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Tk Interface

The Tkinter (Tk) interface provides a graphical IDE for MBASIC programming.

Starting the Tk UI

python3 mbasic --ui tk

Or:

python3 mbasic -t

Window Layout

The Tk UI has three main sections:

┌─ MBASIC ────────────────────────────────┐
│ File  Edit  Run  Help               │
├──────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Editor                                   │
│ 10 PRINT "Hello, World!"                 │
│ 20 END                                   │
│ _                                        │
│                                          │
├──────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Output                                   │
│ Hello, World!                            │
│                                          │
└──────────────────────────────────────────┘

File Menu

  • New ({{kbd:file_new:tk}}) - Clear program
  • Open ({{kbd:file_open:tk}}) - Load program file
  • Save ({{kbd:file_save:tk}}) - Save current program
  • Save As - Save with new name
  • Exit - Quit MBASIC

Edit Menu

  • Cut ({{kbd:cut:tk}}) - Cut selected text
  • Copy ({{kbd:copy:tk}}) - Copy selected text
  • Paste ({{kbd:paste:tk}}) - Paste clipboard
  • Select All ({{kbd:select_all:tk}}) - Select all text
  • Find ({{kbd:find:tk}}) - Search in program

Run Menu

  • Run ({{kbd:run_program:tk}}) - Execute program
  • Stop - Interrupt execution (menu only)
  • Clear Output - Clear output pane

Help Menu

  • Help Topics (F1) - Open help browser
  • About - About MBASIC

Editor Pane

The top pane is where you write your BASIC program.

Features: - Syntax highlighting (optional) - Line numbers - Auto-indentation - Find and replace

Output Pane

The bottom pane shows program output: - PRINT statements - Error messages - INPUT prompts

Writing Programs

  1. Click in the editor pane
  2. Type your program with line numbers
  3. Lines automatically sort by number

Example: 

10 PRINT "Hello, World!"
20 END

Running Programs

Click Run → Run or press {{kbd:run_program:tk}}.

Output appears in the output pane.

Input Handling

When your program uses INPUT:

10 INPUT "Enter your name: ", N$
20 PRINT "Hello, "; N$

A dialog box appears for you to type your response.

Immediate Mode Panel

Some Tk configurations include an immediate mode panel for quick calculations:

> PRINT 2 + 2
4
> PRINT "Test"
Test

Type expressions without line numbers for immediate execution.

Keyboard Shortcuts

Shortcut Action
{{kbd:file_new:tk}} New program
{{kbd:file_open:tk}} Open file
{{kbd:file_save:tk}} Save file
{{kbd:run_program:tk}} Run program
{{kbd:find:tk}} Find
F1 Help

File Operations

Save your program: 1. Click File → Save (or {{kbd:file_save:tk}}) 2. Choose filename and location 3. Click Save

Load a program: 1. Click File → Open (or {{kbd:file_open:tk}}) 2. Select the .bas file 3. Click Open

Help Browser

Press F1 or click Help → Help Topics to open the built-in help browser.

Features: - Search across all documentation - Clickable links - Three-tier help system (Language, MBASIC, UI) - Right-click to copy or open in new window

Error Messages

Errors appear in the output pane:

?Syntax error in 20

Click on line 20 in the editor to fix it.

Tips

  1. Use {{kbd:file_save:tk}} often - Save your work frequently
  2. Clear output - Use Run → Clear Output between runs
  3. Use Find - {{kbd:find:tk}} to search for variables/statements
  4. Right-click in help - Copy examples or open new windows
  5. Check output pane - Errors and PRINT output go here

Common Issues

Output not appearing: - Check that OUTPUT pane is visible - Some programs may need UPDATE or FLUSH

INPUT not working: - Wait for dialog box to appear - Type your response and press OK

Program won't stop: - Use Run → Stop menu - Add END statement to your program

Advantages of Tk UI

  • Mouse support - Click and select text
  • Multiple windows - Help in separate window
  • File dialogs - Easy file management
  • Copy/paste - Standard clipboard operations
  • Visual - See editor and output simultaneously

See Also