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Diffstat (limited to 'doc/src/objectmodel')
| -rw-r--r-- | doc/src/objectmodel/metaobjects.qdoc | 137 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | doc/src/objectmodel/object.qdoc | 124 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | doc/src/objectmodel/objecttrees.qdoc | 102 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | doc/src/objectmodel/properties.qdoc | 273 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | doc/src/objectmodel/signalsandslots.qdoc | 451 |
5 files changed, 1087 insertions, 0 deletions
diff --git a/doc/src/objectmodel/metaobjects.qdoc b/doc/src/objectmodel/metaobjects.qdoc new file mode 100644 index 0000000000..099a6a9942 --- /dev/null +++ b/doc/src/objectmodel/metaobjects.qdoc @@ -0,0 +1,137 @@ +/**************************************************************************** +** +** Copyright (C) 2011 Nokia Corporation and/or its subsidiary(-ies). +** All rights reserved. +** Contact: Nokia Corporation (qt-info@nokia.com) +** +** This file is part of the documentation of the Qt Toolkit. +** +** $QT_BEGIN_LICENSE:FDL$ +** No Commercial Usage +** This file contains pre-release code and may not be distributed. +** You may use this file in accordance with the terms and conditions +** contained in the Technology Preview License Agreement accompanying +** this package. +** +** GNU Free Documentation License +** Alternatively, this file may be used under the terms of the GNU Free +** Documentation License version 1.3 as published by the Free Software +** Foundation and appearing in the file included in the packaging of this +** file. +** +** If you have questions regarding the use of this file, please contact +** Nokia at qt-info@nokia.com. +** $QT_END_LICENSE$ +** +****************************************************************************/ + +/*! + \page metaobjects.html + \title The Meta-Object System + \brief An overview of Qt's meta-object system and introspection capabilities. + + \ingroup qt-basic-concepts + \keyword meta-object + \target Meta-Object System + + Qt's meta-object system provides the signals and slots mechanism for + inter-object communication, run-time type information, and the dynamic + property system. + + The meta-object system is based on three things: + + \list 1 + \o The \l QObject class provides a base class for objects that can + take advantage of the meta-object system. + \o The Q_OBJECT macro inside the private section of the class + declaration is used to enable meta-object features, such as + dynamic properties, signals, and slots. + \o The \l{moc}{Meta-Object Compiler} (\c moc) supplies each + QObject subclass with the necessary code to implement + meta-object features. + \endlist + + The \c moc tool reads a C++ source file. If it finds one or more + class declarations that contain the Q_OBJECT macro, it + produces another C++ source file which contains the meta-object + code for each of those classes. This generated source file is + either \c{#include}'d into the class's source file or, more + usually, compiled and linked with the class's implementation. + + In addition to providing the \l{signals and slots} mechanism for + communication between objects (the main reason for introducing + the system), the meta-object code provides the following + additional features: + + \list + \o QObject::metaObject() returns the associated + \l{QMetaObject}{meta-object} for the class. + \o QMetaObject::className() returns the class name as a + string at run-time, without requiring native run-time type information + (RTTI) support through the C++ compiler. + \o QObject::inherits() function returns whether an object is an + instance of a class that inherits a specified class within the + QObject inheritance tree. + \o QObject::tr() and QObject::trUtf8() translate strings for + \l{Internationalization with Qt}{internationalization}. + \o QObject::setProperty() and QObject::property() + dynamically set and get properties by name. + \o QMetaObject::newInstance() constructs a new instance of the class. + \endlist + + \target qobjectcast + It is also possible to perform dynamic casts using qobject_cast() + on QObject classes. The qobject_cast() function behaves similarly + to the standard C++ \c dynamic_cast(), with the advantages + that it doesn't require RTTI support and it works across dynamic + library boundaries. It attempts to cast its argument to the pointer + type specified in angle-brackets, returning a non-zero pointer if the + object is of the correct type (determined at run-time), or 0 + if the object's type is incompatible. + + For example, let's assume \c MyWidget inherits from QWidget and + is declared with the Q_OBJECT macro: + + \snippet doc/src/snippets/qtcast/qtcast.cpp 0 + + The \c obj variable, of type \c{QObject *}, actually refers to a + \c MyWidget object, so we can cast it appropriately: + + \snippet doc/src/snippets/qtcast/qtcast.cpp 1 + + The cast from QObject to QWidget is successful, because the + object is actually a \c MyWidget, which is a subclass of QWidget. + Since we know that \c obj is a \c MyWidget, we can also cast it to + \c{MyWidget *}: + + \snippet doc/src/snippets/qtcast/qtcast.cpp 2 + + The cast to \c MyWidget is successful because qobject_cast() + makes no distinction between built-in Qt types and custom types. + + \snippet doc/src/snippets/qtcast/qtcast.cpp 3 + \snippet doc/src/snippets/qtcast/qtcast.cpp 4 + + The cast to QLabel, on the other hand, fails. The pointer is then + set to 0. This makes it possible to handle objects of different + types differently at run-time, based on the type: + + \snippet doc/src/snippets/qtcast/qtcast.cpp 5 + \snippet doc/src/snippets/qtcast/qtcast.cpp 6 + + While it is possible to use QObject as a base class without the + Q_OBJECT macro and without meta-object code, neither signals + and slots nor the other features described here will be available + if the Q_OBJECT macro is not used. From the meta-object + system's point of view, a QObject subclass without meta code is + equivalent to its closest ancestor with meta-object code. This + means for example, that QMetaObject::className() will not