Python Turtle Graphics: Unleashing Creative Coding

Turtle graphics is a Python feature that provides a drawing board, allowing users to command a turtle to draw all over it. The onscreen pen used for drawing is called the turtle, which can be moved using functions like turtle.forward() and turtle.right(). The turtle comes packed with the standard Python package and need not be installed externally. The Python turtle library is mainly used to introduce children to the world of computers and is a great avenue for kids to take their first steps in Python programming. However, it is not restricted to little ones alone and has also proved extremely useful for adults who are trying their hands at Python, which makes it great for Python beginners.

Turtle graphics in Python

Turtle graphics is a Python feature that provides a drawing board, allowing users to command a turtle to draw all over it. The onscreen pen used for drawing is called the turtle, and this is what gives the library its name.

Turtle graphics is mainly used to introduce children to the world of computers. It's a straightforward yet versatile way to understand the concepts of Python. It's also proved extremely useful for adults who are trying their hand at Python, which makes it great for Python beginners.

Getting Started with Turtle Graphics

Before you begin programming with Turtle, there are two important things to do:

• Make sure you're familiar with your programming environment. You can use applications like IDLE, Jupyter Notebook, or the REPL.
• Ensure you have Python 3 installed on your computer. If not, you can download it from the Python website.

Turtle is a built-in library, so you don't need to install any new packages. All you need to do is import the library into your Python environment:

Python

Import turtle

Programming with Turtle

Turtle can move in four directions: forward, backward, left, and right. You can use the following commands to make the turtle move:

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T.forward(100)

T.backward(100)

T.left(90)

T.right(90)

You can also use shortened versions of these commands:

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T.fd(100)

T.bk(100)

T.lt(90)

T.rt(90)

To move the turtle to an arbitrary position on the screen, you can use coordinates:

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T.goto(100, 100)

The screen is divided into four quadrants, and the point where the turtle is initially positioned is (0,0), also called Home. You can bring the turtle back to its home position with the following command:

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T.home()

Drawing with Turtle

You can use Turtle to draw different shapes and images. Here are some examples:

Drawing a Square

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T.fd(100)

T.rt(90)

T.fd(100)

T.rt(90)

T.fd(100)

T.rt(90)

Drawing a Circle

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T.circle(50)

Drawing a Dot

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T.dot(50)

Customizing Turtle and its Environment

You can customize the turtle and its environment in various ways:

Changing Screen Color

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Turtle.bgcolor("blue")

Changing Turtle Size

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T.shapesize(1, 5, 10)

Changing Pen Size

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T.pensize(5)

Changing Turtle and Pen Color

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T.pencolor("green")

T.fillcolor("red")

T.color("green", "red")

Changing Turtle Shape

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T.shape("turtle")

Changing Pen Speed

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T.speed(10)

Other Turtle Commands

Picking the Pen Up and Down

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T.penup()

T.pendown()

Resetting the Environment

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T.reset()

Leaving a Stamp of the Turtle

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T.stamp()

Cloning the Turtle

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C = t.clone()

Using Loops and Conditional Statements with Turtle

You can use loops and conditional statements to create more complex Turtle programs. Here are some examples:

Drawing a Square with a For Loop

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For i in range(4):

T.fd(100)

T.rt(90)

Drawing Circles with a While Loop

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N = 10

While n <= 40:

T.circle(n)

N = n + 10

Conditional Statement Example

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U = input("Would you like me to draw a shape? Type yes or no: ")

If u == "yes":

T.circle(50)

Turtle's forward and backward movement

Turtle forward and backward movement

The `turtle` module in Python provides turtle graphics primitives, in both object-oriented and procedure-oriented ways. The `turtle.forward() method is used to move the turtle forward by the value of the argument that it takes. It gives a line on moving to another position or direction with forward motion. The `turtle.backward() method is used to move the turtle backward by the value of the argument that it takes. It gives a line on moving to another position or direction with backward motion.

The `turtle.forward()` method takes an argument `distance` {a number (integer or float)} and moves the turtle forward by the specified distance, in the direction the turtle is headed.

Python

Importing packages

Import turtle

Move turtle forward with

Turtle.forward(100)

The `turtle.backward()` method takes an argument `distance` {a number (integer or float)} and moves the turtle backward by the specified distance, in the opposite direction the turtle is headed.

Python

Importing packages

Import turtle

Move turtle backward with

Turtle.backward(100)

The `turtle` module also provides the `turtle.fd() and `turtle.bk() methods as shorthand for `turtle.forward()` and `turtle.backward()` respectively.

