TIP #197: Unfocussed Text Widget Cursor Control

Abstract

This TIP proposes a simple extension to the Tk text widget to allow the insertion cursor to persist when the window containing the text widget does not have focus.

Rationale

In some cases it is useful to redirect text from one top-level window into a separate top-level window containing a text widget. In such a case, it is helpful to be able to see the cursor in the text widget. However, as implemented, the Tk text widget always erases the insert cursor when the window loses focus. It is a trivial fix to add an option -insertunfocussed to the text widget that keeps the text cursor in the window.

Specification

The extension would provide a global text widget option -insertunfocussed with a ternary value. The current behaviour would be the default.

pathName configure -insertunfocussed value

Supported values will be:

none

Do not display the insertion cursor when the text widget doesn't have the focus.

hollow

Display the border of the insertion cursor when the text widget doesn't have the focus, but do not fill the cursor or make it flash. If the -insertborderwidth option is zero, draw (but do not fill) a rectangle in the -insertbackground color.

solid

Display the insertion cursor unchanged whether or not the text widget has the focus. The insertion cursor will not flash when the widget does not have the focus.

In all cases, the insertion cursor will be displayed as at present when the text widget does have the focus.

Copyright

This document has been placed in the public domain.

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