General: GDK 2 Reference Manual

## General General — Library initialization and miscellaneous functions |

## Functions

void | gdk_init ()
gboolean | gdk_init_check ()
void | gdk_parse_args ()
const gchar * | gdk_get_display_arg_name ()
gchar * | gdk_set_locale ()
void | gdk_set_sm_client_id ()
void | gdk_exit ()
void | gdk_notify_startup_complete ()
void | gdk_notify_startup_complete_with_id ()
const char * | gdk_get_program_class ()
void | gdk_set_program_class ()
gchar * | gdk_get_display ()
void | gdk_flush ()
gint | gdk_screen_width ()
gint | gdk_screen_height ()
gint | gdk_screen_width_mm ()
gint | gdk_screen_height_mm ()
GdkGrabStatus | gdk_pointer_grab ()
void | gdk_pointer_ungrab ()
gboolean | gdk_pointer_is_grabbed ()
void | gdk_set_double_click_time ()
GdkGrabStatus | gdk_keyboard_grab ()
void | gdk_keyboard_ungrab ()
void | gdk_beep ()
gboolean | gdk_get_use_xshm ()
void | gdk_set_use_xshm ()
void | gdk_error_trap_push ()
gint | gdk_error_trap_pop ()

## Types and Values

enum | GdkGrabStatus
#define | GDK_WINDOWING_X11

## Includes

    #include <gdk/gdk.h>

## Description

This section describes the GDK initialization functions and miscellaneous utility functions.

## Functions

### gdk_init ()

    void
    gdk_init (gint *argc,
              gchar ***argv);

Initializes the GDK library and connects to the X server. If initialization fails, a warning message is output and the application terminates with a call to `exit(1)`.

Any arguments used by GDK are removed from the array and `argc` and `argv` are updated accordingly.

GTK+ initializes GDK in `gtk_init()` and so this function is not usually needed by GTK+ applications.

#### Parameters

argc | . | [inout]
argv | . | [array length=argc][inout]

### gdk_init_check ()

    gboolean
    gdk_init_check (gint *argc,
                    gchar ***argv);

Initialize the library for use.

Arguments: "argc" is the number of arguments. "argv" is an array of strings.

Results: "argc" and "argv" are modified to reflect any arguments which were not handled. (Such arguments should either be handled by the application or dismissed). If initialization fails, returns FALSE, otherwise TRUE.

Side effects: The library is initialized.

--------------------------------------------------------------

Initializes the GDK library and connects to the X server, returning `TRUE` on success.

Any arguments used by GDK are removed from the array and `argc` and `argv` are updated accordingly.

GTK+ initializes GDK in `gtk_init()` and so this function is not usually needed by GTK+ applications.

#### Parameters

argc | . | [inout]
argv | . | [array length=argc][inout]

#### Returns

`TRUE` if initialization succeeded.

### gdk_parse_args ()

    void
    gdk_parse_args (gint *argc,
                    gchar ***argv);

Parse command line arguments, and store for future use by calls to `gdk_display_open()`.

Any arguments used by GDK are removed from the array and `argc` and `argv` are updated accordingly.

You shouldn't call this function explicitely if you are using `gtk_init()`, `gtk_init_check()`, `gdk_init()`, or `gdk_init_check()`.

#### Parameters

argc | the number of command line arguments. |
argv | the array of command line arguments. | [inout][array length=argc]

Since 2.2

### gdk_get_display_arg_name ()

    const gchar *
    gdk_get_display_arg_name (void);

Gets the display name specified in the command line arguments passed to `gdk_init()` or `gdk_parse_args()`, if any.

#### Returns

the display name, if specified explicitely, otherwise `NULL` this string is owned by GTK+ and must not be modified or freed.

Since 2.2

### gdk_set_locale ()

    gchar *
    gdk_set_locale (void);

`gdk_set_locale` has been deprecated since version 2.24 and should not be used in newly-written code.

