[Python] Where do i place/create a dynamically created widget that controls elided text in...

i am building a python tkinter editor / IDE and want to create a widget that can be clicked on to collapse / expand elided text.

i am not sure what widget is best to use (button, label, image).

think of a method similar to visual studio code. they have a widget to the left of the text box line that is clickable. i want something similar using python tkinter.

i currently have 2 text boxes side by side. the narrow left one is for the line number and the larger right one is for the code text that you can edit.

when i type a keyword like 'Function' i want a widget to be dynamically created that will control elided text so i can collapse / expand the text inside this function.

i already know how to set tags for the area to be elided and know how to check for key words. i just don't know where to put the widget or what type it should be.

here is a small example of trying to use buttons as control:

import tkinter as tk

root = tk.Tk()
root.title("Testing widgets for Elide")

# create 'line number' text box
line_text = tk.Text(root, wrap="none", width=5, insertwidth=0) # don't want the cursor to appear here
line_text.pack(fill="y", side="left")

# create 'code' text box
text_box = tk.Text(root, wrap="none")
text_box.pack(fill="both", expand=True, side="left")

# add a tag to line number text box (need text to be at the right side)
line_text.tag_configure("right", justify="right")

# add some text into the text boxes
for i in range(13):
line_text.insert("end", "%s \n" % (i+1))
line_text.tag_add("right", "1.0", "end")

for i in range(13):
text_box.insert("end", "%s \n" % ("some text here at line number #" + str(i+1)))

# add button to use as elide +/- (inside text boxes? _ not sure which widget is correct (button, label, image)? _ also can't work out spacing so button doesn't interfere with text)
elide_button = tk.Button(text_box, text="-")
text_box.window_create("11.0", window=elide_button) # *** test ***

elide_button2 = tk.Button(line_text, text="-")
line_text.window_create("11.0" + "lineend-1c", window=elide_button2) # *** test ***


screen shot of testing buttons

i have tried using a button inside the main text box with a "-" character but it was too big and pushed the main text line over to fit in. i don't want this.

i tried using a button in the narrow line number text box (at the line end) but it also pushed the text over the other way. i don't want this.

basically i don't want the text interfered with by the button. is there some kind of black magic or spacing i need to know about, lol?

i am still newish to python & newish to tkinter. i tried searching for this but couldn't find what i wanted.

thanks for any help, steve.

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