Sets our main struct and passes it to the parent class
Creates a new builder object. Since 2.12
Builds the GtkBuilder UI definition in the file filename. If there is an error opening the file or parsing the description then the program will be aborted. You should only ever attempt to parse user interface descriptions that are shipped as part of your program.
Adds the callback_symbol to the scope of builder under the given callback_name. Using this function overrides the behavior of gtk_builder_connect_signals() for any callback symbols that are added. Using this method allows for better encapsulation as it does not require that callback symbols be declared in the global namespace.
Parses a file containing a GtkBuilder UI definition and merges it with the current contents of builder. Most users will probably want to use gtk_builder_new_from_file(). Upon errors 0 will be returned and error will be assigned a GError from the GTK_BUILDER_ERROR, G_MARKUP_ERROR or G_FILE_ERROR domain. It's not really reasonable to attempt to handle failures of this Since 2.12
Parses a resource file containing a GtkBuilder UI definition and merges it with the current contents of builder. Most users will probably want to use gtk_builder_new_from_resource(). Upon errors 0 will be returned and error will be assigned a GError from the GTK_BUILDER_ERROR, G_MARKUP_ERROR or G_RESOURCE_ERROR domain. It's not really reasonable to attempt to handle failures of this call. The only reasonable thing to do when an error is detected is to call g_error().
Parses a string containing a GtkBuilder UI definition and merges it with the current contents of builder. Most users will probably want to use gtk_builder_new_from_string(). Upon errors 0 will be returned and error will be assigned a GError from the GTK_BUILDER_ERROR or G_MARKUP_ERROR domain. It's not really reasonable to attempt to handle failures of this call. The only reasonable thing to do when an error is detected is to call g_error(). Since 2.12
Parses a file containing a GtkBuilder UI definition building only the requested objects and merges them with the current contents of builder. Upon errors 0 will be returned and error will be assigned a GError from the GTK_BUILDER_ERROR, G_MARKUP_ERROR or G_FILE_ERROR domain. Note If you are adding an object that depends on an object that is not its child (for instance a GtkTreeView that depends on its GtkTreeModel), you have to explicitely list all of them in object_ids. Since 2.14
Parses a resource file containing a GtkBuilder UI definition building only the requested objects and merges them with the current contents of builder. Upon errors 0 will be returned and error will be assigned a GError from the GTK_BUILDER_ERROR, G_MARKUP_ERROR or G_RESOURCE_ERROR domain. Note If you are adding an object that depends on an object that is not its child (for instance a GtkTreeView that depends on its GtkTreeModel), you have to explicitely list all of them in object_ids.
Parses a string containing a GtkBuilder UI definition building only the requested objects and merges them with the current contents of builder. Upon errors 0 will be returned and error will be assigned a GError from the GTK_BUILDER_ERROR or G_MARKUP_ERROR domain. Note If you are adding an object that depends on an object that is not its child (for instance a GtkTreeView that depends on its GtkTreeModel), you have to explicitely list all of them in object_ids. Since 2.14
This method is a simpler variation of gtk_builder_connect_signals_full(). It uses symbols explicitly added to builder with prior calls to gtk_builder_add_callback_symbol(). In the case that symbols are not explicitly added; it uses GModule's introspective features (by opening the module NULL) to look at the application's symbol table. From here it tries to match the signal handler names given in the interface description with symbols in the application and connects the signals. Note that this function can only be called once, subsequent calls will do nothing. Note that unless gtk_builder_add_callback_symbol() is called for all signal callbacks which are referenced by the loaded XML, this function will require that GModule be supported on the platform. If you rely on GModule support to lookup callbacks in the symbol table, Since 2.12
This function can be thought of the interpreted language binding version of gtk_builder_connect_signals(), except that it does not require GModule to function correctly. Since 2.12
Add object to the builder object pool so it can be referenced just like any other object built by builder.
Gets the object named name. Note that this function does not increment the reference count of the returned object. Since 2.12
Gets all objects that have been constructed by builder. Since 2.12
the main Gtk struct as a void*
Gets the translation domain of builder. Since 2.12
Looks up a type by name, using the virtual function that GtkBuilder has for that purpose. This is mainly used when implementing the GtkBuildable interface on a type. Since 2.12
Fetches a symbol previously added to builder with gtk_builder_add_callback_symbols() This function is intended for possible use in language bindings or for any case that one might be cusomizing signal connections using gtk_builder_connect_signals_full()
This function creates an D object corresponding to the Struct pointer passed in.
