Optionmenu(3pm)

✨ Optionmenu — Tk::Optionmenu ✨

okay so bestie, this is a User Contributed Perl Documentation page for Tk::Optionmenu, and it's literally the widget that lets your user pick one thing out of a lil set of pre-approved options. dropdown energy. very demure, very mindful. 💅

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🌸 NAME 🌸

Tk::Optionmenu</p> — let the user select one of some predefined options values 🎀

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🦋 SYNOPSIS 🦋

use Tk::Optionmenu;

$opt = $w->Optionmenu(
                    -options => REFERENCE_to_OPTIONLIST,
                    -command => CALLBACK,
                    -variable => SCALAR_REF,
                    );

$opt->addOptions( OPTIONLIST );

# OPTION LIST is
#   a)  $val1, $val2, $val3,...
#   b)  [ $lab1=>$val1], [$lab2=>val2], ... ]
#   c)  combination of a) and b), e.g.,
#       val1, [$lab2=>val2], val3, val4, [...], ...

so the option list can be plain values, or label/value pairs in brackets, or a chaotic lil mix of both — pick your fighter, all three are valid, no cap 💖

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👑 DESCRIPTION 👑

The Optionmenu widget lets the user choose between a given set of options. that's it, that's the whole vibe. a curated selection. main character menu energy. ⭐

If you want the user to be able to change the available options themselves, go look at Tk::BrowseEntry instead — different widget, different job, iykyk. 🦋

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💜 OPTIONS 💜

• -options — (re)sets the list of options that get presented. swapping the whole menu out, slay.
• -command — defines the callback that is invoked when a new option gets selected. it fires, you react. periodt. 🔥
• -variable — a reference to a scalar that holds the current value of the selected option.
• -textvariable — a reference to a scalar that holds the text label of the current value of the selected option. (yes bestie, value and label are two different things here, keep up 💅)

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🎀 METHODS 🎀

addOptions

Adds OPTION_LIST to the options that are already available. stacking new choices on top of the old ones, no restart required. 🌈

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🌟 EXAMPLE 🌟

use Tk;
my $mw = MainWindow->new();

my ($var, $tvar);
my $opt = $mw->Optionmenu(
       -options => [[jan=>1], [feb=>2], [mar=>3], [apr=>4]],
       -command => sub { print "got: ", shift, "\n" },
       -variable => \$var,
       -textvariable => \$tvar
      )->pack;

$opt->addOptions([may=>5],[jun=>6],[jul=>7],[aug=>8]);

my $f = $mw->Frame(-relief=>'groove', -borderwidth => 2)->pack;
$f->Label(-textvariable=>\$tvar)->pack(-side => 'left');
$f->Label(-text => " -> ")->pack(-side => 'left');
$f->Label(-textvariable=>\$var)->pack(-side => 'left');

$mw->Button(-text=>'Exit', -command=>sub{$mw->destroy})->pack;

MainLoop;

look at that. months as labels, numbers as values, two whole Labels showing you both at once like a lil split-screen reveal. the ->pack chain is doing the most and honestly it ate. 🙈

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🫶 SEE ALSO 🫶

Tk::Menubutton, Tk::BrowseEntry

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heads up bestie: if your user needs to edit the option list themselves, this is not the widget — that's Tk::BrowseEntry's whole thing. don't come for Optionmenu's gig. 💀

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sign-off time 💖 this page ships with perl v5.40.1, dated 2025-04-13, and it lives in the Optionmenu(3pm) slot. go forth and let people choose things. mwah. 🎀✨🦋