Use `setlocale()` directly

Initializes the support for internationalization by calling the ``setlocale()`` system call. This function is called by `gtk_set_locale()` and so GTK+ applications should use that instead.

The locale to use is determined by the `LANG` environment variable, so to run an application in a certain locale you can do something like this:

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    export LANG="fr"
    ... run application ...

If the locale is not supported by X then it is reset to the standard "C" locale.

#### Returns

the resulting locale.

### gdk_set_sm_client_id ()

    void
    gdk_set_sm_client_id (const gchar *sm_client_id);

`gdk_set_sm_client_id` has been deprecated since version 2.24 and should not be used in newly-written code.

Use `gdk_x11_set_sm_client_id()` instead

Sets the `SM_CLIENT_ID` property on the application's leader window so that the window manager can save the application's state using the X11R6 ICCCM session management protocol.

See the X Session Management Library documentation for more information on session management and the Inter-Client Communication Conventions Manual (ICCCM) for information on the `WM_CLIENT_LEADER` property. (Both documents are part of the X Window System distribution.)

#### Parameters

sm_client_id | the client id assigned by the session manager when the connection was opened, or `NULL` to remove the property. |

### gdk_exit ()

    void
    gdk_exit (gint error_code);

`gdk_exit` is deprecated and should not be used in newly-written code.

Exits the application using the ``exit()`` system call.

This routine is provided mainly for backwards compatibility, since it used to perform tasks necessary to exit the application cleanly. Those tasks are now performed in a function which is automatically called on exit (via the use of `g_atexit()`).

#### Parameters

error_code | the error code to pass to the ``exit()`` call. |

### gdk_notify_startup_complete ()

    void
    gdk_notify_startup_complete (void);

Indicates to the GUI environment that the application has finished loading. If the applications opens windows, this function is normally called after opening the application's initial set of windows.

GTK+ will call this function automatically after opening the first GtkWindow unless `gtk_window_set_auto_startup_notification()` is called to disable that feature.

Since 2.2

### gdk_notify_startup_complete_with_id ()

    void
    gdk_notify_startup_complete_with_id (const gchar *startup_id);

Indicates to the GUI environment that the application has finished loading, using a given identifier.

GTK+ will call this function automatically for GtkWindow with custom startup-notification identifier unless `gtk_window_set_auto_startup_notification()` is called to disable that feature.

#### Parameters

startup_id | a startup-notification identifier, for which notification process should be completed |

Since 2.12

### gdk_get_program_class ()

    const char *
    gdk_get_program_class (void);

`gdk_get_program_class` is deprecated and should not be used in newly-written code.

Gets the program class. Unless the program class has explicitly been set with `gdk_set_program_class()` or with the `--class` commandline option, the default value is the program name (determined with `g_get_prgname()`) with the first character converted to uppercase.

#### Returns

the program class.

### gdk_set_program_class ()

    void
    gdk_set_program_class (const char *program_class);

Sets the program class. The X11 backend uses the program class to set the class name part of the `WM_CLASS` property on toplevel windows; see the ICCCM.

#### Parameters

program_class | a string. |

### gdk_get_display ()

    gchar *
    gdk_get_display (void);

`gdk_get_display` is deprecated and should not be used in newly-written code.

Gets the name of the display, which usually comes from the `DISPLAY` environment variable or the `--display` command line option.

#### Returns

the name of the display.

### gdk_flush ()

    void
    gdk_flush (void);

Flushes the X output buffer and waits until all requests have been processed by the server. This is rarely needed by applications. It's main use is for trapping X errors with `gdk_error_trap_push()` and `gdk_error_trap_pop()`.

### gdk_screen_width ()

    gint
    gdk_screen_width (void);

Returns the width of the default screen in pixels.

#### Returns

the width of the default screen in pixels.

### gdk_screen_height ()

    gint
    gdk_screen_height (void);

Returns the height of the default screen in pixels.

#### Returns

the height of the default screen in pixels.

