ttk Entry widget - validate entry - invalid text entry does not cause reverting to previous text

Question

Python 3.1

I'm trying to validate that the string input to a ttk.Entry widget can be turned into a float. The simple code below shows that the validate function is successful in its task, and is returning true/false correctly.

I understood it to be the case that if the Entry widget gets 'false' back from its validatecommand, it should revert to whatever was stored in the textvariable before the attempted entry happened.

But that's not happening - the new entry appears, even though it's invalid.

Presumably I am missing something foolish...

from tkinter import *
from tkinter.ttk import *
root = Tk()

text = StringVar()
text.set('100.0')

def validate(inp):
    print(inp)
    if inp in '0123456789.-+':
        try:
            float(inp)
            print('float')
            return True
        except ValueError:
            print('notfloat')
            return False
    else:
        print('notfloat')
        return False

vcmd = root.register(validate)

a = Entry(textvariable = text,
          validate = 'focusout',
          validatecommand = (vcmd,'%P'))
a.pack()

b = Entry()
b.pack()

root.mainloop()

Answer 1

Try following:

from tkinter import *
from tkinter.ttk import *
root = Tk()

text = StringVar()
text.set('100.0')

def validate(inp):
    try:
        float(inp)
    except ValueError:
        return False
    return True

vcmd = root.register(validate)

a = Entry(textvariable=text,
          validate='key',
          validatecommand=(vcmd, '%P'))
a.pack()

b = Entry()
b.pack()

root.mainloop()

I used validate='key' instead.

and replaced validate function. a in b check substring a in contained in b .

>>> '100.00' in '0123456789.-+'
False
>>> '100.00' in 'blah blah   100.00  blah blah'
True

---

ALTERNATIVE

using focusout :

from tkinter import *
from tkinter.ttk import *
root = Tk()

text = StringVar()
text.set('100.0')
last_ok_value = text.get()

def validate(inp):
    global last_ok_value
    try:
        float(inp)
    except ValueError:
        return False
    last_ok_value = inp
    return True

def invalidate():
    text.set(last_ok_value)

vcmd = root.register(validate)
ivcmd = root.register(invalidate)

a = Entry(textvariable=text,
          validate='focusout',
          validatecommand=(vcmd, '%P'),
          invalidcommand=(ivcmd,))
a.pack()

b = Entry()
b.pack()

root.mainloop()

---

Using class:

from tkinter import *
from tkinter.ttk import *

class FloatEntry(Entry):

    def __init__(self, *args, **kwargs):
        initial_value = kwargs.pop('initial_value', '100.00')
        assert self.validate(initial_value), 'Invalid initial_value given'
        self.last_valid_value = initial_value
        self.text = StringVar(value=initial_value)

        Entry.__init__(self, *args, textvariable=self.text, **kwargs)
        self.vcmd = self.register(self.validate)
        self.ivcmd = self.register(self.invalidate)
        self['validate'] = 'focusout'
        self['validatecommand'] = self.vcmd, '%P',
        self['invalidcommand'] = self.ivcmd,

    def validate(self, inp):
        try:
            float(inp)
        except ValueError:
            return False
        self.last_valid_value = inp
        return True

    def invalidate(self):
        self.text.set(self.last_valid_value)

root = Tk()
FloatEntry(initial_value='100.0').pack()
Entry().pack()
root.mainloop()