`turtle` — Turtle graphics¶

Source code: Lib/turtle.py

Imagine a robotic turtle starting at (0, 0) in the x-y plane. After an import turtle, give it the command turtle.forward(15), and it moves (on-screen!) 15 pixels in the direction it is facing, drawing a line as it moves. Give it the command turtle.right(25), and it rotates in-place 25 degrees clockwise.

Turtle graphics is an implementation of the drawing tools introduced in Logo in 1967. It was created as an educational tool, and its instant, visible feedback makes it an effective way for learners to encounter programming concepts. It is also a convenient way to produce simple graphical output without bringing in external libraries.

This document includes four main sections:

Tutorial teaches the basics of turtle drawing.
Reference describes the functions, methods and classes this module defines.
How-to guides detail how to handle specific tasks.
Explanation provides background on the object-oriented interface.

Note

Turtle graphics requires the tkinter optional module. The python.org installers for Windows and macOS include it, but some Linux distributions and other platforms may package it separately. If import turtle fails with an error mentioning _tkinter, look for documentation from your distributor (that is, whoever provided Python to you). Check this in advance if you’re planning to use turtle graphics with a learner.

Tutorial¶

New users should start here. In this tutorial we’ll explore some of the basics of turtle drawing.

Starting a turtle environment¶

In a Python shell, import all the objects of the turtle module:

from turtle import *

If you run into a Standard library module '_tkinter' was not found error, you’ll have to install the Tk interface package on your system.

Basic drawing¶

Send the turtle forward 100 steps:

forward(100)

You should see (most likely, in a new window on your display) a line drawn by the turtle, heading East. Change the direction of the turtle, so that it turns 120 degrees left (anti-clockwise):

left(120)

Let’s continue by drawing a triangle:

forward(100)
left(120)
forward(100)

Notice how the turtle, represented by an arrow, points in different directions as you steer it.

Experiment with those commands, and also with backward() and right(). Many commands also have shorter aliases, such as fd() for forward().

Pen control¶

Try changing the color - for example, color('blue') - and width of the line - for example, width(3) - and then drawing again.

You can also move the turtle around without drawing, by lifting up the pen: up() before moving. To start drawing again, use down().

The turtle’s position¶

Send your turtle back to its starting-point (useful if it has disappeared off-screen):

home()

The home position is at the center of the turtle’s screen. If you ever need to know them, get the turtle’s x-y coordinates with:

pos()

Home is at (0, 0).

And after a while, it will probably help to clear the window so we can start anew:

clearscreen()

Making algorithmic patterns¶

Using loops, it’s possible to build up geometric patterns:

for steps in range(100):
    for c in ('blue', 'red', 'green'):
        color(c)
        forward(steps)
        right(30)

- which of course, are limited only by the imagination!

Let’s draw the star shape at the top of this page. We want red lines, filled in with yellow:

color('red')
fillcolor('yellow')

Just as up() and down() determine whether lines will be drawn, filling can be turned on and off:

begin_fill()

Next we’ll create a loop:

start = pos()

while True:
    forward(200)
    left(170)
    if distance(start) < 1:
        break

distance(start) < 1 is a good way to know when the turtle is back at its start position.

Finally, complete the filling:

end_fill()

(Note that filling only actually takes place when you give the end_fill() command.)

Reference¶

Turtle methods and functions¶

Most of the examples in this section refer to a Turtle instance called turtle.

Move and draw¶

turtle.forward(distance)¶

turtle.fd(distance)¶

Parameters:: distance – a number

Move the turtle forward by the specified distance, in the direction the turtle is headed.

>>> turtle.position()
(0.00,0.00)
>>> turtle.forward(25)
>>> turtle.position()
(25.00,0.00)
>>> turtle.forward(-75)
>>> turtle.position()
(-50.00,0.00)

turtle.back(distance)¶

turtle.bk(distance)¶

turtle.backward(distance)¶

Parameters:: distance – a number

Move the turtle backward by distance, opposite to the direction the turtle is headed. The turtle’s heading does not change.

>>> turtle.position()
(0.00,0.00)
>>> turtle.backward(30)
>>> turtle.position()
(-30.00,0.00)

turtle.right(angle)¶

turtle.rt(angle)¶

Parameters:: angle – a number

Turn the turtle right by the specified angle. The angle is measured in degrees by default; the unit can be changed with degrees() or radians(). How the heading is measured depends on the turtle mode, see mode().

>>> turtle.heading()
22.0
>>> turtle.right(45)
>>> turtle.heading()
337.0

turtle.left(angle)¶

turtle.lt(angle)¶

Parameters:: angle – a number

Turn the turtle left by the specified angle. The angle is measured in degrees by default; the unit can be changed with degrees() or radians(). How the heading is measured depends on the turtle mode, see mode().

>>> turtle.heading()
22.0
>>> turtle.left(45)
>>> turtle.heading()
67.0

turtle.goto(x, y=None)¶

turtle.setpos(x, y=None)¶

turtle.setposition(x, y=None)¶

Parameters:

x – a number or a pair/vector of numbers
y – a number or None

Move the turtle to an absolute position. If y is None, x must be a pair of coordinates or a Vec2D, for example as returned by pos(). If the pen is down, a line is drawn. The turtle’s heading does not change.

>>> tp = turtle.pos()
>>> tp
(0.00,0.00)
>>> turtle.goto(60,30)
>>> turtle.pos()
(60.00,30.00)
>>> turtle.goto((20,80))
>>> turtle.pos()
(20.00,80.00)
>>> turtle.goto(tp)
>>> turtle.pos()
(0.00,0.00)

turtle.teleport(x, y=None, *, fill_gap=False)¶

Parameters:

x – a number or None
y – a number or None
fill_gap – a boolean

Move turtle to an absolute position. Unlike goto(x, y), a line will not be drawn. The turtle’s orientation does not change. If currently filling, the polygon(s) teleported from will be filled after leaving, and filling will begin again after teleporting. This can be disabled with fill_gap=True, which makes the imaginary line traveled during teleporting act as a fill barrier like in goto(x, y).

>>> tp = turtle.pos()
>>> tp
(0.00,0.00)
>>> turtle.teleport(60)
>>> turtle.pos()
(60.00,0.00)
>>> turtle.teleport(y=10)
>>> turtle.pos()
(60.00,10.00)
>>> turtle.teleport(20, 30)
>>> turtle.pos()
(20.00,30.00)

Added in version 3.12.

turtle.setx(x)¶

Parameters:: x – a number

Set the turtle’s x coordinate to x. The y coordinate is unchanged.

>>> turtle.position()
(0.00,240.00)
>>> turtle.setx(10)
>>> turtle.position()
(10.00,240.00)

turtle.sety(y)¶

Parameters:: y – a number

Set the turtle’s y coordinate to y. The x coordinate is unchanged.

>>> turtle.position()
(0.00,40.00)
>>> turtle.sety(-10)
>>> turtle.position()
(0.00,-10.00)

turtle.setheading(to_angle)¶

turtle.seth(to_angle)¶

Parameters:: to_angle – a number

Set the turtle’s heading to to_angle. Here are some common directions in degrees:

standard mode	logo mode
0 - east	0 - north
90 - north	90 - east
180 - west	180 - south
270 - south	270 - west

>>> turtle.setheading(90)
>>> turtle.heading()
90.0

turtle.home()¶

Move the turtle to the origin, coordinates (0,0). The turtle’s heading is set to its start orientation, which depends on the turtle mode, see mode().

