GtkBuilder: GTK+ 2 Reference Manual

## GtkBuilder GtkBuilder — Build an interface from an XML UI definition |

## Functions

void | (*GtkBuilderConnectFunc) ()
GtkBuilder * | gtk_builder_new ()
guint | gtk_builder_add_from_file ()
guint | gtk_builder_add_from_string ()
guint | gtk_builder_add_objects_from_file ()
guint | gtk_builder_add_objects_from_string ()
GObject * | gtk_builder_get_object ()
GSList * | gtk_builder_get_objects ()
void | gtk_builder_connect_signals ()
void | gtk_builder_connect_signals_full ()
void | gtk_builder_set_translation_domain ()
const gchar * | gtk_builder_get_translation_domain ()
GType | gtk_builder_get_type_from_name ()
gboolean | gtk_builder_value_from_string ()
gboolean | gtk_builder_value_from_string_type ()
#define | GTK_BUILDER_WARN_INVALID_CHILD_TYPE()
#define | GTK_BUILDER_ERROR

## Properties

gchar * | translation-domain | Read / Write

## Types and Values

struct | GtkBuilder
enum | GtkBuilderError

## Object Hierarchy

        GObject
        ╰── GtkBuilder

## Includes

    #include <gtk/gtk.h>

## Description

A GtkBuilder is an auxiliary object that reads textual descriptions of a user interface and instantiates the described objects. To pass a description to a GtkBuilder, call `gtk_builder_add_from_file()` or `gtk_builder_add_from_string()`. These functions can be called multiple times; the builder merges the content of all descriptions.

A GtkBuilder holds a reference to all objects that it has constructed and drops these references when it is finalized. This finalization can cause the destruction of non-widget objects or widgets which are not contained in a toplevel window. For toplevel windows constructed by a builder, it is the responsibility of the user to call `gtk_widget_destroy()` to get rid of them and all the widgets they contain.

The functions `gtk_builder_get_object()` and `gtk_builder_get_objects()` can be used to access the widgets in the interface by the names assigned to them inside the UI description. Toplevel windows returned by these functions will stay around until the user explicitly destroys them with `gtk_widget_destroy()`. Other widgets will either be part of a larger hierarchy constructed by the builder (in which case you should not have to worry about their lifecycle), or without a parent, in which case they have to be added to some container to make use of them. Non-widget objects need to be reffed with `g_object_ref()` to keep them beyond the lifespan of the builder.

The function `gtk_builder_connect_signals()` and variants thereof can be used to connect handlers to the named signals in the description.

### GtkBuilder UI Definitions

GtkBuilder parses textual descriptions of user interfaces which are specified in an XML format which can be roughly described by the DTD below. We refer to these descriptions as GtkBuilder UI definitions or just UI definitions if the context is clear. Do not confuse GtkBuilder UI Definitions with GtkUIManager UI Definitions, which are more limited in scope.

    <!ELEMENT interface (requires|object)* >
    <!ELEMENT object    (property|signal|child|ANY)* >
    <!ELEMENT property  PCDATA >
    <!ELEMENT signal    EMPTY >
    <!ELEMENT requires  EMPTY >
    <!ELEMENT child     (object|ANY*) >
    <!ATTLIST interface  domain         	    #IMPLIED >
    <!ATTLIST object     id             	    #REQUIRED
                         class          	    #REQUIRED
                         type-func      	    #IMPLIED
                         constructor    	    #IMPLIED >
    <!ATTLIST requires   lib             	    #REQUIRED
                         version          	    #REQUIRED >
    <!ATTLIST property   name           	    #REQUIRED
                         translatable   	    #IMPLIED
                         comments               #IMPLIED
                         context                #IMPLIED >
    <!ATTLIST signal     name           	    #REQUIRED
                         handler        	    #REQUIRED
                         after          	    #IMPLIED
                         swapped        	    #IMPLIED
                         object         	    #IMPLIED
                         last_modification_time #IMPLIED >
    <!ATTLIST child      type           	    #IMPLIED
                         internal-child 	    #IMPLIED >

The toplevel element is <interface>. It optionally takes a "domain" attribute, which will make the builder look for translated strings using `dgettext()` in the domain specified. This can also be done by calling `gtk_builder_set_translation_domain()` on the builder. Objects are described by <object> elements, which can contain <property> elements to set properties, <signal> elements which connect signals to handlers, and <child> elements, which describe child objects (most often widgets inside a container, but also e.g. actions in an action group, or columns in a tree model). A <child> element contains an <object> element which describes the child object. The target toolkit version(s) are described by <requires> elements, the "lib" attribute specifies the widget library in question (currently the only supported value is "gtk+") and the "version" attribute specifies the target version in the form "<major>.<minor>". The builder will error out if the version requirements are not met.

