GTK+ 3 Reference Manual: Bindings

## Bindings Bindings — Key bindings for individual widgets |

## Synopsis

    #include <gtk/gtk.h>

    struct              GtkBindingSet;
    struct              GtkBindingEntry;
    struct              GtkBindingSignal;
    struct              GtkBindingArg;
    void                gtk_binding_entry_add_signall       (GtkBindingSet *binding_set,
                                                             guint keyval,
                                                             GdkModifierType modifiers,
                                                             const gchar *signal_name,
                                                             GSList *binding_args);
    GtkBindingSet *     gtk_binding_set_new                 (const gchar *set_name);
    GtkBindingSet *     gtk_binding_set_by_class            (gpointer object_class);
    GtkBindingSet *     gtk_binding_set_find                (const gchar *set_name);
    gboolean            gtk_bindings_activate               (GObject *object,
                                                             guint keyval,
                                                             GdkModifierType modifiers);
    gboolean            gtk_bindings_activate_event         (GObject *object,
                                                             GdkEventKey *event);
    gboolean            gtk_binding_set_activate            (GtkBindingSet *binding_set,
                                                             guint keyval,
                                                             GdkModifierType modifiers,
                                                             GObject *object);
    void                gtk_binding_entry_add_signal        (GtkBindingSet *binding_set,
                                                             guint keyval,
                                                             GdkModifierType modifiers,
                                                             const gchar *signal_name,
                                                             guint n_args,
                                                             ...);
    GTokenType          gtk_binding_entry_add_signal_from_string
                                                            (GtkBindingSet *binding_set,
                                                             const gchar *signal_desc);
    void                gtk_binding_entry_skip              (GtkBindingSet *binding_set,
                                                             guint keyval,
                                                             GdkModifierType modifiers);
    void                gtk_binding_entry_remove            (GtkBindingSet *binding_set,
                                                             guint keyval,
                                                             GdkModifierType modifiers);
    void                gtk_binding_set_add_path            (GtkBindingSet *binding_set,
                                                             GtkPathType path_type,
                                                             const gchar *path_pattern,
                                                             GtkPathPriorityType priority);

## Description

GtkBindingSet provides a mechanism for configuring GTK+ key bindings through CSS files. This eases key binding adjustments for application developers as well as users and provides GTK+ users or administrators with high key binding configurability which requires no application or toolkit side changes.

### Installing a key binding

A CSS file binding consists of a 'binding-set' definition and a match statement to apply the binding set to specific widget types. Details on the matching mechanism are described under Selectors in the GtkCssProvider documentation. Inside the binding set definition, key combinations are bound to one or more specific signal emissions on the target widget. Key combinations are strings consisting of an optional GdkModifierType name and key names such as those defined in `<gdk/gdkkeysyms.h>` or returned from `gdk_keyval_name()`, they have to be parsable by `gtk_accelerator_parse()`. Specifications of signal emissions consist of a string identifying the signal name, and a list of signal specific arguments in parenthesis.

For example for binding Control and the left or right cursor keys of a GtkEntry widget to the "move-cursor" signal (so movement occurs in 3-character steps), the following binding can be used:

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    @binding-set MoveCursor3
    {
      bind "<Control>Right" { "move-cursor" (visual-positions, 3, 0) };
      bind "<Control>Left" { "move-cursor" (visual-positions, -3, 0) };
    };
    GtkEntry
    {
      gtk-key-bindings: MoveCursor3
    }

### Unbinding existing key bindings

GTK+ already defines a number of useful bindings for the widgets it provides. Because custom bindings set up in CSS files take precedence over the default bindings shipped with GTK+, overriding existing bindings as demonstrated in Installing a key binding works as expected. The same mechanism can not be used to "unbind" existing bindings, however.

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    @binding-set MoveCursor3
    {
      bind "<Control>Right" {  };
      bind "<Control>Left" {  };
    };
    GtkEntry
    {
      gtk-key-bindings: MoveCursor3
    }

The above example will not have the desired effect of causing "<Control>Right" and "<Control>Left" key presses to be ignored by GTK+. Instead, it just causes any existing bindings from the bindings set "MoveCursor3" to be deleted, so when "<Control>Right" or "<Control>Left" are pressed, no binding for these keys is found in binding set "MoveCursor3". GTK+ will thus continue to search for matching key bindings, and will eventually lookup and find the default GTK+ bindings for entries which implement word movement. To keep GTK+ from activating its default bindings, the "unbind" keyword can be used like this:

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    @binding-set MoveCursor3
    {
      unbind "<Control>Right";
      unbind "<Control>Left";
    };
    GtkEntry
    {
      gtk-key-bindings: MoveCursor3
    }

Now, GTK+ will find a match when looking up "<Control>Right" and "<Control>Left" key presses before it resorts to its default bindings, and the match instructs it to abort ("unbind") the search, so the key presses are not consumed by this widget. As usual, further processing of the key presses, e.g. by an entry's parent widget, is now possible.