>>> turtle.heading()
90.0
>>> turtle.position()
(0.00,-10.00)
>>> turtle.home()
>>> turtle.position()
(0.00,0.00)
>>> turtle.heading()
0.0

turtle.circle(radius, extent=None, steps=None)¶

Parameters:

radius – a number
extent – a number or None
steps – an integer or None

Draw a circle with the given radius. The center is radius units left of the turtle; extent, an angle, determines which part of the circle is drawn. If extent is not given, draw the entire circle. If extent is not a full circle, one endpoint of the arc is the current pen position. Draw the arc in counterclockwise direction if radius is positive, otherwise in clockwise direction. Finally, the turtle’s heading is changed by extent.

As the circle is approximated by an inscribed regular polygon, steps determines the number of steps to use. If not given, it will be calculated automatically. May be used to draw regular polygons.

>>> turtle.home()
>>> turtle.position()
(0.00,0.00)
>>> turtle.heading()
0.0
>>> turtle.circle(50)
>>> turtle.position()
(-0.00,0.00)
>>> turtle.heading()
0.0
>>> turtle.circle(120, 180)  # draw a semicircle
>>> turtle.position()
(0.00,240.00)
>>> turtle.heading()
180.0

turtle.dot()¶

turtle.dot(size)

turtle.dot(color, /)

turtle.dot(size, color, /)

turtle.dot(size, r, g, b, /)

Parameters:

size – an integer >= 1 (if given)
color – a colorstring or a numeric color tuple

Draw a circular dot with diameter size, using color. If size is not given, the maximum of pensize+4 and 2*pensize is used.

>>> turtle.home()
>>> turtle.dot()
>>> turtle.fd(50); turtle.dot(20, "blue"); turtle.fd(50)
>>> turtle.position()
(100.00,-0.00)
>>> turtle.heading()
0.0

turtle.stamp()¶

Stamp a copy of the turtle shape onto the canvas at the current turtle position. Return a stamp_id for that stamp, which can be used to delete it by calling clearstamp(stamp_id).

>>> turtle.color("blue")
>>> stamp_id = turtle.stamp()
>>> turtle.fd(50)

turtle.clearstamp(stampid)¶

Parameters:: stampid – an integer, must be return value of previous stamp() call

Delete stamp with given stampid.

>>> turtle.position()
(150.00,-0.00)
>>> turtle.color("blue")
>>> astamp = turtle.stamp()
>>> turtle.fd(50)
>>> turtle.position()
(200.00,-0.00)
>>> turtle.clearstamp(astamp)
>>> turtle.position()
(200.00,-0.00)

turtle.clearstamps(n=None)¶

Parameters:: n – an integer (or None)

Delete all or first/last n of turtle’s stamps. If n is None, delete all stamps, if n > 0 delete first n stamps, else if n < 0 delete last n stamps.

>>> for i in range(8):
...     unused_stamp_id = turtle.stamp()
...     turtle.fd(30)
>>> turtle.clearstamps(2)
>>> turtle.clearstamps(-2)
>>> turtle.clearstamps()

turtle.undo()¶

Undo (repeatedly) the last turtle action(s). Number of available undo actions is determined by the size of the undobuffer.

>>> for i in range(4):
...     turtle.fd(50); turtle.lt(80)
...
>>> for i in range(8):
...     turtle.undo()

turtle.speed(speed=None)¶

Parameters:: speed – an integer in the range 0..10 or a speedstring (see below)

Set the turtle’s speed to an integer value in the range 0..10. If no argument is given, return current speed.

If input is a number greater than 10 or smaller than 0.5, speed is set to 0. Speedstrings are mapped to speedvalues as follows:

“fastest”: 0
“fast”: 10
“normal”: 6
“slow”: 3
“slowest”: 1

Speeds from 1 to 10 enforce increasingly faster animation of line drawing and turtle turning.

Attention: speed = 0 means that no animation takes place. forward/back makes turtle jump and likewise left/right make the turtle turn instantly.

>>> turtle.speed()
3
>>> turtle.speed('normal')
>>> turtle.speed()
6
>>> turtle.speed(9)
>>> turtle.speed()
9

Tell Turtle’s state¶

turtle.position()¶

turtle.pos()¶

Return the turtle’s current location (x,y) as a Vec2D vector.

>>> turtle.pos()
(440.00,-0.00)

turtle.towards(x, y=None)¶

Parameters:

x – a number or a pair/vector of numbers or a turtle instance
y – a number if x is a number, else None

Return the angle of the line from the turtle’s position to (x,y). If y is None, x must be a pair of coordinates, a Vec2D, for example as returned by pos(), or another turtle. The angle is measured from the turtle’s start orientation, which depends on the turtle mode, see mode().

>>> turtle.goto(10, 10)
>>> turtle.towards(0,0)
225.0

turtle.xcor()¶

Return the turtle’s x coordinate.

>>> turtle.home()
>>> turtle.left(50)
>>> turtle.forward(100)
>>> turtle.pos()
(64.28,76.60)
>>> print(round(turtle.xcor(), 5))
64.27876

turtle.ycor()¶

Return the turtle’s y coordinate.

>>> turtle.home()
>>> turtle.left(60)
>>> turtle.forward(100)
>>> print(turtle.pos())
(50.00,86.60)
>>> print(round(turtle.ycor(), 5))
86.60254

turtle.heading()¶

Return the turtle’s current heading. The value depends on the turtle mode, see mode().

>>> turtle.home()
>>> turtle.left(67)
>>> turtle.heading()
67.0

turtle.distance(x, y=None)¶

Parameters:

x – a number or a pair/vector of numbers or a turtle instance
y – a number if x is a number, else None

Return the distance from the turtle to (x,y) in turtle step units. If y is None, x must be a pair of coordinates, a Vec2D, for example as returned by pos(), or another turtle.

>>> turtle.home()
>>> turtle.distance(30,40)
50.0
>>> turtle.distance((30,40))
50.0
>>> joe = Turtle()
>>> joe.forward(77)
>>> turtle.distance(joe)
77.0

Settings for measurement¶

turtle.degrees(fullcircle=360.0)¶

Parameters:: fullcircle – a number

Set the angle measurement units to degrees. The number of degrees in a full circle is set to fullcircle, which defaults to 360.

>>> turtle.home()
>>> turtle.left(90)
>>> turtle.heading()
90.0

>>> # Change angle measurement unit to grad (also known as gon,
>>> # grade, or gradian and equals 1/100-th of the right angle.)
>>> turtle.degrees(400.0)
>>> turtle.heading()
100.0
>>> turtle.degrees(360)
>>> turtle.heading()
90.0

turtle.radians()¶

Set the angle measurement units to radians. Equivalent to degrees(2 * math.pi).

>>> turtle.home()
>>> turtle.left(90)
>>> turtle.heading()
90.0
>>> turtle.radians()
>>> turtle.heading()
1.5707963267948966

Pen control¶

Drawing state¶

turtle.pendown()¶
turtle.pd()¶
turtle.down()¶: Pull the pen down – drawing when moving.

turtle.penup()¶
turtle.pu()¶
turtle.up()¶: Pull the pen up – no drawing when moving.

turtle.pensize(width=None)¶

turtle.width(width=None)¶

Parameters:: width – a positive number

Set the line thickness to width or return it. If resizemode is set to “auto” and turtleshape is a polygon, that polygon is drawn with the same line thickness. If no argument is given, the current pensize is returned.