return + the actual name of your class, but the class name of this + ancestor. + + Therefore, we strongly recommend that all subclasses of QObject + use the Q_OBJECT macro regardless of whether or not they + actually use signals, slots, and properties. + + \sa QMetaObject, {Qt's Property System}, {Signals and Slots} +*/ diff --git a/doc/src/objectmodel/object.qdoc b/doc/src/objectmodel/object.qdoc new file mode 100644 index 0000000000..2112b10aa4 --- /dev/null +++ b/doc/src/objectmodel/object.qdoc @@ -0,0 +1,124 @@ +/**************************************************************************** +** +** Copyright (C) 2011 Nokia Corporation and/or its subsidiary(-ies). +** All rights reserved. +** Contact: Nokia Corporation (qt-info@nokia.com) +** +** This file is part of the documentation of the Qt Toolkit. +** +** $QT_BEGIN_LICENSE:FDL$ +** No Commercial Usage +** This file contains pre-release code and may not be distributed. +** You may use this file in accordance with the terms and conditions +** contained in the Technology Preview License Agreement accompanying +** this package. +** +** GNU Free Documentation License +** Alternatively, this file may be used under the terms of the GNU Free +** Documentation License version 1.3 as published by the Free Software +** Foundation and appearing in the file included in the packaging of this +** file. +** +** If you have questions regarding the use of this file, please contact +** Nokia at qt-info@nokia.com. +** $QT_END_LICENSE$ +** +****************************************************************************/ + +/*! + \page object.html + \title Object Model + \ingroup qt-basic-concepts + \brief A description of the powerful features made possible by Qt's dynamic object model. + + The standard C++ object model provides very efficient runtime + support for the object paradigm. But its static nature is + inflexibile in certain problem domains. Graphical user interface + programming is a domain that requires both runtime efficiency and + a high level of flexibility. Qt provides this, by combining the + speed of C++ with the flexibility of the Qt Object Model. + + Qt adds these features to C++: + + \list + \o a very powerful mechanism for seamless object + communication called \l{signals and slots} + \o queryable and designable \l{Qt's Property System}{object + properties} + \o powerful \l{The Event System}{events and event filters} + \o contextual \l{i18n}{string translation for internationalization} + \o sophisticated interval driven \l timers that make it possible + to elegantly integrate many tasks in an event-driven GUI + \o hierarchical and queryable \l{Object Trees & Ownership}{object + trees} that organize object ownership in a natural way + \o guarded pointers (QPointer) that are automatically + set to 0 when the referenced object is destroyed, unlike normal C++ + pointers which become dangling pointers when their objects are destroyed + \o a \l{metaobjects.html#qobjectcast}{dynamic cast} that works across + library boundaries. + \endlist + + Many of these Qt features are implemented with standard C++ + techniques, based on inheritance from QObject. Others, like the + object communication mechanism and the dynamic property system, + require the \l{Meta-Object System} provided + by Qt's own \l{moc}{Meta-Object Compiler (moc)}. + + The meta-object system is a C++ extension that makes the language + better suited to true component GUI programming. Although + templates can be used to extend C++, the meta-object system + provides benefits using standard C++ that cannot be achieved with + templates; see \l{Why Doesn't Qt Use Templates for Signals and + Slots?} + + \section1 Important Classes + + These classes form the basis of the Qt Object Model. + + \annotatedlist objectmodel + + \target Identity vs Value + \section1 Qt Objects: Identity vs Value + + Some of the added features listed above for the Qt Object Model, + require that we think of Qt Objects as identities, not values. + Values are copied or assigned; identities are cloned. Cloning + means to create a new identity, not an exact copy of the old + one. For example, twins have different identities. They may look + identical, but they have different names, different locations, and + may have completely different social networks. + + Then cloning an identity is a more complex operation than copying + or assigning a value. We can see what this means in the Qt Object + Model. + + \bold{A Qt Object...} + + \list + + \o might have a unique \l{QObject::objectName()}. If we copy a Qt + Object, what name should we give the copy? + + \o has a location in an \l{Object Trees & Ownership} + {object hierarchy}. If we copy a Qt Object, where should the copy + be located? + + \o can be connected to other Qt Objects to emit signals to them or + to receive signals emitted by them. If we copy a Qt Object, how + should we transfer these connections to the copy? + + \o can have \l{Qt's Property System} {new properties} added to it + at runtime that are not declared in the C++ class. If we copy a Qt + Object, should the copy include the properties that were added to + the original? + + \endlist + + For these reasons, Qt Objects should be treated as identities, not + as values. Identities are cloned, not copied or assigned, and + cloning an identity is a more complex operation than copying or + assigning a value. Therefore, QObject and all subclasses of + QObject (direct or indirect) have their \l{No copy constructor} + {copy constructor and assignment operator} disabled. + + */ diff --git a/doc/src/objectmodel/objecttrees.qdoc b/doc/src/objectmodel/objecttrees.qdoc new file mode 100644 index 0000000000..cb63c17ab1 --- /dev/null +++ b/doc/src/objectmodel/objecttrees.qdoc @@ -0,0 +1,102 @@ +/**************************************************************************** +** +** Copyright (C) 2011 Nokia Corporation and/or its subsidiary(-ies). +** All rights reserved. +** Contact: Nokia Corporation (qt-info@nokia.com) +** +** This file is part of the documentation of the Qt Toolkit. +** +** $QT_BEGIN_LICENSE:FDL$ +** No Commercial Usage +** This file contains pre-release code and may not be distributed. +** You