Sets the translation domain of builder. See "translation-domain". Since 2.12
This function demarshals a value from a string. This function calls g_value_init() on the value argument, so it need not be initialised beforehand. This function can handle char, uchar, boolean, int, uint, long, ulong, enum, flags, float, double, string, GdkColor, GdkRGBA and GtkAdjustment type values. Support for GtkWidget type values is still to come. Upon errors FALSE will be returned and error will be assigned a GError from the GTK_BUILDER_ERROR domain. Since 2.12
Like gtk_builder_value_from_string(), this function demarshals a value from a string, but takes a GType instead of GParamSpec. This function calls g_value_init() on the value argument, so it need not be initialised beforehand. Upon errors FALSE will be returned and error will be assigned a GError from the GTK_BUILDER_ERROR domain. Since 2.12
the main Gtk struct
the main Gtk struct
the main Gtk struct as a void*
Gets a D Object from the objects table of associations.
The notify signal is emitted on an object when one of its properties has been changed. Note that getting this signal doesn't guarantee that the value of the property has actually changed, it may also be emitted when the setter for the property is called to reinstate the previous value.
Installs a new property. This is usually done in the class initializer. Note that it is possible to redefine a property in a derived class, by installing a property with the same name. This can be useful at times, e.g. to change the range of allowed values or the default value.
Installs new properties from an array of GParamSpecs. This is usually done in the class initializer. The property id of each property is the index of each GParamSpec in the pspecs array. The property id of 0 is treated specially by GObject and it should not be used to store a GParamSpec. This function should be used if you plan to use a static array of GParamSpecs and g_object_notify_by_pspec(). For instance, this Since 2.26
Looks up the GParamSpec for a property of a class.
Get an array of GParamSpec* for all properties of a class.
Registers property_id as referring to a property with the name name in a parent class or in an interface implemented by oclass. This allows this class to override a property implementation in a parent class or to provide the implementation of a property from an interface. Note Internally, overriding is implemented by creating a property of type GParamSpecOverride; generally operations that query the properties of the object class, such as g_object_class_find_property() or g_object_class_list_properties() will return the overridden property. However, in one case, the construct_properties argument of the constructor virtual function, the GParamSpecOverride is passed instead, so that the param_id field of the GParamSpec will be correct. For virtually all uses, this makes no difference. If you need to get the overridden property, you can call g_param_spec_get_redirect_target(). Since 2.4
Add a property to an interface; this is only useful for interfaces that are added to GObject-derived types. Adding a property to an interface forces all objects classes with that interface to have a compatible property. The compatible property could be a newly created GParamSpec, but normally g_object_class_override_property() will be used so that the object class only needs to provide an implementation and inherits the property description, default value, bounds, and so forth from the interface property. This function is meant to be called from the interface's default vtable initialization function (the class_init member of GTypeInfo.) It must not be called after after class_init has been called for any object types implementing this interface. Since 2.4
Find the GParamSpec with the given name for an interface. Generally, the interface vtable passed in as g_iface will be the default vtable from g_type_default_interface_ref(), or, if you know the interface has already been loaded, g_type_default_interface_peek(). Since 2.4
Lists the properties of an interface.Generally, the interface vtable passed in as g_iface will be the default vtable from g_type_default_interface_ref(), or, if you know the interface has already been loaded, g_type_default_interface_peek(). Since 2.4
Increases the reference count of object.
Decreases the reference count of object. When its reference count drops to 0, the object is finalized (i.e. its memory is freed).