Typically, the specific kind of object represented by an <object> element is specified by the "class" attribute. If the type has not been loaded yet, GTK+ tries to find the ``_get_type()`` from the class name by applying heuristics. This works in most cases, but if necessary, it is possible to specify the name of the ``_get_type()`` explictly with the "type-func" attribute. As a special case, GtkBuilder allows to use an object that has been constructed by a GtkUIManager in another part of the UI definition by specifying the id of the GtkUIManager in the "constructor" attribute and the name of the object in the "id" attribute.

Objects must be given a name with the "id" attribute, which allows the application to retrieve them from the builder with `gtk_builder_get_object()`. An id is also necessary to use the object as property value in other parts of the UI definition.

Prior to 2.20, GtkBuilder was setting the "name" property of constructed widgets to the "id" attribute. In GTK+ 2.20 or newer, you have to use `gtk_buildable_get_name()` instead of `gtk_widget_get_name()` to obtain the "id", or set the "name" property in your UI definition.

Setting properties of objects is pretty straightforward with the <property> element: the "name" attribute specifies the name of the property, and the content of the element specifies the value. If the "translatable" attribute is set to a true value, GTK+ uses `gettext()` (or `dgettext()` if the builder has a translation domain set) to find a translation for the value. This happens before the value is parsed, so it can be used for properties of any type, but it is probably most useful for string properties. It is also possible to specify a context to disambiguate short strings, and comments which may help the translators.

GtkBuilder can parse textual representations for the most common property types: characters, strings, integers, floating-point numbers, booleans (strings like "TRUE", "t", "yes", "y", "1" are interpreted as `TRUE`, strings like "FALSE, "f", "no", "n", "0" are interpreted as `FALSE`), enumerations (can be specified by their name, nick or integer value), flags (can be specified by their name, nick, integer value, optionally combined with "|", e.g. "GTK_VISIBLE|GTK_REALIZED") and colors (in a format understood by `gdk_color_parse()`). Objects can be referred to by their name. Pixbufs can be specified as a filename of an image file to load. In general, GtkBuilder allows forward references to objects — an object doesn't have to constructed before it can be referred to. The exception to this rule is that an object has to be constructed before it can be used as the value of a construct-only property.

Signal handlers are set up with the <signal> element. The "name" attribute specifies the name of the signal, and the "handler" attribute specifies the function to connect to the signal. By default, GTK+ tries to find the handler using `g_module_symbol()`, but this can be changed by passing a custom GtkBuilderConnectFunc to `gtk_builder_connect_signals_full()`. The remaining attributes, "after", "swapped" and "object", have the same meaning as the corresponding parameters of the `g_signal_connect_object()` or `g_signal_connect_data()` functions. A "last_modification_time" attribute is also allowed, but it does not have a meaning to the builder.

Sometimes it is necessary to refer to widgets which have implicitly been constructed by GTK+ as part of a composite widget, to set properties on them or to add further children (e.g. the `vbox` of a GtkDialog). This can be achieved by setting the "internal-child" propery of the <child> element to a true value. Note that GtkBuilder still requires an <object> element for the internal child, even if it has already been constructed.

A number of widgets have different places where a child can be added (e.g. tabs vs. page content in notebooks). This can be reflected in a UI definition by specifying the "type" attribute on a <child> The possible values for the "type" attribute are described in the sections describing the widget-specific portions of UI definitions.