may use this file in accordance with the terms and conditions +** contained in the Technology Preview License Agreement accompanying +** this package. +** +** GNU Free Documentation License +** Alternatively, this file may be used under the terms of the GNU Free +** Documentation License version 1.3 as published by the Free Software +** Foundation and appearing in the file included in the packaging of this +** file. +** +** If you have questions regarding the use of this file, please contact +** Nokia at qt-info@nokia.com. +** $QT_END_LICENSE$ +** +****************************************************************************/ + +/*! + \page objecttrees.html + \title Object Trees & Ownership + \ingroup qt-basic-concepts + \brief Information about the parent-child pattern used to describe + object ownership in Qt. + + \section1 Overview + + \link QObject QObjects\endlink organize themselves in object trees. + When you create a QObject with another object as parent, it's added to + the parent's \link QObject::children() children() \endlink list, and + is deleted when the parent is. It turns out that this approach fits + the needs of GUI objects very well. For example, a \l QShortcut + (keyboard shortcut) is a child of the relevant window, so when the + user closes that window, the shorcut is deleted too. + + \l QWidget, the base class of everything that appears on the screen, + extends the parent-child relationship. A child normally also becomes a + child widget, i.e. it is displayed in its parent's coordinate system + and is graphically clipped by its parent's boundaries. For example, + when the application deletes a message box after it has been + closed, the message box's buttons and label are also deleted, just as + we'd want, because the buttons and label are children of the message + box. + + You can also delete child objects yourself, and they will remove + themselves from their parents. For example, when the user removes a + toolbar it may lead to the application deleting one of its \l QToolBar + objects, in which case the tool bar's \l QMainWindow parent would + detect the change and reconfigure its screen space accordingly. + + The debugging functions \l QObject::dumpObjectTree() and \l + QObject::dumpObjectInfo() are often useful when an application looks or + acts strangely. + + \target note on the order of construction/destruction of QObjects + \section1 Construction/Destruction Order of QObjects + + When \l {QObject} {QObjects} are created on the heap (i.e., created + with \e new), a tree can be constructed from them in any order, and + later, the objects in the tree can be destroyed in any order. When any + QObject in the tree is deleted, if the object has a parent, the + destructor automatically removes the object from its parent. If the + object has children, the destructor automatically deletes each + child. No QObject is deleted twice, regardless of the order of + destruction. + + When \l {QObject} {QObjects} are created on the stack, the same + behavior applies. Normally, the order of destruction still doesn't + present a problem. Consider the following snippet: + + \snippet doc/src/snippets/code/doc_src_objecttrees.cpp 0 + + The parent, \c window, and the child, \c quit, are both \l {QObject} + {QObjects} because QPushButton inherits QWidget, and QWidget inherits + QObject. This code is correct: the destructor of \c quit is \e not + called twice because the C++ language standard \e {(ISO/IEC 14882:2003)} + specifies that destructors of local objects are called in the reverse + order of their constructors. Therefore, the destructor of + the child, \c quit, is called first, and it removes itself from its + parent, \c window, before the destructor of \c window is called. + + But now consider what happens if we swap the order of construction, as + shown in this second snippet: + + \snippet doc/src/snippets/code/doc_src_objecttrees.cpp 1 + + In this case, the order of destruction causes a problem. The parent's + destructor is called first because it was created last. It then calls + the destructor of its child, \c quit, which is incorrect because \c + quit is a local variable. When \c quit subsequently goes out of scope, + its destructor is called again, this time correctly, but the damage has + already been done. +*/ diff --git a/doc/src/objectmodel/properties.qdoc b/doc/src/objectmodel/properties.qdoc new file mode 100644 index 0000000000..92c182e0b9 --- /dev/null +++ b/doc/src/objectmodel/properties.qdoc @@ -0,0 +1,273 @@ +/**************************************************************************** +** +** Copyright (C) 2011 Nokia Corporation and/or its subsidiary(-ies). +** All rights reserved. +** Contact: Nokia Corporation (qt-info@nokia.com) +** +** This file is part of the documentation of the Qt Toolkit. +** +** $QT_BEGIN_LICENSE:FDL$ +** No Commercial Usage +** This file contains pre-release code and may not be distributed. +** You may use this file in accordance with the terms and conditions +** contained in the Technology Preview License Agreement accompanying +** this package. +** +** GNU Free Documentation License +** Alternatively, this file may be used under the terms of the GNU Free +** Documentation License version 1.3 as published by the Free Software +** Foundation and appearing in the file included in the packaging of this +** file. +** +** If you have questions regarding the use of this file, please contact +** Nokia at qt-info@nokia.com. +** $QT_END_LICENSE$ +** +****************************************************************************/ + +/*! + \page properties.html + \title The Property System + \brief An overview of Qt's property system. + + \ingroup qt-basic-concepts + \target Qt's Property System + + Qt provides a sophisticated property system similar to the ones + supplied by some compiler vendors. However, as a compiler- and + platform-independent library, Qt does not rely on non-standard + compiler features like \c __property or \c [property]. The Qt + solution works with \e any standard C++ compiler on every platform + Qt supports. It is based on the \l {Meta-Object System} that also + provides inter-object communication via \l{signals and slots}. + + \section1 Requirements for Declaring Properties + + To declare a property, use the \l {Q_PROPERTY()} {Q_PROPERTY()} + macro in a class that inherits QObject. + + \snippet doc/src/snippets/code/doc_src_properties.cpp 0 + + Here are some typical examples of property declarations taken from + class QWidget. + + \snippet doc/src/snippets/code/doc_src_properties.cpp 1 + + A property behaves like a class data member, but it has additional + features accessible through the \l {Meta-Object System}. + + \list + + \o A \c READ accessor function is required. It is for reading the + property value. Ideally, a const function is used for this purpose, + and it must return either the property's type or a pointer or + reference to that type. e.g., QWidget::focus is a read-only property + with \c READ function, QWidget::hasFocus(). + + \o A \c WRITE accessor function is optional. It is for setting the + property value. It must return void and must take exactly one + argument, either of the property's type or a pointer or reference + to that type. e.g., QWidget::enabled has the \c WRITE function + QWidget::setEnabled(). Read-only properties do not need \c WRITE + functions. e.g., QWidget::focus has no \c WRITE function. + + \o A \c RESET function is optional. It is for setting the property + back to its context specific default value. e.g., QWidget::cursor + has the typical \c READ and \c WRITE functions, QWidget::cursor() + and QWidget::setCursor(), and it also has a \c RESET function, + QWidget::unsetCursor(), since no call to QWidget::setCursor() can + mean \e {reset to the context specific cursor}. The \c RESET + function must return void and take no parameters. + + \o A \c NOTIFY signal is optional. If defined, it should specify one + existing signal in that class that is emitted whenever the value + of the property changes. + + \o A \c REVISION number is optional. If included, it defines the + the property and its notifier signal to be used in a particular + revision of the API that is exposed to QML. + + \o The \c DESIGNABLE attribute indicates whether the property + should be visible in the property editor of GUI design tool (e.g., + \l {Qt Designer}). Most properties are \c DESIGNABLE (default + true). Instead of true or false, you can specify a boolean + member function. + + \o The \c SCRIPTABLE attribute indicates whether this property + should be accessible by a scripting engine (default true). + Instead of true or false, you can specify a boolean member + function. + + \o The \c STORED attribute indicates whether the property should + be thought of as existing on its own or as depending on other + values. It also indicates whether the property value must be saved + when storing the object's state. Most properties are \c STORED + (default true), but e.g., QWidget::minimumWidth() has \c STORED + false, because its value is just taken from the width component + of property QWidget::minimumSize(), which is a QSize. + + \o The \c USER attribute indicates whether the property is + designated as the user-facing or user-editable property for the + class. Normally, there is only one \c USER property per class + (default false). e.g., QAbstractButton::checked is the user + editable property for (checkable) buttons. Note that QItemDelegate + gets and sets a widget's \c USER property. + + \o The presence of the \c CONSTANT attibute indicates that the property + value is constant. For a given object instance, the READ method of a + constant property must return the same value every time it is called. This + constant value may be different for different instances of the object. A + constant property cannot have a WRITE method or a NOTIFY signal. + + \o The presence of the \c FINAL attribute indicates that the property + will not be overridden by a derived class. This can be used for performance + optimizations in some cases, but is not enforced by moc. Care must be taken + never to override a \c FINAL property. + + \endlist + + The \c READ, \c WRITE, and \c RESET functions can be inherited. + They can also be virtual. When they are inherited in classes where + multiple inheritance is used, they must come from the first + inherited class. + + The property type can be any type supported by QVariant, or it can + be a user-defined type. In this example, class QDate is considered + to be a user-defined type. + + \snippet doc/src/snippets/code/doc_src_properties.cpp 2 + + Because QDate is user-defined, you must include the \c{<QDate>} + header file with the property declaration. + + For QMap, QList, and QValueList properties, the property value is + a QVariant whose value is the entire list or map. Note that the + Q_PROPERTY string cannot contain commas, because commas separate + macro arguments. Therefore, you must use \c QMap as the property + type instead of \c QMap<QString,QVariant>. For consistency, also + use \c QList and \c QValueList instead of \c QList<QVariant> and + \c QValueList<QVariant>. + + \section1 Reading and Writing Properties with the Meta-Object System + + A property can be read and written using the generic functions + QObject::property() and QObject::setProperty(), without knowing + anything about the owning class except the property's name. In + the code snippet below, the call to QAbstractButton::setDown() and + the call to QObject::setProperty() both set property "down". + + \snippet doc/src/snippets/code/doc_src_properties.cpp 3 + + Accessing a property through its \c WRITE accessor is the better + of the two, because it is faster and gives better diagnostics at + compile time, but setting the property this way requires that you + know about the class at compile time. Accessing properties by name + lets you access classes you don't know about at compile time. You + can \e discover a class's properties at run time by querying its + QObject, QMetaObject, and \l {QMetaProperty} {QMetaProperties}. + + \snippet doc/src/snippets/code/doc_src_properties.cpp 4 + + In the above snippet, QMetaObject::property() is used to get \l + {QMetaProperty} {metadata} about each property defined in some + unknown class. The property name is fetched from the metadata