>>> turtle.pensize()
1
>>> turtle.pensize(10)   # from here on lines of width 10 are drawn

turtle.pen(pen=None, **pendict)¶

Parameters:

pen – a dictionary with some or all of the below listed keys
pendict – one or more keyword-arguments with the below listed keys as keywords

Return or set the pen’s attributes in a “pen-dictionary” with the following key/value pairs:

“shown”: True/False
“pendown”: True/False
“pencolor”: color-string or color-tuple
“fillcolor”: color-string or color-tuple
“pensize”: positive number
“speed”: number in range 0..10
“resizemode”: “auto” or “user” or “noresize”
“stretchfactor”: (positive number, positive number)
“outline”: positive number
“tilt”: number

This dictionary can be used as argument for a subsequent call to pen() to restore the former pen-state. Moreover one or more of these attributes can be provided as keyword-arguments. This can be used to set several pen attributes in one statement.

>>> turtle.pen(fillcolor="black", pencolor="red", pensize=10)
>>> sorted(turtle.pen().items())
[('fillcolor', 'black'), ('outline', 1), ('pencolor', 'red'),
 ('pendown', True), ('pensize', 10), ('resizemode', 'noresize'),
 ('shearfactor', 0.0), ('shown', True), ('speed', 9),
 ('stretchfactor', (1.0, 1.0)), ('tilt', 0.0)]
>>> penstate=turtle.pen()
>>> turtle.color("yellow", "")
>>> turtle.penup()
>>> sorted(turtle.pen().items())[:3]
[('fillcolor', ''), ('outline', 1), ('pencolor', 'yellow')]
>>> turtle.pen(penstate, fillcolor="green")
>>> sorted(turtle.pen().items())[:3]
[('fillcolor', 'green'), ('outline', 1), ('pencolor', 'red')]

turtle.isdown()¶

Return True if pen is down, False if it’s up.

>>> turtle.penup()
>>> turtle.isdown()
False
>>> turtle.pendown()
>>> turtle.isdown()
True

Color control¶

turtle.pencolor()¶

turtle.pencolor(color, /)

turtle.pencolor(r, g, b, /)

Return or set the pencolor.

Four input formats are allowed:

pencolor(): Return the current pencolor as color specification string or as a tuple (see example). May be used as input to another color(), pencolor(), fillcolor() or bgcolor() call.
pencolor(colorstring): Set pencolor to colorstring, which is a Tk color specification string, such as "red", "yellow", or "#33cc8c".
pencolor((r, g, b)): Set pencolor to the RGB color represented by the tuple of r, g, and b. Each of r, g, and b must be in the range 0..colormode, where colormode is either 1.0 or 255 (see colormode()).
pencolor(r, g, b): Set pencolor to the RGB color represented by r, g, and b. Each of r, g, and b must be in the range 0..colormode.

If turtleshape is a polygon, the outline of that polygon is drawn with the newly set pencolor.

>>> colormode()
1.0
>>> turtle.pencolor()
'red'
>>> turtle.pencolor("brown")
>>> turtle.pencolor()
'brown'
>>> tup = (0.2, 0.8, 0.55)
>>> turtle.pencolor(tup)
>>> turtle.pencolor()
(0.2, 0.8, 0.5490196078431373)
>>> colormode(255)
>>> turtle.pencolor()
(51.0, 204.0, 140.0)
>>> turtle.pencolor('#32c18f')
>>> turtle.pencolor()
(50.0, 193.0, 143.0)

turtle.fillcolor()¶

turtle.fillcolor(color, /)

turtle.fillcolor(r, g, b, /)

Return or set the fillcolor.

Four input formats are allowed:

fillcolor(): Return the current fillcolor as color specification string, possibly in tuple format (see example). May be used as input to another color(), pencolor(), fillcolor() or bgcolor() call.
fillcolor(colorstring): Set fillcolor to colorstring, which is a Tk color specification string, such as "red", "yellow", or "#33cc8c".
fillcolor((r, g, b)): Set fillcolor to the RGB color represented by the tuple of r, g, and b. Each of r, g, and b must be in the range 0..colormode, where colormode is either 1.0 or 255 (see colormode()).
fillcolor(r, g, b): Set fillcolor to the RGB color represented by r, g, and b. Each of r, g, and b must be in the range 0..colormode.

If turtleshape is a polygon, the interior of that polygon is drawn with the newly set fillcolor.

>>> turtle.fillcolor("violet")
>>> turtle.fillcolor()
'violet'
>>> turtle.pencolor()
(50.0, 193.0, 143.0)
>>> turtle.fillcolor((50, 193, 143))  # Integers, not floats
>>> turtle.fillcolor()
(50.0, 193.0, 143.0)
>>> turtle.fillcolor('#ffffff')
>>> turtle.fillcolor()
(255.0, 255.0, 255.0)

turtle.color()¶

turtle.color(color, /)

turtle.color(r, g, b, /)

turtle.color(pencolor, fillcolor, /)

Return or set pencolor and fillcolor.

Several input formats are allowed. They use 0 to 3 arguments as follows:

color(): Return the current pencolor and the current fillcolor as a pair of color specification strings or tuples as returned by pencolor() and fillcolor().
color(colorstring), color((r,g,b)), color(r,g,b): Inputs as in pencolor(), set both, fillcolor and pencolor, to the given value.
color(colorstring1, colorstring2), color((r1,g1,b1), (r2,g2,b2)): Equivalent to pencolor(colorstring1) and fillcolor(colorstring2) and analogously if the other input format is used.

If turtleshape is a polygon, outline and interior of that polygon is drawn with the newly set colors.

>>> turtle.color("red", "green")
>>> turtle.color()
('red', 'green')
>>> color("#285078", "#a0c8f0")
>>> color()
((40.0, 80.0, 120.0), (160.0, 200.0, 240.0))

Filling¶

turtle.filling()¶

Return fillstate (True if filling, False else).

>>> turtle.begin_fill()
>>> if turtle.filling():
...    turtle.pensize(5)
... else:
...    turtle.pensize(3)

turtle.fill()¶

Fill the shape drawn in the with turtle.fill(): block.

>>> turtle.color("black", "red")
>>> with turtle.fill():
...     turtle.circle(80)

Using fill() is equivalent to adding the begin_fill() before the fill-block and end_fill() after the fill-block:

>>> turtle.color("black", "red")
>>> turtle.begin_fill()
>>> turtle.circle(80)
>>> turtle.end_fill()

Added in version 3.14.

turtle.begin_fill()¶: To be called just before drawing a shape to be filled.

turtle.end_fill()¶

Fill the shape drawn after the last call to begin_fill().

Whether or not overlap regions for self-intersecting polygons or multiple shapes are filled depends on the operating system graphics, type of overlap, and number of overlaps. For example, the Turtle star above may be either all yellow or have some white regions.

>>> turtle.color("black", "red")
>>> turtle.begin_fill()
>>> turtle.circle(80)
>>> turtle.end_fill()

More drawing control¶

turtle.reset()¶

Delete the turtle’s drawings and re-center the turtle. The turtle’s settings are restored to their default values.

>>> turtle.goto(0,-22)
>>> turtle.left(100)
>>> turtle.position()
(0.00,-22.00)
>>> turtle.heading()
100.0
>>> turtle.reset()
>>> turtle.position()
(0.00,0.00)
>>> turtle.heading()
0.0

turtle.clear()¶: Delete the turtle’s drawings from the screen. The state and position of the turtle as well as the drawings of other turtles are not affected.

turtle.write(arg, move=False, align='left', font=('Arial', 8, 'normal'))¶

Parameters:

arg – object to be written to the TurtleScreen
move – True/False
align – one of the strings “left”, “center” or right”
font – a triple (fontname, fontsize, fonttype)

Write text - the string representation of arg - at the current turtle position according to align (“left”, “center” or “right”) and with the given font. If move is true, the pen is moved to the bottom-right corner of the text. By default, move is False.

