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1/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
2// Name: propgrid.h
3// Purpose: topic overview
4// Author: wxWidgets team
de003797 5// RCS-ID: $Id$
526954c5 6// Licence: wxWindows licence
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7/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
8
9/**
10
11@page overview_propgrid wxPropertyGrid Overview
12
13Key Classes:
14@li wxPGProperty
15@li wxPropertyGrid
16@li wxPropertyGridEvent
17@li wxPropertyGridManager
18@li wxPropertyGridPage
19
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20 wxPropertyGrid is a specialized grid for editing properties - in other
21words name = value pairs. List of ready-to-use property classes include
22strings, numbers, flag sets, fonts, colours and many others. It is possible,
23for example, to categorize properties, set up a complete tree-hierarchy,
24add more than two columns, and set arbitrary per-property attributes.
1c4293cb 25
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26 As this version of wxPropertyGrid has some backward-incompatible changes
27from version 1.4, everybody who need to maintain custom property classes
28should carefully read final section in @ref propgrid_compat.
29
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30@li @ref propgrid_basics
31@li @ref propgrid_categories
32@li @ref propgrid_parentprops
33@li @ref propgrid_enumandflags
34@li @ref propgrid_advprops
bba3f9b5 35@li @ref propgrid_processingvalues
216214f8 36@li @ref propgrid_iterating
216214f8 37@li @ref propgrid_events
534090e3 38@li @ref propgrid_tooltipandhint
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39@li @ref propgrid_validating
40@li @ref propgrid_populating
41@li @ref propgrid_cellrender
94f090f2 42@li @ref propgrid_keyhandling
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43@li @ref propgrid_customizing
44@li @ref propgrid_usage2
45@li @ref propgrid_subclassing
46@li @ref propgrid_misc
47@li @ref propgrid_proplist
8622887c 48@li @ref propgrid_compat
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49
50@section propgrid_basics Creating and Populating wxPropertyGrid
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51
52As seen here, wxPropertyGrid is constructed in the same way as
53other wxWidgets controls:
54
55@code
56
57// Necessary header file
58#include <wx/propgrid/propgrid.h>
59
60...
61
62 // Assumes code is in frame/dialog constructor
63
64 // Construct wxPropertyGrid control
65 wxPropertyGrid* pg = new wxPropertyGrid(
66 this, // parent
67 PGID, // id
68 wxDefaultPosition, // position
69 wxDefaultSize, // size
70 // Here are just some of the supported window styles
71 wxPG_AUTO_SORT | // Automatic sorting after items added
72 wxPG_SPLITTER_AUTO_CENTER | // Automatically center splitter until user manually adjusts it
73 // Default style
74 wxPG_DEFAULT_STYLE );
75
76 // Window style flags are at premium, so some less often needed ones are
77 // available as extra window styles (wxPG_EX_xxx) which must be set using
78 // SetExtraStyle member function. wxPG_EX_HELP_AS_TOOLTIPS, for instance,
bba3f9b5 79 // allows displaying help strings as tool tips.
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80 pg->SetExtraStyle( wxPG_EX_HELP_AS_TOOLTIPS );
81
82@endcode
83
b55018ec 84 (for complete list of new window styles, see @ref propgrid_window_styles)
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85
86 wxPropertyGrid is usually populated with lines like this:
87
88@code
d6ae8b5b 89 pg->Append( new wxStringProperty("Label", "Name", "Initial Value") );
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90@endcode
91
92Naturally, wxStringProperty is a property class. Only the first function argument (label)
93is mandatory. Second one, name, defaults to label and, third, the initial value, to
94default value. If constant wxPG_LABEL is used as the name argument, then the label is
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95automatically used as a name as well (this is more efficient than manually defining both
96as the same). Use of empty name is discouraged and will sometimes result in run-time error.
97Note that all property class constructors have quite similar constructor argument list.
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98
99To demonstrate other common property classes, here's another code snippet:
100
101@code
102
103 // Add int property
d6ae8b5b 104 pg->Append( new wxIntProperty("IntProperty", wxPG_LABEL, 12345678) );
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105
106 // Add float property (value type is actually double)
d6ae8b5b 107 pg->Append( new wxFloatProperty("FloatProperty", wxPG_LABEL, 12345.678) );
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108
109 // Add a bool property
d6ae8b5b 110 pg->Append( new wxBoolProperty("BoolProperty", wxPG_LABEL, false) );
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111
112 // A string property that can be edited in a separate editor dialog.
d6ae8b5b 113 pg->Append( new wxLongStringProperty("LongStringProperty",
1c4293cb 114 wxPG_LABEL,
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115 "This is much longer string than the "
116 "first one. Edit it by clicking the button."));
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117
118 // String editor with dir selector button.
d6ae8b5b 119 pg->Append( new wxDirProperty("DirProperty", wxPG_LABEL, ::wxGetUserHome()) );
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120
121 // wxArrayStringProperty embeds a wxArrayString.
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122 pg->Append( new wxArrayStringProperty("Label of ArrayStringProperty",
123 "NameOfArrayStringProp"));
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124
125 // A file selector property.
d6ae8b5b 126 pg->Append( new wxFileProperty("FileProperty", wxPG_LABEL, wxEmptyString) );
1c4293cb 127
bba3f9b5 128 // Extra: set wild card for file property (format same as in wxFileDialog).
d6ae8b5b 129 pg->SetPropertyAttribute( "FileProperty",
1c4293cb 130 wxPG_FILE_WILDCARD,
d6ae8b5b 131 "All files (*.*)|*.*" );
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132
133@endcode
134
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135 Operations on properties are usually done by directly calling wxPGProperty's
136or wxPropertyGridInterface's member functions. wxPropertyGridInterface is an
137abstract base class for property containers such as wxPropertyGrid,
138wxPropertyGridManager, and wxPropertyGridPage. Note however that wxPGProperty's
139member functions generally do not refresh the grid.
