NAME
       options - Standard options supported by widgets


DESCRIPTION
       This  manual  entry  describes  the  common  configuration
       options supported by widgets in  the  Tk  toolkit.   Every
       widget  does not necessarily support every option (see the
       manual entries for individual widgets for a  list  of  the
       standard  options supported by that widget), but if a wid-
       get does support an option with one of  the  names  listed
       below,  then  the  option has exactly the effect described
       below.

       In the descriptions below, ``Command-Line Name'' refers to
       the  switch  used  in  class commands and configure widget
       commands to set this value.  For example, if  an  option's
       command-line switch is -foreground and there exists a wid-
       get .a.b.c, then the command
              .a.b.c  configure  -foreground black
       may be used to specify the value black for the  option  in
       the  the  widget  .a.b.c.   Command-line  switches  may be
       abbreviated, as long as the abbreviation  is  unambiguous.
       ``Database  Name''  refers  to  the  option's  name in the
       option database (e.g.  in .Xdefaults  files).   ``Database
       Class''  refers  to the option's class value in the option
       database.

       Command-Line Name:-activebackground
       Database Name:  activeBackground
       Database Class: Foreground

              Specifies background  color  to  use  when  drawing
              active  elements.   An element (a widget or portion
              of a widget) is active if the mouse cursor is posi-
              tioned over the element and pressing a mouse button
              will cause some action to occur.  If  strict  Motif
              compliance   has  been  requested  by  setting  the
              tk_strictMotif variable, this option will  normally
              be  ignored;   the  normal background color will be
              used instead.  For some  elements  on  Windows  and
              Macintosh  systems,  the  active color will only be
              used while mouse button 1 is pressed over the  ele-
              ment.

       Command-Line Name:-activeborderwidth
       Database Name:  activeBorderWidth
       Database Class: BorderWidth

              Specifies a non-negative value indicating the width
              of the 3-D border  drawn  around  active  elements.
              See  above  for definition of active elements.  The
              value may have  any  of  the  forms  acceptable  to
              Tk_GetPixels.    This   option  is  typically  only
              available in widgets displaying more than one  ele-
              ment at a time (e.g. menus but not buttons).

       Command-Line Name:-activeforeground
       Database Name:  activeForeground
       Database Class: Background

              Specifies  foreground  color  to  use  when drawing
              active  elements.   See  above  for  definition  of
              active elements.

       Command-Line Name:-anchor
       Database Name:  anchor
       Database Class: Anchor

              Specifies  how  the  information  in a widget (e.g.
              text or a bitmap) is to be displayed in the widget.
              Must  be  one of the values n, ne, e, se, s, sw, w,
              nw, or center.  For example, nw means  display  the
              information such that its top-left corner is at the
              top-left corner of the widget.

       Command-Line Name:-background or -bg
       Database Name:  background
       Database Class: Background

              Specifies the normal background color to  use  when
              displaying the widget.

       Command-Line Name:-bitmap
       Database Name:  bitmap
       Database Class: Bitmap

              Specifies a bitmap to display in the widget, in any
              of the forms acceptable to Tk_GetBitmap.  The exact
              way  in  which  the  bitmap  is  displayed  may  be
              affected by other options such as  anchor  or  jus-
              tify.   Typically, if this option is specified then
              it overrides other options that specify  a  textual
              value  to  display in the widget; the bitmap option
              may be reset to an empty string to re-enable a text
              display.   In  widgets that support both bitmap and
              image options, image will usually override  bitmap.

       Command-Line Name:-borderwidth or -bd
       Database Name:  borderWidth
       Database Class: BorderWidth

              Specifies a non-negative value indicating the width
              of the 3-D border to draw around the outside of the
              widget  (if  such  a  border  is  being drawn;  the
              relief  option  typically  determines  this).   The
              value  may also be used when drawing 3-D effects in
              the interior of the widget.  The value may have any
              of the forms acceptable to Tk_GetPixels.

       Command-Line Name:-cursor
       Database Name:  cursor
       Database Class: Cursor

              Specifies  the mouse cursor to be used for the wid-
              get.  The value may have any of the  forms  accept-
              able to Tk_GetCursor.

       Command-Line Name:-disabledforeground
       Database Name:  disabledForeground
       Database Class: DisabledForeground

              Specifies  foreground  color  to use when drawing a
              disabled element.  If the option is specified as an
              empty  string  (which  is  typically  the  case  on
              monochrome displays), disabled elements  are  drawn
              with  the  normal  foreground  color  but  they are
              dimmed by drawing them with a  stippled  fill  pat-
              tern.