>>> turtle.write("Home = ", True, align="center")
>>> turtle.write((0,0), True)

Turtle state¶

Visibility¶

turtle.hideturtle()¶

turtle.ht()¶

Make the turtle invisible. It’s a good idea to do this while you’re in the middle of a complex drawing, because hiding the turtle speeds up the drawing noticeably.

>>> turtle.hideturtle()

turtle.showturtle()¶

turtle.st()¶

Make the turtle visible.

>>> turtle.showturtle()

turtle.isvisible()¶

Return True if the turtle is shown, False if it’s hidden.

>>> turtle.hideturtle()
>>> turtle.isvisible()
False
>>> turtle.showturtle()
>>> turtle.isvisible()
True

Appearance¶

turtle.shape(name=None)¶

Parameters:: name – a string which is a valid shapename

Set turtle shape to shape with given name or, if name is not given, return name of current shape. Shape with name must exist in the TurtleScreen’s shape dictionary. Initially there are the following polygon shapes: “arrow”, “turtle”, “circle”, “square”, “triangle”, “classic”. To learn about how to deal with shapes see Screen method register_shape().

>>> turtle.shape()
'classic'
>>> turtle.shape("turtle")
>>> turtle.shape()
'turtle'

turtle.resizemode(rmode=None)¶

Parameters:: rmode – one of the strings “auto”, “user”, “noresize”

Set resizemode to one of the values: “auto”, “user”, “noresize”. If rmode is not given, return current resizemode. Different resizemodes have the following effects:

“auto”: adapts the appearance of the turtle corresponding to the value of pensize.
“user”: adapts the appearance of the turtle according to the values of stretchfactor and outlinewidth (outline), which are set by shapesize().
“noresize”: no adaption of the turtle’s appearance takes place.

resizemode("user") is called by shapesize() when used with arguments.

>>> turtle.resizemode()
'noresize'
>>> turtle.resizemode("auto")
>>> turtle.resizemode()
'auto'

turtle.shapesize(stretch_wid=None, stretch_len=None, outline=None)¶

turtle.turtlesize(stretch_wid=None, stretch_len=None, outline=None)¶

Parameters:

stretch_wid – positive number
stretch_len – positive number
outline – positive number

Return or set the pen’s attributes x/y-stretchfactors and/or outline. Set resizemode to “user”. If and only if resizemode is set to “user”, the turtle will be displayed stretched according to its stretchfactors: stretch_wid is stretchfactor perpendicular to its orientation, stretch_len is stretchfactor in direction of its orientation, outline determines the width of the shape’s outline.

>>> turtle.shapesize()
(1.0, 1.0, 1)
>>> turtle.resizemode("user")
>>> turtle.shapesize(5, 5, 12)
>>> turtle.shapesize()
(5, 5, 12)
>>> turtle.shapesize(outline=8)
>>> turtle.shapesize()
(5, 5, 8)

turtle.shearfactor(shear=None)¶

Parameters:: shear – number (optional)

Set or return the current shearfactor. Shear the turtleshape according to the given shearfactor shear, which is the tangent of the shear angle. Do not change the turtle’s heading (direction of movement). If shear is not given: return the current shearfactor, i. e. the tangent of the shear angle, by which lines parallel to the heading of the turtle are sheared.

>>> turtle.shape("circle")
>>> turtle.shapesize(5,2)
>>> turtle.shearfactor(0.5)
>>> turtle.shearfactor()
0.5

turtle.tilt(angle)¶

Parameters:: angle – a number

Rotate the turtleshape by angle from its current tilt-angle, but do not change the turtle’s heading (direction of movement).

>>> turtle.reset()
>>> turtle.shape("circle")
>>> turtle.shapesize(5,2)
>>> turtle.tilt(30)
>>> turtle.fd(50)
>>> turtle.tilt(30)
>>> turtle.fd(50)

turtle.tiltangle(angle=None)¶

Parameters:: angle – a number (optional)

Set or return the current tilt-angle. If angle is given, rotate the turtleshape to point in the direction specified by angle, regardless of its current tilt-angle. Do not change the turtle’s heading (direction of movement). If angle is not given: return the current tilt-angle, i. e. the angle between the orientation of the turtleshape and the heading of the turtle (its direction of movement).

>>> turtle.reset()
>>> turtle.shape("circle")
>>> turtle.shapesize(5,2)
>>> turtle.tilt(45)
>>> turtle.tiltangle()
45.0

turtle.shapetransform(t11=None, t12=None, t21=None, t22=None)¶

Parameters:

t11 – a number (optional)
t12 – a number (optional)
t21 – a number (optional)
t12 – a number (optional)

Set or return the current transformation matrix of the turtle shape.

If none of the matrix elements are given, return the transformation matrix as a tuple of 4 elements. Otherwise set the given elements and transform the turtleshape according to the matrix consisting of first row t11, t12 and second row t21, t22. The determinant t11 * t22 - t12 * t21 must not be zero, otherwise an error is raised. Modify stretchfactor, shearfactor and tiltangle according to the given matrix.

>>> turtle = Turtle()
>>> turtle.shape("square")
>>> turtle.shapesize(4,2)
>>> turtle.shearfactor(-0.5)
>>> turtle.shapetransform()
(4.0, -1.0, -0.0, 2.0)

turtle.get_shapepoly()¶

Return the current shape polygon as tuple of coordinate pairs. This can be used to define a new shape or components of a compound shape.

>>> turtle.shape("square")
>>> turtle.shapetransform(4, -1, 0, 2)
>>> turtle.get_shapepoly()
((50, -20), (30, 20), (-50, 20), (-30, -20))

Using events¶

turtle.onclick(fun, btn=1, add=None)

Parameters:

fun – a function with two arguments or None
btn – an integer
add – a boolean or None

Bind fun to mouse-click events on this turtle. fun is called with the coordinates of the clicked point on the canvas. If fun is None, existing bindings are removed. btn is the number of the mouse button and defaults to 1, the left mouse button. If add is True, a new binding is added, otherwise it replaces a former binding. Example for the anonymous turtle, that is, the procedural way:

>>> def turn(x, y):
...     left(180)
...
>>> onclick(turn)  # Now clicking into the turtle will turn it.
>>> onclick(None)  # event-binding will be removed

turtle.onrelease(fun, btn=1, add=None)¶

Parameters:

fun – a function with two arguments which will be called with the coordinates of the clicked point on the canvas
btn – number of the mouse-button, defaults to 1 (left mouse button)
add – True or False – if True, a new binding will be added, otherwise it will replace a former binding

Bind fun to mouse-button-release events on this turtle. If fun is None, existing bindings are removed.

>>> class MyTurtle(Turtle):
...     def glow(self,x,y):
...         self.fillcolor("red")
...     def unglow(self,x,y):
...         self.fillcolor("")
...
>>> turtle = MyTurtle()
>>> turtle.onclick(turtle.glow)     # clicking on turtle turns fillcolor red,
>>> turtle.onrelease(turtle.unglow) # releasing turns it to transparent.

turtle.ondrag(fun, btn=1, add=None)¶

Parameters:

fun – a function with two arguments which will be called with the coordinates of the clicked point on the canvas
btn – number of the mouse-button, defaults to 1 (left mouse button)
add – True or False – if True, a new binding will be added, otherwise it will replace a former binding

Bind fun to mouse-move events on this turtle. If fun is None, existing bindings are removed.

Remark: Every sequence of mouse-move-events on a turtle is preceded by a mouse-click event on that turtle.

>>> turtle.ondrag(turtle.goto)

Subsequently, clicking and dragging the Turtle will move it across the screen thereby producing handdrawings (if pen is down).