### gdk_screen_width_mm ()

    gint
    gdk_screen_width_mm (void);

Returns the width of the default screen in millimeters. Note that on many X servers this value will not be correct.

#### Returns

the width of the default screen in millimeters, though it is not always correct.

### gdk_screen_height_mm ()

    gint
    gdk_screen_height_mm (void);

Returns the height of the default screen in millimeters. Note that on many X servers this value will not be correct.

#### Returns

the height of the default screen in millimeters, though it is not always correct.

### gdk_pointer_grab ()

    GdkGrabStatus
    gdk_pointer_grab (GdkWindow *window,
                      gboolean owner_events,
                      GdkEventMask event_mask,
                      GdkWindow *confine_to,
                      GdkCursor *cursor,
                      guint32 time_);

`gdk_pointer_grab` is deprecated and should not be used in newly-written code.

Grabs the pointer (usually a mouse) so that all events are passed to this application until the pointer is ungrabbed with `gdk_pointer_ungrab()`, or the grab window becomes unviewable. This overrides any previous pointer grab by this client.

Pointer grabs are used for operations which need complete control over mouse events, even if the mouse leaves the application. For example in GTK+ it is used for Drag and Drop, for dragging the handle in the GtkHPaned and GtkVPaned widgets, and for resizing columns in GtkCList widgets.

Note that if the event mask of an X window has selected both button press and button release events, then a button press event will cause an automatic pointer grab until the button is released. X does this automatically since most applications expect to receive button press and release events in pairs. It is equivalent to a pointer grab on the window with `owner_events` set to `TRUE`.

If you set up anything at the time you take the grab that needs to be cleaned up when the grab ends, you should handle the GdkEventGrabBroken events that are emitted when the grab ends unvoluntarily.

#### Parameters

window | the GdkWindow which will own the grab (the grab window). |
owner_events | if `FALSE` then all pointer events are reported with respect to `window` and are only reported if selected by `event_mask` . If `TRUE` then pointer events for this application are reported as normal, but pointer events outside this application are reported with respect to `window` and only if selected by `event_mask` . In either mode, unreported events are discarded. |
event_mask | specifies the event mask, which is used in accordance with `owner_events` . Note that only pointer events (i.e. button and motion events) may be selected. |
confine_to | If non-`NULL`, the pointer will be confined to this window during the grab. If the pointer is outside `confine_to` , it will automatically be moved to the closest edge of `confine_to` and enter and leave events will be generated as necessary. |
cursor | the cursor to display while the grab is active. If this is `NULL` then the normal cursors are used for `window` and its descendants, and the cursor for `window` is used for all other windows. |
time_ | the timestamp of the event which led to this pointer grab. This usually comes from a GdkEventButton struct, though `GDK_CURRENT_TIME` can be used if the time isn't known. |

#### Returns

`GDK_GRAB_SUCCESS` if the grab was successful.

### gdk_pointer_ungrab ()

    void
    gdk_pointer_ungrab (guint32 time_);

Ungrabs the pointer on the default display, if it is grabbed by this application.

#### Parameters

time_ | a timestamp from a GdkEvent, or `GDK_CURRENT_TIME` if no timestamp is available. |

### gdk_pointer_is_grabbed ()

    gboolean
    gdk_pointer_is_grabbed (void);

Returns `TRUE` if the pointer on the default display is currently grabbed by this application.

Note that this does not take the inmplicit pointer grab on button presses into account.

#### Returns

`TRUE` if the pointer is currently grabbed by this application.*

### gdk_set_double_click_time ()

    void
    gdk_set_double_click_time (guint msec);

Set the double click time for the default display. See `gdk_display_set_double_click_time()`. See also `gdk_display_set_double_click_distance()`. Applications should not set this, it is a global user-configured setting.

