Building My First Python GUI App with AI- Complete Beginner Tutorial

I decided to learn Python by building real projects.

I'm not a Python expert, but I had help from ChatGPT.

The problem today is not that you don't know Python — in this era you mostly need the will to sit down and execute a plan. You don't need to watch 40–60 minute tutorial videos or switch between a thousand clips.

In this post I'll show the exact path I followed.

Spoiler: I built a working GUI app in 45 minutes!

Here’s exactly how I did it, including the mistakes I made.

What We're Building

A simple GUI application that:

✅ Has a graphical window
✅ Takes user input
✅ Updates the display when a button is clicked
✅ Counts button clicks

What I learned:

How tkinter works
Creating GUI elements
Handling button events
Basic Python functions

Prerequisites

You need:

Python installed (python.org)
Any code editor (I use VS Code)
A free ChatGPT or Claude account (optional)
30–45 minutes

That's it. No prior Python experience needed.

Step 1: Planning with AI

First, I asked ChatGPT to break down the project. Instead of diving straight into code, I wanted a clear picture of what I was building.

My prompt:

Response I received:

I'll help you build your first tkinter GUI app! Let me break this down into simple steps and provide well-commented code.
Simple Steps to Build Your App:

Import tkinter - Get the GUI library
Create the main window - This is your app's container
Add widgets - Labels, text boxes, and buttons
Define functions - What happens when buttons are clicked
Run the app - Start the event loop
My First Tkinter GUI App
Code 
# Import the tkinter library - this gives us GUI tools
import tkinter as tk

# STEP 1: Create the main window
# This is the foundation of your app
window = tk.Tk()

# STEP 2: Set the window title (appears at the top)
window.title("My First GUI App")
What Each Part Does:
Window Setup:

tk.Tk() creates your main window
title() sets the text at the top
geometry() sets the size (width x height)

Widgets (GUI elements):

Label - displays text to the user
Entry - a text box where users can type
Button - clickable buttons that do things

Layout:

pack() arranges widgets automatically (top to bottom)
pady adds vertical spacing to make things look nice

Functions:

greet_user() - gets the text from the input box and updates the label
exit_app() - closes the window
command=function_name - connects buttons to functions

The Loop:

mainloop() keeps the window open and waits for user interactions

To Run Your App:

Save the code as my_gui_app.py
Open terminal/command prompt
Run: python my_gui_app.py

Try modifying the colors, text, or sizes to make it your own! What would you like to add or change?

What I learned:

....i get to know about some basic thins which is new but crucial while building something

Step 2: Understanding the Basics

Before writing code, I asked for a plain explanation of what tkinter is and why we use it.

What is tkinter?

Tkinter is Python's built-in library for creating graphical user interfaces (GUIs).

Think of it as a toolbox:

Need a button? Tkinter has one.
Need a text box? Tkinter has that too.
Want a window? Tkinter creates it.

Best part: it comes with Python — no extra downloads in most cases.

Main components we'll use

Window – the container for everything
Label – displays text
Entry – input field for users
Button – clickable element
Frame – organizes other widgets

you don't have to learn just travel line by line

Step 3: Writing the Basic Code

you have to write this and this code is given by ai.

# Import the tkinter library - this gives us GUI tools

import tkinter as tk

# STEP 1: Create the main window
# This is the foundation of your app
window = tk.Tk()

# STEP 2: Set the window title (appears at the top)
window.title("My First GUI App")

# STEP 3: Set the window size (width x height in pixels)
window.geometry("400x300")

# STEP 4: Create a label to display messages
# This is where we'll show text to the user
welcome_label = tk.Label(
    window,                           # Put it in the main window
    text="Welcome! Enter your name below.",  # Initial message
    font=("Arial", 14),              # Font style and size
    fg="blue"                        # Text color (foreground)
)
# Place the label in the window using pack() - it auto-arranges widgets
welcome_label.pack(pady=20)  # pady adds space above and below

# STEP 5: Create a text input box (Entry widget)
# This is where users can type
name_entry = tk.Entry(
    window,              # Put it in the main window
    width=30,           # Width in characters
    font=("Arial", 12)  # Font size
)
name_entry.pack(pady=10)  # Add some spacing

# STEP 6: Define what happens when the "Greet Me" button is clicked
def greet_user():
    """This function runs when the button is clicked"""
    # Get whatever the user typed in the text box
    user_name = name_entry.get()
    
    # Check if they actually typed something
    if user_name:
        # Update the label with a personalized message
        welcome_label.config(text=f"Hello, {user_name}! Nice to meet you!")
    else:
        # If the box is empty, show a reminder
        welcome_label.config(text="Please enter your name first!")