Special Turtle methods¶

turtle.poly()¶

Record the vertices of a polygon drawn in the with turtle.poly(): block. The first and last vertices will be connected.

>>> with turtle.poly():
...     turtle.forward(100)
...     turtle.right(60)
...     turtle.forward(100)

Added in version 3.14.

turtle.begin_poly()¶: Start recording the vertices of a polygon. The current turtle position is the first vertex of the polygon.

turtle.end_poly()¶: Stop recording the vertices of a polygon. The current turtle position is the last vertex of the polygon. This will be connected with the first vertex.

turtle.get_poly()¶

Return the last recorded polygon.

>>> turtle.home()
>>> turtle.begin_poly()
>>> turtle.fd(100)
>>> turtle.left(20)
>>> turtle.fd(30)
>>> turtle.left(60)
>>> turtle.fd(50)
>>> turtle.end_poly()
>>> p = turtle.get_poly()
>>> register_shape("myFavouriteShape", p)

turtle.clone()¶

Create and return a clone of the turtle with same position, heading and turtle properties.

>>> mick = Turtle()
>>> joe = mick.clone()

turtle.getturtle()¶

turtle.getpen()¶

Return the Turtle object itself. Only reasonable use: as a function to return the “anonymous turtle”:

>>> pet = getturtle()
>>> pet.fd(50)
>>> pet
<turtle.Turtle object at 0x...>

turtle.getscreen()¶

Return the TurtleScreen object the turtle is drawing on. TurtleScreen methods can then be called for that object.

>>> ts = turtle.getscreen()
>>> ts
<turtle._Screen object at 0x...>
>>> ts.bgcolor("pink")

turtle.setundobuffer(size)¶

Parameters:: size – an integer or None

Set or disable undobuffer. If size is an integer, an empty undobuffer of given size is installed. size gives the maximum number of turtle actions that can be undone by the undo() method/function. If size is None, the undobuffer is disabled.

>>> turtle.setundobuffer(42)

turtle.undobufferentries()¶

Return number of entries in the undobuffer.

>>> while undobufferentries():
...     undo()

Compound shapes¶

To use compound turtle shapes, which consist of several polygons of different color, you must use the helper class Shape explicitly as described below:

Create an empty Shape object of type “compound”.

Add as many components to this object as desired, using the addcomponent() method.

For example:

>>> s = Shape("compound")
>>> poly1 = ((0,0),(10,-5),(0,10),(-10,-5))
>>> s.addcomponent(poly1, "red", "blue")
>>> poly2 = ((0,0),(10,-5),(-10,-5))
>>> s.addcomponent(poly2, "blue", "red")

Now add the Shape to the Screen’s shapelist and use it:

>>> register_shape("myshape", s)
>>> shape("myshape")

Note

The Shape class is used internally by the register_shape() method in different ways. The application programmer has to deal with the Shape class only when using compound shapes like shown above!

Screen methods and functions¶

Most of the examples in this section refer to a TurtleScreen instance called screen.

Window control¶

turtle.bgcolor()¶

turtle.bgcolor(color, /)

turtle.bgcolor(r, g, b, /)

Return or set the background color of the TurtleScreen.

Four input formats are allowed:

bgcolor(): Return the current background color as a color specification string or as a tuple (see example). May be used as input to another color(), pencolor(), fillcolor() or bgcolor() call.
bgcolor(colorstring): Set the background color to colorstring, which is a Tk color specification string, such as "red", "yellow", or "#33cc8c".
bgcolor((r, g, b)): Set the background color to the RGB color represented by the tuple of r, g, and b. Each of r, g, and b must be between 0 and colormode, where colormode is either 1.0 or 255 (see colormode()).
bgcolor(r, g, b): Set the background color to the RGB color represented by r, g, and b. Each of r, g, and b must be between 0 and colormode.

>>> screen.bgcolor("orange")
>>> screen.bgcolor()
'orange'
>>> screen.bgcolor("#800080")
>>> screen.bgcolor()
(128.0, 0.0, 128.0)

turtle.bgpic(picname=None)¶

Parameters:: picname – a string, name of an image file (PNG, GIF, PGM, and PPM) or "nopic", or None

Set background image or return name of current backgroundimage. If picname is a filename, set the corresponding image as background. If picname is "nopic", delete background image, if present. If picname is None, return the filename of the current backgroundimage.

>>> screen.bgpic()
'nopic'
>>> screen.bgpic("landscape.gif")
>>> screen.bgpic()
"landscape.gif"

turtle.clear(): Note

This TurtleScreen method is available as a global function only under the name clearscreen. The global function clear is a different one derived from the Turtle method clear.

turtle.clearscreen()¶: Delete all drawings and all turtles from the TurtleScreen. Reset the now empty TurtleScreen to its initial state: white background, no background image, no event bindings and tracing on.

turtle.reset(): Note

This TurtleScreen method is available as a global function only under the name resetscreen. The global function reset is another one derived from the Turtle method reset.

turtle.resetscreen()¶: Reset all turtles on the screen to their initial state.

turtle.screensize(canvwidth=None, canvheight=None, bg=None)¶

Parameters:

canvwidth – positive integer, new width of canvas in pixels
canvheight – positive integer, new height of canvas in pixels
bg – colorstring or color-tuple, new background color

If no arguments are given, return current (canvaswidth, canvasheight). Else resize the canvas the turtles are drawing on. Do not alter the drawing window. To observe hidden parts of the canvas, use the scrollbars. With this method, one can make visible those parts of a drawing which were outside the canvas before.

>>> screen.screensize()
(400, 300)
>>> screen.screensize(2000,1500)
>>> screen.screensize()
(2000, 1500)

e.g. to search for an erroneously escaped turtle ;-)

turtle.setworldcoordinates(llx, lly, urx, ury)¶

Parameters:

llx – a number
lly – a number
urx – a number
ury – a number

Set up a user-defined coordinate system. llx and lly are the x and y coordinates of the lower left corner of the canvas. urx and ury are the x and y coordinates of the upper right corner. Switch to mode “world” if necessary, which performs a reset. If mode “world” is already active, all drawings are redrawn according to the new coordinates. In user-defined coordinate systems, angles may appear distorted, see mode().

>>> screen.reset()
>>> screen.setworldcoordinates(-50,-7.5,50,7.5)
>>> for _ in range(72):
...     left(10)
...
>>> for _ in range(8):
...     left(45); fd(2)   # a regular octagon

Animation control¶

turtle.no_animation()¶

Temporarily turn off turtle animation. The code inside the with block is not animated. Once the block is exited, the drawing appears. This is useful for drawing complex shapes where even the fastest speed setting is too slow.

>>> with screen.no_animation():
...     for dist in range(2, 400, 2):
...         fd(dist)
...         rt(90)

Added in version 3.14.

turtle.delay(delay=None)¶

Parameters:: delay – a nonnegative integer or None

Return or set the drawing delay in milliseconds. This is approximately the time interval between two consecutive canvas updates. The longer the drawing delay, the slower the animation.

>>> screen.delay()
10
>>> screen.delay(5)
>>> screen.delay()
5

turtle.tracer(n=None, delay=None)¶

Parameters:

n – a nonnegative integer or None
delay – a nonnegative integer or None

Turn turtle animation on or off and set the drawing delay. If n is given, only every n-th regular screen update is performed, which can be used to speed up the drawing of complex graphics. If n is 0, animation is turned off and the screen is only updated by calling update(). If delay is given, it sets the drawing delay, see delay(). When called without arguments, return the current value of n.

