How to create a Splash Screen using Tkinter?

Python offers multiple options for developing a GUI (Graphical User Interface). Out of all the GUI methods, tkinter is the most commonly used method. It is a standard Python interface to the Tk GUI toolkit shipped with Python.

Prerequisite: Python GUI – tkinter

What is a Splash Screen?

A splash screen in tkinter is a tkinter window that disappears after a fixed period and then a particular operation takes place. To Create a splash screen we will use after() and destroy() method.

• The after() method assigns a time period (as an argument) after which a particular operation takes place, that operation is transformed into a function and is passed as an argument in after() method.

Syntax:

root.after(time in millisecond, function name)

• The destroy() method is used to close the current tkinter window.

Syntax:

root.destroy()

Below is a program that creates two normal Tkinter windows. The smaller window acts as a splash screen but it will not disappear. 

Output:

Main Window

Splash Window

Code Explanation:

1. The code starts by creating a splash_root object.
2. The geometry attribute is set to 200×200, which means the splash screen will be 200 pixels wide and 200 pixels high.
3. Next, a label is created and given the name splash_label.
4. The font attribute is set to 18, which means the text will be 18 points bold.
5. Finally, the pack() method is called on the label object to ensure that it is properly formatted and packed into memory for use by Tkinter.
6. The main() function starts by creating a root object and setting its geometry attribute to 400×400.
7. This size corresponds to the width of an ordinary window in most desktop environments (such as Windows or Mac OS).
8. Next, the main function calls the mainloop() function, which begins executing automatically whenever Tkinter is started.
9. When you run this code in your computer’s command line interface (CLI), you’ll see a simple black-and-white splash screen appear on your screen.
10. To exit from this screen and return to your application’s normal windowing environment, press Control+C in Windows or Command+C in Mac OS X.
11. The code creates a Splash Screen object and sets its geometry to be 200×200.
12. Next, a Label object is created and given the name splash_label.
13. The label is then packed into the Splash Screen object.
14. Finally, the main() function is called which creates and displays the Splash Screen object on the screen.

Now we will use the below methods:

• destroy() Method 
• after() Method 

To create a splash screen in tkinter.

Below is a program that creates Splash screen in tkinter using after() and destroy() methods.

Output:

Here a splash screen is created and it stays for a particular time period and then the next operation takes place i.e a new window is generated.

Code Explanation:

1. The code starts by creating a splash_root object.
2. The geometry of the splash_root object is set to be 200×200.
3. Next, a label is created and given the name splash_label.
4. The font for the label is set to 18 points.
5. Finally, the pack() method is called on the label to make sure that it is properly formatted and ready to be displayed onscreen.
6. The main() function starts by destroying the splash_root object.
7. After that, tkinter is initialized and an interval of 3000 milliseconds (3 seconds) is set as the delay between each execution of the main() function.
8. Finally, tkinter is executed again, this time with the after() method being used to execute it after 3 seconds have elapsed since the last execution of main().
9. The code creates a splash screen in the form of a window.
10. The window has a geometry of 200×200 pixels and is initially hidden.
11. After 3000 milliseconds, the main() function is called, which destroys the splash screen and executes tkinter.
12. Next, the size of the splash screen is adjusted to 400×400 pixels, and an interval timer is set to run every 3000 milliseconds.
13. Finally, mainloop() is executed to keep everything running smoothly.