Increase the reference count of object, and possibly remove the floating reference, if object has a floating reference. In other words, if the object is floating, then this call "assumes ownership" of the floating reference, converting it to a normal reference by clearing the floating flag while leaving the reference count unchanged. If the object is not floating, then this call adds a new normal reference increasing the reference count by one. Since 2.10
Clears a reference to a GObject. object_ptr must not be NULL. If the reference is NULL then this function does nothing. Otherwise, the reference count of the object is decreased and the pointer is set to NULL. This function is threadsafe and modifies the pointer atomically, using memory barriers where needed. A macro is also included that allows this function to be used without pointer casts. Since 2.28
Checks whether object has a floating reference. Since 2.10
This function is intended for GObject implementations to re-enforce a floating object reference. Doing this is seldom required: all GInitiallyUnowneds are created with a floating reference which usually just needs to be sunken by calling g_object_ref_sink(). Since 2.10
Adds a weak reference callback to an object. Weak references are used for notification when an object is finalized. They are called "weak references" because they allow you to safely hold a pointer to an object without calling g_object_ref() (g_object_ref() adds a strong reference, that is, forces the object to stay alive). Note that the weak references created by this method are not thread-safe: they cannot safely be used in one thread if the object's last g_object_unref() might happen in another thread. Use GWeakRef if thread-safety is required.
Removes a weak reference callback to an object.
Adds a weak reference from weak_pointer to object to indicate that the pointer located at weak_pointer_location is only valid during the lifetime of object. When the object is finalized, weak_pointer will be set to NULL. Note that as with g_object_weak_ref(), the weak references created by this method are not thread-safe: they cannot safely be used in one thread if the object's last g_object_unref() might happen in another thread. Use GWeakRef if thread-safety is required.
Removes a weak reference from object that was previously added using g_object_add_weak_pointer(). The weak_pointer_location has to match the one used with g_object_add_weak_pointer().
Increases the reference count of the object by one and sets a callback to be called when all other references to the object are dropped, or when this is already the last reference to the object and another reference is established. This functionality is intended for binding object to a proxy object managed by another memory manager. This is done with two paired references: the strong reference added by g_object_add_toggle_ref() and a reverse reference to the proxy object which is either a strong reference or weak reference. The setup is that when there are no other references to object, only a weak reference is held in the reverse direction from object to the proxy object, but when there are other references held to object, a strong reference is held. The notify callback is called when the reference from object to the proxy object should be toggled from strong to weak (is_last_ref true) or weak to strong (is_last_ref false). Since a (normal) reference must be held to the object before calling g_object_add_toggle_ref(), the initial state of the reverse link is always strong. Multiple toggle references may be added to the same gobject, however if there are multiple toggle references to an object, none of them will ever be notified until all but one are removed. For this reason, you should only ever use a toggle reference if there is important state in the proxy object. Since 2.8
Removes a reference added with g_object_add_toggle_ref(). The reference count of the object is decreased by one. Since 2.8
Emits a "notify" signal for the property property_name on object. When possible, eg. when signaling a property change from within the class that registered the property, you should use g_object_notify_by_pspec() instead.
Emits a "notify" signal for the property specified by pspec on object. This function omits the property name lookup, hence it is faster than g_object_notify(). One way to avoid using g_object_notify() from within the class that registered the properties, and using g_object_notify_by_pspec() instead, is to store the GParamSpec used with Since 2.26
Increases the freeze count on object. If the freeze count is non-zero, the emission of "notify" signals on object is stopped. The signals are queued until the freeze count is decreased to zero. Duplicate notifications are squashed so that at most one "notify" signal is emitted for each property modified while the object is frozen. This is necessary for accessors that modify multiple properties to prevent premature notification while the object is still being modified.
Reverts the effect of a previous call to g_object_freeze_notify(). The freeze count is decreased on object and when it reaches zero, queued "notify" signals are emitted. Duplicate notifications for each property are squashed so that at most one "notify" signal is emitted for each property. It is an error to call this function when the freeze count is zero.
Gets a named field from the objects table of associations (see g_object_set_data()).
Each object carries around a table of associations from strings to pointers. This function lets you set an association. If the object already had an association with that name, the old association will be destroyed.
Like g_object_set_data() except it adds notification for when the association is destroyed, either by setting it to a different value or when the object is destroyed. Note that the destroy callback is not called if data is NULL.
Remove a specified datum from the object's data associations, without invoking the association's destroy handler.
