The focus command is used to manage the Tk input focus. At any given time, one window on each display is
designated as the focuswindow; any key press or key release events for the display are sent to that
window. It is normally up to the window manager to redirect the focus among the top-level windows of a
display. For example, some window managers automatically set the input focus to a top-level window
whenever the mouse enters it; others redirect the input focus only when the user clicks on a window.
Usually the window manager will set the focus only to top-level windows, leaving it up to the application
to redirect the focus among the children of the top-level.
Tk remembers one focus window for each top-level (the most recent descendant of that top-level to receive
the focus); when the window manager gives the focus to a top-level, Tk automatically redirects it to the
remembered window. Within a top-level Tk uses an explicit focus model by default. Moving the mouse
within a top-level does not normally change the focus; the focus changes only when a widget decides
explicitly to claim the focus (e.g., because of a button click), or when the user types a key such as Tab
that moves the focus.
The Tcl procedure tk_focusFollowsMouse may be invoked to create an implicit focus model: it reconfigures
Tk so that the focus is set to a window whenever the mouse enters it. The Tcl procedures tk_focusNext
and tk_focusPrev implement a focus order among the windows of a top-level; they are used in the default
bindings for Tab and Shift-Tab, among other things.
The focus command can take any of the following forms:
focus Returns the path name of the focus window on the display containing the application's main window,
or an empty string if no window in this application has the focus on that display. Note: it is
better to specify the display explicitly using -displayof (see below) so that the code will work
in applications using multiple displays.
focuswindow
If the application currently has the input focus on window's display, this command resets the
input focus for window's display to window and returns an empty string. If the application does
not currently have the input focus on window's display, window will be remembered as the focus for
its top-level; the next time the focus arrives at the top-level, Tk will redirect it to window.
If window is an empty string then the command does nothing.
focus-displayofwindow
Returns the name of the focus window on the display containing window. If the focus window for
window's display is not in this application, the return value is an empty string.
focus-forcewindow
Sets the focus of window's display to window, even if the application does not currently have the
input focus for the display. This command should be used sparingly, if at all. In normal usage,
an application should not claim the focus for itself; instead, it should wait for the window
manager to give it the focus. If window is an empty string then the command does nothing.
focus-lastforwindow
Returns the name of the most recent window to have the input focus among all the windows in the
same top-level as window. If no window in that top-level has ever had the input focus, or if the
most recent focus window has been deleted, then the name of the top-level is returned. The return
value is the window that will receive the input focus the next time the window manager gives the
focus to the top-level.