1c4293cb 140
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141 wxPropertyGridInterface's property operation member functions , such as
142SetPropertyValue() and DisableProperty(), all accept a special wxPGPropArg id
143argument, using which you can refer to properties either by their pointer
144(for performance) or by their name (for convenience). For instance:
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145
146@code
bba3f9b5 147 // Add a file selector property.
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148 wxPGProperty* prop = pg->Append( new wxFileProperty("FileProperty",
149 wxPG_LABEL,
150 wxEmptyString) );
1c4293cb 151
bba3f9b5 152 // Valid: Set wild card by name
d6ae8b5b 153 pg->SetPropertyAttribute( "FileProperty",
1c4293cb 154 wxPG_FILE_WILDCARD,
d6ae8b5b 155 "All files (*.*)|*.*" );
1c4293cb 156
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157 // Also Valid: Set wild card by property pointer
158 pg->SetPropertyAttribute( prop,
1c4293cb 159 wxPG_FILE_WILDCARD,
d6ae8b5b 160 "All files (*.*)|*.*" );
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161@endcode
162
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163 Using pointer is faster, since it doesn't require hash map lookup. Anyway,
164you can always get property pointer (wxPGProperty*) as return value from Append()
165or Insert(), or by calling wxPropertyGridInterface::GetPropertyByName() or
166just plain GetProperty().
1c4293cb 167
216214f8 168@section propgrid_categories Categories
1c4293cb 169
bba3f9b5 170 wxPropertyGrid has a hierarchic property storage and display model, which
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171allows property categories to hold child properties and even other
172categories. Other than that, from the programmer's point of view, categories
173can be treated exactly the same as "other" properties. For example, despite
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174its name, GetPropertyByName() also returns a category by name. Note however
175that sometimes the label of a property category may be referred as caption
176(for example, there is wxPropertyGrid::SetCaptionTextColour() method
177that sets text colour of property category labels).
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178
179 When category is added at the top (i.e. root) level of the hierarchy,
180it becomes a *current category*. This means that all other (non-category)
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181properties after it are automatically appended to it. You may add
182properties to specific categories by using wxPropertyGridInterface::Insert
183or wxPropertyGridInterface::AppendIn.
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184
185 Category code sample:
186
187@code
188
189 // One way to add category (similar to how other properties are added)
d6ae8b5b 190 pg->Append( new wxPropertyCategory("Main") );
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191
192 // All these are added to "Main" category
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193 pg->Append( new wxStringProperty("Name") );
194 pg->Append( new wxIntProperty("Age",wxPG_LABEL,25) );
195 pg->Append( new wxIntProperty("Height",wxPG_LABEL,180) );
196 pg->Append( new wxIntProperty("Weight") );
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197
198 // Another one
d6ae8b5b 199 pg->Append( new wxPropertyCategory("Attributes") );
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200
201 // All these are added to "Attributes" category
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202 pg->Append( new wxIntProperty("Intelligence") );
203 pg->Append( new wxIntProperty("Agility") );
204 pg->Append( new wxIntProperty("Strength") );
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205
206@endcode
207
208
216214f8 209@section propgrid_parentprops Tree-like Property Structure
1c4293cb 210
bba3f9b5 211 Basically any property can have children. There are few limitations, however.
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212
213@remarks
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214- Names of properties with non-category, non-root parents are not stored in global
215 hash map. Instead, they can be accessed with strings like "Parent.Child".
216 For instance, in the sample below, child property named "Max. Speed (mph)"
217 can be accessed by global name "Car.Speeds.Max Speed (mph)".
218- If you want to property's value to be a string composed of the child property values,
219 you must use wxStringProperty as parent and use magic string "<composed>" as its
220 value.
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221- Events (eg. change of value) that occur in parent do not propagate to children. Events
222 that occur in children will propagate to parents, but only if they are wxStringProperties
223 with "<composed>" value.
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224
225Sample:
226
227@code
d6ae8b5b 228 wxPGProperty* carProp = pg->Append(new wxStringProperty("Car",
bba3f9b5 229 wxPG_LABEL,
d6ae8b5b 230 "<composed>"));
bba3f9b5 231
d6ae8b5b 232 pg->AppendIn(carProp, new wxStringProperty("Model",
bba3f9b5 233 wxPG_LABEL,
d6ae8b5b 234 "Lamborghini Diablo SV"));
1c4293cb 235
d6ae8b5b 236 pg->AppendIn(carProp, new wxIntProperty("Engine Size (cc)",
1c4293cb 237 wxPG_LABEL,
bba3f9b5 238 5707) );
1c4293cb 239
bba3f9b5 240 wxPGProperty* speedsProp = pg->AppendIn(carProp,
d6ae8b5b 241 new wxStringProperty("Speeds",
bba3f9b5 242 wxPG_LABEL,
d6ae8b5b 243 "<composed>"));
1c4293cb 244
d6ae8b5b 245 pg->AppendIn( speedsProp, new wxIntProperty("Max. Speed (mph)",
bba3f9b5 246 wxPG_LABEL,290) );
d6ae8b5b 247 pg->AppendIn( speedsProp, new wxFloatProperty("0-100 mph (sec)",
bba3f9b5 248 wxPG_LABEL,3.9) );
d6ae8b5b 249 pg->AppendIn( speedsProp, new wxFloatProperty("1/4 mile (sec)",
bba3f9b5 250 wxPG_LABEL,8.6) );
1c4293cb 251
bba3f9b5 252 // This is how child property can be referred to by name
d6ae8b5b 253 pg->SetPropertyValue( "Car.Speeds.Max. Speed (mph)", 300 );
1c4293cb 254
d6ae8b5b 255 pg->AppendIn(carProp, new wxIntProperty("Price ($)",
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256 wxPG_LABEL,
257 300000) );
258
259 // Displayed value of "Car" property is now very close to this:
260 // "Lamborghini Diablo SV; 5707 [300; 3.9; 8.6] 300000"
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261
262@endcode
263
216214f8 264@section propgrid_enumandflags wxEnumProperty and wxFlagsProperty
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265
266 wxEnumProperty is used when you want property's (integer or string) value
267to be selected from a popup list of choices.