       Command-Line Name:-exportselection
       Database Name:  exportSelection
       Database Class: ExportSelection

              Specifies  whether or not a selection in the widget
              should also be the X selection.  The value may have
              any  of  the forms accepted by Tcl_GetBoolean, such
              as true, false, 0, 1, yes, or no.  If the selection
              is exported, then selecting in the widget deselects
              the current X selection, selecting outside the wid-
              get  deselects any widget selection, and the widget
              will respond to selection retrieval  requests  when
              it  has  a  selection.   The default is usually for
              widgets to export selections.

       Command-Line Name:-font
       Database Name:  font
       Database Class: Font

              Specifies the font to use when drawing text  inside
              the  widget.   The  value may have any of the forms
              accepted by Tk_GetFont.

       Command-Line Name:-foreground or -fg
       Database Name:  foreground
       Database Class: Foreground

              Specifies the normal foreground color to  use  when
              displaying the widget.

       Command-Line Name:-highlightbackground
       Database Name:  highlightBackground
       Database Class: HighlightBackground

              Specifies  the  color  to  display in the traversal
              highlight region when the widget does not have  the
              input focus.

       Command-Line Name:-highlightcolor
       Database Name:  highlightColor
       Database Class: HighlightColor

              Specifies  the color to use for the traversal high-
              light rectangle that is  drawn  around  the  widget
              when it has the input focus.

       Command-Line Name:-highlightthickness
       Database Name:  highlightThickness
       Database Class: HighlightThickness

              Specifies a non-negative value indicating the width
              of the highlight rectangle to draw around the  out-
              side  of  the  widget  when it has the input focus.
              The value may have any of the forms  acceptable  to
              Tk_GetPixels.  If the value is zero, no focus high-
              light is drawn around the widget.

       Command-Line Name:-image
       Database Name:  image
       Database Class: Image

              Specifies an image to display in the widget,  which
              must  have  been created with the image create com-
              mand.  Typically, if the image option is  specified
              then  it  overrides  other  options  that specify a
              bitmap or textual value to display in  the  widget;
              the image option may be reset to an empty string to
              re-enable a bitmap or text display.

       Command-Line Name:-insertbackground
       Database Name:  insertBackground
       Database Class: Foreground

              Specifies the color to use  as  background  in  the
              area  covered  by the insertion cursor.  This color
              will normally override either the normal background
              for  the widget (or the selection background if the
              insertion cursor happens to fall in the selection).

       Command-Line Name:-insertborderwidth
       Database Name:  insertBorderWidth
       Database Class: BorderWidth

              Specifies a non-negative value indicating the width
              of the 3-D border to draw around the insertion cur-
              sor.    The   value  may  have  any  of  the  forms
              acceptable to Tk_GetPixels.

       Command-Line Name:-insertofftime
       Database Name:  insertOffTime
       Database Class: OffTime

              Specifies a non-negative integer  value  indicating
              the  number  of  milliseconds  the insertion cursor
              should remain ``off'' in each blink cycle.  If this
              option  is  zero then the cursor doesn't blink:  it
              is on all the time.

       Command-Line Name:-insertontime
       Database Name:  insertOnTime
       Database Class: OnTime

              Specifies a non-negative integer  value  indicating
              the  number  of  milliseconds  the insertion cursor
              should remain ``on'' in each blink cycle.

       Command-Line Name:-insertwidth
       Database Name:  insertWidth
       Database Class: InsertWidth

              Specifies a  value indicating the  total  width  of
              the  insertion  cursor.   The value may have any of
              the forms acceptable to Tk_GetPixels.  If a  border
              has  been specified for the insertion cursor (using
              the insertBorderWidth option), the border  will  be
              drawn inside the width specified by the insertWidth
              option.

       Command-Line Name:-jump
       Database Name:  jump
       Database Class: Jump

              For widgets with a slider that can  be  dragged  to
              adjust  a  value,  such  as scrollbars, this option
              determines  when  notifications  are   made   about
              changes in the value.  The option's value must be a
              boolean of the form accepted by Tcl_GetBoolean.  If
              the  value  is false, updates are made continuously
              as the slider is dragged.  If the  value  is  true,
              updates  are  delayed  until  the  mouse  button is
              released to end the drag;  at that point  a  single
              notification  is  made  (the value ``jumps'' rather
              than changing smoothly).

       Command-Line Name:-justify
       Database Name:  justify
       Database Class: Justify

              When there are multiple lines of text displayed  in
              a widget, this option determines how the lines line
              up with each other.  Must be one of  left,  center,
              or  right.   Left  means that the lines' left edges
              all line up, center means that the  lines'  centers
              are  aligned, and right means that the lines' right
              edges line up.

