# Re: Feedback messages to user using Tk

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/re-feedback-messages-to-user-using-tk/70229>\
**Category:** Ruby\
**Created:** [September 27, 2006, 4:59pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/re-feedback-messages-to-user-using-tk/70229 "2006-09-27T16:59:08Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![CameronS\_Gemma\_SUK](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/45deac/32.png) [@CameronS\_Gemma\_SUK](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/CameronS_Gemma_SUK)\
**Post date:** [September 27, 2006, 4:59pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/re-feedback-messages-to-user-using-tk/70229/1 "2006-09-27T16:59:08Z")

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1. Now call Tk.mainloop

^^ I think maybe that’s where I was going wrong. I wrote a unit test to  
test the updating of the label. My code looked something like this:

class GraphicalProgress  
def initialize  
root = TkRoot.new { title ‘Progress’ }  
@my\_label = tkLabel.new(root)  
@my\_label.configure(‘text’=\>‘Waiting for something to report…’)  
@my\_label.pack

```
Tk.mainloop

```

end

def update(message)  
@my\_label.configure(‘text’=\>‘Waiting for something to report…’)  
end  
end

Unit Test:

@progress = GraphicalProgress.new  
@progress.update(‘I’m doing something’)  
@progress.update(‘I’m done’)

And because the loop is in the initialize method, only when the app is  
closed do we get to the line which requests the text is update. Of  
course this falls over as the widget has been destroyed…

So with your suggestion the code should be something like this…

class GraphicalProgress  
def initialize  
root = TkRoot.new { title ‘Progress’ }  
@my\_label = tkLabel.new(root)  
@my\_label.configure(‘text’=\>‘Waiting for something to report…’)  
@my\_label.pack  
end

def update(message)  
@my\_label.configure(‘text’=\>‘Waiting for something to report…’)  
end  
end

Unit Test:

@progress = GraphicalProgress.new  
@progress.update(‘I’m doing something’)  
@progress.update(‘I’m done’)  
Tk.mainloop

Or have I got the wrong end of the stick?

Thanks so much for your help!

Gem

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![CameronS\_Gemma\_SUK](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/45deac/32.png) [@CameronS\_Gemma\_SUK](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/CameronS_Gemma_SUK)\
**Post date:** [September 27, 2006, 7:21pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/re-feedback-messages-to-user-using-tk/70229/2 "2006-09-27T19:21:35Z")

</div>

On Sep 27, 2006, at 10:57 AM, Cameron, Gemma (UK) wrote:

> ```
> @my_label.configure('text'=>'Waiting for something to report...')
> 
> ```
> 
> Unit Test:
> 
> end
> 
> Thanks so much for your help!

There are quite a few errors in that code. Even if you fixed its  
syntax, you’d have a conceptual error. You’d only see the last  
message: “I’m done”. The initial message would be replaced by the  
first update call and the second message would then be replaced by  
the second update call before the window got on the screen. But  
you’re moving in the right direction.

You need something to delay the updates until the window gets  
displayed. A timer is one way to do it.

`
#! /usr/bin/ruby -w
require ‘tk’
class GraphicalProgress
def initialize
root = TkRoot.new { title ‘Progress’ }
@my_label = TkLabel.new(root) {
text ‘Waiting for something to report…’
}
@my_label.pack(:pady=>20)
# Set initial window geometry; i.e., size and placement.
win_w, win_h = 300, 80
# root.minsize(win_w, win_h)
win_x = (root.winfo_screenwidth - win_w) / 2
root.geometry("#{win_w}x#{win_h}+#{win_x}+50")
root.resizable(false, false)
end
```
def update(message)
   @my_label.text = message
end

```
end
msgs = [“I’m doing something”, “I’m done”]
indx = 0
progress = GraphicalProgress.new
timer = TkTimer.start(1000, 2) do
progress.update(msgs[indx])
indx += 1
end
Tk.mainloop
`

Regards, Morton