Example 61. A GtkBuilder UI Definition

    1
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    <interface>
      <object class="GtkDialog" id="dialog1">
        <child internal-child="vbox">
          <object class="GtkVBox" id="vbox1">
            <property name="border-width">10</property>
            <child internal-child="action_area">
              <object class="GtkHButtonBox" id="hbuttonbox1">
                <property name="border-width">20</property>
                <child>
                  <object class="GtkButton" id="ok_button">
                    <property name="label">gtk-ok</property>
                    <property name="use-stock">TRUE</property>
                    <signal name="clicked" handler="ok_button_clicked"/>
                  </object>
                </child>
              </object>
            </child>
          </object>
        </child>
      </object>
    </interface>

Beyond this general structure, several object classes define their own XML DTD fragments for filling in the ANY placeholders in the DTD above. Note that a custom element in a <child> element gets parsed by the custom tag handler of the parent object, while a custom element in an <object> element gets parsed by the custom tag handler of the object.

These XML fragments are explained in the documentation of the respective objects, see GtkWidget, GtkLabel, GtkWindow, GtkContainer, GtkDialog, GtkCellLayout, GtkColorSelectionDialog, GtkFontSelectionDialog, GtkComboBoxEntry, GtkExpander, GtkFrame, GtkListStore, GtkTreeStore, GtkNotebook, GtkSizeGroup, GtkTreeView, GtkUIManager, GtkActionGroup. GtkMenuItem, GtkAssistant, GtkScale.

## Functions

### GtkBuilderConnectFunc ()

    void
    (*GtkBuilderConnectFunc) (GtkBuilder *builder,
                              GObject *object,
                              const gchar *signal_name,
                              const gchar *handler_name,
                              GObject *connect_object,
                              GConnectFlags flags,
                              gpointer user_data);

This is the signature of a function used to connect signals. It is used by the `gtk_builder_connect_signals()` and `gtk_builder_connect_signals_full()` methods. It is mainly intended for interpreted language bindings, but could be useful where the programmer wants more control over the signal connection process.

#### Parameters

builder | a GtkBuilder |
object | object to connect a signal to |
signal_name | name of the signal |
handler_name | name of the handler |
connect_object | a GObject, if non-`NULL`, use `g_signal_connect_object()` |
flags | GConnectFlags to use |
user_data | user data |

Since 2.12

### gtk_builder_new ()

    GtkBuilder *
    gtk_builder_new (void);

Creates a new builder object.

#### Returns

a new GtkBuilder object

Since 2.12

### gtk_builder_add_from_file ()

    guint
    gtk_builder_add_from_file (GtkBuilder *builder,
                               const gchar *filename,
                               GError **error);

Parses a file containing a GtkBuilder UI definition and merges it with the current contents of `builder` .

Upon errors 0 will be returned and `error` will be assigned a GError from the GTK_BUILDER_ERROR, G_MARKUP_ERROR or G_FILE_ERROR domain.

#### Parameters

builder | a GtkBuilder |
filename | the name of the file to parse |
error | return location for an error, or `NULL`. | [allow-none]

#### Returns

A positive value on success, 0 if an error occurred

Since 2.12

### gtk_builder_add_from_string ()

    guint
    gtk_builder_add_from_string (GtkBuilder *builder,
                                 const gchar *buffer,
                                 gsize length,
                                 GError **error);

Parses a string containing a GtkBuilder UI definition and merges it with the current contents of `builder` .

Upon errors 0 will be returned and `error` will be assigned a GError from the GTK_BUILDER_ERROR or G_MARKUP_ERROR domain.

#### Parameters

builder | a GtkBuilder |
buffer | the string to parse |
length | the length of `buffer` (may be -1 if `buffer` is nul-terminated) |
error | return location for an error, or `NULL`. | [allow-none]

#### Returns

A positive value on success, 0 if an error occurred

Since 2.12

### gtk_builder_add_objects_from_file ()

    guint
    gtk_builder_add_objects_from_file (GtkBuilder *builder,
                                       const gchar *filename,
                                       gchar **object_ids,
                                       GError **error);

Parses a file containing a GtkBuilder UI definition building only the requested objects and merges them with the current contents of `builder` .

Upon errors 0 will be returned and `error` will be assigned a GError from the GTK_BUILDER_ERROR, G_MARKUP_ERROR or G_FILE_ERROR domain.

If you are adding an object that depends on an object that is not its child (for instance a GtkTreeView that depends on its GtkTreeModel), you have to explicitely list all of them in `object_ids`.

