Python tkinter GUI freezing/crashing -

from tkinter import * import tkfiledialog import tkmessagebox import os import ttk  import serial import timeit import time  ###################################################################################### class myapp:     def __init__(self, parent): ######################################################## #setup frames          self.middleframe = frame(parent) #middle frame         self.middleframe.pack()         #global variables         self.chip_number = 0 #number of chip testing ###########################################         #middle frame setup           label(self.middleframe, text='done').grid(row=8, column=1, sticky = e)         self.done = canvas(self.middleframe, bg="yellow", width=10, height=10)         self.done.grid(row=8, column=2)                  label(self.middleframe, text='chip number:').grid(row=9, column=1, sticky = e)         #start button         self.button1 = button(self.middleframe,state=normal, command= self.start_pre)         self.button1["text"]= "start"         self.button1.grid(row=1, column=2, sticky = e) ###########################################  #action of start button     def start_pre(self):          x = 0         while x<10000:                      self.start_button()             x=x+1  #talking board     def start_button(self):         #increase chip count number , update         self.chip_number += 1         label(self.middleframe, text=str(self.chip_number)).grid(row=9, column=2, sticky = e)         #reset-yellow         self.reset_color()                   print "still working", self.chip_number         self.done.configure(background="green")         self.done.update_idletasks()                   ############################################################### #color boxes #reset     def reset_color(self):         self.done.configure(background="yellow")         self.done.update_idletasks()  ############################################################################################################### #start programs root = tk() #makes window root.title("interface") myapp = myapp(root) #this runs program root.mainloop() #keep window open                                                                            

with program, first push start button. print "still working" , gui update chip number , blink done light on , over. start button go function execute 10000 times. after 3000 iterations, gui freeze, program still print "still working". how keep gui crashing?

there many problems code. one, fundamentally flawed:

while self.stop == true:              self.start_button()     time.sleep(0.5) 

you can't expect gui behave code that. general rule of thumb should never have main thread of gui call sleep. causing sleep prevents event loop processing any events, including low level events such requests refresh screen.

the use of sleep has been asked , answered many times on stackoverflow. might find of questions useful. example,

• windows thinks tkinter not responding
• python tkinter coords function not moving canvas objects inside loop
• how widgets update in tkinter?
• tkinter multiple operations
• python tkinter stopwatch error

you have problem falls category of memory leak. while loop, call self.start_button() indefinitely. happens once second, due sleep being called half second in loop, , half second in start_button.

each time call start_button, create another label widget stack on top of previous widgets in row 9, column 2. cause program crash. i'm surprised causes program fail quickly, that's beside point.

my recommendation start on simple example nothing update label every second. working understand basic mechanism. then, once it's working, can add in code reads serial port.