TextArea

The TextArea widget provides a multi-line text editing area. Perfect for notes, comments, code editors, chat interfaces, or any situation where users need to enter more than a single line of text.

Constructor

TextArea(parent, x=10, y=10, width=300, height=150)

Parameters

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
`parent`	Window	Required	The parent window
`x`	int	10	X-coordinate in pixels
`y`	int	10	Y-coordinate in pixels
`width`	int	300	Width in pixels
`height`	int	150	Height in pixels

Returns

A TextArea object.

Methods

get()

Retrieve all text from the text area, including line breaks.

text = textarea.get()

Returns

str: The complete text content with newline characters

set(text)

Replace the entire contents of the text area.

textarea.set("New content here\nWith multiple lines")

Parameters

text (str): The text to set (can include \n for line breaks)

clear()

Remove all text from the text area.

textarea.clear()

Examples

Basic TextArea

import CocoaGUI as gui

app = gui.Window("Text Editor", width=600, height=400)

gui.Label(app, "Write your notes:", x=20, y=20, size=12)
notes = gui.TextArea(app, x=20, y=50, width=560, height=300)

app.run()

Simple Note-Taking App

import CocoaGUI as gui

app = gui.Window("Quick Notes", width=600, height=450)

gui.Label(app, "Quick Notes", x=250, y=15, size=16)

notes = gui.TextArea(app, x=20, y=50, width=560, height=300)
notes.set("Start typing your notes here...")

def save_notes():
    content = notes.get()
    if content.strip():
        gui.alert("Notes saved to memory!", "Saved")
    else:
        gui.alert("No notes to save", "Empty")

def clear_notes():
    if gui.confirm("Clear all notes?", "Confirm"):
        notes.clear()

gui.Button(app, "Save", command=save_notes, x=200, y=370)
gui.Button(app, "Clear", command=clear_notes, x=290, y=370)

app.run()

Character Counter

import CocoaGUI as gui

app = gui.Window("Character Counter", width=600, height=450)

gui.Label(app, "Text Analysis", x=240, y=15, size=16)

text = gui.TextArea(app, x=20, y=50, width=560, height=280)

char_label = gui.Label(app, "Characters: 0", x=20, y=350, size=11)
word_label = gui.Label(app, "Words: 0", x=150, y=350, size=11)
line_label = gui.Label(app, "Lines: 0", x=250, y=350, size=11)

def analyze():
    content = text.get()

    # Count characters (excluding trailing newline)
    chars = len(content.rstrip('\n'))

    # Count words
    words = len(content.split()) if content.strip() else 0

    # Count lines
    lines = content.count('\n')

    char_label.set(f"Characters: {chars}")
    word_label.set(f"Words: {words}")
    line_label.set(f"Lines: {lines}")

gui.Button(app, "Analyze", command=analyze, x=260, y=390)

app.run()

Text Transformation Tool

import CocoaGUI as gui

app = gui.Window("Text Transformer", width=700, height=500)

gui.Label(app, "Original Text:", x=20, y=20, size=12)
original = gui.TextArea(app, x=20, y=45, width=660, height=180)

gui.Label(app, "Transformed Text:", x=20, y=245, size=12)
transformed = gui.TextArea(app, x=20, y=270, width=660, height=180)

def to_uppercase():
    text = original.get()
    transformed.set(text.upper())

def to_lowercase():
    text = original.get()
    transformed.set(text.lower())

def reverse_text():
    text = original.get()
    transformed.set(text[::-1])

def word_count():
    text = original.get()
    words = len(text.split())
    transformed.set(f"This text contains {words} words.")

gui.Button(app, "UPPERCASE", command=to_uppercase, x=100, y=465)
gui.Button(app, "lowercase", command=to_lowercase, x=220, y=465)
gui.Button(app, "Reverse", command=reverse_text, x=340, y=465)
gui.Button(app, "Count Words", command=word_count, x=440, y=465)

app.run()

Simple Journal Entry

import CocoaGUI as gui
from datetime import datetime

app = gui.Window("Daily Journal", width=650, height=500)

gui.Label(app, "Daily Journal Entry", x=240, y=15, size=16)

date_label = gui.Label(app, datetime.now().strftime("%B %d, %Y"), 
                       x=260, y=45, size=11)

entry = gui.TextArea(app, x=25, y=80, width=600, height=350)

entries = []

def save_entry():
    content = entry.get().strip()
    if not content:
        gui.alert("Please write something first!", "Empty Entry")
        return

    timestamp = datetime.now().strftime("%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S")
    entries.append(f"[{timestamp}]\n{content}\n")

    gui.alert("Journal entry saved!", "Saved")
    entry.clear()

def view_entries():
    if not entries:
        gui.alert("No entries yet!", "Empty Journal")
        return

    all_entries = "\n---\n".join(entries)
    entry.set(all_entries)

gui.Button(app, "Save Entry", command=save_entry, x=220, y=450)
gui.Button(app, "View All", command=view_entries, x=330, y=450)

app.run()

