docs/latex/wx/tdnd.tex

   1 \section{Drag-and-drop and clipboard overview}\label{wxdndoverview}
   2
   3 Classes: \helpref{wxDataObject}{wxdataobject},
   4 \helpref{wxTextDataObject}{wxtextdataobject},
   5 \helpref{wxDropSource}{wxdropsource},
   6 \helpref{wxDropTarget}{wxdroptarget},
   7 \helpref{wxTextDropTarget}{wxtextdroptarget},
   8 \helpref{wxFileDropTarget}{wxfiledroptarget}
   9
  10 Samples: see the dnd sample.
  11
  12 Headers: <wx/dataobj.h>, <wx/dropsrc.h and <wx/droptgt.h> or <wx/dnd.h>
  13 (note that wxUSE\_DRAG\_AND\_DROP must be defined in setup.h)
  14
  15 This overview describes wxWindows support for drag and drop and clipboard
  16 operations. Both of these topics are discussed here because, in fact, they're
  17 quite related. Drag and drop and clipboard are just two ways of passing the
  18 data around and so the code required to implement both types of the operations
  19 is almost the same.
  20
  21 Both operations involve passing some data from one program to another,
  22 although the data can be received in the same program as the source. In the case
  23 of clipboard transfer, the data is first placed on the clipboard and then
  24 pasted into the destination program, while for a drag-and-drop operation the
  25 data object is not stored anywhere but is created when the user starts
  26 dragging and is destroyed as soon as he ends it, whether the operation was
  27 ended successfully or cancelled.
  28
  29 To be a {\it drag source}, i.e. to provide the data which may be dragged by
  30 user elsewhere, you should implement the following steps:
  31
  32 \begin{itemize}\itemsep=0pt
  33 \item {\bf Preparation:} First of all, the data object must be created and
  34 initialized with the data you wish to drag. For example:
  35
  36 \begin{verbatim}
  37         wxTextDataObject data("This string will be dragged.");
  38 \end{verbatim}
  39
  40 Of course, the data object may contain arbitrary data of any type, but for
  41 this you should derive your own class from \helpref{wxDataObject}{wxdataobject} overriding all of its pure virtual
  42 functions.
  43
  44 \item{\bf Drag start:} To start dragging process (typically in response to a
  45 mouse click) you must call \helpref{DoDragDrop}{wxdropsourcedodragdrop} function
  46 of wxDropSource object which should be constructed like this:
  47
  48 \begin{verbatim}
  49         wxDropSource dragSource(data, this);
  50
  51         // or also:
  52
  53         wxDropSource dragSource(this);
  54         dragSource.SetData(data);
  55 \end{verbatim}
  56
  57 \item {\bf Dragging:} The call to DoDragDrop() blocks until the user release the
  58 mouse button (unless you override \helpref{GiveFeedback}{wxdropsourcegivefeedback} function
  59 to do something special). When the mouse moves in a window of a program which understands the
  60 same drag-and-drop protocol (any program under Windows or any program supporting XDnD protocol
  61 under X Windows), the corresponding \helpref{wxDropTarget}{wxdroptarget} methods
  62 are called - see below.
  63
  64 \item {\bf Processing the result:} DoDragDrop() returns an {\it effect code} which
  65 is one of the values of \helpref{wxDragResult}{wxdropsource} enum. Codes
  66 of wxDragError, wxDragNone and wxDragCancel have the obvious meaning and mean
  67 that there is nothing to do on the sending end (except of possibly logging the
  68 error in the first case). wxDragCopy means that the data has been successfully
  69 copied and doesn't require any specific actions neither. But wxDragMove is
  70 special because it means that the data must be deleted from where it was
  71 copied. If it doesn't make sense (dragging selected text from a read-only
  72 file) you should pass FALSE as parameter to DoDragDrop() in the previous step.
  73 \end{itemize}
  74
  75 To be a {\it drop target}, i.e. to receive the data dropped by user you should
  76 follow the instructions below:
  77
  78 \begin{itemize}\itemsep=0pt
  79 \item {\bf Initialization:} For a window to be drop target, it needs to have
  80 an associated \helpref{wxDropTarget}{wxdroptarget} object. Normally, you will
  81 call \helpref{wxWindow::SetDropTarget}{wxwindowsetdroptarget} during window
  82 creation associating you drop target with it. You must derive a class from
  83 wxDropTarget and override its pure virtual methods. Alternatively, you may
  84 derive from \helpref{wxTextDropTarget}{wxtextdroptarget} or
  85 \helpref{wxFileDropTarget}{wxfiledroptarget} and override their OnDropText()
  86 or OnDropFiles() method.
  87
  88 \item {\bf Drop:} When the user releases the mouse over a window, wxWindows
  89 queries the associated wxDropTarget object if it accepts the data. For
  90 this, \helpref{GetFormatCount}{wxdroptargetgetformatcount} and \helpref{GetFormat}{wxdroptargetgetformat} are
  91 used and if the format is
  92 supported (i.e. is one of returned by GetFormat()),
  93 then \helpref{OnDrop}{wxdroptargetondrop} is called.
  94 Otherwise, wxDragNone is returned by DoDragDrop() and
  95 nothing happens.
  96
  97 \item {\bf The end:} After processing the data, DoDragDrop() returns either
  98 wxDragCopy or wxDragMove depending on the state of the keys (<Ctrl>, <Shift>
  99 and <Alt>) at the moment of drop. There is currently no way for the drop
 100 target to change this return code.
 101 \end{itemize}
 102