python - Tkinter process not shown during run -

i running creature simulator in python 2.7 using tkinter visualizer. map made of squares, colors represent land types, , red square represents creature. use canvas.move, move red square around board. has move quite lot. know should start , should end. have run simulation, bit bit, , when regulated maybe 2 moves ie. sim isn't running i'm testing it. can see movements. when run sim, buzzes , can see of canvas map, no creature , no creature movement. question this. firstly, how can possibly slow down process can see movements? or why simulation run , show of tkinter?

the simulation quite large , hard pick out important bits, code below more of simplification. matches how did tkinter stuff. sim added more calculations , loops. it's worth noting example works perfectly.

driver.py:

from tkinter import * import animation   class alien(object):     def __init__(self):         #set canvas         self.root = tk()         self.canvas = canvas(self.root, width=400, height=400)         self.canvas.pack()         #vars         self.map = [[1, 0, 0, 1, 0], [0, 1, 0, 1, 0], [0, 0, 1, 0, 0], [0, 1, 1, 0, 0], [1, 0, 0, 1, 0]]         self.x = 0         self.y = 0         r = 50         self.land = {}         #draw init         i, row in enumerate(self.map):             j, cell in enumerate(row):                 color = "black" if cell else "green"                 self.canvas.create_rectangle(r * i, r * j, r * (i + 1), r * (j + 1),                                              outline=color, fill=color)                 self.land[(i, j)] = self.canvas.create_text(r * i, r * j, anchor=ne, fill="white", text="1", tag=str((i, j)))         self.creature = self.canvas.create_rectangle(r * self.x, r * self.y, r * (self.x + 1), r * (self.y + 1),                                                      outline="red", fill="red")         self.canvas.pack(fill=both, expand=1)         #action         movement = animation.animation(self.root, self.canvas, self.creature, self.land)         self.root.after(0, movement.animate)         #clost tk         self.root.mainloop() = alien() 

animation.py:

from random import randrange import sys   class animation():     def __init__(self, root, canvas, creature, land):         self.x = self.y = 0         self.ctr = 10         self.canvas = canvas         self.creature = creature         self.root = root         self.land = land         #self.root.after(250, self.animate)         self.canvas.move(self.creature, 2 * 50, 2 * 50)      def animate(self):         self.ctr -= 1         if self.ctr > 0:             in range(2):                 = randrange(1, 5)                 if == 1:                     self.y = -1                 elif == 2:                     self.y = 1                 elif == 3:                     self.x = -1                 elif == 4:                     self.x = 1                 #root.after(250, self.animate(canvas, creature))                 """moves creature around canvas"""                 self.movement()             self.root.after(250, self.animate)      def movement(self):         self.canvas.move(self.creature, self.x * 50, self.y * 50) 

you can slow down process using tkinters after method can used difrent widget.

canvas.after(time, dosomething) #the first parameter how many milliseconds wait before call second parameter. 

where dosomething function should way of updating cnavas.

http://infohost.nmt.edu/tcc/help/pubs/tkinter/web/universal.html