## Details

### struct GtkBindingSet

    struct GtkBindingSet {
      gchar           *set_name;
      gint             priority;
      GSList          *widget_path_pspecs;
      GSList          *widget_class_pspecs;
      GSList          *class_branch_pspecs;
      GtkBindingEntry *entries;
      GtkBindingEntry *current;
      guint            parsed : 1;
    };

A binding set maintains a list of activatable key bindings. A single binding set can match multiple types of widgets. Similar to style contexts, can be matched by any information contained in a widgets GtkWidgetPath. When a binding within a set is matched upon activation, an action signal is emitted on the target widget to carry out the actual activation.

gchar *`set_name`; | unique name of this binding set
gint `priority`; | unused
GSList *`widget_path_pspecs`; | unused
GSList *`widget_class_pspecs`; | unused
GSList *`class_branch_pspecs`; | unused
GtkBindingEntry *`entries`; | the key binding entries in this binding set
GtkBindingEntry *`current`; | implementation detail
guint `parsed` : 1; | whether this binding set stems from a CSS file and is reset upon theme changes

### struct GtkBindingEntry

    struct GtkBindingEntry {
      /* key portion */
      guint             keyval;
      GdkModifierType   modifiers;

      GtkBindingSet    *binding_set;
      guint             destroyed     : 1;
      guint             in_emission   : 1;
      guint             marks_unbound : 1;
      GtkBindingEntry  *set_next;
      GtkBindingEntry  *hash_next;
      GtkBindingSignal *signals;
    };

Each key binding element of a binding sets binding list is represented by a GtkBindingEntry.

guint `keyval`; | key value to match
GdkModifierType `modifiers`; | key modifiers to match
GtkBindingSet *`binding_set`; | binding set this entry belongs to
guint `destroyed` : 1; | implementation detail
guint `in_emission` : 1; | implementation detail
guint `marks_unbound` : 1; | implementation detail
GtkBindingEntry *`set_next`; | linked list of entries maintained by binding set
GtkBindingEntry *`hash_next`; | implementation detail
GtkBindingSignal *`signals`; | action signals of this entry

### struct GtkBindingSignal

    struct GtkBindingSignal {
      GtkBindingSignal *next;
      gchar            *signal_name;
      guint             n_args;
      GtkBindingArg    *args;
    };

A GtkBindingSignal stores the necessary information to activate a widget in response to a key press via a signal emission.

GtkBindingSignal *`next`; | implementation detail
gchar *`signal_name`; | the action signal to be emitted
guint `n_args`; | number of arguments specified for the signal
GtkBindingArg *`args`; | the arguments specified for the signal

### struct GtkBindingArg

    struct GtkBindingArg {
      GType      arg_type;
      union {
        glong    long_data;
        gdouble  double_data;
        gchar   *string_data;
      } d;
    };

A GtkBindingArg holds the data associated with an argument for a key binding signal emission as stored in GtkBindingSignal.

GType `arg_type`; | implementation detail

### gtk_binding_entry_add_signall ()

    void                gtk_binding_entry_add_signall       (GtkBindingSet *binding_set,
                                                             guint keyval,
                                                             GdkModifierType modifiers,
                                                             const gchar *signal_name,
                                                             GSList *binding_args);

Override or install a new key binding for `keyval` with `modifiers` on `binding_set`.

`binding_set` : | a GtkBindingSet to add a signal to
`keyval` : | key value
`modifiers` : | key modifier
`signal_name` : | signal name to be bound
`binding_args` : | list of GtkBindingArg signal arguments. [transfer none][element-type GtkBindingArg]

### gtk_binding_set_new ()

    GtkBindingSet *     gtk_binding_set_new                 (const gchar *set_name);

GTK+ maintains a global list of binding sets. Each binding set has a unique name which needs to be specified upon creation.

`set_name` : | unique name of this binding set
Returns : | new binding set. [transfer full]

### gtk_binding_set_by_class ()

    GtkBindingSet *     gtk_binding_set_by_class            (gpointer object_class);

This function returns the binding set named after the type name of the passed in class structure. New binding sets are created on demand by this function.

`object_class` : | a valid GObject class
Returns : | the binding set corresponding to `object_class`. [transfer full]

### gtk_binding_set_find ()

    GtkBindingSet *     gtk_binding_set_find                (const gchar *set_name);

Find a binding set by its globally unique name.