and + passed to QObject::property() to get the \l {QVariant} {value} of + the property in the current \l {QObject}{object}. + + \section1 A Simple Example + + Suppose we have a class MyClass, which is derived from QObject and + which uses the Q_OBJECT macro in its private section. We want to + declare a property in MyClass to keep track of a priorty + value. The name of the property will be \e priority, and its type + will be an enumeration type named \e Priority, which is defined in + MyClass. + + We declare the property with the Q_PROPERTY() macro in the private + section of the class. The required \c READ function is named \c + priority, and we include a \c WRITE function named \c setPriority. + The enumeration type must be registered with the \l {Meta-Object + System} using the Q_ENUMS() macro. Registering an enumeration type + makes the enumerator names available for use in calls to + QObject::setProperty(). We must also provide our own declarations + for the \c READ and \c WRITE functions. The declaration of MyClass + then might look like this: + + \snippet doc/src/snippets/code/doc_src_properties.cpp 5 + + The \c READ function is const and returns the property type. The + \c WRITE function returns void and has exactly one parameter of + the property type. The meta-object compiler enforces these + requirements. + + Given a pointer to an instance of MyClass or a pointer to a + QObject that is an instance of MyClass, we have two ways to set + its priority property: + + \snippet doc/src/snippets/code/doc_src_properties.cpp 6 + + In the example, the enumeration type that is the property type is + declared in MyClass and registered with the \l{Meta-Object System} + using the Q_ENUMS() macro. This makes the enumeration values + available as strings for use as in the call to setProperty(). Had + the enumeration type been declared in another class, its fully + qualified name (i.e., OtherClass::Priority) would be required, and + that other class would also have to inherit QObject and register + the enumeration type there using the Q_ENUMS() macro. + + A similar macro, Q_FLAGS(), is also available. Like Q_ENUMS(), it + registers an enumeration type, but it marks the type as being a + set of \e flags, i.e. values that can be OR'd together. An I/O + class might have enumeration values \c Read and \c Write and then + QObject::setProperty() could accept \c{Read | Write}. Q_FLAGS() + should be used to register this enumeration type. + + \section1 Dynamic Properties + + QObject::setProperty() can also be used to add \e new properties + to an instance of a class at runtime. When it is called with a + name and a value, if a property with the given name exists in the + QObject, and if the given value is compatible with the property's + type, the value is stored in the property, and true is returned. + If the value is \e not compatible with the property's type, the + property is \e not changed, and false is returned. But if the + property with the given name doesn't exist in the QObject (i.e., + if it wasn't declared with Q_PROPERTY(), a new property with the + given name and value is automatically added to the QObject, but + false is still returned. This means that a return of false can't + be used to determine whether a particular property was actually + set, unless you know in advance that the property already exists + in the QObject. + + Note that \e dynamic properties are added on a per instance basis, + i.e., they are added to QObject, not QMetaObject. A property can + be removed from an instance by passing the property name and an + invalid QVariant value to QObject::setProperty(). The default + constructor for QVariant constructs an invalid QVariant. + + Dynamic properties can be queried with QObject::property(), just + like properties declared at compile time with Q_PROPERTY(). + + \sa {Meta-Object System}, {Signals and Slots} + + \section1 Properties and Custom Types + + Custom types used by properties need to be registered using the + Q_DECLARE_METATYPE() macro so that their values can be stored in + QVariant objects. This makes them suitable for use with both + static properties declared using the Q_PROPERTY() macro in class + definitions and dynamic properties created at run-time. + + \sa Q_DECLARE_METATYPE(), QMetaType, QVariant + + \section1 Adding Additional Information to a Class + + Connected to the property system is an additional macro, + Q_CLASSINFO(), that can be used to attach additional + \e{name}--\e{value} pairs to a class's meta-object, for example: + + \snippet doc/src/snippets/code/doc_src_properties.cpp 7 + + Like other meta-data, class information is accessible at run-time + through the meta-object; see QMetaObject::classInfo() for details. +*/ diff --git a/doc/src/objectmodel/signalsandslots.qdoc b/doc/src/objectmodel/signalsandslots.qdoc new file mode 100644 index 0000000000..8b52df5b1a --- /dev/null +++ b/doc/src/objectmodel/signalsandslots.qdoc @@ -0,0 +1,451 @@ +/**************************************************************************** +** +** Copyright (C) 2011 Nokia Corporation and/or its subsidiary(-ies). +** All rights reserved. +** Contact: Nokia Corporation (qt-info@nokia.com) +** +** This file is part of the documentation of the Qt Toolkit. +** +** $QT_BEGIN_LICENSE:FDL$ +** No Commercial Usage +** This file contains pre-release code and may not be distributed. +** You may use this file in accordance with the terms and conditions +** contained in the Technology Preview License Agreement accompanying +** this package. +** +** GNU Free Documentation License +** Alternatively, this file may be used under the terms of the GNU Free +** Documentation License version 1.3 as published by the Free Software +** Foundation and appearing in the file included in the packaging of this +** file. +** +** If you have questions regarding the use of this file, please contact +** Nokia at qt-info@nokia.com. +** $QT_END_LICENSE$ +** +****************************************************************************/ + +/*! + \page signalsandslots.html + \title Signals & Slots + \ingroup qt-basic-concepts + \brief An overview of Qt's signals and slots inter-object + communication