# STEP 7: Create the "Greet Me" button
greet_button = tk.Button(
    window,                    # Put it in the main window
    text="Greet Me",          # Text on the button
    command=greet_user,       # Function to call when clicked
    font=("Arial", 12),       # Font size
    bg="green",               # Background color
    fg="white",               # Text color
    width=15                  # Button width
)
greet_button.pack(pady=10)  # Add spacing

# STEP 8: Define what happens when the "Exit" button is clicked
def exit_app():
    """This function closes the app"""
    window.destroy()  # Close the window and end the program

# STEP 9: Create the "Exit" button
exit_button = tk.Button(
    window,                # Put it in the main window
    text="Exit",          # Text on the button
    command=exit_app,     # Function to call when clicked
    font=("Arial", 12),   # Font size
    bg="red",             # Background color
    fg="white",           # Text color
    width=15              # Button width
)
exit_button.pack(pady=10)  # Add spacing

# STEP 10: Start the app - this keeps the window open and responsive
# This line must always be at the end!
window.mainloop()

What each part does (plain English)

import tkinter as tk

This imports the GUI library.

root = tk.Tk()

This creates the main window where everything goes.

root.title("My First App")

Sets the window title.

root.geometry("400x300")

Sets the window size (width x height in pixels).

root.mainloop()

Keeps the window open and responsive to user interaction.

Key insight: Each line does one clear thing — that's what makes Python friendly for beginners.

Step 4: Running It (And My First Error!)

I saved the file as first_app.py and ran it with:

python first_app.py

And...

[DID IT WORK FIRST TRY? OR DID YOU GET AN ERROR?]

Error message:

[ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'tkinter']

My reaction: panic. 😅

But errors are normal — everyone runs into them. but don't stuck here but also try to solve wherver you get answer dwell right away.

Step 5: Debugging with AI

I copied the error and asked for help.

My debugging prompt:

[what happened and how can I solve this? Pasted error: ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'tkinter ']

Explanation I got:

[You need to install the missing library]

The fix:

pip install tkinter  # on Windows

After installing the required library, the app worked.

What I learned from this error

You don't know everything on the first day — and that's fine.
Errors are normal and are part of learning.
Python libraries need to be installed before you can use them.
Libraries make tasks easier and reduce effort in the long run.

Debugging isn't failure. It's part of the process.

Step 6: Adding Interactivity

A blank window is boring. Let's add some elements.

I asked how to make the app more visually appealing and how to add a functioning button.

Updated code with the button is in gui2.py on GitHub (link left empty for you to paste).

New concepts explained

1. Functions

def button_clicked():
    # Code that runs when button is clicked

Functions are like recipes — define once, reuse whenever needed.

2. Button widget

button = tk.Button(root, text="Click Me!", command=button_clicked)

3. Pack method

button.pack()

The Final App

Features:

✅ Clean GUI window with custom colors
✅ Text input field for user name
✅ Interactive button with hover effect
✅ Click counter that updates in real time
✅ Greeting message display
✅ Professional-looking design

What I Actually Learned

1. Tkinter basics

How to create windows and widgets
How pack/grid layout systems work
Event handling (responding to button clicks)
Updating GUI elements dynamically

2. Getting help effectively

Ask specific questions
Break problems into small steps
Debug systematically

3. You don't need to be an expert

I knew almost nothing about Python before this
Building and fixing is more valuable than perfect theory

4. Mistakes are your teachers

I made a few errors (forgot imports, small syntax mistakes, logic bugs)
Each error taught me something new

5. Documentation makes sense eventually

Docs seem confusing at first, but make sense after hands-on work

The Complete Code

The full code is available on my GitHub repository: GitHub repository

Try It Yourself - Beginner Challenges

Easy modifications (10 minutes)

Change the window size to 500x400
Change button colors
Modify the greeting message text
Add your name to the window title

Medium challenges (20 minutes)

Add a second button that resets the counter
Change fonts
Add a "Clear" button to empty the input field
Make the window start in the center of the screen

Advanced ideas (30+ minutes)

Add multiple input fields (name, age, city)
Create a greeting based on time of day
Add an image/logo to the window
Make buttons change color on hover
Save the click count to a file

Common Beginner Mistakes (And How to Fix Them)

Mistake 1: Forgetting `.pack()` or `.grid()`

button = tk.Button(root, text="Click")
# Button won't appear! Need to add:
button.pack()

Mistake 2: Typos in method names

button.Pack()  # Wrong! Capital P
button.pack()    # Correct!

Mistake 3: Not defining variables before using them

count_label.config(text=count)  # Error if count not defined!
count = 0  # Define this FIRST

Mistake 4: Forgetting `root.mainloop()`

Without this line the window will close immediately.

Mistake 5: Wrong indentation

def my_function():
print("Hello")  # Needs to be indented!

What's Next?

This was Day 1 of my Python learning journey.

Tomorrow (Day 2): Building a calculator app

Future projects:

Day 3: To-Do List App
Day 4: Weather App (using APIs)
Day 5: Simple Game

Resources That Helped Me

Free tools:

ChatGPT
Claude.ai
Google Bard

Python documentation:

Final Thoughts

You don't need to know Python to build Python apps — you need curiosity, persistence, and the willingness to try.

✅ Curiosity to try
✅ Willingness to learn from mistakes
✅ Patience with errors
✅ Willingness to experiment

Yesterday I couldn't write a single line of Python. Today I have a working GUI app. Tomorrow I'll build something better.

The secret? Start. Make mistakes. Fix them. Repeat.

Join the Journey

I'm learning in public — every day, every mistake, every win.

Want to follow along?

Subscribe to my newsletter · Watch on YouTube · Follow on Instagram

Remember: every expert was once a beginner who refused to quit.

Last updated: 12 - 12 - 2025
Reading time: 12 minutes
Difficulty: Complete Beginner
Tags: #Python #Tkinter #GUI #Beginner #LearningInPublic