The `set_name` can either be a name used for `gtk_binding_set_new()` or the type name of a class used in `gtk_binding_set_by_class()`.

`set_name` : | unique binding set name
Returns : | `NULL` or the specified binding set. [transfer none]

### gtk_bindings_activate ()

    gboolean            gtk_bindings_activate               (GObject *object,
                                                             guint keyval,
                                                             GdkModifierType modifiers);

Find a key binding matching `keyval` and `modifiers` and activate the binding on `object`.

`object` : | object to activate when binding found
`keyval` : | key value of the binding
`modifiers` : | key modifier of the binding
Returns : | `TRUE` if a binding was found and activated

### gtk_bindings_activate_event ()

    gboolean            gtk_bindings_activate_event         (GObject *object,
                                                             GdkEventKey *event);

Looks up key bindings for `object` to find one matching `event`, and if one was found, activate it.

`object` : | a GObject (generally must be a widget)
`event` : | a GdkEventKey
Returns : | `TRUE` if a matching key binding was found

Since 2.4

### gtk_binding_set_activate ()

    gboolean            gtk_binding_set_activate            (GtkBindingSet *binding_set,
                                                             guint keyval,
                                                             GdkModifierType modifiers,
                                                             GObject *object);

Find a key binding matching `keyval` and `modifiers` within `binding_set` and activate the binding on `object`.

`binding_set` : | a GtkBindingSet set to activate
`keyval` : | key value of the binding
`modifiers` : | key modifier of the binding
`object` : | object to activate when binding found
Returns : | `TRUE` if a binding was found and activated

### gtk_binding_entry_add_signal ()

    void                gtk_binding_entry_add_signal        (GtkBindingSet *binding_set,
                                                             guint keyval,
                                                             GdkModifierType modifiers,
                                                             const gchar *signal_name,
                                                             guint n_args,
                                                             ...);

Override or install a new key binding for `keyval` with `modifiers` on `binding_set`. When the binding is activated, `signal_name` will be emitted on the target widget, with `n_args` `Varargs` used as arguments.

`binding_set` : | a GtkBindingSet to install an entry for
`keyval` : | key value of binding to install
`modifiers` : | key modifier of binding to install
`signal_name` : | signal to execute upon activation
`n_args` : | number of arguments to `signal_name`
`...` : | arguments to `signal_name`

### gtk_binding_entry_add_signal_from_string ()

    GTokenType          gtk_binding_entry_add_signal_from_string
                                                            (GtkBindingSet *binding_set,
                                                             const gchar *signal_desc);

Parses a signal description from `signal_desc` and incorporates it into `binding_set`.

Signal descriptions may either bind a key combination to one or more signals:

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    bind "key" {
      "signalname" (param, ...)
      ...
    }

Or they may also unbind a key combination:

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    unbind "key"

Key combinations must be in a format that can be parsed by `gtk_accelerator_parse()`.

`binding_set` : | a GtkBindingSet
`signal_desc` : | a signal description
Returns : | `G_TOKEN_NONE` if the signal was successfully parsed and added, the expected token otherwise

Since 3.0

### gtk_binding_entry_skip ()

    void                gtk_binding_entry_skip              (GtkBindingSet *binding_set,
                                                             guint keyval,
                                                             GdkModifierType modifiers);

Install a binding on `binding_set` which causes key lookups to be aborted, to prevent bindings from lower priority sets to be activated.

`binding_set` : | a GtkBindingSet to skip an entry of
`keyval` : | key value of binding to skip
`modifiers` : | key modifier of binding to skip

Since 2.12

### gtk_binding_entry_remove ()

    void                gtk_binding_entry_remove            (GtkBindingSet *binding_set,
                                                             guint keyval,
                                                             GdkModifierType modifiers);

Remove a binding previously installed via `gtk_binding_entry_add_signal()` on `binding_set`.

`binding_set` : | a GtkBindingSet to remove an entry of
`keyval` : | key value of binding to remove
`modifiers` : | key modifier of binding to remove

### gtk_binding_set_add_path ()

    void                gtk_binding_set_add_path            (GtkBindingSet *binding_set,
                                                             GtkPathType path_type,
                                                             const gchar *path_pattern,
                                                             GtkPathPriorityType priority);

### Warning

`gtk_binding_set_add_path` is deprecated and should not be used in newly-written code. 3.0

This function was used internally by the GtkRC parsing mechanism to assign match patterns to GtkBindingSet structures.

In GTK+ 3, these match patterns are unused.

`binding_set` : | a GtkBindingSet to add a path to
`path_type` : | path type the pattern applies to
`path_pattern` : | the actual match pattern
`priority` : | binding priority

## See Also

Keyboard Accelerators, Mnemonics, GtkCssProvider