Built-in virtual events

A virtual event is a named notification in double brackets — <<Copy>>, <<ThemeChanged>> — decoupled from any one physical event. Bind them exactly like physical events. This page catalogs the ones Tk, ttk, and ttkbootstrap define, and documents the methods that define your own. For how to use them, see Events & callbacks.

Defining your own

A virtual event is bound to one or more physical sequences; firing any of them fires the virtual event. This is how you name an action once (<<Save>>) and let each platform reach it by its own key.

event_add(virtual, *sequences)

Map one or more physical sequences onto a virtual event, creating it if needed. Adds to any sequences already mapped.

Parameters:

• virtual (str) – the virtual event name, e.g. "<<Save>>".

• sequences – physical sequences, e.g. "<Control-s>", "<F2>".

Returns:

None.

event_delete(virtual, *sequences)

Remove sequences from a virtual event. With no sequences, removes every sequence mapped to it.

Parameters:

• virtual (str) – the virtual event name.

• sequences – the sequences to unmap; omit for all.

Returns:

None.

event_info(virtual=None)

Report the physical sequences mapped to a virtual event. Useful for asking what a built-in event is bound to on this platform — event_info("<<Copy>>") answers ('<Control-Key-c>', ...) on Windows and Linux but ('<Mod1-Key-c>', ...) on macOS, where the copy key is Command.

Parameters:

virtual – a virtual event name; omit to list every defined virtual event.

Returns:

the sequences mapped to virtual, or the names of all virtual events when called with no argument.

Return type:

tuple

Editing & clipboard

Defined by default with the key sequences shown; emitted by Text and Entry widgets and safe to bind or generate yourself.

Virtual event	Default sequence	Meaning
<<Cut>>	Control-x, Shift-Delete	Cut the selection.
<<Copy>>	Control-c, Control-Insert	Copy the selection.
<<Paste>>	Control-v, Shift-Insert	Paste the clipboard.
<<PasteSelection>>	ButtonRelease-2	Paste the X selection (middle-click).
<<Undo>>	Control-z	Undo.
<<Redo>>	Control-y	Redo.
<<SelectAll>>	Control-a, Control-/	Select everything.
<<SelectNone>>	Control-\	Clear the selection.
<<ToggleSelection>>	Control-Button-1	Toggle selection of the item under the pointer.
<<ContextMenu>>	Button-3	Request a context menu (right-click).

Caret navigation

Text-editing motion events, each mapped to an arrow/navigation key. Every one below has a <<Select…>> counterpart (e.g. <<SelectNextWord>>) that the Shift-modified key fires to extend the selection.

Virtual event	Default key	Moves the caret
<<PrevChar>> <<NextChar>>	Left / Right	one character
<<PrevWord>> <<NextWord>>	Control-Left / Control-Right	one word
<<PrevLine>> <<NextLine>>	Up / Down	one line
<<PrevPara>> <<NextPara>>	Control-Up / Control-Down	one paragraph
<<LineStart>> <<LineEnd>>	Home / End	to the line edge

Focus traversal

Virtual event	Default key	Meaning
<<NextWindow>>	Tab	Move focus to the next widget.
<<PrevWindow>>	Shift-Tab	Move focus to the previous widget.

Widget notifications

Emitted by specific widgets when their selection or state changes — no default key sequence; you bind them to react to the widget. Read the current value from the widget in the handler.

Virtual event	Emitted by
<<ComboboxSelected>>	Combobox — a value was chosen.
<<NotebookTabChanged>>	Notebook — the active tab changed.
<<TreeviewSelect>>	Treeview — the selection changed.
<<TreeviewOpen>> <<TreeviewClose>>	Treeview — a node was expanded / collapsed.
<<ListboxSelect>>	Listbox — the selection changed.
<<MenuSelect>>	Menu — the highlighted item changed.
<<Modified>>	Text — the contents changed.

Theme & locale (ttkbootstrap)

Virtual event	Fires when
<<ThemeChanged>>	The theme is switched (delivered to every widget). Bind it to recolor anything you drew yourself; for rebuilding a custom style prefer on_theme_change().
<<LocaleChanged>>	The locale is switched via set_locale — what drives LocaleVar.