#### Parameters

msec | double click time in milliseconds (thousandths of a second) |

### gdk_keyboard_grab ()

    GdkGrabStatus
    gdk_keyboard_grab (GdkWindow *window,
                       gboolean owner_events,
                       guint32 time_);

Grabs the keyboard so that all events are passed to this application until the keyboard is ungrabbed with `gdk_keyboard_ungrab()`. This overrides any previous keyboard grab by this client.

If you set up anything at the time you take the grab that needs to be cleaned up when the grab ends, you should handle the GdkEventGrabBroken events that are emitted when the grab ends unvoluntarily.

#### Parameters

window | the GdkWindow which will own the grab (the grab window). |
owner_events | if `FALSE` then all keyboard events are reported with respect to `window` . If `TRUE` then keyboard events for this application are reported as normal, but keyboard events outside this application are reported with respect to `window` . Both key press and key release events are always reported, independant of the event mask set by the application. |
time_ | a timestamp from a GdkEvent, or `GDK_CURRENT_TIME` if no timestamp is available. |

#### Returns

`GDK_GRAB_SUCCESS` if the grab was successful.

### gdk_keyboard_ungrab ()

    void
    gdk_keyboard_ungrab (guint32 time_);

Ungrabs the keyboard on the default display, if it is grabbed by this application.

#### Parameters

time_ | a timestamp from a GdkEvent, or `GDK_CURRENT_TIME` if no timestamp is available. |

### gdk_beep ()

    void
    gdk_beep (void);

Emits a short beep on the default display.

### gdk_get_use_xshm ()

    gboolean
    gdk_get_use_xshm (void);

`gdk_get_use_xshm` is deprecated and should not be used in newly-written code.

Returns `TRUE` if GDK will attempt to use the MIT-SHM shared memory extension.

The shared memory extension is used for GdkImage, and consequently for GdkRGB. It enables much faster drawing by communicating with the X server through SYSV shared memory calls. However, it can only be used if the X client and server are on the same machine and the server supports it.

#### Returns

`TRUE` if use of the MIT shared memory extension will be attempted.

### gdk_set_use_xshm ()

    void
    gdk_set_use_xshm (gboolean use_xshm);

`gdk_set_use_xshm` is deprecated and should not be used in newly-written code.

Sets whether the use of the MIT shared memory extension should be attempted. This function is mainly for internal use. It is only safe for an application to set this to `FALSE`, since if it is set to `TRUE` and the server does not support the extension it may cause warning messages to be output.

#### Parameters

use_xshm | `TRUE` if use of the MIT shared memory extension should be attempted. |

### gdk_error_trap_push ()

    void
    gdk_error_trap_push (void);

This function allows X errors to be trapped instead of the normal behavior of exiting the application. It should only be used if it is not possible to avoid the X error in any other way.

Example 1. Trapping an X error

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    gdk_error_trap_push ();
    /* ... Call the X function which may cause an error here ... */
    /* Flush the X queue to catch errors now. */
    gdk_flush ();
    if (gdk_error_trap_pop ())
      {
        /* ... Handle the error here ... */
      }

### gdk_error_trap_pop ()

    gint
    gdk_error_trap_pop (void);

Removes the X error trap installed with `gdk_error_trap_push()`.

#### Returns

the X error code, or 0 if no error occurred.

## Types and Values

### enum GdkGrabStatus

Returned by `gdk_pointer_grab()` and `gdk_keyboard_grab()` to indicate success or the reason for the failure of the grab attempt.

#### Members

GDK_GRAB_SUCCESS | the resource was successfully grabbed. |
GDK_GRAB_ALREADY_GRABBED | the resource is actively grabbed by another client. |
GDK_GRAB_INVALID_TIME | the resource was grabbed more recently than the specified time. |
GDK_GRAB_NOT_VIEWABLE | the grab window or the `confine_to` window are not viewable. |
GDK_GRAB_FROZEN | the resource is frozen by an active grab of another client. |

### GDK_WINDOWING_X11

    #define GDK_WINDOWING_X11

This macro is defined if GDK is configured to use the X11 backend.