This is a variant of g_object_get_data() which returns a 'duplicate' of the value. dup_func defines the meaning of 'duplicate' in this context, it could e.g. take a reference on a ref-counted object. If the key is not set on the object then dup_func will be called with a NULL argument. Note that dup_func is called while user data of object is locked. This function can be useful to avoid races when multiple threads are using object data on the same key on the same object. Since 2.34
Compares the user data for the key key on object with oldval, and if they are the same, replaces oldval with newval. This is like a typical atomic compare-and-exchange operation, for user data on an object. If the previous value was replaced then ownership of the old value (oldval) is passed to the caller, including the registered destroy notify for it (passed out in old_destroy). Its up to the caller to free this as he wishes, which may or may not include using old_destroy as sometimes replacement should not destroy the object in the normal way. Return: TRUE if the existing value for key was replaced by newval, FALSE otherwise. Since 2.34
This function gets back user data pointers stored via g_object_set_qdata().
This sets an opaque, named pointer on an object. The name is specified through a GQuark (retrived e.g. via g_quark_from_static_string()), and the pointer can be gotten back from the object with g_object_get_qdata() until the object is finalized. Setting a previously set user data pointer, overrides (frees) the old pointer set, using NULL as pointer essentially removes the data stored.
This function works like g_object_set_qdata(), but in addition, a void (*destroy) (gpointer) function may be specified which is called with data as argument when the object is finalized, or the data is being overwritten by a call to g_object_set_qdata() with the same quark.
This function gets back user data pointers stored via g_object_set_qdata() and removes the data from object without invoking its destroy() function (if any was set). Usually, calling this function is only required to update
This is a variant of g_object_get_qdata() which returns a 'duplicate' of the value. dup_func defines the meaning of 'duplicate' in this context, it could e.g. take a reference on a ref-counted object. If the quark is not set on the object then dup_func will be called with a NULL argument. Note that dup_func is called while user data of object is locked. This function can be useful to avoid races when multiple threads are using object data on the same key on the same object. Since 2.34
Compares the user data for the key quark on object with oldval, and if they are the same, replaces oldval with newval. This is like a typical atomic compare-and-exchange operation, for user data on an object. If the previous value was replaced then ownership of the old value (oldval) is passed to the caller, including the registered destroy notify for it (passed out in old_destroy). Its up to the caller to free this as he wishes, which may or may not include using old_destroy as sometimes replacement should not destroy the object in the normal way. Return: TRUE if the existing value for quark was replaced by newval, FALSE otherwise. Since 2.34
Sets a property on an object.
Gets a property of an object. value must have been initialized to the expected type of the property (or a type to which the expected type can be transformed) using g_value_init(). In general, a copy is made of the property contents and the caller is responsible for freeing the memory by calling g_value_unset(). Note that g_object_get_property() is really intended for language bindings, g_object_get() is much more convenient for C programming.
Sets properties on an object.
Gets properties of an object. In general, a copy is made of the property contents and the caller is responsible for freeing the memory in the appropriate manner for the type, for instance by calling g_free() or g_object_unref(). See g_object_get().
This function essentially limits the life time of the closure to the life time of the object. That is, when the object is finalized, the closure is invalidated by calling g_closure_invalidate() on it, in order to prevent invocations of the closure with a finalized (nonexisting) object. Also, g_object_ref() and g_object_unref() are added as marshal guards to the closure, to ensure that an extra reference count is held on object during invocation of the closure. Usually, this function will be called on closures that use this object as closure data.
Releases all references to other objects. This can be used to break reference cycles. This functions should only be called from object system implementations.
A GtkBuilder is an auxiliary object that reads textual descriptions of a user interface and instantiates the described objects. To create a GtkBuilder from a user interface description, call gtk_builder_new_from_file(), gtk_builder_new_from_resource() or gtk_builder_new_from_string().
In the (unusual) case that you want to add user interface descriptions from multiple sources to the same GtkBuilder you can call gtk_builder_new() to get an empty builder and populate it by (multiple) calls to gtk_builder_add_from_file(), gtk_builder_add_from_resource() or gtk_builder_add_from_string().
A GtkBuilder holds a reference to all objects that it has constructed and drops these references when it is finalized. This finalization can cause the destruction of non-widget objects or widgets which are not contained in a toplevel window. For toplevel windows constructed by a builder, it is the responsibility of the user to call gtk_widget_destroy() to get rid of them and all the widgets they contain.
