_text('9'))
terminal_listbox.bind('0', lambda x : append_to_terminal_text('0'))
terminal_listbox.bind('.', lambda x : append_to_terminal_text('.'))
terminal_listbox.bind(':', lambda x : append_to_terminal_text(':'))
terminal_listbox.bind('!', lambda x : append_to_terminal_text('!'))
terminal_listbox.bind('-', lambda x : append_to_terminal_text('-'))
terminal_listbox.bind('_', lambda x : append_to_terminal_text('_'))
terminal_listbox.bind('?', lambda x : append_to_terminal_text('?'))
terminal_listbox.bind('=', lambda x : append_to_terminal_text('='))
terminal_listbox.bind('<slash>', lambda x : append_to_terminal_text('/'))
terminal_listbox.bind('<backslash>', lambda x : append_to_terminal_text('\\'))
terminal_listbox.bind('<space>', lambda x : append_to_terminal_text(' '))
# Not all keys have been binded here as its a demonstration but as per need all can be binded.

root.mainloop()

The output of this program is somewhat like this -:

I tried running a python test file from C drive and it works as you can see other commands like echo also work.

Note there are some limitations to the above program -:

• There is no official cursor and it cannot be moved.
• Mouse cannot be used to move the cursor too.
• Not all keys can be binded. just to name a few....

But for what I wanted this was enough.

Answer 3

I've tried this before. I found for myself the best way to do this is with a ListBox.

Here is a resource relating to ListBox: Python Tkinter Listbox

When I want to log something, I use the ListBox.insert(...) command so it gets stored in the list.

You can resize this list to either fit on the side or bottom of your program, just like a console.