>>> screen.tracer(8, 25)
>>> dist = 2
>>> for i in range(200):
...     fd(dist)
...     rt(90)
...     dist += 2

turtle.update()¶: Perform a TurtleScreen update. To be used when tracer is turned off.

See also the RawTurtle/Turtle method speed().

Using screen events¶

turtle.listen(xdummy=None, ydummy=None)¶: Set focus on TurtleScreen (in order to collect key-events). Dummy arguments are provided in order to be able to pass listen() to the onclick method.

turtle.onkey(fun, key)¶

turtle.onkeyrelease(fun, key)¶

Parameters:

fun – a function with no arguments or None
key – a string: key (e.g. “a”) or key-symbol (e.g. “space”)

Bind fun to key-release event of key. If fun is None, event bindings are removed. Remark: in order to be able to register key-events, TurtleScreen must have the focus. (See method listen().)

>>> def f():
...     fd(50)
...     lt(60)
...
>>> screen.onkey(f, "Up")
>>> screen.listen()

turtle.onkeypress(fun, key=None)¶

Parameters:

fun – a function with no arguments or None
key – a string: key (e.g. “a”) or key-symbol (e.g. “space”)

Bind fun to key-press event of key if key is given, or to any key-press-event if no key is given. Remark: in order to be able to register key-events, TurtleScreen must have focus. (See method listen().)

>>> def f():
...     fd(50)
...
>>> screen.onkey(f, "Up")
>>> screen.listen()

turtle.onclick(fun, btn=1, add=None)¶

turtle.onscreenclick(fun, btn=1, add=None)¶

Parameters:

fun – a function with two arguments or None
btn – an integer
add – a boolean or None

Bind fun to mouse-click events on this screen. fun is called with the coordinates of the clicked point on the canvas. If fun is None, existing bindings are removed. btn is the number of the mouse button and defaults to 1, the left mouse button. If add is True, a new binding is added, otherwise it replaces a former binding.

Example for a TurtleScreen instance named screen and a Turtle instance named turtle:

>>> screen.onclick(turtle.goto) # Subsequently clicking into the TurtleScreen will
>>>                             # make the turtle move to the clicked point.
>>> screen.onclick(None)        # remove event binding again

Note

This TurtleScreen method is available as a global function only under the name onscreenclick. The global function onclick is another one derived from the Turtle method onclick.

turtle.ontimer(fun, t=0)¶

Parameters:

fun – a function with no arguments
t – a number >= 0

Install a timer that calls fun after t milliseconds.

>>> running = True
>>> def f():
...     if running:
...         fd(50)
...         lt(60)
...         screen.ontimer(f, 250)
>>> f()   ### makes the turtle march around
>>> running = False

turtle.mainloop()¶

turtle.done()¶

Start the event loop by calling Tkinter’s mainloop() method. Must be the last statement in a turtle graphics program. Must not be used if a script is run from within IDLE in -n mode (see Running without a subprocess).

>>> screen.mainloop()

Input methods¶

turtle.textinput(title, prompt)¶

Parameters:

title – a string
prompt – a string

Pop up a dialog window for input of a string. title is the title of the dialog window and prompt is a text describing what information to input. Return the string entered. If the dialog is canceled, return None.

>>> screen.textinput("NIM", "Name of first player:")

turtle.numinput(title, prompt, default=None, minval=None, maxval=None)¶

Parameters:

title – a string
prompt – a string
default – a number or None
minval – a number or None
maxval – a number or None

Pop up a dialog window for input of a number. title is the title of the dialog window and prompt is a text describing what numerical information to input. default is the default value, minval and maxval are the minimum and maximum values for input. If these are given, the number entered must be between minval and maxval. If not, a hint is issued and the dialog remains open for correction. Return the number entered. If the dialog is canceled, return None.

>>> screen.numinput("Poker", "Your stakes:", 1000, minval=10, maxval=10000)

Settings and special methods¶

turtle.mode(mode=None)¶

Parameters:: mode – a string or None

Set the turtle mode and perform a reset. mode is one of the strings “standard”, “logo” or “world”. If mode is not given, return the current mode.

Mode “standard” is compatible with the old turtle module. Mode “logo” is compatible with most Logo turtle graphics. Mode “world” uses user-defined world coordinates, see setworldcoordinates(). In this mode, angles appear distorted if the x and y units are not of equal length.

Mode	Initial turtle heading	positive angles
“standard”	to the right (east)	counterclockwise
“logo”	upward (north)	clockwise

>>> mode("logo")  # resets turtle heading to north
>>> mode()
'logo'

turtle.colormode(cmode=None)¶

Parameters:: cmode – a number or None

Return the colormode or set it to 1.0 or 255. After setting it, the r, g and b values of color triples have to be between 0 and cmode.

>>> screen.colormode(1)
>>> turtle.pencolor(240, 160, 80)
Traceback (most recent call last):
     ...
TurtleGraphicsError: bad color sequence: (240, 160, 80)
>>> screen.colormode()
1.0
>>> screen.colormode(255)
>>> screen.colormode()
255
>>> turtle.pencolor(240,160,80)

turtle.getcanvas()¶

Return the Canvas of this TurtleScreen. Useful for insiders who know what to do with a Tkinter Canvas.

>>> cv = screen.getcanvas()
>>> cv
<turtle.ScrolledCanvas object ...>

turtle.getshapes()¶

Return a list of names of all currently available turtle shapes.

>>> screen.getshapes()
['arrow', 'blank', 'circle', ..., 'turtle']

turtle.register_shape(name, shape=None)¶

turtle.addshape(name, shape=None)¶

Parameters:

name – a string
shape – a string, a tuple of pairs of numbers, a Shape object or None

Add a turtle shape to the TurtleScreen’s shape list. It can be called in four different ways:

name is the name of an image file (PNG, GIF, PGM, and PPM) and shape is None: Install the corresponding image shape.
```
>>> screen.register_shape("turtle.gif")
```
name is an arbitrary string and shape is the name of an image file (PNG, GIF, PGM, and PPM): Install the corresponding image shape.
```
>>> screen.register_shape("turtle", "turtle.gif")
```
name is an arbitrary string and shape is a tuple of pairs of coordinates: Install the corresponding polygon shape.
```
>>> screen.register_shape("triangle", ((5,-3), (0,5), (-5,-3)))
```
name is an arbitrary string and shape is a (compound) Shape object: Install the corresponding compound shape.

Image shapes do not rotate when turning the turtle, so they do not display the heading of the turtle. To use a registered shape, call shape() with its name.

Changed in version 3.14: Added support for PNG, PGM, and PPM image formats. Both a shape name and an image file name can be specified.

turtle.turtles()¶

Return the list of turtles on the screen.

>>> for turtle in screen.turtles():
...     turtle.color("red")

turtle.window_height()¶

Return the height of the turtle window.

>>> screen.window_height()
480

turtle.window_width()¶

Return the width of the turtle window.

>>> screen.window_width()
640

Screen-only methods¶

turtle.bye()¶: Close the turtle graphics window.

turtle.exitonclick()¶

Bind bye() method to mouse clicks on the Screen.

If the value “using_IDLE” in the configuration dictionary is False (default value), also enter mainloop. Remark: If IDLE with the -n switch (no subprocess) is used, this value should be set to True in turtle.cfg. In this case IDLE’s own mainloop is active also for the client script.

turtle.save(filename, overwrite=False)¶

Save the current turtle drawing (and turtles) as a PostScript file.

Parameters:

filename – the path of the saved PostScript file
overwrite – if False and there already exists a file with the given filename, then the function will raise a FileExistsError. If it is True, the file will be overwritten.