The functions gtk_builder_get_object() and gtk_builder_get_objects() can be used to access the widgets in the interface by the names assigned to them inside the UI description. Toplevel windows returned by these functions will stay around until the user explicitly destroys them with gtk_widget_destroy(). Other widgets will either be part of a larger hierarchy constructed by the builder (in which case you should not have to worry about their lifecycle), or without a parent, in which case they have to be added to some container to make use of them. Non-widget objects need to be reffed with g_object_ref() to keep them beyond the lifespan of the builder.
The function gtk_builder_connect_signals() and variants thereof can be used to connect handlers to the named signals in the description.
GtkBuilder UI Definitions
GtkBuilder parses textual descriptions of user interfaces which are specified in an XML format which can be roughly described by the RELAX NG schema below. We refer to these descriptions as GtkBuilder UI definitions or just UI definitions if the context is clear. Do not confuse GtkBuilder UI Definitions with GtkUIManager UI Definitions, which are more limited in scope. It is common to use .ui as the filename extension for files containing GtkBuilder UI definitions.
start = element interface { * attribute domain { text } ?, * ( requires | object | template | menu ) * }
requires = element requires { * attribute lib { text }, * attribute version { text } }
object = element object { * attribute id { xsd:ID }, * attribute class { text }, * attribute type-func { text } ?, * attribute constructor { text } ?, * (property | signal | child | ANY) * }
template = element template { * attribute class { text }, * attribute parent { text }, * (property | signal | child | ANY) * }
property = element property { * attribute name { text }, * attribute translatable { "yes" | "no" } ?, * attribute comments { text } ?, * attribute context { text } ?, * text ? }
signal = element signal { * attribute name { text }, * attribute handler { text }, * attribute after { text } ?, * attribute swapped { text } ?, * attribute object { text } ?, * attribute last_modification_time { text } ?, * empty }
child = element child { * attribute type { text } ?, * attribute internal-child { text } ?, * (object | ANY)* }
menu = element menu { * attribute id { xsd:ID }, * attribute domain { text } ?, * (item | submenu | section) * }
item = element item { * attribute id { xsd:ID } ?, * (attribute_ | link) * }
attribute_ = element attribute { * attribute name { text }, * attribute type { text } ?, * attribute translatable { "yes" | "no" } ?, * attribute context { text } ?, * attribute comments { text } ?, * text ? }
link = element link { * attribute id { xsd:ID } ?, * attribute name { text }, * item * }
submenu = element submenu { * attribute id { xsd:ID } ?, * (attribute_ | item | submenu | section) * }
section = element section { * attribute id { xsd:ID } ?, * (attribute_ | item | submenu | section) * }
ANY = element * - (interface | requires | object | template | property | signal | child | menu | item | attribute | link | submenu | section) { * attribute * { text } *, * (ALL * text ?) } ALL = element * { * attribute * { text } *, * (ALL * text ?) }
The toplevel element is <interface>. It optionally takes a "domain" attribute, which will make the builder look for translated strings using dgettext() in the domain specified. This can also be done by calling gtk_builder_set_translation_domain() on the builder. Objects are described by <object> elements, which can contain <property> elements to set properties, <signal> elements which connect signals to handlers, and <child> elements, which describe child objects (most often widgets inside a container, but also e.g. actions in an action group, or columns in a tree model). A <child> element contains an <object> element which describes the child object. The target toolkit version(s) are described by <requires> elements, the "lib" attribute specifies the widget library in question (currently the only supported value is "gtk+") and the "version" attribute specifies the target version in the form "<major>.<minor>". The builder will error out if the version requirements are not met.
Typically, the specific kind of object represented by an <object> element is specified by the "class" attribute. If the type has not been loaded yet, GTK+ tries to find the _get_type() from the class name by applying heuristics. This works in most cases, but if necessary, it is possible to specify the name of the _get_type() explictly with the "type-func" attribute. As a special case, GtkBuilder allows to use an object that has been constructed by a GtkUIManager in another part of the UI definition by specifying the id of the GtkUIManager in the "constructor" attribute and the name of the object in the "id" attribute.