mechanism. + + Signals and slots are used for communication between objects. The + signals and slots mechanism is a central feature of Qt and + probably the part that differs most from the features provided by + other frameworks. + + \tableofcontents + + \section1 Introduction + + In GUI programming, when we change one widget, we often want + another widget to be notified. More generally, we want objects of + any kind to be able to communicate with one another. For example, + if a user clicks a \gui{Close} button, we probably want the + window's \l{QWidget::close()}{close()} function to be called. + + Older toolkits achieve this kind of communication using + callbacks. A callback is a pointer to a function, so if you want + a processing function to notify you about some event you pass a + pointer to another function (the callback) to the processing + function. The processing function then calls the callback when + appropriate. Callbacks have two fundamental flaws: Firstly, they + are not type-safe. We can never be certain that the processing + function will call the callback with the correct arguments. + Secondly, the callback is strongly coupled to the processing + function since the processing function must know which callback + to call. + + \section1 Signals and Slots + + In Qt, we have an alternative to the callback technique: We use + signals and slots. A signal is emitted when a particular event + occurs. Qt's widgets have many predefined signals, but we can + always subclass widgets to add our own signals to them. A slot + is a function that is called in response to a particular signal. + Qt's widgets have many pre-defined slots, but it is common + practice to subclass widgets and add your own slots so that you + can handle the signals that you are interested in. + + \img abstract-connections.png + \omit + \caption An abstract view of some signals and slots connections + \endomit + + The signals and slots mechanism is type safe: The signature of a + signal must match the signature of the receiving slot. (In fact a + slot may have a shorter signature than the signal it receives + because it can ignore extra arguments.) Since the signatures are + compatible, the compiler can help us detect type mismatches. + Signals and slots are loosely coupled: A class which emits a + signal neither knows nor cares which slots receive the signal. + Qt's signals and slots mechanism ensures that if you connect a + signal to a slot, the slot will be called with the signal's + parameters at the right time. Signals and slots can take any + number of arguments of any type. They are completely type safe. + + All classes that inherit from QObject or one of its subclasses + (e.g., QWidget) can contain signals and slots. Signals are emitted by + objects when they change their state in a way that may be interesting + to other objects. This is all the object does to communicate. It + does not know or care whether anything is receiving the signals it + emits. This is true information encapsulation, and ensures that the + object can be used as a software component. + + Slots can be used for receiving signals, but they are also normal + member functions. Just as an object does not know if anything receives + its signals, a slot does not know if it has any signals connected to + it. This ensures that truly independent components can be created with + Qt. + + You can connect as many signals as you want to a single slot, and a + signal can be connected to as many slots as you need. It is even + possible to connect a signal directly to another signal. (This will + emit the second signal immediately whenever the first is emitted.) + + Together, signals and slots make up a powerful component programming + mechanism. + + \section1 A Small Example + + A minimal C++ class declaration might read: + + \snippet doc/src/snippets/signalsandslots/signalsandslots.h 0 + + A small QObject-based class might read: + + \snippet doc/src/snippets/signalsandslots/signalsandslots.h 1 + \codeline + \snippet doc/src/snippets/signalsandslots/signalsandslots.h 2 + \snippet doc/src/snippets/signalsandslots/signalsandslots.h 3 + + The QObject-based version has the same internal state, and provides + public methods to access the state, but in addition it has support + for component programming using signals and slots. This class can + tell the outside world that its state has changed by emitting a + signal, \c{valueChanged()}, and it has a slot which other objects + can send signals to. + + All classes that contain signals or slots must mention + Q_OBJECT at the top of their declaration. They must also derive + (directly or indirectly) from QObject. + + Slots are implemented by the application programmer. + Here is a possible implementation of the \c{Counter::setValue()} + slot: + + \snippet doc/src/snippets/signalsandslots/signalsandslots.cpp 0 + + The \c{emit} line emits the signal \c valueChanged() from the + object, with the new value as argument. + + In the following code snippet, we create two \c Counter objects + and connect the first object's \c valueChanged() signal to the + second object's \c setValue() slot using QObject::connect(): + + \snippet doc/src/snippets/signalsandslots/signalsandslots.cpp 1 + \snippet doc/src/snippets/signalsandslots/signalsandslots.cpp 2 + \codeline + \snippet doc/src/snippets/signalsandslots/signalsandslots.cpp 3 + \snippet doc/src/snippets/signalsandslots/signalsandslots.cpp 4 + + Calling \c{a.setValue(12)} makes \c{a} emit a + \c{valueChanged(12)} signal, which \c{b} will receive in its + \c{setValue()} slot, i.e. \c{b.setValue(12)} is called. Then + \c{b} emits the same \c{valueChanged()} signal, but since no slot + has been connected to \c{b}'s \c{valueChanged()} signal, the + signal is ignored. + + Note that the \c{setValue()} function sets the value and emits + the signal only if \c{value != m_value}. This prevents infinite + looping in the case of cyclic connections (e.g., if + \c{b.valueChanged()} were connected to \c{a.setValue()}). + + By default, for every connection you make, a signal is emitted; + two signals are emitted for duplicate connections. You can break + all of these