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Text Editor (Python Project)

Creating a text editor in Python can be a fun and educational project. Here, we'll build a basic text editor using Tkinter, a standard GUI library in Python. This text editor will have features such as creating, opening, saving, and editing text files.

 

 

 

Step-by-Step Guide to Building a Text Editor

 

Step 1: Set Up Tkinter

First, you need to import Tkinter and set up the main application window.

import tkinter as tk
from tkinter import filedialog, messagebox
# Create the main application window
root = tk.Tk()
root.title("Simple Text Editor")
root.geometry("800x600")
# Create a Text widget
text_area = tk.Text(root, wrap='word')
text_area.pack(expand=1, fill='both')
 

 

Step 2: Add Menu Options

Next, add menu options for creating a new file, opening an existing file, saving the current file, and exiting the application.

# Create a menu bar
menu_bar = tk.Menu(root)
# Create File menu
file_menu = tk.Menu(menu_bar, tearoff=0)
menu_bar.add_cascade(label="File", menu=file_menu)
def new_file():
   text_area.delete(1.0, tk.END)
def open_file():
   file_path = filedialog.askopenfilename(defaultextension=".txt",
                                          filetypes=[("Text Files", "*.txt"), ("All Files", "*.*")])
   if file_path:
       with open(file_path, 'r') as file:
           text_area.delete(1.0, tk.END)
           text_area.insert(1.0, file.read())
def save_file():
   file_path = filedialog.asksaveasfilename(defaultextension=".txt",
                                            filetypes=[("Text Files", "*.txt"), ("All Files", "*.*")])
   if file_path:
       with open(file_path, 'w') as file:
           file.write(text_area.get(1.0, tk.END))
def exit_editor():
   if messagebox.askokcancel("Quit", "Do you really want to quit?"):
       root.quit()
# Add menu items to File menu
file_menu.add_command(label="New", command=new_file)
file_menu.add_command(label="Open", command=open_file)
file_menu.add_command(label="Save", command=save_file)
file_menu.add_separator()
file_menu.add_command(label="Exit", command=exit_editor)
# Configure the menu bar
root.config(menu=menu_bar)
 

 

Step 3: Add Shortcut Keys

Add shortcut keys for the menu options to make the editor more user-friendly.

# Bind shortcut keys
root.bind('<Control-n>', lambda event: new_file())
root.bind('<Control-o>', lambda event: open_file())
root.bind('<Control-s>', lambda event: save_file())
root.bind('<Control-q>', lambda event: exit_editor())
 

 

Step 4: Add Scrollbars

Add vertical and horizontal scrollbars to the text area.

# Add a scrollbar to the Text widget
scroll_bar = tk.Scrollbar(text_area)
scroll_bar.pack(side=tk.RIGHT, fill=tk.Y)
text_area.config(yscrollcommand=scroll_bar.set)
scroll_bar.config(command=text_area.yview)
scroll_bar_x = tk.Scrollbar(text_area, orient=tk.HORIZONTAL)
scroll_bar_x.pack(side=tk.BOTTOM, fill=tk.X)
text_area.config(xscrollcommand=scroll_bar_x.set)
scroll_bar_x.config(command=text_area.xview)
 

 

Step 5: Run the Application

Run the main event loop to start the application.

if __name__ == "__main__":
   root.mainloop()
 

 

Complete Code

Here's the complete code for the basic text editor:

import tkinter as tk
from tkinter import filedialog, messagebox
# Create the main application window
root = tk.Tk()
root.title("Simple Text Editor")
root.geometry("800x600")
# Create a Text widget
text_area = tk.Text(root, wrap='word')
text_area.pack(expand=1, fill='both')
# Create a menu bar
menu_bar = tk.Menu(root)
# Create File menu
file_menu = tk.Menu(menu_bar, tearoff=0)
menu_bar.add_cascade(label="File", menu=file_menu)
def new_file():
   text_area.delete(1.0, tk.END)
def open_file():
   file_path = filedialog.askopenfilename(defaultextension=".txt",
                                          filetypes=[("Text Files", "*.txt"), ("All Files", "*.*")])
   if file_path:
       with open(file_path, 'r') as file:
           text_area.delete(1.0, tk.END)
           text_area.insert(1.0, file.read())
def save_file():
   file_path = filedialog.asksaveasfilename(defaultextension=".txt",
                                            filetypes=[("Text Files", "*.txt"), ("All Files", "*.*")])
   if file_path:
       with open(file_path, 'w') as file:
           file.write(text_area.get(1.0, tk.END))
def exit_editor():
   if messagebox.askokcancel("Quit", "Do you really want to quit?"):
       root.quit()
# Add menu items to File menu
file_menu.add_command(label="New", command=new_file)
file_menu.add_command(label="Open", command=open_file)
file_menu.add_command(label="Save", command=save_file)
file_menu.add_separator()
file_menu.add_command(label="Exit", command=exit_editor)
# Configure the menu bar
root.config(menu=menu_bar)
# Bind shortcut keys
root.bind('<Control-n>', lambda event: new_file())
root.bind('<Control-o>', lambda event: open_file())
root.bind('<Control-s>', lambda event: save_file())
root.bind('<Control-q>', lambda event: exit_editor())
# Add a scrollbar to the Text widget
scroll_bar = tk.Scrollbar(text_area)
scroll_bar.pack(side=tk.RIGHT, fill=tk.Y)
text_area.config(yscrollcommand=scroll_bar.set)
scroll_bar.config(command=text_area.yview)
scroll_bar_x = tk.Scrollbar(text_area, orient=tk.HORIZONTAL)
scroll_bar_x.pack(side=tk.BOTTOM, fill=tk.X)
text_area.config(xscrollcommand=scroll_bar_x.set)
scroll_bar_x.config(command=text_area.xview)
# Run the main event loop
if __name__ == "__main__":
   root.mainloop()
 

 

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