268
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269 Creating wxEnumProperty is slightly more complex than those described
270earlier. You have to provide list of constant labels, and optionally relevant
271values (if label indexes are not sufficient).
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272
273@remarks
274
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275- Value wxPG_INVALID_VALUE (equals INT_MAX) is not allowed as list
276 item value.
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277
278A very simple example:
279
280@code
281
282 //
283 // Using wxArrayString
284 //
285 wxArrayString arrDiet;
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286 arr.Add("Herbivore");
287 arr.Add("Carnivore");
288 arr.Add("Omnivore");
1c4293cb 289
d6ae8b5b 290 pg->Append( new wxEnumProperty("Diet",
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291 wxPG_LABEL,
292 arrDiet) );
293
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294 //
295 // Using wxChar* array
296 //
297 const wxChar* arrayDiet[] =
298 { wxT("Herbivore"), wxT("Carnivore"), wxT("Omnivore"), NULL };
299
d6ae8b5b 300 pg->Append( new wxEnumProperty("Diet",
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301 wxPG_LABEL,
302 arrayDiet) );
303
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304@endcode
305
306Here's extended example using values as well:
307
308@code
309
310 //
311 // Using wxArrayString and wxArrayInt
312 //
313 wxArrayString arrDiet;
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314 arr.Add("Herbivore");
315 arr.Add("Carnivore");
316 arr.Add("Omnivore");
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317
318 wxArrayInt arrIds;
319 arrIds.Add(40);
320 arrIds.Add(45);
321 arrIds.Add(50);
322
323 // Note that the initial value (the last argument) is the actual value,
324 // not index or anything like that. Thus, our value selects "Omnivore".
d6ae8b5b 325 pg->Append( new wxEnumProperty("Diet",
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326 wxPG_LABEL,
327 arrDiet,
328 arrIds,
329 50));
330
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331@endcode
332
333 wxPGChoices is a class where wxEnumProperty, and other properties which
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334 require storage for list of items, actually stores strings and values. It is
335 used to facilitate reference counting, and therefore recommended way of
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336 adding items when multiple properties share the same set.
337
338 You can use wxPGChoices directly as well, filling it and then passing it
bba3f9b5 339 to the constructor. In fact, if you wish to display bitmaps next to labels,
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340 your best choice is to use this approach.
341
342@code
343
344 wxPGChoices chs;
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345 chs.Add("Herbivore", 40);
346 chs.Add("Carnivore", 45);
347 chs.Add("Omnivore", 50);
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348
349 // Let's add an item with bitmap, too
d6ae8b5b 350 chs.Add("None of the above", wxBitmap(), 60);
1c4293cb 351
d6ae8b5b 352 pg->Append( new wxEnumProperty("Primary Diet",
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353 wxPG_LABEL,
354 chs) );
355
356 // Add same choices to another property as well - this is efficient due
357 // to reference counting
d6ae8b5b 358 pg->Append( new wxEnumProperty("Secondary Diet",
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359 wxPG_LABEL,
360 chs) );
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361@endcode
362
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363You can later change choices of property by using wxPGProperty::AddChoice(),
364wxPGProperty::InsertChoice(), wxPGProperty::DeleteChoice(), and
365wxPGProperty::SetChoices().
1c4293cb 366
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367<b>wxEditEnumProperty</b> works exactly like wxEnumProperty, except
368is uses non-read-only combo box as default editor, and value is stored as
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369string when it is not any of the choices.
370
939d9364 371wxFlagsProperty has similar construction:
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372
373@code
374
375 const wxChar* flags_prop_labels[] = { wxT("wxICONIZE"),
376 wxT("wxCAPTION"), wxT("wxMINIMIZE_BOX"), wxT("wxMAXIMIZE_BOX"), NULL };
377
378 // this value array would be optional if values matched string indexes
379 long flags_prop_values[] = { wxICONIZE, wxCAPTION, wxMINIMIZE_BOX,
380 wxMAXIMIZE_BOX };
381
d6ae8b5b 382 pg->Append( new wxFlagsProperty("Window Style",
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383 wxPG_LABEL,
384 flags_prop_labels,
385 flags_prop_values,
386 wxDEFAULT_FRAME_STYLE) );
387
388@endcode
389
390wxFlagsProperty can use wxPGChoices just the same way as wxEnumProperty
bba3f9b5 391<b>Note:</b> When changing "choices" (ie. flag labels) of wxFlagsProperty,
939d9364 392you will need to use wxPGProperty::SetChoices() to replace all choices
bba3f9b5 393at once - otherwise implicit child properties will not get updated properly.
1c4293cb 394
216214f8 395@section propgrid_advprops Specialized Properties
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396
397 This section describes the use of less often needed property classes.
398To use them, you have to include <wx/propgrid/advprops.h>.
399
400@code
401
402// Necessary extra header file
403#include <wx/propgrid/advprops.h>
404
405...
406
407 // Date property.
d6ae8b5b 408 pg->Append( new wxDateProperty("MyDateProperty",
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409 wxPG_LABEL,
410 wxDateTime::Now()) );
411
bba3f9b5 412 // Image file property. Wild card is auto-generated from available
1c4293cb 413 // image handlers, so it is not set this time.
