DragTK gives you a drag-and-drop canvas to build Graphical User Interface (GUI) applications — generating working Python code as you design.
According to research by King's College London, Python has become one of the most dominant programming languages taught in UK schools. Yet despite its widespread adoption, it lacks the visual tooling that once made languages like Visual Basic so effective in the classroom.
Many schools today use browser-based IDEs — they're easy to set up and require no installation. But these services typically start free and introduce subscription costs over time, and they deprive students of something valuable: the experience of working directly with their own operating system, managing files, and running software locally. When it comes to other programming languages and more robust IDE options, restrictive school IT policies can also make installing any desktop software a challenge in its own right.
DragTK was built for this reality. It runs from a single file, requires no installation, and gives students a drag-and-drop canvas to build real GUI applications — the kind they already use every day on their phones, tablets, and laptops. That familiarity matters. Rather than asking learners to reason abstractly about code they cannot yet picture, DragTK lets them start from something recognisable and work backwards to the Python that powers it.
Every student has used a GUI app. DragTK turns that everyday experience into a foundation for understanding code structure.
Having pupils build apps that run on their desktop creates a more real experince than text apps running abstractly in a browser IDE.
Python is widely taught but visual tooling has lagged behind. DragTK fills the space that Visual Basic once occupied — without leaving Python.
Install Python 3.8+, download the .exe, and run — or download the .py files directly from github. If your school or institution restricts executables, the raw source files work just as well.
Download the Windows .exe for a quick start, or grab the Python source from GitHub — the recommended option for schools where IT policies restrict unsigned executables.