Tkinter scrollbar for frame

Here's example code adapted from the VerticalScrolledFrame page on the now defunct Tkinter Wiki that's been modified to run on Python 2.7 and 3+.

try:  # Python 2
    import tkinter as tk
    import tkinter.ttk as ttk
    from tkinter.constants import *
except ImportError:  # Python 2
    import Tkinter as tk
    import ttk
    from tkinter.constants import *


# Based on
#   https://web.archive.org/web/20170514022131id_/http://tkinter.unpythonic.net/wiki/VerticalScrolledFrame

class VerticalScrolledFrame(ttk.Frame):
    """A pure Tkinter scrollable frame that actually works!
    * Use the 'interior' attribute to place widgets inside the scrollable frame.
    * Construct and pack/place/grid normally.
    * This frame only allows vertical scrolling.
    """
    def __init__(self, parent, *args, **kw):
        ttk.Frame.__init__(self, parent, *args, **kw)

        # Create a canvas object and a vertical scrollbar for scrolling it.
        vscrollbar = ttk.Scrollbar(self, orient=VERTICAL)
        vscrollbar.pack(fill=Y, side=RIGHT, expand=FALSE)
        canvas = tk.Canvas(self, bd=0, highlightthickness=0,
                           yscrollcommand=vscrollbar.set)
        canvas.pack(side=LEFT, fill=BOTH, expand=TRUE)
        vscrollbar.config(command=canvas.yview)

        # Reset the view
        canvas.xview_moveto(0)
        canvas.yview_moveto(0)

        # Create a frame inside the canvas which will be scrolled with it.
        self.interior = interior = ttk.Frame(canvas)
        interior_id = canvas.create_window(0, 0, window=interior,
                                           anchor=NW)

        # Track changes to the canvas and frame width and sync them,
        # also updating the scrollbar.
        def _configure_interior(event):
            # Update the scrollbars to match the size of the inner frame.
            size = (interior.winfo_reqwidth(), interior.winfo_reqheight())
            canvas.config(scrollregion="0 0 %s %s" % size)
            if interior.winfo_reqwidth() != canvas.winfo_width():
                # Update the canvas's width to fit the inner frame.
                canvas.config(width=interior.winfo_reqwidth())
        interior.bind('<Configure>', _configure_interior)

        def _configure_canvas(event):
            if interior.winfo_reqwidth() != canvas.winfo_width():
                # Update the inner frame's width to fill the canvas.
                canvas.itemconfigure(interior_id, width=canvas.winfo_width())
        canvas.bind('<Configure>', _configure_canvas)


if __name__ == "__main__":

    class SampleApp(tk.Tk):
        def __init__(self, *args, **kwargs):
            root = tk.Tk.__init__(self, *args, **kwargs)

            self.frame = VerticalScrolledFrame(root)
            self.frame.pack()
            self.label = ttk.Label(self, text="Shrink the window to activate the scrollbar.")
            self.label.pack()
            buttons = []
            for i in range(10):
                buttons.append(ttk.Button(self.frame.interior, text="Button " + str(i)))
                buttons[-1].pack()

    app = SampleApp()
    app.mainloop()

It does not yet have the mouse wheel bound to the scrollbar but it is possible. Scrolling with the wheel can get a bit bumpy, though.

edit:

to 1)
IMHO scrolling frames is somewhat tricky in Tkinter and does not seem to be done a lot. It seems there is no elegant way to do it.
One problem with your code is that you have to set the canvas size manually - that's what the example code I posted solves.

to 2)
You are talking about the data function? Place works for me, too. (In general I prefer grid).

to 3)
Well, it positions the window on the canvas.

One thing I noticed is that your example handles mouse wheel scrolling by default while the one I posted does not. Will have to look at that some time.

"Am i doing it right?Is there better/smarter way to achieve the output this code gave me?"

Generally speaking, yes, you're doing it right. Tkinter has no native scrollable container other than the canvas. As you can see, it's really not that difficult to set up. As your example shows, it only takes 5 or 6 lines of code to make it work -- depending on how you count lines.

"Why must i use grid method?(i tried place method, but none of the labels appear on the canvas?)"

You ask about why you must use grid. There is no requirement to use grid. Place, grid and pack can all be used. It's simply that some are more naturally suited to particular types of problems. In this case it looks like you're creating an actual grid -- rows and columns of labels -- so grid is the natural choice.

"What so special about using anchor='nw' when creating window on canvas?"

The anchor tells you what part of the window is positioned at the coordinates you give. By default, the center of the window will be placed at the coordinate. In the case of your code above, you want the upper left ("northwest") corner to be at the coordinate.