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414 pg->Append( new wxImageFileProperty("Label of ImageFileProperty",
415 "NameOfImageFileProp") );
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416
417 // Font property has sub-properties. Note that we give window's font as
418 // initial value.
d6ae8b5b 419 pg->Append( new wxFontProperty("Font",
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420 wxPG_LABEL,
421 GetFont()) );
422
423 // Colour property with arbitrary colour.
d6ae8b5b 424 pg->Append( new wxColourProperty("My Colour 1",
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425 wxPG_LABEL,
426 wxColour(242,109,0) ) );
427
428 // System colour property.
d6ae8b5b 429 pg->Append( new wxSystemColourProperty("My SysColour 1",
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430 wxPG_LABEL,
431 wxSystemSettings::GetColour(wxSYS_COLOUR_WINDOW)) );
432
433 // System colour property with custom colour.
d6ae8b5b 434 pg->Append( new wxSystemColourProperty("My SysColour 2",
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435 wxPG_LABEL,
436 wxColour(0,200,160) ) );
437
438 // Cursor property
d6ae8b5b 439 pg->Append( new wxCursorProperty("My Cursor",
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440 wxPG_LABEL,
441 wxCURSOR_ARROW));
442
443@endcode
444
445
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446@section propgrid_processingvalues Processing Property Values
447
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448Properties store their values internally as wxVariant, but is also possible to
449obtain them as wxAny, using implicit conversion. You can get property
450values with wxPGProperty::GetValue() and
451wxPropertyGridInterface::GetPropertyValue().
452
453Below is a code example which handles wxEVT_PG_CHANGED event:
454
455@code
456
457void MyWindowClass::OnPropertyGridChanged(wxPropertyGridEvent& event)
458{
459 wxPGProperty* property = event.GetProperty();
460
461 // Do nothing if event did not have associated property
462 if ( !property )
463 return;
464
465 // GetValue() returns wxVariant, but it is converted transparently to
466 // wxAny
467 wxAny value = property->GetValue();
468
469 // Also, handle the case where property value is unspecified
470 if ( value.IsNull() )
471 return;
472
473 // Handle changes in values, as needed
474 if ( property.GetName() == "MyStringProperty" )
475 OnMyStringPropertyChanged(value.As<wxString>());
476 else if ( property.GetName() == "MyColourProperty" )
477 OnMyColourPropertyChanged(value.As<wxColour>());
478}
479
480@endcode
481
482You can get a string-representation of property's value using
483wxPGProperty::GetValueAsString() or
484wxPropertyGridInterface::GetPropertyValueAsString(). This particular function
485is very safe to use with any kind of property.
486
487@note There is a one case in which you may want to take extra care when
488 dealing with raw wxVariant values. That is, integer-type properties,
489 such as wxIntProperty and wxUIntProperty, store value internally as
490 wx(U)LongLong when number doesn't fit into standard long type. Using
491 << operator to get wx(U)LongLong from wxVariant is customized to work
492 quite safely with various types of variant data. However, you can also
493 bypass this problem by using wxAny in your code instead of wxVariant.
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494
495Note that in some cases property value can be Null variant, which means
496that property value is unspecified. This usually occurs only when
497wxPG_EX_AUTO_UNSPECIFIED_VALUES extra window style is defined or when you
498manually set property value to Null (or unspecified).
499
500
216214f8 501@section propgrid_iterating Iterating through a property container
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502
503You can use somewhat STL'ish iterator classes to iterate through the grid.
504Here is a simple example of forward iterating through all individual
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505properties (not categories nor private child properties that are normally
506'transparent' to application code):
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507
508@code
509
510 wxPropertyGridIterator it;
511
512 for ( it = pg->GetIterator();
513 !it.AtEnd();
514 it++ )
515 {
516 wxPGProperty* p = *it;
517 // Do something with the property
518 }
519
520@endcode
521
522As expected there is also a const iterator:
523
524@code
525
526 wxPropertyGridConstIterator it;
527
528 for ( it = pg->GetIterator();
529 !it.AtEnd();
530 it++ )
531 {
532 const wxPGProperty* p = *it;
533 // Do something with the property
534 }
535
536@endcode
537
538You can give some arguments to GetIterator to determine which properties
539get automatically filtered out. For complete list of options, see
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540@ref propgrid_iterator_flags. GetIterator() also accepts other arguments.
541See wxPropertyGridInterface::GetIterator() for details.
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542
543This example reverse-iterates through all visible items:
544
545@code
546
547 wxPropertyGridIterator it;
548
549 for ( it = pg->GetIterator(wxPG_ITERATE_VISIBLE, wxBOTTOM);
550 !it.AtEnd();
551 it-- )
552 {
553 wxPGProperty* p = *it;
554 // Do something with the property
555 }
556
557@endcode
558
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559GetIterator() only works with wxPropertyGrid and the individual pages
560of wxPropertyGridManager. In order to iterate through an arbitrary
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561property container (such as entire wxPropertyGridManager), you need to use
562wxPropertyGridInterface::GetVIterator(). Note however that this virtual
563iterator is limited to forward iteration.
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564
565@code
566
567 wxPGVIterator it;
568
c5512cab 569 for ( it = manager->GetVIterator(wxPG_ITERATE_ALL);
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570 !it.AtEnd();
571 it.Next() )
572 {
573 wxPGProperty* p = it.GetProperty();
574 // Do something with the property
575 }
576
577@endcode
578
216214f8 579@section propgrid_populating Populating wxPropertyGrid Automatically
1c4293cb 580
216214f8 581@subsection propgrid_fromvariants Populating from List of wxVariants
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582
583Example of populating an empty wxPropertyGrid from a values stored
584in an arbitrary list of wxVariants.
