Justin Ford Tech: How To Easily Make Your Very Own QR Code Generator With Python

Here's a step-by-step tutorial on how to easily make a QR code generator using Python!

Step 1: Install Required Libraries

First, make sure you have the necessary libraries installed. Open your terminal or command prompt and run the following commands to install pyqrcode and tkinter:

$ sudo pip install pyqrcode

$ sudo pip install tkinter

$ sudo pip install pypng

Step 2: Open up your text editor (I like Nano) and begin coding

Start by importing the required libraries in your Python script:

import pyqrcode
import tkinter as tk
from tkinter import filedialog

Step 3: Define the QR Code Generation Function

Next, define the generate_qr() function. This function will be called when the "Generate" button is clicked. Inside this function, we'll generate the QR code based on the user input and save it as a PNG file:

def generate_qr():

qr = pyqrcode.create(entry.get())

filename = filedialog.asksaveasfilename(defaultextension='.png')

qr.png(filename, scale=8)

window.destroy()

In this function, we first create a QR code using pyqrcode.create(). The data for the QR code is obtained from the entry widget using entry.get(). Next, we open a file dialog using filedialog.asksaveasfilename() to let the user choose the location and name of the PNG file to save the QR code. Finally, we save the QR code as a PNG file using qr.png() with a specified scale of 8, and then close the GUI window using window.destroy().

Step 4: Create the GUI Window

Create the main GUI window using the tkinter library:

window = tk.Tk()

window.title('QR Code Generator')

We set the window's title to "QR Code Generator".

Step 5: Add GUI Widgets

Add the necessary GUI widgets to the window, including a label, an entry field, and a button:

label = tk.Label(window, text='Enter data:')

label.pack()

entry = tk.Entry(window)

entry.pack()

button = tk.Button(window, text='Generate', command=generate_qr)

button.pack()

We create a label widget to display the text "Enter data:" and pack it into the window. Then, we create an entry widget to allow the user to enter the data for the QR code and pack it as well. Finally, we create a button widget with the label "Generate" and associate the generate_qr() function with the button's command parameter.

Step 6: Run the GUI Loop

Run the main GUI loop using window.mainloop():

window.mainloop()

This line of code will start the GUI event loop and keep the window displayed until it is closed.

Step 7: Run the Code

Save your script with a .py extension (e.g., qr_code_generator.py) and run it using Python. The GUI window will appear, allowing you to enter the data for the QR code. After entering the data, click the "Generate" button. A file dialog will open where you can choose the location and name of the PNG file to save the QR code. Once you select the location and provide a file name, the QR code will be generated and saved as a PNG file. The GUI window will then close. (Note: Code must be run as sudo or root)

That's it! You've successfully created a QR code generator using Python and tkinter. Below is the code in it's entirety. Enjoy!

import pyqrcode

import tkinter as tk

from tkinter import filedialog