GtkBox

GTK+ Reference Manual
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Description

GtkBox is an abstract widget which encapsulates functionallity for a particular kind of container, one that organizes a variable number of widgets into a rectangular area. GtkBox currently has two derived classes, GtkHBox and GtkVBox.

The rectangular area of a GtkBox is organized into either a single row or a single column of child widgets depending upon whether the box is of type GtkHBox or GtkVBox, respectively. Thus, all children of a GtkBox are allocated one dimension in common, which is the height of a row, or the width of a column.

GtkBox uses a notion of packing. Packing refers to adding widgets with reference to a particular position in a GtkContainer. For a GtkBox, there are two reference positions: the start and the end of the box. For a GtkVBox, the start is defined as the top of the box and the end is defined as the bottom. For a GtkHBox the start is defined as the left side and the end is defined as the right side.

Use repeated calls to gtk_box_pack_start() to pack widgets into a GtkBox from start to end. Use gtk_box_pack_end() to add widgets from end to start. You may intersperse these calls and add widgets from both ends of the same GtkBox.

Use gtk_box_pack_start_defaults() or gtk_box_pack_end_defaults() to pack widgets into a GtkBox if you do not need to specify the expand, fill, or padding attributes of the child to be added.

Because GtkBox is a GtkContainer, you may also use gtk_container_add() to insert widgets into the box, and they will be packed as if with gtk_box_pack_start_defaults(). Use gtk_container_remove() to remove widgets from the GtkBox.

Use gtk_box_set_homogeneous() to specify whether or not all children of the GtkBox are forced to get the same amount of space.

Use gtk_box_set_spacing() to determine how much space will be minimally placed between all children in the GtkBox.

Use gtk_box_reorder_child() to move a GtkBox child to a different place in the box.

Use gtk_box_set_child_packing() to reset the expand, fill, and padding attributes of any GtkBox child. Use gtk_box_query_child_packing() to query these fields.

Details

struct GtkBox

struct GtkBox;

The GtkBox describes an instance of GtkBox and contains the following fields. (These fields should be considered read-only. They should never be set by an application.)

GList * `children`;	a list of children belonging the GtkBox. The data is a list of structures of type GtkBoxChild.
gint16 `spacing`;	the number of pixels to put between children of the GtkBox, zero by default. Use gtk_box_set_spacing() to set this field.
guint `homogeneous`;	a flag that if `TRUE` forces all children to get equal space in the GtkBox; `FALSE` by default. Use gtk_box_set_homogeneous() to set this field.

struct GtkBoxChild

struct GtkBoxChild
{
  GtkWidget *widget;
  guint16 padding;
  guint expand : 1;
  guint fill : 1;
  guint pack : 1;
};

The GtkBoxChild holds a child widget of GtkBox and describes how the child is to be packed into the GtkBox. Use gtk_box_query_child_packing() and gtk_box_set_child_packing() to query and reset the padding, expand, fill, and pack fields.

GtkBoxChild contains the following fields. (These fields should be considered read-only. They should never be directly set by an application.)

GtkWidget * `widget`;	the child widget, packed into the GtkBox.
guint16 `padding`;	the number of extra pixels to put between this child and its neighbors, set when packed, zero by default.
guint `expand`;	flag indicates whether extra space should be given to this child. Any extra space given to the parent GtkBox is divided up among all children with this attribute set to `TRUE`; set when packed, `TRUE` by default.
guint `fill`;	flag indicates whether any extra space given to this child due to its `expand` attribute being set is actually allocated to the child, rather than being used as padding around the widget; set when packed, `TRUE` by default.
guint `pack`;	one of GtkPackType indicating whether the child is packed with reference to the start (top/left) or end (bottom/right) of the GtkBox.

gtk_box_pack_start ()

void        gtk_box_pack_start              (GtkBox *box,
                                             GtkWidget *child,
                                             gboolean expand,
                                             gboolean fill,
                                             guint padding);

Adds child to box, packed with reference to the start of box. The child is packed after any other child packed with reference to the start of box.

`box` :	a GtkBox.
`child` :	the GtkWidget to be added to `box`.
`expand` :	`TRUE` if the new child is to be given extra space allocated to `box`. The extra space will be divided evenly between all children of `box` that use this option.
`fill` :	`TRUE` if space given to `child` by the `expand` option is actually allocated to `child`, rather than just padding it. This parameter has no effect if `expand` is set to `FALSE`. A child is always allocated the full height of a GtkHBox and the full width of a GtkVBox. This option affects the other dimension.
`padding` :	extra space in pixels to put between this child and its neighbors, over and above the global amount specified by `spacing` in GtkBox. If `child` is a widget at one of the reference ends of `box`, then `padding` pixels are also put between `child` and the reference edge of `box`.

gtk_box_pack_end ()

void        gtk_box_pack_end                (GtkBox *box,
                                             GtkWidget *child,
                                             gboolean expand,
                                             gboolean fill,
                                             guint padding);

Adds child to box, packed with reference to the end of box. The child is packed after (away from end of) any other child packed with reference to the end of box.