585
586@code
587
bba3f9b5 588 // This is a static method that initializes *all* built-in type handlers
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589 // available, including those for wxColour and wxFont. Refers to *all*
590 // included properties, so when compiling with static library, this
bba3f9b5 591 // method may increase the executable size noticeably.
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592 pg->InitAllTypeHandlers();
593
594 // Get contents of the grid as a wxVariant list
595 wxVariant all_values = pg->GetPropertyValues();
596
597 // Populate the list with values. If a property with appropriate
598 // name is not found, it is created according to the type of variant.
599 pg->SetPropertyValues( my_list_variant );
600
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601@endcode
602
216214f8 603@subsection propgrid_fromfile Loading Population from a Text-based Storage
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604
605Class wxPropertyGridPopulator may be helpful when writing code that
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606loads properties from a text-source. In fact, the wxPropertyGrid xrc-handler
607(which may not be currently included in wxWidgets, but probably will be in
608near future) uses it.
1c4293cb 609
bba3f9b5 610@subsection editablestate Saving and Restoring User-Editable State
1c4293cb 611
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612You can use wxPropertyGridInterface::SaveEditableState() and
613wxPropertyGridInterface::RestoreEditableState() to save and restore
614user-editable state (selected property, expanded/collapsed properties,
615selected page, scrolled position, and splitter positions).
1c4293cb 616
216214f8 617@section propgrid_events Event Handling
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618
619Probably the most important event is the Changed event which occurs when
620value of any property is changed by the user. Use EVT_PG_CHANGED(id,func)
621in your event table to use it.
622
623For complete list of event types, see wxPropertyGrid class reference.
624
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625However, one type of event that might need focused attention is EVT_PG_CHANGING,
626which occurs just prior property value is being changed by user. You can
627acquire pending value using wxPropertyGridEvent::GetValue(), and if it is
628not acceptable, call wxPropertyGridEvent::Veto() to prevent the value change
629from taking place.
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630
631@code
632
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633void MyForm::OnPropertyGridChanging( wxPropertyGridEvent& event )
634{
635 wxPGProperty* property = event.GetProperty();
636
637 if ( property == m_pWatchThisProperty )
638 {
639 // GetValue() returns the pending value, but is only
640 // supported by wxEVT_PG_CHANGING.
641 if ( event.GetValue().GetString() == g_pThisTextIsNotAllowed )
642 {
643 event.Veto();
644 return;
645 }
646 }
647}
648
649@endcode
650
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651@remarks On Child Property Event Handling
652- For properties which have private, implicit children (wxFontProperty and
653 wxFlagsProperty), events occur for the main parent property only.
654 For other properties events occur for the children themselves. See
655 @ref propgrid_parentprops.
1c4293cb 656
bba3f9b5 657- When property's child gets changed, you can use wxPropertyGridEvent::GetMainParent()
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658 to obtain its topmost non-category parent (useful, if you have deeply nested
659 properties).
660
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661@section propgrid_tooltipandhint Help String, Hint and Tool Tips
662
663For each property you can specify two different types of help text. First,
664you can use wxPropertyGridInterface::SetPropertyHelpString() or
665wxPGProperty::SetHelpString() to set property's help text. Second, you
666can use wxPGProperty::SetAttribute() to set property's "Hint" attribute.
667
668Difference between hint and help string is that the hint is shown in an empty
669property value cell, while help string is shown either in the description text
670box, as a tool tip, or on the status bar, whichever of these is available.
671
672To enable display of help string as tool tips, you must explicitly use
673the wxPG_EX_HELP_AS_TOOLTIPS extra window style.
1c4293cb 674
216214f8 675@section propgrid_validating Validating Property Values
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676
677There are various ways to make sure user enters only correct values. First, you
678can use wxValidators similar to as you would with ordinary controls. Use
8622887c 679wxPropertyGridInterface::SetPropertyValidator() to assign wxValidator to
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680property.
681
682Second, you can subclass a property and override wxPGProperty::ValidateValue(),
bba3f9b5 683or handle wxEVT_PG_CHANGING for the same effect. Both of these ways do not
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684actually prevent user from temporarily entering invalid text, but they do give
685you an opportunity to warn the user and block changed value from being committed
686in a property.
687
688Various validation failure options can be controlled globally with
689wxPropertyGrid::SetValidationFailureBehavior(), or on an event basis by
690calling wxEvent::SetValidationFailureBehavior(). Here's a code snippet of
691how to handle wxEVT_PG_CHANGING, and to set custom failure behaviour and
692message.
693
694@code
695 void MyFrame::OnPropertyGridChanging(wxPropertyGridEvent& event)
696 {
697 wxPGProperty* property = event.GetProperty();
698
699 // You must use wxPropertyGridEvent::GetValue() to access
700 // the value to be validated.
701 wxVariant pendingValue = event.GetValue();
702
d6ae8b5b 703 if ( property->GetName() == "Font" )
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704 {
705 // Make sure value is not unspecified
706 if ( !pendingValue.IsNull() )
707 {
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708 wxFont font;
709 font << pendingValue;
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710
711 // Let's just allow Arial font
d6ae8b5b 712 if ( font.GetFaceName() != "Arial" )
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713 {
714 event.Veto();
715 event.SetValidationFailureBehavior(wxPG_VFB_STAY_IN_PROPERTY |
716 wxPG_VFB_BEEP |
4fb5dadb 717 wxPG_VFB_SHOW_MESSAGEBOX);
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718 }
719 }
720 }
721 }
722@endcode
723
724
216214f8 725@section propgrid_cellrender Customizing Individual Cell Appearance
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726
727You can control text colour, background colour, and attached image of
728each cell in the property grid. Use wxPropertyGridInterface::SetPropertyCell() or
729wxPGProperty::SetCell() for this purpose.
