Product Documentation

ActiveTcl User Guide

NAME

Widget - The Widget base class

COMMAND

Widget::addmap class subclass subpath options

Widget::bwinclude class subclass subpath ?arg...?

Widget::cget path option

Widget::configure path options

Widget::create class path ?rename?

Widget::declare class optlist

Widget::define class filename ?class ...?

Widget::destroy path

Widget::focusNext w

Widget::focusOK w

Widget::focusPrev w

Widget::generate-doc dir widgetlist

Widget::generate-widget-doc class iscmd file

Widget::getoption path option

Widget::getVariable path varName ?myVarName?

Widget::hasChanged path option pvalue

Widget::init class path options

Widget::setoption path option value

Widget::subcget path subwidget

Widget::syncoptions class subclass subpath options

Widget::tkinclude class tkwidget subpath ?arg...?

The Widget namespace handle data associated to all BWidget and provide commands to easily define BWidget.
For commands can be used to define a BWidget: tkinclude, bwinclude, declare, addmap and syncoptions. Here is the definition of ComboBox widget:

namespace eval ComboBox {
    # We're using ArrowButton, Entry and LabelFrame
    ArrowButton::use
    Entry::use
    LabelFrame::use

    # Include resources of LabelFrame
    Widget::bwinclude ComboBox LabelFrame .labf \ 
        rename     {-text -label} \ 
        remove     {-focus} \ 
        prefix     {label -justify -width -anchor -height -font} \ 
        initialize {-relief sunken -borderwidth 2}

    # Include resources of Entry
    Widget::bwinclude ComboBox Entry .e \ 
        remove {-relief -bd -borderwidth -bg -fg} \ 
        rename {-foreground -entryfg -background -entrybg}

    # Declare new resources
    Widget::declare ComboBox {
        {-height      TkResource 0  0 listbox}
        {-values      String     "" 0}
        {-modifycmd   String     "" 0}
        {-postcommand String     "" 0}
    }

    # Map resources to subwidget
    Widget::addmap ComboBox "" :cmd {-background {}}
    Widget::addmap ComboBox ArrowButton .a \ 
        {-foreground {} -background {} -disabledforeground {} -state {}}

    # Synchronize subwidget options
    Widget::syncoptions ComboBox Entry .e {-text {}}
    Widget::syncoptions ComboBox LabelFrame .labf {-label -text -underline {}}

    proc use {} {}
}

Widget::addmap class subclass subpath options

This command map some resources to subwidget. Mapped resources automatically configure subwidget when widget is configured.

• class is the class of the new BWidget
• subclass is the class the subwidget (BWidget class, e.g Entry, or empty for Tk widget)
• subpath is the path of the subwidget
• options is the list {option realres ...} of options to map to subwidget

Widget::bwinclude class subclass subpath ?arg...?

This command includes into a new BWidget the resources of another BWidget. Arguments are:

• class class of the new widget
• subclass class name of the BWidget to be included
• subpath path of the widget to configure when BWidget is configured
• options is:
  • include {option option ...}
    list of options to include (all if not defined)
  • remove {option option ...}
    list of options to remove
  • rename {option name option name ...}
    list of options to rename
  • prefix {prefix option option ...}
    pefix all option by prefix
  • initialize {option value option value ...}
    default value of options
  • readonly {option value option value ...}
    new readonly flag

Widget::cget path option

Returns the value of option of BWidget path. cget tests the option existence and takes care of synchronization with subwidget. Typically called by the BWidget cget command.

Widget::configure path options

Description text

Widget::create class path ?rename?

The standard method for creating a BWidget. The real widget path is renamed to $path:cmd, and a new proc is created to replace the path which points to the BWidget's commands.

If rename is false, the path will not be renamed, but the proc will still be created. This is useful when inheriting another BWidget who will already have renamed the widget.

The command returns the widget path. This command is usually the last command executed in the ::create command for the widget.

Widget::declare class optlist

This command declare new resources for a BWidget.

