GtkApplication

GtkApplication — Application class

Functions

Properties

GMenuModel * app-menu Read / Write
GMenuModel * menubar Read / Write
gboolean register-session Read / Write

Signals

void window-added Run First
void window-removed Run First

Types and Values

Object Hierarchy

    GObject
    ╰── GApplication
        ╰── GtkApplication

Implemented Interfaces

GtkApplication implements GActionGroup and GActionMap.

Includes

#include <gtk/gtk.h>

Description

GtkApplication is a class that handles many important aspects of a GTK+ application in a convenient fashion, without enforcing a one-size-fits-all application model.

Currently, GtkApplication handles GTK+ initialization, application uniqueness, session management, provides some basic scriptability and desktop shell integration by exporting actions and menus and manages a list of toplevel windows whose life-cycle is automatically tied to the life-cycle of your application.

While GtkApplication works fine with plain GtkWindows, it is recommended to use it together with GtkApplicationWindow.

When GDK threads are enabled, GtkApplication will acquire the GDK lock when invoking actions that arrive from other processes. The GDK lock is not touched for local action invocations. In order to have actions invoked in a predictable context it is therefore recommended that the GDK lock be held while invoking actions locally with g_action_group_activate_action(). The same applies to actions associated with GtkApplicationWindow and to the 'activate' and 'open' GApplication methods.

To set an application menu for a GtkApplication, use gtk_application_set_app_menu(). The GMenuModel that this function expects is usually constructed using GtkBuilder, as seen in the following example. To specify a menubar that will be shown by GApplicationWindows, use gtk_application_set_menubar(). Use the base GActionMap interface to add actions, to respond to the user selecting these menu items.

GTK+ displays these menus as expected, depending on the platform the application is running on.

Figure Menu integration in OS X. 


Figure Menu integration in GNOME. 


Figure Menu integration in Xfce. 


Example 106. A simple application

1
FIXME: MISSING XINCLUDE CONTENT

GtkApplication optionally registers with a session manager of the users session (if you set the “register-session” property) and offers various functionality related to the session life-cycle.

An application can block various ways to end the session with the gtk_application_inhibit() function. Typical use cases for this kind of inhibiting are long-running, uninterruptible operations, such as burning a CD or performing a disk backup. The session manager may not honor the inhibitor, but it can be expected to inform the user about the negative consequences of ending the session while inhibitors are present.

Functions

gtk_application_new ()

GtkApplication *
gtk_application_new (const gchar *application_id,
                     GApplicationFlags flags);

Creates a new GtkApplication instance.

This function calls g_type_init() for you. gtk_init() is called as soon as the application gets registered as the primary instance.

Concretely, gtk_init() is called in the default handler for the “startup” signal. Therefore, GtkApplication subclasses should chain up in their “startup” handler before using any GTK+ API.

Note that commandline arguments are not passed to gtk_init(). All GTK+ functionality that is available via commandline arguments can also be achieved by setting suitable environment variables such as G_DEBUG, so this should not be a big problem. If you absolutely must support GTK+ commandline arguments, you can explicitly call gtk_init() before creating the application instance.

The application id must be valid. See g_application_id_is_valid().

Parameters

application_id

the application id

 

flags

the application flags

 

Returns

a new GtkApplication instance

Since 3.0


gtk_application_add_window ()

void
gtk_application_add_window (GtkApplication *application,
                            GtkWindow *window);

Adds a window to application .

This call is equivalent to setting the “application” property of window to application .

Normally, the connection between the application and the window will remain until the window is destroyed, but you can explicitly remove it with gtk_application_remove_window().

GTK+ will keep the application running as long as it has any windows.

Parameters

application

a GtkApplication

 

window

a GtkWindow

 

Since 3.0


gtk_application_remove_window ()

void
gtk_application_remove_window (GtkApplication *application,
                               GtkWindow *window);

Remove a window from application .

If window belongs to application then this call is equivalent to setting the “application” property of window to NULL.

The application may stop running as a result of a call to this function.

Parameters

application

a GtkApplication

 

window

a GtkWindow

 

Since 3.0


gtk_application_get_windows ()

GList *
gtk_application_get_windows (GtkApplication *application);

Gets a list of the GtkWindows associated with application .

The list is sorted by most recently focused window, such that the first element is the currently focused window. (Useful for choosing a parent for a transient window.)

The list that is returned should not be modified in any way. It will only remain valid until the next focus change or window creation or deletion.

Parameters

application

a GtkApplication

 

Returns

a GList of GtkWindow.

[element-type GtkWindow][transfer none]

Since 3.0


gtk_application_inhibit ()

guint
gtk_application_inhibit (GtkApplication *application,
                         GtkWindow *window,
                         GtkApplicationInhibitFlags flags,
                         const gchar *reason);

Inform the session manager that certain types of actions should be inhibited. This is not guaranteed to work on all platforms and for all types of actions.

Applications should invoke this method when they begin an operation that should not be interrupted, such as creating a CD or DVD. The types of actions that may be blocked are specified by the flags parameter. When the application completes the operation it should call g_application_uninhibit() to remove the inhibitor. Note that an application can have multiple inhibitors, and all of the must be individually removed. Inhibitors are also cleared when the application exits.

Applications should not expect that they will always be able to block the action. In most cases, users will be given the option to force the action to take place.