730
731In addition, it is possible to control these characteristics for
bba3f9b5 732wxPGChoices list items. See wxPGChoices class reference for more info.
1c4293cb 733
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734@section propgrid_keyhandling Customizing Keyboard Handling
735
736There is probably one preference for keyboard handling for every developer
737out there, and as a conveniency control wxPropertyGrid tries to cater for
738that. By the default arrow keys are used for navigating between properties,
739and TAB key is used to move focus between the property editor and the
740first column. When the focus is in the editor, arrow keys usually no longer
741work for navigation since they are consumed by the editor.
742
743There are mainly two functions which you can use this customize things,
744wxPropertyGrid::AddActionTrigger() and wxPropertyGrid::DedicateKey().
745First one can be used to set a navigation event to occur on a specific key
746press and the second is used to divert a key from property editors, making it
747possible for the grid to use keys normally consumed by the focused editors.
748
749For example, let's say you want to have an ENTER-based editing scheme. That
750is, editor is focused on ENTER press and the next property is selected when
751the user finishes editing and presses ENTER again. Code like this would
752accomplish the task:
753
754@code
755 // Have property editor focus on Enter
756 propgrid->AddActionTrigger( wxPG_ACTION_EDIT, WXK_RETURN );
757
758 // Have Enter work as action trigger even when editor is focused
759 propgrid->DedicateKey( WXK_RETURN );
760
761 // Let Enter also navigate to the next property
762 propgrid->AddActionTrigger( wxPG_ACTION_NEXT_PROPERTY, WXK_RETURN );
763
764@endcode
765
766wxPG_ACTION_EDIT is prioritized above wxPG_ACTION_NEXT_PROPERTY so that the
767above code can work without conflicts. For a complete list of available
768actions, see @ref propgrid_keyboard_actions.
769
770Here's another trick. Normally the up and down cursor keys are consumed by
771the focused wxTextCtrl editor and as such can't be used for navigating between
772properties when that editor is focused. However, using DedicateKey() we can
773change this so that instead of the cursor keys moving the caret inside the
774wxTextCtrl, they navigate between adjacent properties. As such:
775
776@code
777 propgrid->DedicateKey(WXK_UP);
778 propgrid->DedicateKey(WXK_DOWN);
779@endcode
780
1c4293cb 781
216214f8 782@section propgrid_customizing Customizing Properties (without sub-classing)
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783
784In this section are presented miscellaneous ways to have custom appearance
4c51a665 785and behaviour for your properties without all the necessary hassle
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786of sub-classing a property class etc.
787
216214f8 788@subsection propgrid_customimage Setting Value Image
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789
790Every property can have a small value image placed in front of the
791actual value text. Built-in example of this can be seen with
792wxColourProperty and wxImageFileProperty, but for others it can
793be set using wxPropertyGrid::SetPropertyImage method.
794
216214f8 795@subsection propgrid_customeditor Setting Property's Editor Control(s)
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796
797You can set editor control (or controls, in case of a control and button),
798of any property using wxPropertyGrid::SetPropertyEditor. Editors are passed
bba3f9b5 799as wxPGEditor_EditorName, and valid built-in EditorNames are
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800TextCtrl, Choice, ComboBox, CheckBox, TextCtrlAndButton, ChoiceAndButton,
801SpinCtrl, and DatePickerCtrl. Two last mentioned ones require call to
802static member function wxPropertyGrid::RegisterAdditionalEditors().
803
804Following example changes wxColourProperty's editor from default Choice
805to TextCtrlAndButton. wxColourProperty has its internal event handling set
806up so that button click events of the button will be used to trigger
807colour selection dialog.
808
809@code
810
d6ae8b5b 811 wxPGProperty* colProp = new wxColourProperty("Text Colour");
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812 pg->Append(colProp);
813 pg->SetPropertyEditor(colProp, wxPGEditor_TextCtrlAndButton);
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814
815@endcode
816
817Naturally, creating and setting custom editor classes is a possibility as
818well. For more information, see wxPGEditor class reference.
819
216214f8 820@subsection propgrid_editorattrs Property Attributes Recognized by Editors
1c4293cb 821
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822<b>SpinCtrl</b> editor can make use of property's "Min", "Max", "Step" and
823"Wrap" attributes.
1c4293cb 824
216214f8 825@subsection propgrid_multiplebuttons Adding Multiple Buttons Next to an Editor
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826
827See wxPGMultiButton class reference.
828
216214f8 829@subsection propgrid_customeventhandling Handling Events Passed from Properties
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830
831<b>wxEVT_COMMAND_BUTTON_CLICKED </b>(corresponds to event table macro EVT_BUTTON):
832Occurs when editor button click is not handled by the property itself
833(as is the case, for example, if you set property's editor to TextCtrlAndButton
834from the original TextCtrl).
835
216214f8 836@subsection propgrid_attributes Property Attributes
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837
838Miscellaneous values, often specific to a property type, can be set
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839using wxPropertyGridInterface::SetPropertyAttribute() and
840wxPropertyGridInterface::SetPropertyAttributeAll() methods.
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841
842Attribute names are strings and values wxVariant. Arbitrary names are allowed
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843in order to store values that are relevant to application only and not
844property grid. Constant equivalents of all attribute string names are
845provided. Some of them are defined as cached strings, so using these constants
846can provide for smaller binary size.
1c4293cb 847
b55018ec 848For complete list of attributes, see @ref propgrid_property_attributes.