• class is class of the new widget
• options is the list describing new options. Each new option is a list {option type value ro ?args?} where:
  • option is the name of the option
  • type is the type of the option
  • value is the default value of the option
  • ro is the readonly flag of the option
  • args depends on type

type can be:

TkResource

value of option denotes a resource of a Tk widget. args must be class or {class realoption}. class is the creation command of the Tk widget, e.g. entry. The second form must be used if option has not the same name in Tk widget, but realoption.
If value is empty, it is initialized to the default value of the Tk widget.

BwResource

value of option denotes a resource of a BWidget. args must be class or {class realoption}. class is the name of the namespace of the BWidget, e.g. LabelFrame. The second form must be used if option has not the same name in BWidget, but realoption.
If value is empty, it is initialized to the default value of the BWidget.

Int

value of option is an integer. args can be {?min? ?max?} to force it to be in a range. The test is [expr $option > $min] && [expr $option < $max] so if args is {0 10}, value must be beetween 0 and 10 exclude, if args is {=0 =10} , value must be beetween 0 and 10 include.

Boolean

value of option is a boolean. True values can be 1, true or yes. False values can be 0, false or no. Widget::cget always return 0 or 1.

Enum

value of option is a element of a enumeration. args must be the list of enumeration, e.g. {top left bottom right}.

Flag

value of option is a combination of a set of chars. args must be a string defining the set.

String

value of option is any uncontrolled string.

Synonym

option is a synonym of option args. value has no effect here.

Widget::define class filename ?class ...?

This command is used to define a new BWidget class. It is usually the first command executed in a new widget definition.

• class is the name of the new widget class.
• filename is the name of the file (without extension) in the BWidget distribution that defines this class.

Each class defined after the filename is a class that this widget depends on. The ::use command will be called for each of these classes after the new widget has been defined.

This command does several things to setup the new class. First, it creates an alias in the global namespace for the name of the class that points to the class's ::create subcommand. Second, it defines a ::use subcommand for the class which other classes can use to load this class on the fly. Lastly, it creates a default binding to the <Destroy> event for the class that calls Widget::destroy on the path. This is the default setup for almost all widgets in the BWidget package.

Widget::destroy path

Description text

Widget::focusNext w

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Widget::focusOK w

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Widget::focusPrev w

Description text

Widget::generate-doc dir widgetlist

Description text

Widget::generate-widget-doc class iscmd file

Description text

Widget::getoption path option

Returns the value of option of BWidget path. This command does not test option existence, does not handle synonym and does not take care of synchronization with subwidget.

Widget::getVariable path varName ?myVarName?

Make the variable varName relational to path accessible in the current procedure. The variable will be created in the widget namespace for path and can be used for storing widget-specific information. When path is destroyed, any variable accessed in this manner will be destroyed with it.

If myVarName is specified, the variable will be accessible in the current procedure as that name.

Widget::hasChanged path option pvalue

Description text

Widget::init class path options

Description text

Widget::setoption path option value

Set the value of option of BWidget path without option test, subwidget mapping, synonym handling and does not set the modification flag.

Widget::subcget path subwidget

Returns the list of all option/value of BWidget path that are mapped to subwidget.

Widget::syncoptions class subclass subpath options

This command synchronize options value of a subwidget. Used when an option of a subwidget is modified out of the BWidget configure command.

• class is the class of the new BWidget
• subclass is the class the subwidget (BWidget class, e.g Entry, or empty for Tk widget)
• subpath is the path of the subwidget
• options is the list {option realres ...} of options to synchronize with subwidget

Widget::tkinclude class tkwidget subpath ?arg...?

This command includes into a new BWidget the resources of a Tk widget. Arguments are:

• class class of the new widget
• tkwidger command name of the Tk widget to be included
• subpath path of the widget to configure when BWidget is configured
• options is:
  • include {option option ...}
    list of options to include (all if not defined)
  • remove {option option ...}
    list of options to remove
  • rename {option name option name ...}
    list of options to rename
  • prefix {prefix option option ...}
    pefix all option by prefix
  • initialize {option value option value ...}
    default value of options
  • readonly {option value option value ...}
    new readonly flag