connections with a single disconnect() call. + If you pass the Qt::UniqueConnection \a type, the connection will only + be made if it is not a duplicate. If there is already a duplicate + (exact same signal to the exact same slot on the same objects), + the connection will fail and connect will return false + + This example illustrates that objects can work together without needing to + know any information about each other. To enable this, the objects only + need to be connected together, and this can be achieved with some simple + QObject::connect() function calls, or with \c{uic}'s + \l{Using a Designer UI File in Your Application#Automatic Connections} + {automatic connections} feature. + + \section1 Building the Example + + The C++ preprocessor changes or removes the \c{signals}, + \c{slots}, and \c{emit} keywords so that the compiler is + presented with standard C++. + + By running the \l moc on class definitions that contain signals + or slots, a C++ source file is produced which should be compiled + and linked with the other object files for the application. If + you use \l qmake, the makefile rules to automatically invoke \c + moc will be added to your project's makefile. + + \section1 Signals + + Signals are emitted by an object when its internal state has changed + in some way that might be interesting to the object's client or owner. + Only the class that defines a signal and its subclasses can emit the + signal. + + When a signal is emitted, the slots connected to it are usually + executed immediately, just like a normal function call. When this + happens, the signals and slots mechanism is totally independent of + any GUI event loop. Execution of the code following the \c emit + statement will occur once all slots have returned. The situation is + slightly different when using \l{Qt::ConnectionType}{queued + connections}; in such a case, the code following the \c emit keyword + will continue immediately, and the slots will be executed later. + + If several slots are connected to one signal, the slots will be + executed one after the other, in the order they have been connected, + when the signal is emitted. + + Signals are automatically generated by the \l moc and must not be + implemented in the \c .cpp file. They can never have return types + (i.e. use \c void). + + A note about arguments: Our experience shows that signals and slots + are more reusable if they do not use special types. If + QScrollBar::valueChanged() were to use a special type such as the + hypothetical QScrollBar::Range, it could only be connected to + slots designed specifically for QScrollBar. Connecting different + input widgets together would be impossible. + + \section1 Slots + + A slot is called when a signal connected to it is emitted. Slots are + normal C++ functions and can be called normally; their only special + feature is that signals can be connected to them. + + Since slots are normal member functions, they follow the normal C++ + rules when called directly. However, as slots, they can be invoked + by any component, regardless of its access level, via a signal-slot + connection. This means that a signal emitted from an instance of an + arbitrary class can cause a private slot to be invoked in an instance + of an unrelated class. + + You can also define slots to be virtual, which we have found quite + useful in practice. + + Compared to callbacks, signals and slots are slightly slower + because of the increased flexibility they provide, although the + difference for real applications is insignificant. In general, + emitting a signal that is connected to some slots, is + approximately ten times slower than calling the receivers + directly, with non-virtual function calls. This is the overhead + required to locate the connection object, to safely iterate over + all connections (i.e. checking that subsequent receivers have not + been destroyed during the emission), and to marshall any + parameters in a generic fashion. While ten non-virtual function + calls may sound like a lot, it's much less overhead than any \c + new or \c delete operation, for example. As soon as you perform a + string, vector or list operation that behind the scene requires + \c new or \c delete, the signals and slots overhead is only + responsible for a very small proportion of the complete function + call costs. + + The same is true whenever you do a system call in a slot; or + indirectly call more than ten functions. On an i586-500, you can + emit around 2,000,000 signals per second connected to one + receiver, or around 1,200,000 per second connected to two + receivers. The simplicity and flexibility of the signals and + slots mechanism is well worth the overhead, which your users + won't even notice. + + Note that other libraries that define variables called \c signals + or \c slots may cause compiler warnings and errors when compiled + alongside a Qt-based application. To solve this problem, \c + #undef the offending preprocessor symbol. + + \section1 Meta-Object Information + + The meta-object compiler (\l moc) parses the class declaration in + a C++ file and generates C++ code that initializes the + meta-object. The meta-object contains the names of all the signal + and slot members, as well as pointers to these functions. + + The meta-object contains additional information such as the + object's \link QObject::className() class name\endlink. You can + also check if an object \link QObject::inherits() + inherits\endlink a specific class, for example: + + \snippet doc/src/snippets/signalsandslots/signalsandslots.cpp 5 + \snippet doc/src/snippets/signalsandslots/signalsandslots.cpp 6 + + The meta-object information is also used by qobject_cast<T>(), which + is similar to QObject::inherits() but is less error-prone: + + \snippet doc/src/snippets/signalsandslots/signalsandslots.cpp 7 + + See \l{Meta-Object System} for more information. + + \section1 A Real Example + + Here is a simple commented example of a widget. + + \snippet doc/src/snippets/signalsandslots/lcdnumber.h 0 + \snippet doc/src/snippets/signalsandslots/lcdnumber.h 1 + \codeline + \snippet doc/src/snippets/signalsandslots/lcdnumber.h 2 + \codeline + \snippet doc/src/snippets/signalsandslots/lcdnumber.h 3 + \snippet doc/src/snippets/signalsandslots/lcdnumber.h 4 + \snippet doc/src/snippets/signalsandslots/lcdnumber.h 5 + + \c LcdNumber inherits QObject, which has most of the signal-slot + knowledge, via QFrame and QWidget. It is somewhat similar to the + built-in QLCDNumber widget. + + The Q_OBJECT macro is expanded by the preprocessor to declare + several member functions that are implemented by the \c{moc}; if + you get compiler errors along the lines of "undefined reference + to vtable for \c{LcdNumber}", you have probably forgotten to + \l{moc}{run the moc} or to include the moc output in the link + command. + + \snippet doc/src/snippets/signalsandslots/lcdnumber.h 6 + \snippet doc/src/snippets/signalsandslots/lcdnumber.h 7 + + It's not obviously relevant to the moc, but if you inherit + QWidget you almost certainly want to have the \c parent argument + in your constructor and pass it to the base class's constructor. + + Some destructors and member functions are omitted here; the \c + moc ignores member functions. + + \snippet doc/src/snippets/signalsandslots/lcdnumber.h 8 + \snippet doc/src/snippets/signalsandslots/lcdnumber.h 9 + + \c LcdNumber emits a signal when it is asked to show an impossible + value. + + If you don't care about overflow, or you know that overflow + cannot occur, you can ignore the \c overflow() signal, i.e. don't + connect it to any slot. + + If on the other hand you want to call two different error + functions when the number overflows, simply connect the signal to + two different slots. Qt will call both (in the order they were connected). + + \snippet doc/src/snippets/signalsandslots/lcdnumber.h 10 + \snippet doc/src/snippets/signalsandslots/lcdnumber.h 11 + \snippet doc/src/snippets/signalsandslots/lcdnumber.h 12 + \codeline + \snippet doc/src/snippets/signalsandslots/lcdnumber.h 13 + + A slot is a receiving function used to get information about + state changes in other widgets. \c LcdNumber uses it, as the code + above indicates, to set the displayed number. Since \c{display()} + is part of the class's interface with the rest of the program, + the slot is public. + + Several of the example programs connect the + \l{QScrollBar::valueChanged()}{valueChanged()} signal of a + QScrollBar to the \c display() slot, so the LCD number + continuously shows the value of the scroll bar. + + Note that \c display() is overloaded; Qt will select the + appropriate version when you connect a signal to the slot. With + callbacks, you'd have to find five different names and keep track + of the types yourself. + + Some irrelevant member functions have been omitted from this + example. + + \section1 Signals And Slots With Default Arguments + + The signatures of signals and slots may contain arguments, and the + arguments can have default values. Consider QObject::destroyed(): + + \code + void destroyed(QObject* = 0); + \endcode + + When a QObject is deleted, it emits this QObject::destroyed() + signal. We want to catch this signal, wherever we might have a + dangling reference to the deleted QObject, so we can clean it up. + A suitable slot signature might be: + + \code + void objectDestroyed(QObject* obj = 0); + \endcode + + To connect the signal to the slot, we use QObject::connect() and + the \c{SIGNAL()} and \c{SLOT()} macros. The rule about whether to + include arguments or not in the \c{SIGNAL()} and \c{SLOT()} + macros, if the arguments have default values, is that the + signature passed to the \c{SIGNAL()} macro must \e not have fewer + arguments than the signature passed to the \c{SLOT()} macro. + + All of these would work: + \code + connect(sender, SIGNAL(destroyed(QObject*)), this, SLOT(objectDestroyed(Qbject*))); + connect(sender, SIGNAL(destroyed(QObject*)), this, SLOT(objectDestroyed())); + connect(sender, SIGNAL(destroyed()), this, SLOT(objectDestroyed())); + \endcode + But this one won't work: + \code + connect(sender, SIGNAL(destroyed()), this, SLOT(objectDestroyed(QObject*))); + \endcode + + ...because the slot will be expecting a QObject that the signal + will not send. This connection will report a runtime error. + + \section1 Advanced Signals and Slots Usage + + For cases where you may require information on the sender of the + signal, Qt provides the QObject::sender() function, which returns + a pointer to the object that sent the signal. + + The QSignalMapper class is provided for situations where many + signals are connected to the same slot and the slot needs to + handle each signal differently. + + Suppose you have three push buttons that determine which file you + will open: "Tax File", "Accounts File", or "Report File". + + In order to open the correct file, you use QSignalMapper::setMapping() to + map all the clicked() signals to a QSignalMapper object. Then you connect + the file's QPushButton::clicked() signal to the QSignalMapper::map() slot. + + \snippet doc/src/snippets/signalmapper/filereader.cpp 0 + + Then, you connect the \l{QSignalMapper::}{mapped()} signal to + \c{readFile()} where a different file will be opened, depending on + which push button is pressed. + + \snippet doc/src/snippets/signalmapper/filereader.cpp 1 + + \note The following code will compile and run, but due to signature normalization, the code will be slower. + + \snippet doc/src/snippets/signalmapper/filereader.cpp 2 + + \sa {Meta-Object System}, {Qt's Property System} + + \target 3rd Party Signals and Slots + \section2 Using Qt with 3rd Party Signals and Slots + + It is possible to use Qt with a 3rd party signal/slot mechanism. + You can even use both mechanisms in the same project. Just add the + following line to your qmake project (.pro) file. + + \snippet doc/src/snippets/code/doc_src_containers.cpp 22 + + It tells Qt not to define the moc keywords \c{signals}, \c{slots}, + and \c{emit}, because these names will be used by a 3rd party + library, e.g. Boost. Then to continue using Qt signals and slots + with the \c{no_keywords} flag, simply replace all uses of the Qt + moc keywords in your sources with the corresponding Qt macros + Q_SIGNALS (or Q_SIGNAL), Q_SLOTS (or Q_SLOT), and Q_EMIT. +*/ |