1c4293cb 849
1c4293cb 850
216214f8 851@section propgrid_usage2 Using wxPropertyGridManager
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852
853wxPropertyGridManager is an efficient multi-page version of wxPropertyGrid,
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854which can optionally have tool bar for mode and page selection, and a help text
855box. For more information, see wxPropertyGridManager class reference.
1c4293cb 856
216214f8 857@subsection propgrid_propgridpage wxPropertyGridPage
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858
859wxPropertyGridPage is holder of properties for one page in manager. It is derived from
860wxEvtHandler, so you can subclass it to process page-specific property grid events. Hand
bba3f9b5 861over your page instance in wxPropertyGridManager::AddPage().
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862
863Please note that the wxPropertyGridPage itself only sports subset of wxPropertyGrid API
864(but unlike manager, this include item iteration). Naturally it inherits from
bba3f9b5 865wxPropertyGridInterface.
1c4293cb 866
bba3f9b5 867For more information, see wxPropertyGridPage class reference.
1c4293cb 868
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869
870@section propgrid_subclassing Sub-classing wxPropertyGrid and wxPropertyGridManager
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871
872Few things to note:
873
874- Only a small percentage of member functions are virtual. If you need more,
875 just e-mail to wx-dev mailing list.
876
877- Data manipulation is done in wxPropertyGridPageState class. So, instead of
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878 overriding wxPropertyGrid::Insert(), you'll probably want to override
879 wxPropertyGridPageState::DoInsert(). See header file for details.
1c4293cb 880
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881- Override wxPropertyGrid::CreateState() to instantiate your derivate
882 wxPropertyGridPageState. For wxPropertyGridManager, you'll need to subclass
883 wxPropertyGridPage instead (since it is derived from wxPropertyGridPageState),
884 and hand over instances in wxPropertyGridManager::AddPage() calls.
1c4293cb 885
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886- You can use a derivate wxPropertyGrid with manager by overriding
887 wxPropertyGridManager::CreatePropertyGrid() member function.
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888
889
216214f8 890@section propgrid_misc Miscellaneous Topics
1c4293cb 891
216214f8 892@subsection propgrid_namescope Property Name Scope
1c4293cb 893
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894 All properties which parent is category or root can be accessed
895directly by their base name (ie. name given for property in its constructor).
896Other properties can be accessed via "ParentsName.BaseName" notation,
897Naturally, all property names should be unique.
1c4293cb 898
216214f8 899@subsection propgrid_nonuniquelabels Non-unique Labels
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900
901 It is possible to have properties with identical label under same parent.
902However, care must be taken to ensure that each property still has
903unique (base) name.
1c4293cb 904
216214f8 905@subsection propgrid_boolproperty wxBoolProperty
1c4293cb 906
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907 There are few points about wxBoolProperty that require further discussion:
908 - wxBoolProperty can be shown as either normal combo box or as a check box.
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909 Property attribute wxPG_BOOL_USE_CHECKBOX is used to change this.
910 For example, if you have a wxFlagsProperty, you can
911 set its all items to use check box using the following:
912 @code
d6ae8b5b 913 pg->SetPropertyAttribute("MyFlagsProperty", wxPG_BOOL_USE_CHECKBOX, true, wxPG_RECURSE);
1c4293cb 914 @endcode
8622887c 915
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916 Following will set all individual bool properties in your control to
917 use check box:
8622887c 918
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919 @code
920 pg->SetPropertyAttributeAll(wxPG_BOOL_USE_CHECKBOX, true);
921 @endcode
1c4293cb 922
939d9364 923 - Default item names for wxBoolProperty are ["False", "True"]. This can be
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924 changed using static function wxPropertyGrid::SetBoolChoices(trueChoice,
925 falseChoice).
1c4293cb 926
216214f8 927@subsection propgrid_textctrlupdates Updates from wxTextCtrl Based Editor
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928
929 Changes from wxTextCtrl based property editors are committed (ie.
930wxEVT_PG_CHANGED is sent etc.) *only* when (1) user presser enter, (2)
931user moves to edit another property, or (3) when focus leaves
932the grid.
933
934 Because of this, you may find it useful, in some apps, to call
935wxPropertyGrid::CommitChangesFromEditor() just before you need to do any
936computations based on property grid values. Note that CommitChangesFromEditor()
937will dispatch wxEVT_PG_CHANGED with ProcessEvent, so any of your event handlers
938will be called immediately.
939
216214f8 940@subsection propgrid_splittercentering Centering the Splitter
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941
942 If you need to center the splitter, but only once when the program starts,
943then do <b>not</b> use the wxPG_SPLITTER_AUTO_CENTER window style, but the
944wxPropertyGrid::CenterSplitter() method. <b>However, be sure to call it after
945the sizer setup and SetSize calls!</b> (ie. usually at the end of the
946frame/dialog constructor)
947
4c51a665 948 Splitter centering behaviour can be customized using
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949wxPropertyGridInterface::SetColumnProportion(). Usually it is used to set
950non-equal column proportions, which in essence stops the splitter(s) from
951being 'centered' as such, and instead just auto-resized.
952
216214f8 953@subsection propgrid_splittersetting Setting Splitter Position When Creating Property Grid
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954
955Splitter position cannot exceed grid size, and therefore setting it during
956form creation may fail as initial grid size is often smaller than desired
957splitter position, especially when sizers are being used.
958
216214f8 959@subsection propgrid_colourproperty wxColourProperty and wxSystemColourProperty
1c4293cb 960
bba3f9b5 961Through sub-classing, these two property classes provide substantial customization
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962features. Subclass wxSystemColourProperty if you want to use wxColourPropertyValue
963(which features colour type in addition to wxColour), and wxColourProperty if plain
964wxColour is enough.
965
966Override wxSystemColourProperty::ColourToString() to redefine how colours are
967printed as strings.