>>> screen.save("my_drawing.ps")
>>> screen.save("my_drawing.ps", overwrite=True)

Added in version 3.14.

turtle.setup(width=_CFG['width'], height=_CFG['height'], startx=_CFG['leftright'], starty=_CFG['topbottom'])¶

Set the size and position of the main window. Default values of arguments are stored in the configuration dictionary and can be changed via a turtle.cfg file.

Parameters:

width – if an integer, a size in pixels, if a float, a fraction of the screen; default is 50% of screen
height – if an integer, the height in pixels, if a float, a fraction of the screen; default is 75% of screen
startx – if positive, starting position in pixels from the left edge of the screen, if negative from the right edge, if None, center window horizontally
starty – if positive, starting position in pixels from the top edge of the screen, if negative from the bottom edge, if None, center window vertically

>>> screen.setup (width=200, height=200, startx=0, starty=0)
>>>              # sets window to 200x200 pixels, in upper left of screen
>>> screen.setup(width=.75, height=0.5, startx=None, starty=None)
>>>              # sets window to 75% of screen by 50% of screen and centers

turtle.title(titlestring)¶

Parameters:: titlestring – a string

Set the title of the turtle window to titlestring. The title is shown in the title bar of the turtle graphics window.

>>> screen.title("Welcome to the turtle zoo!")

Public classes¶

class turtle.RawTurtle(canvas)¶

class turtle.RawPen(canvas)¶

Parameters:: canvas – a tkinter.Canvas, a ScrolledCanvas or a TurtleScreen

Create a turtle. The turtle has all methods described above as “methods of Turtle/RawTurtle”.

class turtle.Turtle¶: Subclass of RawTurtle, has the same interface but draws on a default Screen object created automatically when needed for the first time.

class turtle.TurtleScreen(cv)¶

Parameters:: cv – a tkinter.Canvas

Provides screen oriented methods like bgcolor() etc. that are described above.

class turtle.Screen¶: Subclass of TurtleScreen, with four methods added. Calling Screen() returns the single screen object. If it does not exist yet, it is created. Otherwise the existing one is returned.

class turtle.ScrolledCanvas(master)¶

Parameters:: master – some Tkinter widget to contain the ScrolledCanvas, i.e. a Tkinter-canvas with scrollbars added

Used by class Screen, which thus automatically provides a ScrolledCanvas as playground for the turtles.

class turtle.Shape(type_, data)¶

Parameters:

type_ – a string
data – depends on type_

Data structure modeling shapes. type_ is one of the strings “polygon”, “image” or “compound”. What data must be depends on type_: for “polygon” a tuple of pairs of coordinates, for “image” an image (only used internally), and for “compound” None, as a compound shape is built up using the addcomponent() method.

addcomponent(poly, fill, outline=None)¶

Parameters:

poly – a tuple of pairs of numbers
fill – a color
outline – a color or None

Add a component to a shape of type “compound”. poly is a polygon, a tuple of pairs of numbers. fill is the color the polygon is filled with and outline is the color of its outline. If outline is not given, fill is used for it as well.

Example:

>>> poly = ((0,0), (10,-5), (0,10), (-10,-5))
>>> s = Shape("compound")
>>> s.addcomponent(poly, "red", "blue")
>>> # ... add more components and then use register_shape()

See Compound shapes.

class turtle.Vec2D(x, y)¶

A two-dimensional vector class, used as a helper class for implementing turtle graphics. May be useful for turtle graphics programs too. Derived from tuple, so a vector is a tuple!

Provides (for a, b vectors, k number):

a + b vector addition
a - b vector subtraction
a * b inner product
k * a and a * k multiplication with scalar
abs(a) absolute value of a
a.rotate(angle) rotation

Exceptions¶

The turtle module defines the following exception:

exception turtle.TurtleGraphicsError¶

Raised for invalid arguments or operations. For example, a malformed color string:

>>> turtle.color("blau")
Traceback (most recent call last):
    ...
turtle.TurtleGraphicsError: bad color string: blau

How-to guides¶

This section covers some typical turtle use-cases and approaches.

Automatically begin and end filling¶

Starting with Python 3.14, you can use the fill() context manager instead of begin_fill() and end_fill() to automatically begin and end fill. Here is an example:

with fill():
    for i in range(4):
        forward(100)
        right(90)

forward(200)

The code above is equivalent to:

begin_fill()
for i in range(4):
    forward(100)
    right(90)
end_fill()

forward(200)

Use the `turtle` module namespace¶

Using from turtle import * is convenient - but be warned that it imports a rather large collection of objects, and if you’re doing anything but turtle graphics you run the risk of a name conflict (this becomes even more an issue if you’re using turtle graphics in a script where other modules might be imported).

The solution is to use import turtle - fd() becomes turtle.fd(), width() becomes turtle.width() and so on. (If typing “turtle” over and over again becomes tedious, use for example import turtle as t instead.)

Use turtle graphics in a script¶

It’s recommended to use the turtle module namespace as described immediately above, for example:

import turtle as t
from random import random

for i in range(100):
    steps = int(random() * 100)
    angle = int(random() * 360)
    t.right(angle)
    t.fd(steps)

Another step is also required though - as soon as the script ends, Python will also close the turtle’s window. Add:

t.mainloop()

to the end of the script. The script will now wait to be dismissed and will not exit until it is terminated, for example by closing the turtle graphics window.

Use object-oriented turtle graphics¶

How to use help¶

The public methods of the Screen and Turtle classes are documented extensively via docstrings. So these can be used as online-help via the Python help facilities:

When using IDLE, tooltips show the signatures and first lines of the docstrings of typed in function-/method calls.

Calling help() on methods or functions displays the docstrings:

>>> help(Screen.bgcolor)
Help on method bgcolor in module turtle:

bgcolor(self, *args) unbound turtle.Screen method
    Set or return backgroundcolor of the TurtleScreen.

    Arguments (if given): a color string or three numbers
    in the range 0..colormode or a 3-tuple of such numbers.


    >>> screen.bgcolor("orange")
    >>> screen.bgcolor()
    "orange"
    >>> screen.bgcolor(0.5,0,0.5)
    >>> screen.bgcolor()
    "#800080"

>>> help(Turtle.penup)
Help on method penup in module turtle:

penup(self) unbound turtle.Turtle method
    Pull the pen up -- no drawing when moving.

    Aliases: penup | pu | up

    No argument

    >>> turtle.penup()

The docstrings of the functions which are derived from methods have a modified form:

>>> help(bgcolor)
Help on function bgcolor in module turtle:

bgcolor(*args)
    Set or return backgroundcolor of the TurtleScreen.

    Arguments (if given): a color string or three numbers
    in the range 0..colormode or a 3-tuple of such numbers.

    Example::

      >>> bgcolor("orange")
      >>> bgcolor()
      "orange"
      >>> bgcolor(0.5,0,0.5)
      >>> bgcolor()
      "#800080"

>>> help(penup)
Help on function penup in module turtle:

penup()
    Pull the pen up -- no drawing when moving.

    Aliases: penup | pu | up

    No argument

    Example:
    >>> penup()

These modified docstrings are created automatically together with the function definitions that are derived from the methods at import time.

Translation of docstrings into different languages¶

The docstrings of the public methods of the Screen and Turtle classes, and of the corresponding functions, can be replaced with translations, so that help() and IDE tooltips are shown in another language. However, only the help text is translated, the names of the functions and methods stay the same.

