{"id":2087,"date":"2026-05-27T07:15:47","date_gmt":"2026-05-26T23:15:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/xlwings.net\/blog\/?p=2087"},"modified":"2026-03-28T06:19:39","modified_gmt":"2026-03-28T06:19:39","slug":"how-to-use-applicationdisplayfunctiontooltips-in-the-xlwings-api-way","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/xlwings.net\/blog\/how-to-use-applicationdisplayfunctiontooltips-in-the-xlwings-api-way\/","title":{"rendered":"How to use Application.DisplayFunctionToolTips in the xlwings API way"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Functionality<\/strong><br>The <code>DisplayFunctionToolTips<\/code> property of the Excel <code>Application<\/code> object controls whether function tooltips are displayed. A function tooltip is the small, yellow pop-up box that appears as you begin typing a function into a formula bar or a cell. It provides a brief syntax guide and description for the function&#8217;s arguments. When <code>DisplayFunctionToolTips<\/code> is set to <code>True<\/code>, these helpful prompts are shown; when set to <code>False<\/code>, they are suppressed. This property is part of the user interface customization options and can be useful for streamlining the Excel environment for advanced users or in automated applications where pop-ups might interfere with other processes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Syntax<\/strong><br>In xlwings, you access this property through the <code>Application<\/code> object. The property is a read\/write Boolean.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Get the current state:<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code>current_state = xw.apps&#91;app_key].display_function_tooltips<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><code>app_key<\/code>: The key identifier for the Excel application instance. This can be an integer index (e.g., <code>0<\/code> for the first instance) or the PID of the process. If you have a single instance or are using <code>xw.Book<\/code>, you can often use <code>xw.apps.active<\/code>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Set the state:<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code>xw.apps&#91;app_key].display_function_tooltips = new_state<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><code>new_state<\/code>: A Boolean value (<code>True<\/code> or <code>False<\/code>).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Code Examples<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Checking and Reporting the Current Setting:<\/strong><br>This example connects to the active Excel instance, reads the current <code>DisplayFunctionToolTips<\/code> setting, and prints its status.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code>import xlwings as xw\n\n# Connect to the active Excel application\napp = xw.apps.active\n\n# Get the current state of function tooltips\ntooltips_enabled = app.display_function_tooltips\n\n# Report the status\nif tooltips_enabled:\n    print(\"Function tooltips are currently ENABLED.\")\nelse:\n    print(\"Function tooltips are currently DISABLED.\")<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<ol start=\"2\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Temporarily Disabling Tooltips for a Task:<\/strong><br>This pattern is useful when performing automated data entry or manipulation where pop-ups are not needed. It saves the original state, disables tooltips, performs its task, and then restores the original setting, ensuring the user&#8217;s preference is maintained.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code>import xlwings as xw\n\n# Connect to the active Excel application and workbook\napp = xw.apps.active\nwb = app.books.active\n\n# 1. Store the original setting\noriginal_setting = app.display_function_tooltips\n\ntry:\n    # 2. Disable function tooltips\n    app.display_function_tooltips = False\n    print(\"Function tooltips disabled for automation.\")\n\n    # 3. Perform automated tasks (e.g., writing formulas)\n    # This example writes a simple SUM formula. No tooltip will appear.\n    ws = wb.sheets&#91;0]\n    ws.range(\"A1\").value = \"Data\"\n    ws.range(\"B1\").value = 10\n    ws.range(\"B2\").value = 20\n    ws.range(\"B3\").formula = \"=SUM(B1:B2)\"\n\n    print(f\"Formula written to B3: {ws.range('B3').formula}\")\n\nfinally:\n    # 4. Restore the original setting reliably\n    app.display_function_tooltips = original_setting\n    print(f\"Function tooltips restored to: {original_setting}\")<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<ol start=\"3\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Ensuring Tooltips are Enabled for User Interaction:<\/strong><br>This example explicitly enables function tooltips, which can be part of a setup routine to ensure a user-friendly environment before handing control over to a person.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code>import xlwings as xw\n\n# Start or connect to Excel\napp = xw.App(visible=True) # or xw.apps.active\nwb = app.books.add()\n\n# Ensure function tooltips are turned ON\napp.display_function_tooltips = True\nprint(\"Function tooltips have been enabled for user interaction.\")\n\n# Guide the user (simulated here by a formula placeholder)\nws = wb.sheets&#91;0]\nws.range(\"A1\").value = \"Enter a function (e.g., =VLOOKUP() ) in cell B1 to see the tooltip.\"\n\n# The application is now ready. Tooltips will appear as the user types.\n# app.visible = True # Ensure Excel is visible if it wasn't already<\/code><\/pre>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>**Functionality**<br \/>\nThe `DisplayFunctionToolTips` property of the Excel `Application` object controls &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[25],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2087","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-xlwings-api-reference"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/xlwings.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2087","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/xlwings.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/xlwings.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xlwings.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xlwings.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2087"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/xlwings.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2087\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3194,"href":"https:\/\/xlwings.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2087\/revisions\/3194"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/xlwings.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2087"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xlwings.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2087"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xlwings.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2087"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}