Python

Importing packages

Import turtle

Move turtle forward with

Turtle.fd(100)

Move turtle backward with

Turtle.bk(100)

The `turtle.forward()` and `turtle.backward()` methods can be used to draw various shapes and images. Here is an example of a Python program to draw a square using the `turtle` module:

Python

Python program to draw square

Using Turtle Programming

Skk = turtle.Turtle()

Skk.forward(100)

Skk.right(90)

Skk.forward(100)

Skk.right(90)

Skk.forward(100)

Skk.right(90)

Skk.forward(100)

Python

Python program to draw star

Using Turtle Programming

Star = turtle.Turtle()

Star.color('red', 'yellow')

Star.begin_fill()

While True:

Star.forward(200)

Star.left(170)

If abs(star.pos()) < 1:

Break

Star.end_fill()

Turtle's pen control

Turtle graphics in Python provides a representation of a physical "turtle" (a little robot with a pen) that draws on a sheet of paper on the floor. The turtle's pen can be controlled using the following commands:

• Turtle.penup()/turtle.up(): Pull the pen up from the screen. No line will be drawn when the turtle moves.
• Turtle.pendown()/turtle.down(): Pull the pen down to the screen. A line will be drawn when the turtle moves.
• Turtle.pensize(width=None): Set the line thickness to a specified width or return the current thickness.
• Turtle.pen(pen=None, \\pendict): 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)
• "shearfactor": number
• "outline": positive number

Turtle's position and movement

Turtles position and movement

The turtle module provides turtle graphics primitives, in both object-oriented and procedure-oriented ways. Because it uses Tkinter for the underlying graphics, it needs a version of Python installed with Tk support.

The turtle's position can be controlled using the following methods:

• Turtle.position() - This method is used to find the turtle's current location (x, y), as a Vec2D vector.
• Turtle.goto(x, y=None) - This method is used to move the turtle to an absolute position. If the pen is down, it will draw a line. The turtle's orientation remains unchanged.
• Turtle.setx(x) - This method is used to set the turtle's first coordinate to x, leaving the second coordinate unchanged.
• Turtle.sety(y) - This method is used to set the turtle's second coordinate to y, leaving the first coordinate unchanged.
• Turtle.setheading(to_angle) - This method is used to set the orientation of the turtle to a specified angle. It also moves the turtle to the origin (0, 0) and sets its heading to its start orientation.
• Turtle.home() - This method moves the turtle to the origin (0, 0) and sets its heading to its start orientation.
• Turtle.teleport(x, y=None, fill_gap=False) - This method moves the turtle to an absolute position without drawing a line. The turtle's orientation remains unchanged. It also has an option to fill the gap between the current position and the new position.

The turtle's movement can be controlled using the following methods:

• Turtle.forward(distance) - This method moves the turtle forward by the specified distance in the direction it is facing.
• Turtle.back(distance) - This method moves the turtle backward by the specified distance in the opposite direction it is facing. The turtle's heading remains unchanged.
• Turtle.right(angle) - This method turns the turtle to the right by the specified angle. The angle can be specified in degrees or radians.
• Turtle.left(angle) - This method turns the turtle to the left by the specified angle. The angle can be specified in degrees or radians.
• Turtle.circle(radius, extent=None, steps=None) - This method draws a circle with the given radius. The extent parameter determines the angle of the arc to be drawn. The steps parameter specifies the number of steps used to approximate the circle.
• Turtle.dot(size=None, color=None) - This method draws a circular dot with the specified size and color. If no size is provided, it defaults to the maximum of pensize + 4 and 2 pensize.
• Turtle.stamp() - This method leaves an impression of the turtle's shape at the current location. It returns a stamp ID that can be used to delete the stamp later.

The turtle's position and movement can be customized in various ways. For example, you can change the turtle's color, shape, speed, and more. You can also pick up and put down the pen to control when lines are drawn. Additionally, you can use methods like turtle.home() and turtle.clear() to reset the turtle's position and clear the screen, respectively.

Turtle's shapes and colours

Python's turtle library is a great way to introduce children to the world of computers and programming. It is a simple yet versatile way to understand the concepts of Python and is also useful for adults who are trying their hand at Python.

The turtle library provides a representation of a physical "turtle" (a little robot with a pen) that draws on a sheet of paper on the floor. The turtle always starts at (0, 0) in the x-y plane and can be moved using commands like `turtle.forward(15) and `turtle.right(25). The turtle can also draw intricate shapes using programs that repeat simple moves.

The turtle's onscreen appearance can be customized by changing its size, shape, and color. The size of the turtle can be changed using the `shapesize`() method, and its shape can be changed using the `shape`()` method. The color of the turtle can be changed using the `fillcolor`() method, and the color of the pen (outline) can be changed using the `pencolor`() method.

The turtle library also provides a variety of colors to choose from for the screen and turtle. The screen color can be changed using the `bgcolor`()` method, and the turtle color can be changed as mentioned above.

The turtle library is a fun and interactive way to learn the basics of Python programming and can be used to create different shapes, images, mini-games, and animations.

Frequently asked questions