Translations are distributed on PyPI in the turtle-translations package. To use them, install the package with pip and select the language with the PYTHON_TURTLE_LANG environment variable. For example, to show the help text in Spanish:

$ python -m pip install turtle-translations
$ PYTHON_TURTLE_LANG=es python
>>> import turtle
>>> help(turtle.forward)

The language can also be set permanently with the language entry of the turtle.cfg file (see How to configure Screen and Turtles). If no translation is found for the selected language, the English docstrings are kept.

To add a new language or improve an existing translation, see the contribution instructions in the turtle-translations project.

A translation is a docstring dictionary. It is a top-level module named turtle_docstringdict_language.py on sys.path defining a dictionary named docsdict, the keys of which are method names such as Turtle.forward and the values of which are the translated docstrings. It is read in at import time. Entries naming a method which does not exist in the running version are ignored.

Changed in version 3.16: Entries naming an unknown method are ignored instead of reported.

PYTHON_TURTLE_LANG¶: The name of the language to read the translation for. It takes precedence over the language entry of the turtle.cfg file.

Added in version 3.16.

turtle.write_docstringdict(filename='turtle_docstringdict')¶

Parameters:: filename – a string, used as filename

Create and write docstring-dictionary to a Python script with the given filename. This function has to be called explicitly (it is not used by the turtle graphics classes). The docstring dictionary will be written to the Python script filename.py. It is intended to serve as a template for translation of the docstrings into different languages.

How to configure Screen and Turtles¶

The built-in default configuration mimics the appearance and behaviour of the old turtle module in order to retain best possible compatibility with it.

If you want to use a different configuration which better reflects the features of this module or which better fits to your needs, e.g. for use in a classroom, you can prepare a configuration file turtle.cfg which will be read at import time and modify the configuration according to its settings.

The built in configuration would correspond to the following turtle.cfg:

width = 0.5
height = 0.75
leftright = None
topbottom = None
canvwidth = 400
canvheight = 300
mode = standard
colormode = 1.0
delay = 10
undobuffersize = 1000
shape = classic
pencolor = black
fillcolor = black
resizemode = noresize
visible = True
language = english
exampleturtle = turtle
examplescreen = screen
title = Python Turtle Graphics
using_IDLE = False

Short explanation of selected entries:

The first four lines correspond to the arguments of the Screen.setup method.
Line 5 and 6 correspond to the arguments of the method Screen.screensize.
shape can be any of the built-in shapes, e.g: arrow, turtle, etc. For more info try help(shape).
If you want to use no fill color (i.e. make the turtle transparent), you have to write fillcolor = "" (but all nonempty strings must not have quotes in the cfg file).
If you want to reflect the turtle its state, you have to use resizemode = auto.
The language entry selects the language of the docstrings, unless the PYTHON_TURTLE_LANG environment variable is set. See Translation of docstrings into different languages for more information.
The entries exampleturtle and examplescreen define the names of these objects as they occur in the docstrings. The transformation of method-docstrings to function-docstrings will delete these names from the docstrings.
using_IDLE: Set this to True if you regularly work with IDLE and its -n switch (“no subprocess”). This will prevent exitonclick() to enter the mainloop.

There can be a turtle.cfg file in the directory where turtle is stored and an additional one in the current working directory. The latter will override the settings of the first one.

The Lib/turtledemo directory contains a turtle.cfg file. You can study it as an example and see its effects when running the demos (preferably not from within the demo-viewer).

Explanation¶

A turtle object draws on a screen object, and there a number of key classes in the turtle object-oriented interface that can be used to create them and relate them to each other.

A Turtle instance will automatically create a Screen instance if one is not already present.

Turtle is a subclass of RawTurtle, which doesn’t automatically create a drawing surface - a canvas will need to be provided or created for it. The canvas can be a tkinter.Canvas, ScrolledCanvas or TurtleScreen.

TurtleScreen is the basic drawing surface for a turtle. Screen is a subclass of TurtleScreen, and includes some additional methods for managing its appearance (including size and title) and behaviour. TurtleScreen’s constructor needs a tkinter.Canvas or a ScrolledCanvas as an argument.

The functional interface for turtle graphics uses the various methods of Turtle and TurtleScreen/Screen. Behind the scenes, a screen object is automatically created whenever a function derived from a Screen method is called. Similarly, a turtle object is automatically created whenever any of the functions derived from a Turtle method is called.

To use multiple turtles on a screen, the object-oriented interface must be used.

`turtledemo` — Demo scripts¶

The turtledemo package includes a set of demo scripts. These scripts can be run and viewed using the supplied demo viewer as follows:

python -m turtledemo

Alternatively, you can run the demo scripts individually. For example,

python -m turtledemo.bytedesign

The turtledemo package directory contains:

A demo viewer __main__.py which can be used to view the sourcecode of the scripts and run them at the same time.
Multiple scripts demonstrating different features of the turtle module. Examples can be accessed via the Examples menu. They can also be run standalone.
A turtle.cfg file which serves as an example of how to write and use such files.

The demo scripts are:

Name	Description	Features
`bytedesign`	complex classical turtle graphics pattern	`tracer()`, `delay()`, `update()`
`chaos`	graphs Verhulst dynamics, shows that computer’s computations can generate results sometimes against the common sense expectations	world coordinates
`clock`	analog clock showing time of your computer	turtles as clock’s hands, `ontimer()`
`colormixer`	experiment with r, g, b	`ondrag()`
`forest`	3 breadth-first trees	randomization
`fractalcurves`	Hilbert & Koch curves	recursion
`lindenmayer`	ethnomathematics (indian kolams)	L-System
`minimal_hanoi`	Towers of Hanoi	Rectangular Turtles as Hanoi discs (`shape()`, `shapesize()`)
`nim`	play the classical nim game with three heaps of sticks against the computer.	turtles as nimsticks, event driven (mouse, keyboard)
`paint`	super minimalistic drawing program	`onclick()`
`peace`	elementary	turtle: appearance and animation
`penrose`	aperiodic tiling with kites and darts	`stamp()`
`planet_and_moon`	simulation of gravitational system	compound shapes, `Vec2D`
`rosette`	a pattern from the wikipedia article on turtle graphics	`clone()`, `undo()`
`round_dance`	dancing turtles rotating pairwise in opposite direction	compound shapes, `clone()` `shapesize()`, `tilt()`, `get_shapepoly()`, `update()`
`sorting_animate`	visual demonstration of different sorting methods	simple alignment, randomization
`tree`	a (graphical) breadth first tree (using generators)	`clone()`
`two_canvases`	simple design	turtles on two canvases
`yinyang`	another elementary example	`circle()`

Have fun!

turtle — Turtle graphics¶

Tutorial¶

Starting a turtle environment¶

Basic drawing¶

Pen control¶

The turtle’s position¶

Making algorithmic patterns¶

Reference¶

Turtle methods and functions¶

Move and draw¶

Tell Turtle’s state¶

Settings for measurement¶

Pen control¶

Drawing state¶

Color control¶

Filling¶

More drawing control¶

Turtle state¶

Visibility¶

Appearance¶

Using events¶

Special Turtle methods¶

Compound shapes¶

Screen methods and functions¶

Window control¶

Animation control¶

Using screen events¶

Input methods¶

Settings and special methods¶

Screen-only methods¶

Public classes¶

Exceptions¶

How-to guides¶

Automatically begin and end filling¶

Use the turtle module namespace¶

Use turtle graphics in a script¶

Use object-oriented turtle graphics¶

How to use help¶

Translation of docstrings into different languages¶

How to configure Screen and Turtles¶

Explanation¶

turtledemo — Demo scripts¶

`turtle` — Turtle graphics¶

Use the `turtle` module namespace¶

`turtledemo` — Demo scripts¶