`box` :	a GtkBox.
`child` :	the GtkWidget to be added to `box`.
`expand` :	`TRUE` if the new child is to be given extra space allocated to `box`. The extra space will be divided evenly between all children of `box` that use this option.
`fill` :	`TRUE` if space given to `child` by the `expand` option is actually allocated to `child`, rather than just padding it. This parameter has no effect if `expand` is set to `FALSE`. A child is always allocated the full height of a GtkHBox and the full width of a GtkVBox. This option affects the other dimension.
`padding` :	extra space in pixels to put between this child and its neighbors, over and above the global amount specified by `spacing` in GtkBox. If `child` is a widget at one of the reference ends of `box`, then `padding` pixels are also put between `child` and the reference edge of `box`.

gtk_box_pack_start_defaults ()

void        gtk_box_pack_start_defaults     (GtkBox *box,
                                             GtkWidget *widget);

Adds widget to box, packed with reference to the start of box. The child is packed after any other child packed with reference to the start of box.

Parameters for how to pack the child widget, expand, fill, and padding in GtkBoxChild, are given their default values, TRUE, TRUE, and 0, respectively.

`box` :	a GtkBox.
`widget` :	the GtkWidget to be added to `box`.

gtk_box_pack_end_defaults ()

void        gtk_box_pack_end_defaults       (GtkBox *box,
                                             GtkWidget *widget);

Adds widget to box, packed with reference to the end of box. The child is packed after (away from end of) any other child packed with reference to the end of box.

Parameters for how to pack the child widget, expand, fill, and padding in GtkBoxChild, are given their default values, TRUE, TRUE, and 0, respectively.

`box` :	a GtkBox.
`widget` :	the GtkWidget to be added to `box`.

gtk_box_set_homogeneous ()

void        gtk_box_set_homogeneous         (GtkBox *box,
                                             gboolean homogeneous);

Sets the homogeneous field of GtkBox, controlling whether or not all children of box are given equal space in the box.

`box` :	a GtkBox.
`homogeneous` :	a boolean value, `TRUE` to create equal allotments, `FALSE` for variable allotments.

gtk_box_set_spacing ()

void        gtk_box_set_spacing             (GtkBox *box,
                                             gint spacing);

Sets the spacing field of GtkBox, which is the number of pixels to place between children of box.

`box` :	a GtkBox.
`spacing` :	the number of pixels to put between children.

gtk_box_reorder_child ()

void        gtk_box_reorder_child           (GtkBox *box,
                                             GtkWidget *child,
                                             gint position);

Moves child to a new position in the list of box children. The list is the children field of GtkBox, and contains both widgets packed GTK_PACK_START as well as widgets packed GTK_PACK_END, in the order that these widgets were added to box.

A widget's position in the box children list determines where the widget is packed into box. A child widget at some position in the list will be packed just after all other widgets of the same packing type that appear earlier in the list. A negative value of position is interpreted as position 0.

`box` :	a GtkBox.
`child` :	the GtkWidget to move.
`position` :	the new position for `child` in the `children` list of GtkBox, starting from 0.

gtk_box_query_child_packing ()

void        gtk_box_query_child_packing     (GtkBox *box,
                                             GtkWidget *child,
                                             gboolean *expand,
                                             gboolean *fill,
                                             guint *padding,
                                             GtkPackType *pack_type);

Returns information about how child is packed into box.

`box` :	a GtkBox.
`child` :	the GtkWidget of the child to query.
`expand` :	the returned value of the `expand` field in GtkBoxChild.
`fill` :	the returned value of the `fill` field in GtkBoxChild.
`padding` :	the returned value of the `padding` field in GtkBoxChild.
`pack_type` :	the returned value of the `pack` field in GtkBoxChild.

gtk_box_set_child_packing ()

void        gtk_box_set_child_packing       (GtkBox *box,
                                             GtkWidget *child,
                                             gboolean expand,
                                             gboolean fill,
                                             guint padding,
                                             GtkPackType pack_type);

Sets the way child is packed into box.

`box` :	a GtkBox.
`child` :	the GtkWidget of the child to set.
`expand` :	the new value of the `expand` field in GtkBoxChild.
`fill` :	the new value of the `fill` field in GtkBoxChild.
`padding` :	the new value of the `padding` field in GtkBoxChild.
`pack_type` :	the new value of the `pack` field in GtkBoxChild.