Chapter 5. Widget Overview

Chapter 5. Widget Overview
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Table of Contents

5.1. Widget Hierarchy
5.2. Widgets Without Windows

The general steps to using a widget in GTK are:

invoke GTK.* - one of various functions to create a new widget. These are all detailed in this section.
Connect all signals and events we wish to use to the appropriate handlers.
Set the attributes of the widget.
Pack the widget into a container using the appropriate call such as Gtk.Container>>#add: or GTK.Box>>#packStart:expand:fill:padding: .
GTK.GtkWidget>>#show the widget.

show lets GTK know that we are done setting the attributes of the widget, and it is ready to be displayed. You may also use GTK.GtkWidget>>#hide to make it disappear again. The order in which you show the widgets is not important, but I suggest showing the window last so the whole window pops up at once rather than seeing the individual widgets come up on the screen as they're formed. The children of a widget (a window is a widget too) will not be displayed until the window itself is shown using the show method.

5.1. Widget Hierarchy

For your reference, here is the class hierarchy tree used to implement widgets. (Deprecated widgets and auxiliary classes have been omitted.)

GTK.GObject
|
+Gtk.GtkObject
| +GTK.GtkWidget
| | +GTK.GtkMisc
| | | +GTK.GtkLabel
| | | | `GTK.GtkAccelLabel
| | | +GTK.GtkArrow
| | | `GTK.GtkImage
| | +GTK.GtkContainer
| | | +GTK.GtkBin
| | | | +GTK.GtkAlignment
| | | | +GTK.GtkFrame
| | | | | `GTK.GtkAspectFrame
| | | | +GTK.GtkButton
| | | | | +GTK.GtkToggleButton
| | | | | | `GTK.GtkCheckButton
| | | | | |   `GTK.GtkRadioButton
| | | | | +GTK.GtkColorButton
| | | | | +GTK.GtkFontButton
| | | | | `GTK.GtkOptionMenu
| | | | +GTK.GtkItem
| | | | | +GTK.GtkMenuItem
| | | | |   +GTK.GtkCheckMenuItem
| | | | |   | `GTK.GtkRadioMenuItem
| | | | |   +GTK.GtkImageMenuItem
| | | | |   +GTK.GtkSeparatorMenuItem
| | | | |   `GTK.GtkTearoffMenuItem
| | | | +GTK.GtkWindow
| | | | | +GTK.GtkDialog
| | | | | | +GTK.GtkColorSelectionDialog
| | | | | | +GTK.GtkFileChooserDialog
| | | | | | +GTK.GtkFileSelection
| | | | | | +GTK.GtkFontSelectionDialog
| | | | | | +GTK.GtkInputDialog
| | | | | | `GTK.GtkMessageDialog
| | | | | `GTK.GtkPlug
| | | | +GTK.GtkComboBox
| | | | | `GTK.GtkComboBoxEntry
| | | | +GTK.GtkEventBox
| | | | +GTK.GtkExpander
| | | | +GTK.GtkHandleBox
| | | | +GTK.GtkToolItem
| | | | | +GTK.GtkToolButton
| | | | | | +GTK.GtkToggleToolButton
| | | | | | | `GTK.GtkRadioToolButton
| | | | | `GTK.GtkSeparatorTooItem
| | | | +GTK.GtkScrolledWindow
| | | | `GTK.GtkViewport
| | | +GTK.GtkBox
| | | | +GTK.GtkButtonBox
| | | | | +GTK.GtkHButtonBox
| | | | | `GTK.GtkVButtonBox
| | | | +GTK.GtkVBox
| | | | | +GTK.GtkColorSelection
| | | | | +GTK.GtkFontSelection
| | | | | `GTK.GtkGammaCurve
| | | | `GTK.GtkHBox
| | | |   +GTK.GtkCombo
| | | |   `GTK.GtkStatusbar
| | | +GTK.GtkFixed
| | | +GTK.GtkPaned
| | | | +GTK.GtkHPaned
| | | | `GTK.GtkVPaned
| | | +GTK.GtkLayout
| | | +GTK.GtkMenuShell
| | | | +GTK.GtkMenuBar
| | | | `GTK.GtkMenu
| | | +GTK.GtkNotebook
| | | +GTK.GtkSocket
| | | +GTK.GtkTable
| | | +GTK.GtkTextView
| | | +GTK.GtkToolbar
| | | `GTK.GtkTreeView
| | +GTK.GtkCalendar
| | +GTK.GtkDrawingArea
| | | `GTK.GtkCurve
| | +GTK.GtkEntry
| | | `GTK.GtkSpinButton
| | +GTK.GtkRuler
| | | +GTK.GtkHRuler
| | | `GTK.GtkVRuler
| | +GTK.GtkRange
| | | +GTK.GtkScale
| | | | +GTK.GtkHScale
| | | | `GTK.GtkVScale
| | | `GTK.GtkScrollbar
| | |   +GTK.GtkHScrollbar
| | |   `GTK.GtkVScrollbar
| | +GTK.GtkSeparator
| | | +GTK.GtkHSeparator
| | | `GTK.GtkVSeparator
| | +GTK.GtkInvisible
| | +GTK.GtkProgress
| | | `GTK.GtkProgressBar
| +GTK.GtkAdjustment
| +GTK.GtkCellRenderer
| | +GTK.GtkCellRendererPixbuf
| | +GTK.GtkCellRendererText
| | +GTK.GtkCellRendererToggle
| +GTK.GtkFileFilter
| +GTK.GtkItemFactory
| +GTK.GtkTooltips
| `GTK.GtkTreeViewColumn
+GTK.GtkAction
| +GTK.GtkToggleAction
| | `GTK.GtkRadioAction
+GTK.GtkActionGroup
+GTK.GtkEntryCompletion
+GTK.GtkIconFactory
+GTK.GtkIconTheme
+GTK.GtkIMContext
| +GTK.GtkIMContextSimple
| `GTK.GtkIMMulticontext
+GTK.GtkListStore
+GTK.GtkRcStyle
+GTK.GtkSettings
+GTK.GtkSizeGroup
+GTK.GtkStyle
+GTK.GtkTextBuffer
+GTK.GtkTextChildAnchor
+GTK.GtkTextMark
+GTK.GtkTextTag
+GTK.GtkTextTagTable
+GTK.GtkTreeModelFilter
+GTK.GtkTreeModelSort
+GTK.GtkTreeSelection
+GTK.GtkTreeStore
+GTK.GtkUIManager
+GTK.GtkWindowGroup
+GTK.GdkDragContext
+GTK.GdkScreen
+GTK.GdkPixbuf
+GTK.GdkDrawable
| +GTK.GdkPixmap
+GTK.GdkImage
+GTK.GdkPixbufAnimation
+GTK.GdkDevice

GTK.GObject
|
+GTK.GtkCellLayout
+GTK.GtkEditable
+GTK.GtkCellEditable
+GTK.GtkFileChooser
+GTK.GtkTreeModel
+GTK.GtkTreeDragSource
+GTK.GtkTreeDragDest
+GTK.GtkTreeSortable

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4.5. Table Packing Example	Home	5.2. Widgets Without Windows