NAME

       focus - Manage the input focus


SYNOPSIS

       focus

       focus window

       focus option ?arg arg ...?
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DESCRIPTION

       The  focus  command  is used to manage the Tk input focus.
       At any given time, one window on each  display  is  desig­
       nated  as  the focus window;  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 applica­
       tion 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_focus­
       Prev 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

              -displayof  (see  below) so that the code will work
              in applications using multiple displays.

       focus window
              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 doesn't 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 -displayof window
              Returns the name of the focus window on the display
              containing  window.   If  the focus window for win­
              dow's display isn't in this application, the return
              value is an empty string.

       focus -force window
              Sets  the focus of window's display to window, even
              if the application doesn't currently have the input
              focus for the display.  This command should be used
              sparingly, if at all.  In normal usage, an applica­
              tion   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 -lastfor window
              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.


QUIRKS

       When an internal  window  receives  the  input  focus,  Tk
       doesn't  actually  set the X focus to that window;  as far
       as X is concerned, the focus will stay  on  the  top-level
       window  containing the window with the focus.  However, Tk
       generates FocusIn and FocusOut events just  as  if  the  X
       focus  were  on  the internal window.   This approach gets
       around a number of problems that  would  occur  if  the  X
       focus were actually moved; the fact that the X focus is on
       the top-level is invisible unless you use C code to  query
       the X server directly.

       events, focus, keyboard, top-level, window manager


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