       Command-Line Name:-orient
       Database Name:  orient
       Database Class: Orient

              For widgets that can lay themselves out with either
              a  horizontal  or  vertical  orientation,  such  as
              scrollbars, this option specifies which orientation
              should  be used.  Must be either horizontal or ver-
              tical or an abbreviation of one of these.

       Command-Line Name:-padx
       Database Name:  padX
       Database Class: Pad

              Specifies a non-negative value indicating how  much
              extra  space  to  request  for the widget in the X-
              direction.  The value may have  any  of  the  forms
              acceptable  to  Tk_GetPixels.   When  computing how
              large a window it needs, the widget will  add  this
              amount  to  the  width  it  would normally need (as
              determined by the width of the things displayed  in
              the  widget);   if the geometry manager can satisfy
              this request, the widget will  end  up  with  extra
              internal  space to the left and/or right of what it
              displays inside.  Most widgets only use this option
              for  padding text:  if they are displaying a bitmap
              or image, then they usually ignore padding options.

       Command-Line Name:-pady
       Database Name:  padY
       Database Class: Pad

              Specifies  a non-negative value indicating how much
              extra space to request for the  widget  in  the  Y-
              direction.   The  value  may  have any of the forms
              acceptable to  Tk_GetPixels.   When  computing  how
              large  a  window it needs, the widget will add this
              amount to the height it  would  normally  need  (as
              determined by the height of the things displayed in
              the widget);  if the geometry manager  can  satisfy
              this  request,  the  widget  will end up with extra
              internal space above and/or below what it  displays
              inside.   Most  widgets  only  use  this option for
              padding text:  if they are displaying a  bitmap  or
              image, then they usually ignore padding options.

       Command-Line Name:-relief
       Database Name:  relief
       Database Class: Relief

              Specifies  the  3-D  effect desired for the widget.
              Acceptable values are raised, sunken, flat,  ridge,
              solid,  and  groove.   The  value indicates how the
              interior of the widget should  appear  relative  to
              its  exterior;  for example, raised means the inte-
              rior of the widget should appear to  protrude  from
              the screen, relative to the exterior of the widget.

       Command-Line Name:-repeatdelay
       Database Name:  repeatDelay
       Database Class: RepeatDelay

              Specifies the number of milliseconds  a  button  or
              key  must  be  held  down before it begins to auto-
              repeat.  Used, for example, on the  up-  and  down-
              arrows in scrollbars.

       Command-Line Name:-repeatinterval
       Database Name:  repeatInterval
       Database Class: RepeatInterval

              Used  in  conjunction with repeatDelay:  once auto-
              repeat begins, this option determines the number of
              milliseconds between auto-repeats.

       Command-Line Name:-selectbackground
       Database Name:  selectBackground
       Database Class: Foreground

              Specifies the background color to use when display-
              ing selected items.

       Command-Line Name:-selectborderwidth
       Database Name:  selectBorderWidth
       Database Class: BorderWidth

              Specifies a non-negative value indicating the width
              of  the  3-D  border to draw around selected items.
              The value may have any of the forms  acceptable  to
              Tk_GetPixels.

       Command-Line Name:-selectforeground
       Database Name:  selectForeground
       Database Class: Background

              Specifies the foreground color to use when display-
              ing selected items.

       Command-Line Name:-setgrid
       Database Name:  setGrid
       Database Class: SetGrid
              Specifies a boolean value that  determines  whether
              this widget controls the resizing grid for its top-
              level window.  This option  is  typically  used  in
              text  widgets,  where the information in the widget
              has a natural size (the size of a character) and it
              makes sense for the window's dimensions to be inte-
              gral numbers of these units.  These natural  window
              sizes form a grid.  If the setGrid option is set to
              true then the widget will communicate with the win-
              dow  manager  so  that  when the user interactively
              resizes the top-level window that contains the wid-
              get, the dimensions of the window will be displayed
              to the user in grid units and the window size  will
              be  constrained  to integral numbers of grid units.
              See the section GRIDDED GEOMETRY MANAGEMENT in  the
              wm manual entry for more details.