968
969Override wxSystemColourProperty::GetCustomColourIndex() to redefine location of
970the item that triggers colour picker dialog (default is last).
971
972Override wxSystemColourProperty::GetColour() to determine which colour matches
973which choice entry.
974
216214f8 975@section propgrid_proplist Property Class Descriptions
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976
977See @ref pgproperty_properties
978
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979@section propgrid_compat Changes from wxPropertyGrid 1.4
980
981Version of wxPropertyGrid bundled with wxWidgets 2.9+ has various backward-
982incompatible changes from version 1.4, which had a stable API and will remain
983as the last separate branch.
984
4c51a665 985Note that in general any behaviour-breaking changes should not compile or run
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986without warnings or errors.
987
988@subsection propgrid_compat_general General Changes
989
990 - Tab-traversal can no longer be used to travel between properties. Now
991 it only causes focus to move from main grid to editor of selected property.
992 Arrow keys are now your primary means of navigating between properties,
993 with keyboard. This change allowed fixing broken tab traversal on wxGTK
994 (which is open issue in wxPropertyGrid 1.4).
995
4c51a665 996 - wxPG_EX_UNFOCUS_ON_ENTER style is removed and is now default behaviour.
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997 That is, when enter is pressed, editing is considered done and focus
998 moves back to the property grid from the editor control.
999
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1000 - A few member functions were removed from wxPropertyGridInterface.
1001 Please use wxPGProperty's counterparts from now on.
1002
4c51a665 1003 - wxPGChoices now has proper Copy-On-Write behaviour.
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1004
1005 - wxPGChoices::SetExclusive() was renamed to AllocExclusive().
1006
1007 - wxPGProperty::SetPropertyChoicesExclusive() was removed. Instead, use
1008 GetChoices().AllocExclusive().
1009
1010 - wxPGProperty::ClearModifiedStatus() is removed. Please use
1011 SetModifiedStatus() instead.
1012
1013 - wxPropertyGridInterface::GetExpandedProperties() is removed. You should
1014 now use wxPropertyGridInterface::GetEditableState() instead.
1c4293cb 1015
08c1613f 1016 - wxPG_EX_DISABLE_TLP_TRACKING is now enabled by default. To get the old
4c51a665 1017 behaviour (recommended if you don't use a system that reparents the grid
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1018 on its own), use the wxPG_EX_ENABLE_TLP_TRACKING extra style.
1019
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1020 - Extended window style wxPG_EX_LEGACY_VALIDATORS was removed.
1021
4c51a665 1022 - Default property validation failure behaviour has been changed to
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1023 (wxPG_VFB_MARK_CELL | wxPG_VFB_SHOW_MESSAGEBOX), which means that the
1024 cell is marked red and wxMessageBox is shown. This is more user-friendly
4c51a665 1025 than the old behaviour, which simply beeped and prevented leaving the
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1026 property editor until a valid value was entered.
1027
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1028 - wxPropertyGridManager now has same Get/SetSelection() semantics as
1029 wxPropertyGrid.
1030
1031 - Various wxPropertyGridManager page-related functions now return pointer
1032 to the page object instead of index.
1033
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1034 - wxArrayEditorDialog used by wxArrayStringProperty and some sample
1035 properties has been renamed to wxPGArrayEditorDialog. Also, it now uses
1036 wxEditableListBox for editing.
1037
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1038 - Instead of calling wxPropertyGrid::SetButtonShortcut(), use
1039 wxPropertyGrid::SetActionTrigger(wxPG_ACTION_PRESS_BUTTON).
1040
1041 - wxPGProperty::GetCell() now returns a reference. AcquireCell() was removed.
1042
1043 - wxPGMultiButton::FinalizePosition() has been renamed to Finalize(),
1044 and it has slightly different argument list.
1045
1046 - wxPropertyGridEvent::HasProperty() is removed. You can use GetProperty()
1047 as immediate replacement when checking if event has a property.
1048
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1049 - "InlineHelp" property has been replaced with "Hint".
1050
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1051 - wxPropertyGrid::CanClose() has been removed. Call
1052 wxPropertyGridInterface::EditorValidate() instead.
1053
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1054 - wxPGProperty::SetFlag() has been moved to private API. This was done to
1055 underline the fact that it was not the preferred method to change a
1056 property's state since it never had any desired side-effects. ChangeFlag()
1057 still exists for those who really need to achieve the same effect.
1058
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1059 - wxArrayStringProperty default delimiter is now comma (','), and it can
1060 be changed by setting the new "Delimiter" attribute.
1061
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1062@subsection propgrid_compat_propdev Property and Editor Sub-classing Changes
1063
1064 - Confusing custom property macros have been eliminated.
1065
1066 - Implement wxPGProperty::ValueToString() instead of GetValueAsString().
1067
1068 - wxPGProperty::ChildChanged() must now return the modified value of
1069 whole property instead of writing it back into 'thisValue' argument.
1070
1071 - Removed wxPropertyGrid::PrepareValueForDialogEditing(). Use
1072 wxPropertyGrid::GetPendingEditedValue() instead.
1073
1074 - wxPGProperty::GetChoiceInfo() is removed, as all properties now carry
1075 wxPGChoices instance (protected wxPGProperty::m_choices).
1076
1077 - Connect() should no longer be called in implementations of
1078 wxPGEditor::CreateControls(). wxPropertyGrid automatically passes all
1079 events from editor to wxPGEditor::OnEvent() and wxPGProperty::OnEvent(),
1080 as appropriate.
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1081
1082 - wxPython: Previously some of the reimplemented member functions needed a
1083 'Py' prefix. This is no longer necessary. For instance, if you previously
1084 implemented PyStringToValue() for your custom property, you should now
1085 just implement StringToValue().
8622887c 1086*/