Re: Subwidgets

Rob Seegel <[email protected]> writes:

> I know the various arguments about breaking encapsulations and all,
> but I could really use a more convenient method of
> configuing subwidgets. I'm currently in the process of revamping
> JComboBox. I've compiled a list of complaints and ideas
> from the past year or so, and I'm trying to smooth out the rough
> spots, simplify it where I can,  while at the same time adding
> some new functionality. My approach is to document the Subwidgets as
> well as I can -- especially where developers might run into
> trouble when configuring them directly, and to phase out several options.
> 
> I'm  using another method, that  would be highly convenient if it or
> something like it were added to Tk::Derived. I think I've
> mentioned the method on this forum or c.l.p.tk before -- It's called:
> configureSubwidgets. An example usage would be something
> like:
> 
> $jcomboBox->configureSubwidgets(
>     ## Config a blue background for both Button and popup
>     [qw/Button Popup/] =>    { -bg => 'blue' },
> ## Config white background, and blue foreground  for Box and Listbox
>     [qw/Box Listbox/]   =>    { -bg => 'white', -fg => 'blue' },
> 
>     ## Config borderwidth of 2, relief of sunken for Popup
>     Popup => { -bd => 2, -relief =>  'sunken' }
> );
> 
> This method would take 1..n pairs of  Subwidget name(s)/Config
> Parameters, the first iterm in the pair would be a single Subwidget
> name or an Array reference containing one or more Subwidget names, and
> the second item would contain a hash ref of configuration parameters
> that would be passed to the named Subwidget(s). It's meant as a
> convenience more than anything else. JComboBox will also have a
> -subwidgets option that will be able to take a similar structure.
> 
> I'm interested in what people think of this idea (The good, bad, and
> the ugly), and In the end, it doesn't particularly bother me one way
> or another if functionality like this goes into Tk::Derived or not,
> but it would allow me to take it out of several other widgets I'm
> working on ;-)
> 

ConfigSpecs has already Subwidget support. You can write something
like

    $w->ConfigSpecs(
        -background => [ {-background => 'subwidget1',
                          -foreground => 'subwidget2' },
                          undef, undef, 'blue'
                       ],
    );

to use the -background option to configure subwidget1's background and
subwidget2's foreground, both by default blue.

See the Tk::ConfigSpecs manpage.

Regards,
        Slaven

-- 
Slaven Rezic - slaven <at> rezic <dot> de

Tk-AppMaster: a perl/Tk module launcher designed for handhelds
	http://tk-appmaster.sf.net
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