#### Parameters

builder | a GtkBuilder |
filename | the name of the file to parse |
object_ids | nul-terminated array of objects to build |
error | return location for an error, or `NULL`. | [allow-none]

#### Returns

A positive value on success, 0 if an error occurred

Since 2.14

### gtk_builder_add_objects_from_string ()

    guint
    gtk_builder_add_objects_from_string (GtkBuilder *builder,
                                         const gchar *buffer,
                                         gsize length,
                                         gchar **object_ids,
                                         GError **error);

Parses a string containing a GtkBuilder UI definition building only the requested objects and merges them with the current contents of `builder` .

Upon errors 0 will be returned and `error` will be assigned a GError from the GTK_BUILDER_ERROR or G_MARKUP_ERROR domain.

If you are adding an object that depends on an object that is not its child (for instance a GtkTreeView that depends on its GtkTreeModel), you have to explicitely list all of them in `object_ids`.

#### Parameters

builder | a GtkBuilder |
buffer | the string to parse |
length | the length of `buffer` (may be -1 if `buffer` is nul-terminated) |
object_ids | nul-terminated array of objects to build |
error | return location for an error, or `NULL`. | [allow-none]

#### Returns

A positive value on success, 0 if an error occurred

Since 2.14

### gtk_builder_get_object ()

    GObject *
    gtk_builder_get_object (GtkBuilder *builder,
                            const gchar *name);

Gets the object named `name` . Note that this function does not increment the reference count of the returned object.

#### Parameters

builder | a GtkBuilder |
name | name of object to get |

#### Returns

the object named `name` or `NULL` if it could not be found in the object tree.

[transfer none]

Since 2.12

### gtk_builder_get_objects ()

    GSList *
    gtk_builder_get_objects (GtkBuilder *builder);

Gets all objects that have been constructed by `builder` . Note that this function does not increment the reference counts of the returned objects.

#### Parameters

builder | a GtkBuilder |

#### Returns

a newly-allocated GSList containing all the objects constructed by the GtkBuilder instance. It should be freed by `g_slist_free()`.

[element-type GObject][transfer container]

Since 2.12

### gtk_builder_connect_signals ()

    void
    gtk_builder_connect_signals (GtkBuilder *builder,
                                 gpointer user_data);

This method is a simpler variation of `gtk_builder_connect_signals_full()`. It uses GModule's introspective features (by opening the module `NULL`) to look at the application's symbol table. From here it tries to match the signal handler names given in the interface description with symbols in the application and connects the signals.

Note that this function will not work correctly if GModule is not supported on the platform.

When compiling applications for Windows, you must declare signal callbacks with G_MODULE_EXPORT, or they will not be put in the symbol table. On Linux and Unices, this is not necessary; applications should instead be compiled with the -Wl,--export-dynamic CFLAGS, and linked against gmodule-export-2.0.

#### Parameters

builder | a GtkBuilder |
user_data | a pointer to a structure sent in as user data to all signals |

Since 2.12

### gtk_builder_connect_signals_full ()

    void
    gtk_builder_connect_signals_full (GtkBuilder *builder,
                                      GtkBuilderConnectFunc func,
                                      gpointer user_data);

This function can be thought of the interpreted language binding version of `gtk_builder_connect_signals()`, except that it does not require GModule to function correctly.

#### Parameters

builder | a GtkBuilder |
func | the function used to connect the signals. | [scope call]
user_data | arbitrary data that will be passed to the connection function |

Since 2.12

### gtk_builder_set_translation_domain ()

    void
    gtk_builder_set_translation_domain (GtkBuilder *builder,
                                        const gchar *domain);

Sets the translation domain of `builder` . See “translation-domain”.

#### Parameters

builder | a GtkBuilder |
domain | the translation domain or `NULL`. | [allow-none]

Since 2.12

### gtk_builder_get_translation_domain ()

    const gchar *
    gtk_builder_get_translation_domain (GtkBuilder *builder);

Gets the translation domain of `builder` .

#### Parameters

builder | a GtkBuilder |

#### Returns

the translation domain. This string is owned by the builder object and must not be modified or freed.