       Command-Line Name:-takefocus
       Database Name:  takeFocus
       Database Class: TakeFocus

              Determines  whether  the  window  accepts the focus
              during keyboard traversal  (e.g.,  Tab  and  Shift-
              Tab).   Before  setting  the focus to a window, the
              traversal scripts consult the value of the  takeFo-
              cus  option.   A  value  of 0 means that the window
              should be skipped entirely during keyboard  traver-
              sal.   1  means  that the window should receive the
              input focus as long as it is viewable (it  and  all
              of  its  ancestors are mapped).  An empty value for
              the option means that the  traversal  scripts  make
              the  decision  about whether or not to focus on the
              window:  the current algorithm is to skip the  win-
              dow  if  it is disabled, if it has no key bindings,
              or if it is not viewable.  If  the  value  has  any
              other  form,  then  the  traversal scripts take the
              value, append the name of the window to it (with  a
              separator space), and evaluate the resulting string
              as a Tcl script.  The script must return 0,  1,  or
              an  empty string:  a 0 or 1 value specifies whether
              the window will receive the  input  focus,  and  an
              empty   string  results  in  the  default  decision
              described above.  Note: this interpretation of  the
              option  is defined entirely by the Tcl scripts that
              implement traversal:   the  widget  implementations
              ignore  the  option entirely, so you can change its
              meaning if  you  redefine  the  keyboard  traversal
              scripts.

       Command-Line Name:-text
       Database Name:  text
       Database Class: Text

              Specifies  a  string  to  be  displayed  inside the
              widget.  The way in which the string  is  displayed
              depends  on the particular widget and may be deter-
              mined by other options, such as anchor or  justify.

       Command-Line Name:-textvariable
       Database Name:  textVariable
       Database Class: Variable

              Specifies the name of a variable.  The value of the
              variable is a text string to  be  displayed  inside
              the widget;  if the variable value changes then the
              widget will automatically update itself to  reflect
              the new value.  The way in which the string is dis-
              played in the widget depends on the particular wid-
              get and may be determined by other options, such as
              anchor or justify.

       Command-Line Name:-troughcolor
       Database Name:  troughColor
       Database Class: Background

              Specifies the color  to  use  for  the  rectangular
              trough  areas  in  widgets  such  as scrollbars and
              scales.  This option is ignored for  scrollbars  on
              Windows   (native  widget  doesn't  recognize  this
              option).

       Command-Line Name:-underline
       Database Name:  underline
       Database Class: Underline

              Specifies the  integer  index  of  a  character  to
              underline  in  the  widget.  This option is used by
              the default bindings to implement keyboard  traver-
              sal  for  menu  buttons and menu entries.  0 corre-
              sponds to the first character of the text displayed
              in  the widget, 1 to the next character, and so on.

       Command-Line Name:-wraplength
       Database Name:  wrapLength
       Database Class: WrapLength

              For widgets that can  perform  word-wrapping,  this
              option  specifies  the  maximum line length.  Lines
              that would exceed this length are wrapped onto  the
              next line, so that no line is longer than the spec-
              ified length.  The value may be specified in any of
              the  standard  forms for screen distances.  If this
              value is less than or equal to 0 then  no  wrapping
              is  done:  lines will break only at newline charac-
              ters in the text.

       Command-Line Name:-xscrollcommand
       Database Name:  xScrollCommand
       Database Class: ScrollCommand

              Specifies the prefix for a command used to communi-
              cate  with horizontal scrollbars.  When the view in
              the widget's window changes (or  whenever  anything
              else  occurs  that  could  change  the display in a
              scrollbar, such as a change in the  total  size  of
              the  widget's contents), the widget will generate a
              Tcl command by concatenating the scroll command and
              two  numbers.   Each  of  the numbers is a fraction
              between 0 and 1, which indicates a position in  the
              document.   0  indicates the beginning of the docu-
              ment, 1 indicates the end, .333 indicates  a  posi-
              tion one third the way through the document, and so
              on.  The first fraction indicates the first  infor-
              mation  in the document that is visible in the win-
              dow, and the second fraction indicates the informa-
              tion  just  after the last portion that is visible.
              The command is then passed to the  Tcl  interpreter
              for execution.  Typically the xScrollCommand option
              consists of the path name  of  a  scrollbar  widget
              followed  by  ``set'',  e.g.  ``.x.scrollbar set'':
              this will cause the scrollbar to be  updated  when-
              ever  the  view  in  the  window  changes.  If this
              option is not specified, then no  command  will  be
              executed.

       Command-Line Name:-yscrollcommand
       Database Name:  yScrollCommand
       Database Class: ScrollCommand

              Specifies the prefix for a command used to communi-
              cate with  vertical  scrollbars.   This  option  is
              treated  in  the  same  way  as  the xScrollCommand
              option, except that it is used for vertical scroll-
              bars and is provided by widgets that support verti-
              cal scrolling.  See the description of  xScrollCom-
              mand for details on how this option is used.


SEE ALSO
       colors, cursors, font


KEYWORDS
       class, name, standard option, switch