Reasons should be short and to the point.

If window is given, the session manager may point the user to this window to find out more about why the action is inhibited.

Parameters

application

the GApplication

 

window

a GtkWindow, or NULL.

[allow-none]

flags

what types of actions should be inhibited

 

reason

a short, human-readable string that explains why these operations are inhibited.

[allow-none]

Returns

A non-zero cookie that is used to uniquely identify this request. It should be used as an argument to g_application_uninhibit() in order to remove the request. If the platform does not support inhibiting or the request failed for some reason, 0 is returned.

Since 3.4


gtk_application_uninhibit ()

void
gtk_application_uninhibit (GtkApplication *application,
                           guint cookie);

Removes an inhibitor that has been established with g_application_inhibit(). Inhibitors are also cleared when the application exits.

Parameters

application

the GApplication

 

cookie

a cookie that was returned by g_application_inhibit()

 

Since 3.4


gtk_application_is_inhibited ()

gboolean
gtk_application_is_inhibited (GtkApplication *application,
                              GtkApplicationInhibitFlags flags);

Determines if any of the actions specified in flags are currently inhibited (possibly by another application).

Parameters

application

the GApplication

 

flags

what types of actions should be queried

 

Returns

TRUE if any of the actions specified in flags are inhibited

Since 3.4


gtk_application_get_app_menu ()

GMenuModel *
gtk_application_get_app_menu (GtkApplication *application);

Returns the menu model that has been set with gtk_application_set_app_menu().

Parameters

application

a GtkApplication

 

Returns

the application menu of application .

[transfer none]

Since 3.4


gtk_application_set_app_menu ()

void
gtk_application_set_app_menu (GtkApplication *application,
                              GMenuModel *app_menu);

Sets or unsets the application menu for application .

This can only be done in the primary instance of the application, after it has been registered. “startup” is a good place to call this.

The application menu is a single menu containing items that typically impact the application as a whole, rather than acting on a specific window or document. For example, you would expect to see "Preferences" or "Quit" in an application menu, but not "Save" or "Print".

If supported, the application menu will be rendered by the desktop environment.

Use the base GActionMap interface to add actions, to respond to the user selecting these menu items.

Parameters

application

a GtkApplication

 

app_menu

a GMenuModel, or NULL.

[allow-none]

Since 3.4


gtk_application_get_menubar ()

GMenuModel *
gtk_application_get_menubar (GtkApplication *application);

Returns the menu model that has been set with gtk_application_set_menubar().

Parameters

application

a GtkApplication

 

Returns

the menubar for windows of application .

[transfer none]

Since 3.4


gtk_application_set_menubar ()

void
gtk_application_set_menubar (GtkApplication *application,
                             GMenuModel *menubar);

Sets or unsets the menubar for windows of application .

This is a menubar in the traditional sense.

This can only be done in the primary instance of the application, after it has been registered. “startup” is a good place to call this.

Depending on the desktop environment, this may appear at the top of each window, or at the top of the screen. In some environments, if both the application menu and the menubar are set, the application menu will be presented as if it were the first item of the menubar. Other environments treat the two as completely separate -- for example, the application menu may be rendered by the desktop shell while the menubar (if set) remains in each individual window.

Use the base GActionMap interface to add actions, to respond to the user selecting these menu items.

Parameters

application

a GtkApplication

 

menubar

a GMenuModel, or NULL.

[allow-none]

Since 3.4

Types and Values

struct GtkApplication

struct GtkApplication;

enum GtkApplicationInhibitFlags

Types of user actions that may be blocked by gtk_application_inhibit().

Members

GTK_APPLICATION_INHIBIT_LOGOUT

Inhibit ending the user session by logging out or by shutting down the computer

 

GTK_APPLICATION_INHIBIT_SWITCH

Inhibit user switching

 

GTK_APPLICATION_INHIBIT_SUSPEND

Inhibit suspending the session or computer

 

GTK_APPLICATION_INHIBIT_IDLE

Inhibit the session being marked as idle (and possibly locked)

 

Since 3.4

Property Details

The “app-menu” property

  “app-menu”                 GMenuModel *

The GMenuModel for the application menu.

Flags: Read / Write


The “menubar” property

  “menubar”                  GMenuModel *

The GMenuModel for the menubar.

Flags: Read / Write


The “register-session” property

  “register-session”         gboolean

Set this property to TRUE to register with the session manager.

Flags: Read / Write

Default value: FALSE

Since 3.4

Signal Details

The “window-added” signal

void
user_function (GtkApplication *application,
               GtkWindow      *window,
               gpointer        user_data)

Emitted when a GtkWindow is added to application through gtk_application_add_window().

Parameters

application

the GtkApplication which emitted the signal

 

window

the newly-added GtkWindow

 

user_data

user data set when the signal handler was connected.

 

Flags: Run First

Since 3.2


The “window-removed” signal

void
user_function (GtkApplication *application,
               GtkWindow      *window,
               gpointer        user_data)

Emitted when a GtkWindow is removed from application , either as a side-effect of being destroyed or explicitly through gtk_application_remove_window().

Parameters

application

the GtkApplication which emitted the signal

 

window

the GtkWindow that is being removed

 

user_data

user data set when the signal handler was connected.

 

Flags: Run First

Since 3.2