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