Code Snippet Manager

import CocoaGUI as gui

app = gui.Window("Code Snippets", width=700, height=550)

gui.Label(app, "Code Snippet Manager", x=260, y=15, size=16)

gui.Label(app, "Snippet Name:", x=25, y=50, size=11)
name = gui.Input(app, x=140, y=50, width=400)

gui.Label(app, "Code:", x=25, y=85, size=11)
code = gui.TextArea(app, x=25, y=110, width=650, height=350)

snippets = {}

def save_snippet():
    snippet_name = name.get().strip()
    snippet_code = code.get().strip()

    if not snippet_name:
        gui.alert("Please enter a snippet name", "Error")
        return

    if not snippet_code:
        gui.alert("Please enter some code", "Error")
        return

    snippets[snippet_name] = snippet_code
    gui.alert(f"Saved snippet: {snippet_name}", "Success")
    name.clear()
    code.clear()

def list_snippets():
    if not snippets:
        gui.alert("No snippets saved yet", "Empty")
        return

    snippet_list = "\n\n".join([f"=== {n} ===\n{c}" 
                                 for n, c in snippets.items()])
    code.set(snippet_list)

gui.Button(app, "Save Snippet", command=save_snippet, x=250, y=480)
gui.Button(app, "View All", command=list_snippets, x=370, y=480)

app.run()

Markdown Preview (Simplified)

import CocoaGUI as gui

app = gui.Window("Markdown Editor", width=800, height=600)

gui.Label(app, "Markdown Input:", x=20, y=20, size=12)
markdown = gui.TextArea(app, x=20, y=50, width=360, height=450)

markdown.set("# Welcome\n\nWrite your **markdown** here!\n\n- Item 1\n- Item 2")

gui.Label(app, "Preview:", x=420, y=20, size=12)
preview = gui.TextArea(app, x=420, y=50, width=360, height=450)

def update_preview():
    # Simple markdown-like preview (not full markdown)
    text = markdown.get()

    # Replace # headers
    text = text.replace("# ", "[H1] ")
    text = text.replace("## ", "[H2] ")

    # Replace **bold**
    while "**" in text:
        text = text.replace("**", "[B]", 1).replace("**", "[/B]", 1)

    preview.set(text)

gui.Button(app, "Update Preview", command=update_preview, x=330, y=520)

app.run()

Chat Interface

import CocoaGUI as gui
from datetime import datetime

app = gui.Window("Simple Chat", width=600, height=550)

gui.Label(app, "Chat Room", x=260, y=15, size=16)

# Chat history display
chat_display = gui.TextArea(app, x=20, y=50, width=560, height=380)
chat_display.set("Welcome to the chat!\n")

# Message input
gui.Label(app, "Your message:", x=20, y=445, size=11)
message_input = gui.Input(app, x=130, y=445, width=350)

def send_message():
    msg = message_input.get().strip()
    if not msg:
        return

    timestamp = datetime.now().strftime("%H:%M:%S")
    current_chat = chat_display.get()
    new_message = f"[{timestamp}] You: {msg}\n"

    chat_display.set(current_chat + new_message)
    message_input.clear()

gui.Button(app, "Send", command=send_message, x=490, y=442)

app.run()

Working with Text Content

Reading Line by Line

content = textarea.get()
lines = content.split('\n')

for line in lines:
    print(line)

Appending Text

current = textarea.get()
new_line = "New text here"
textarea.set(current + new_line + "\n")

Replacing Text

content = textarea.get()
modified = content.replace("old", "new")
textarea.set(modified)

Finding Text

content = textarea.get()
if "search term" in content:
    gui.alert("Found!", "Search")
else:
    gui.alert("Not found", "Search")

Best Practices

Size appropriately for content. Make the TextArea large enough for users to comfortably read and edit their text without excessive scrolling.

Provide clear context. Use labels to explain what the TextArea is for.

Consider default text. Helpful placeholder text can guide users, but make sure it's clearly different from actual content.

Handle line breaks. Remember that get() returns text with \n characters. Process them appropriately for your needs.

Scrolling is automatic. TextArea automatically provides scrollbars when content exceeds the visible area.

Save user work. For text editors or note apps, consider implementing auto-save or warning users before clearing content.

Common Patterns

Template System

templates = {
    "Letter": "Dear [Name],\n\nBest regards,\n[Your Name]",
    "Email": "Subject: \n\nHi,\n\n\n\nThanks,",
    "Code": "def function_name():\n    # Your code here\n    pass"
}

def load_template(template_name):
    textarea.set(templates[template_name])

Undo Functionality (Simple)

history = []

def save_to_history():
    current = textarea.get()
    history.append(current)

def undo():
    if len(history) > 0:
        previous = history.pop()
        textarea.set(previous)

TextArea

Constructor

Parameters

Returns

Methods

get()

Returns

set(text)

Parameters

clear()

Examples

Basic TextArea

Simple Note-Taking App

Character Counter

Text Transformation Tool

Simple Journal Entry

Code Snippet Manager

Markdown Preview (Simplified)

Chat Interface

Working with Text Content

Reading Line by Line

Appending Text

Replacing Text

Finding Text

Best Practices

Common Patterns

Template System

Undo Functionality (Simple)

See Also