I often hear monks explaining that Perl/Tk's interface is outdated, or that it's "Motif-like." While I have nothing against these monks, I feel it my duty as a Perl/Tk user to point out that this just isn't true. Perl/Tk's default interface can be easily customized to remedy this.

If you're finding that your Tk apps look a little ugly on X-based systems, try adding the following lines to the top of your script:

$mw->optionAdd("*font", "-*-arial-normal-r-*-*-*-120-*-*-*-*-*-*");
$mw->optionAdd("*borderWidth", 1);
[download]

Assuming $mw represents your main window, all of your Tk windows and widgets will take on a MUCH more modern appearance. Of course, you can tweak these values to fit your needs.

BTW, would it make sense to include something like this in the core of the next Tk so that new Tk programmers don't become disappointed with the default Tk interface?

Just a thought.

Bill Atkins
milkbone = perl + tk + instant messaging