Objects must be given a name with the "id" attribute, which allows the application to retrieve them from the builder with gtk_builder_get_object(). An id is also necessary to use the object as property value in other parts of the UI definition.
Note
Prior to 2.20, GtkBuilder was setting the "name" property of constructed widgets to the "id" attribute. In GTK+ 2.20 or newer, you have to use gtk_buildable_get_name() instead of gtk_widget_get_name() to obtain the "id", or set the "name" property in your UI definition.
Setting properties of objects is pretty straightforward with the <property> element: the "name" attribute specifies the name of the property, and the content of the element specifies the value. If the "translatable" attribute is set to a true value, GTK+ uses gettext() (or dgettext() if the builder has a translation domain set) to find a translation for the value. This happens before the value is parsed, so it can be used for properties of any type, but it is probably most useful for string properties. It is also possible to specify a context to disambiguate short strings, and comments which may help the translators.
GtkBuilder can parse textual representations for the most common property types: characters, strings, integers, floating-point numbers, booleans (strings like "TRUE", "t", "yes", "y", "1" are interpreted as TRUE, strings like "FALSE, "f", "no", "n", "0" are interpreted as FALSE), enumerations (can be specified by their name, nick or integer value), flags (can be specified by their name, nick, integer value, optionally combined with "|", e.g. "GTK_VISIBLE|GTK_REALIZED") and colors (in a format understood by gdk_color_parse()). Pixbufs can be specified as a filename of an image file to load. Objects can be referred to by their name and by default refer to objects declared in the local xml fragment and objects exposed via gtk_builder_expose_object().
In general, GtkBuilder allows forward references to objects mdash declared in the local xml; an object doesn't have to be constructed before it can be referred to. The exception to this rule is that an object has to be constructed before it can be used as the value of a construct-only property.
Signal handlers are set up with the <signal> element. The "name" attribute specifies the name of the signal, and the "handler" attribute specifies the function to connect to the signal. By default, GTK+ tries to find the handler using g_module_symbol(), but this can be changed by passing a custom GtkBuilderConnectFunc to gtk_builder_connect_signals_full(). The remaining attributes, "after", "swapped" and "object", have the same meaning as the corresponding parameters of the g_signal_connect_object() or g_signal_connect_data() functions. A "last_modification_time" attribute is also allowed, but it does not have a meaning to the builder.
Sometimes it is necessary to refer to widgets which have implicitly been constructed by GTK+ as part of a composite widget, to set properties on them or to add further children (e.g. the vbox of a GtkDialog). This can be achieved by setting the "internal-child" propery of the <child> element to a true value. Note that GtkBuilder still requires an <object> element for the internal child, even if it has already been constructed.
A number of widgets have different places where a child can be added (e.g. tabs vs. page content in notebooks). This can be reflected in a UI definition by specifying the "type" attribute on a <child>. The possible values for the "type" attribute are described in the sections describing the widget-specific portions of UI definitions.
Beyond this general structure, several object classes define their own XML DTD fragments for filling in the ANY placeholders in the DTD above. Note that a custom element in a <child> element gets parsed by the custom tag handler of the parent object, while a custom element in an <object> element gets parsed by the custom tag handler of the object.
These XML fragments are explained in the documentation of the respective objects, see GtkWidget, GtkLabel, GtkWindow, GtkContainer, GtkDialog, GtkCellLayout, GtkColorSelectionDialog, GtkFontSelectionDialog, GtkExpander, GtkFrame, GtkListStore, GtkTreeStore, GtkNotebook, GtkSizeGroup, GtkTreeView, GtkUIManager, GtkActionGroup. GtkMenuItem, GtkMenuToolButton, GtkAssistant, GtkScale, GtkComboBoxText, GtkRecentFilter, GtkFileFilter, GtkTextTagTable.
Additionally, since 3.10 a special <template> tag has been added to the format allowing one to define a widget class's components.
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Embedding other XML
Apart from the language for UI descriptions that has been explained in the previous section, GtkBuilder can also parse XML fragments of GMenu markup. The resulting GMenu object and its named submenus are available via gtk_builder_get_object() like other constructed objects.