docs/latex/wx/tdelwin.tex

   1 \section{Window deletion overview}\label{windowdeletionoverview}
   2
   3 Classes: \helpref{wxCloseEvent}{wxcloseevent}, \helpref{wxWindow}{wxwindow}
   4
   5 Window deletion can be a confusing subject, so this overview is provided
   6 to help make it clear when and how you delete windows, or respond to user requests
   7 to close windows.
   8
   9 \wxheading{What is the sequence of events in a window deletion?}
  10
  11 When the user clicks on the system close button or system close command,
  12 in a frame or a dialog, wxWidgets calls \helpref{wxWindow::Close}{wxwindowclose}. This
  13 in turn generates an EVT\_CLOSE event: see \helpref{wxCloseEvent}{wxcloseevent}.
  14
  15 It is the duty of the application to define a suitable event handler, and
  16 decide whether or not to destroy the window.
  17 If the application is for some reason forcing the application to close
  18 (\helpref{wxCloseEvent::CanVeto}{wxcloseeventcanveto} returns false), the window should always be destroyed, otherwise there is the option to
  19 ignore the request, or maybe wait until the user has answered a question
  20 before deciding whether it is safe to close. The handler for EVT\_CLOSE should
  21 signal to the calling code if it does not destroy the window, by calling
  22 \helpref{wxCloseEvent::Veto}{wxcloseeventveto}. Calling this provides useful information
  23 to the calling code.
  24
  25 The wxCloseEvent handler should only call \helpref{wxWindow::Destroy}{wxwindowdestroy} to
  26 delete the window, and not use the {\bf delete} operator. This is because
  27 for some window classes, wxWidgets delays actual deletion of the window until all events have been processed,
  28 since otherwise there is the danger that events will be sent to a non-existent window.
  29
  30 As reinforced in the next section, calling Close does not guarantee that the window
  31 will be destroyed. Call \helpref{wxWindow::Destroy}{wxwindowdestroy} if you want to be
  32 certain that the window is destroyed.
  33
  34 \wxheading{How can the application close a window itself?}
  35
  36 Your application can either use \helpref{wxWindow::Close}{wxwindowclose} event just as
  37 the framework does, or it can call \helpref{wxWindow::Destroy}{wxwindowdestroy} directly.
  38 If using Close(), you can pass a true argument to this function to tell the event handler
  39 that we definitely want to delete the frame and it cannot be vetoed.
  40
  41 The advantage of using Close instead of Destroy is that it will call any clean-up code
  42 defined by the EVT\_CLOSE handler; for example it may close a document contained in
  43 a window after first asking the user whether the work should be saved. Close can be vetoed
  44 by this process (return false), whereas Destroy definitely destroys the window.
  45
  46 \wxheading{What is the default behaviour?}
  47
  48 The default close event handler for wxDialog simulates a Cancel command,
  49 generating a wxID\_CANCEL event. Since the handler for this cancel event might
  50 itself call {\bf Close}, there is a check for infinite looping. The default handler
  51 for wxID\_CANCEL hides the dialog (if modeless) or calls EndModal(wxID\_CANCEL) (if modal).
  52 In other words, by default, the dialog {\it is not destroyed} (it might have been created
  53 on the stack, so the assumption of dynamic creation cannot be made).
  54
  55 The default close event handler for wxFrame destroys the frame using Destroy().
  56
  57 \wxheading{What should I do when the user calls up Exit from a menu?}
  58
  59 You can simply call \helpref{wxWindow::Close}{wxwindowclose} on the frame. This
  60 will invoke your own close event handler which may destroy the frame.
  61
  62 You can do checking to see if your application can be safely exited at this point,
  63 either from within your close event handler, or from within your exit menu command
  64 handler. For example, you may wish to check that all files have been saved.
  65 Give the user a chance to save and quit, to not save but quit anyway, or to cancel
  66 the exit command altogether.
  67
  68 \wxheading{What should I do to upgrade my 1.xx OnClose to 2.0?}
  69
  70 In wxWidgets 1.xx, the {\bf OnClose} function did not actually delete 'this', but signaled
  71 to the calling function (either {\bf Close}, or the wxWidgets framework) to delete
  72 or not delete the window.
  73
  74 To update your code, you should provide an event table entry in your frame or
  75 dialog, using the EVT\_CLOSE macro. The event handler function might look like this:
  76
  77 {\small%
  78 \begin{verbatim}
  79   void MyFrame::OnCloseWindow(wxCloseEvent& event)
  80   {
  81     if (MyDataHasBeenModified())
  82     {
  83       wxMessageDialog* dialog = new wxMessageDialog(this,
  84         "Save changed data?", "My app", wxYES_NO|wxCANCEL);
  85
  86       int ans = dialog->ShowModal();
  87       dialog->Destroy();
  88
  89       switch (ans)
  90       {
  91         case wxID_YES:      // Save, then destroy, quitting app
  92           SaveMyData();
  93           this->Destroy();
  94           break;
  95         case wxID_NO:       // Don't save; just destroy, quitting app
  96           this->Destroy();
  97           break;
  98         case wxID_CANCEL:   // Do nothing - so don't quit app.
  99         default:
 100           if (!event.CanVeto()) // Test if we can veto this deletion
 101             this->Destroy();    // If not, destroy the window anyway.
 102           else
 103             event.Veto();     // Notify the calling code that we didn't delete the frame.
 104           break;
 105       }
 106     }
 107   }
 108 \end{verbatim}
 109 }%
 110
 111 \wxheading{How do I exit the application gracefully?}
 112
 113 A wxWidgets application automatically exits when the last top level window
 114 (\helpref{wxFrame}{wxframe} or \helpref{wxDialog}{wxdialog}), is destroyed. Put
 115 any application-wide cleanup code in \helpref{wxApp::OnExit}{wxapponexit} (this
 116 is a virtual function, not an event handler).
 117
 118 \wxheading{Do child windows get deleted automatically?}
 119
 120 Yes, child windows are deleted from within the parent destructor. This includes any children
 121 that are themselves frames or dialogs, so you may wish to close these child frame or dialog windows
 122 explicitly from within the parent close handler.
 123
 124 \wxheading{What about other kinds of window?}
 125
 126 So far we've been talking about `managed' windows, i.e. frames and dialogs. Windows
 127 with parents, such as controls, don't have delayed destruction and don't usually have
 128 close event handlers, though you can implement them if you wish. For consistency,
 129 continue to use the \helpref{wxWindow::Destroy}{wxwindowdestroy} function instead
 130 of the {\bf delete} operator when deleting these kinds of windows explicitly.
 131