DateEntry#

DateEntry is a composite widget that ttkbootstrap ships (ttk.DateEntry) — an Entry paired with a button that opens a calendar popup for picking a date. The chosen date is written back into the entry, and a <<DateEntrySelected>> virtual event fires. This page is the complete lookup reference.

Each option can be passed to the constructor and changed later with configure().

Options#

Option	Type	Description
`bootstyle`	`str`	The focus color of the entry and the color of the date button — one of `primary`, `secondary`, `success`, `info`, `warning`, `danger`, `light`, `dark`. Default `"primary"`.
`date_format`	`str`	The `strftime` format used to render the date in the entry. Default `"%x"` (the locale’s date representation).
`first_weekday`	`int`	The first day of the week in the popup: `0` = Monday … `6` = Sunday. Default `6`.
`start_date`	`datetime \| date`	The date the calendar popup focuses on when no date is selected. When `value` is omitted it also fills the field at construction and is the `get_date()` fallback for an empty field. Default `None` (today).
`value`	`datetime \| date \| None`	The initially selected date. Pass `value=None` for an empty, clearable field — `get_date()` / `value` then return `None` until a date is chosen. If omitted, the field defaults to `start_date` or today.
`button_icon`	`str`	The Bootstrap-Icons glyph shown on the button. Default `"calendar-week"`.
`show_outside_days`	`bool`	Whether the popup shows the leading/trailing days of adjacent months as muted, non-selectable labels. Default `True`.
`state`	`str`	`"normal"`, `"readonly"`, or `"disabled"`. Queries return the entry field’s state; setting `"normal"` or `"disabled"` also applies to the date button.
`raise_exception`	`bool`	Whether an invalid typed date raises `ValueError`. When `False`, a bad string is ignored with a warning. Default `False`.
`position`	`tuple`	Optional `(x, y)` screen coordinates for the popup. Default `None` (positioned near the widget).
`popup_title`	`str`	Retained for API compatibility; not displayed, because the popup is borderless. Default `"Select new date"`.

A width passed via **kwargs is applied to the entry field, not the container frame.

Methods#

get_date()

Return the currently selected date.

Returns:: the selected date, or None if the entry is empty / invalid.
Return type:: datetime | None

set_date(new_date)

Set the selected date and update the entry text. Passing None clears the field (equivalent to clear()).

Parameters:: new_date (datetime | date | None) – the date to display, or None to clear the field.
Returns:: None.

clear()

Clear the selected date, leaving the field empty. Afterwards value / get_date() return None and the calendar popup opens on the configured start_date (or today).

Returns:: None.

enable()

Enable the entry and date button.

Returns:: None.

disable()

Disable the entry and date button.

Returns:: None.

value: The currently selected date (property; a synonym for get_date()). Assigning None clears the field. Returns None when the field is empty in the nullable model (see the value option).

enabled: Whether the date picker is currently enabled (read-only property).

Styling options#

A DateEntry is an Entry beside a button, so its field and button follow the Entry and Button styles. The drop-down calendar has its own style family:

Bootstyle mapping#

Any of the accent colors – primary, secondary, success, info, warning, danger, light, dark – substitutes for primary below. neutral does not apply to this family.

`bootstyle`	ttk style name
`primary`	`primary.TCalendar`

Layout (elements)#

The widget is drawn from these nested parts. Each is an element you can target by name in a custom layout:

Toolbutton.border
  Toolbutton.focus
    Toolbutton.padding
      Toolbutton.label

Configurable style options#

Options you can set with style.configure(...) / style.map(...):

anchor, background, bordercolor, borderwidth, compound, darkcolor, embossed, focuscolor, focussolid, focusthickness, font, foreground, image, justify, lightcolor, padding, relief, shiftrelief, space, stipple, text, underline, width, wraplength

Supported states#

The states you can target with style.map(...) to vary appearance by interaction:

!disabled, disabled, hover, pressed, selected

Hand-styling example#

import ttkbootstrap as ttk

app = ttk.App()
style = app.style

style.configure("my.TCalendar", background="#3498db", foreground="white")

# This style backs an internal/shipped widget rather than a
# directly-constructed ttk widget; configure the style class above.

Shared capabilities#

DateEntry also has the methods every widget inherits — configuration, placement, event binding, lifecycle, focus, and introspection. These are documented under Capabilities.