Since 2.12

### gtk_builder_get_type_from_name ()

    GType
    gtk_builder_get_type_from_name (GtkBuilder *builder,
                                    const char *type_name);

Looks up a type by name, using the virtual function that GtkBuilder has for that purpose. This is mainly used when implementing the GtkBuildable interface on a type.

#### Parameters

builder | a GtkBuilder |
type_name | type name to lookup |

#### Returns

the GType found for `type_name` or G_TYPE_INVALID if no type was found

Since 2.12

### gtk_builder_value_from_string ()

    gboolean
    gtk_builder_value_from_string (GtkBuilder *builder,
                                   GParamSpec *pspec,
                                   const gchar *string,
                                   GValue *value,
                                   GError **error);

This function demarshals a value from a string. This function calls `g_value_init()` on the `value` argument, so it need not be initialised beforehand.

This function can handle char, uchar, boolean, int, uint, long, ulong, enum, flags, float, double, string, GdkColor and GtkAdjustment type values. Support for GtkWidget type values is still to come.

Upon errors `FALSE` will be returned and `error` will be assigned a GError from the GTK_BUILDER_ERROR domain.

#### Parameters

builder | a GtkBuilder |
pspec | the GParamSpec for the property |
string | the string representation of the value |
value | the GValue to store the result in. | [out]
error | return location for an error, or `NULL`. | [allow-none]

#### Returns

`TRUE` on success

Since 2.12

### gtk_builder_value_from_string_type ()

    gboolean
    gtk_builder_value_from_string_type (GtkBuilder *builder,
                                        GType type,
                                        const gchar *string,
                                        GValue *value,
                                        GError **error);

Like `gtk_builder_value_from_string()`, this function demarshals a value from a string, but takes a GType instead of GParamSpec. This function calls `g_value_init()` on the `value` argument, so it need not be initialised beforehand.

Upon errors `FALSE` will be returned and `error` will be assigned a GError from the GTK_BUILDER_ERROR domain.

#### Parameters

builder | a GtkBuilder |
type | the GType of the value |
string | the string representation of the value |
value | the GValue to store the result in. | [out]
error | return location for an error, or `NULL`. | [allow-none]

#### Returns

`TRUE` on success

Since 2.12

### GTK_BUILDER_WARN_INVALID_CHILD_TYPE()

    #define             GTK_BUILDER_WARN_INVALID_CHILD_TYPE(object, type)

This macro should be used to emit a warning about and unexpected `type` value in a GtkBuildable add_child implementation.

#### Parameters

object | the GtkBuildable on which the warning ocurred |
type | the unexpected type value |

### GTK_BUILDER_ERROR

    #define GTK_BUILDER_ERROR                (gtk_builder_error_quark ())

The GError quark for GtkBuilder errors

## Types and Values

### struct GtkBuilder

    struct GtkBuilder;

### enum GtkBuilderError

Error codes that identify various errors that can occur while using GtkBuilder.

#### Members

GTK_BUILDER_ERROR_INVALID_TYPE_FUNCTION | A type-func attribute didn't name a function that returns a GType. |
GTK_BUILDER_ERROR_UNHANDLED_TAG | The input contained a tag that GtkBuilder can't handle. |
GTK_BUILDER_ERROR_MISSING_ATTRIBUTE | An attribute that is required by GtkBuilder was missing. |
GTK_BUILDER_ERROR_INVALID_ATTRIBUTE | GtkBuilder found an attribute that it doesn't understand. |
GTK_BUILDER_ERROR_INVALID_TAG | GtkBuilder found a tag that it doesn't understand. |
GTK_BUILDER_ERROR_MISSING_PROPERTY_VALUE | A required property value was missing. |
GTK_BUILDER_ERROR_INVALID_VALUE | GtkBuilder couldn't parse some attribute value. |
GTK_BUILDER_ERROR_VERSION_MISMATCH | The input file requires a newer version of GTK+. |
GTK_BUILDER_ERROR_DUPLICATE_ID | An object id occurred twice. |

## Property Details

### The `“translation-domain”` property

      “translation-domain”       gchar *

The translation domain used when translating property values that have been marked as translatable in interface descriptions. If the translation domain is `NULL`, GtkBuilder uses `gettext()`, otherwise `g_dgettext()`.

Flags: Read / Write

Default value: NULL

Since 2.12