GtkListStore

## GtkListStore GtkListStore — A list-like data structure that can be used with the GtkTreeView |

## Synopsis

    #include <gtk/gtk.h>

    struct              GtkListStore;
    GtkListStore *      gtk_list_store_new                  (gint n_columns,
                                                             ...);
    GtkListStore *      gtk_list_store_newv                 (gint n_columns,
                                                             GType *types);
    void                gtk_list_store_set_column_types     (GtkListStore *list_store,
                                                             gint n_columns,
                                                             GType *types);
    void                gtk_list_store_set                  (GtkListStore *list_store,
                                                             GtkTreeIter *iter,
                                                             ...);
    void                gtk_list_store_set_valist           (GtkListStore *list_store,
                                                             GtkTreeIter *iter,
                                                             va_list var_args);
    void                gtk_list_store_set_value            (GtkListStore *list_store,
                                                             GtkTreeIter *iter,
                                                             gint column,
                                                             GValue *value);
    void                gtk_list_store_set_valuesv          (GtkListStore *list_store,
                                                             GtkTreeIter *iter,
                                                             gint *columns,
                                                             GValue *values,
                                                             gint n_values);
    gboolean            gtk_list_store_remove               (GtkListStore *list_store,
                                                             GtkTreeIter *iter);
    void                gtk_list_store_insert               (GtkListStore *list_store,
                                                             GtkTreeIter *iter,
                                                             gint position);
    void                gtk_list_store_insert_before        (GtkListStore *list_store,
                                                             GtkTreeIter *iter,
                                                             GtkTreeIter *sibling);
    void                gtk_list_store_insert_after         (GtkListStore *list_store,
                                                             GtkTreeIter *iter,
                                                             GtkTreeIter *sibling);
    void                gtk_list_store_insert_with_values   (GtkListStore *list_store,
                                                             GtkTreeIter *iter,
                                                             gint position,
                                                             ...);
    void                gtk_list_store_insert_with_valuesv  (GtkListStore *list_store,
                                                             GtkTreeIter *iter,
                                                             gint position,
                                                             gint *columns,
                                                             GValue *values,
                                                             gint n_values);
    void                gtk_list_store_prepend              (GtkListStore *list_store,
                                                             GtkTreeIter *iter);
    void                gtk_list_store_append               (GtkListStore *list_store,
                                                             GtkTreeIter *iter);
    void                gtk_list_store_clear                (GtkListStore *list_store);
    gboolean            gtk_list_store_iter_is_valid        (GtkListStore *list_store,
                                                             GtkTreeIter *iter);
    void                gtk_list_store_reorder              (GtkListStore *store,
                                                             gint *new_order);
    void                gtk_list_store_swap                 (GtkListStore *store,
                                                             GtkTreeIter *a,
                                                             GtkTreeIter *b);
    void                gtk_list_store_move_before          (GtkListStore *store,
                                                             GtkTreeIter *iter,
                                                             GtkTreeIter *position);
    void                gtk_list_store_move_after           (GtkListStore *store,
                                                             GtkTreeIter *iter,
                                                             GtkTreeIter *position);

## Object Hierarchy

      GObject
       +----GtkListStore

## Implemented Interfaces

GtkListStore implements GtkTreeModel, GtkTreeDragSource, GtkTreeDragDest, GtkTreeSortable and GtkBuildable.

## Description

The GtkListStore object is a list model for use with a GtkTreeView widget. It implements the GtkTreeModel interface, and consequentialy, can use all of the methods available there. It also implements the GtkTreeSortable interface so it can be sorted by the view. Finally, it also implements the tree drag and drop interfaces.

The GtkListStore can accept most GObject types as a column type, though it can't accept all custom types. Internally, it will keep a copy of data passed in (such as a string or a boxed pointer). Columns that accept GObjects are handled a little differently. The GtkListStore will keep a reference to the object instead of copying the value. As a result, if the object is modified, it is up to the application writer to call `gtk_tree_model_row_changed()` to emit the "row_changed" signal. This most commonly affects lists with GdkPixbufs stored.

Example 74. Creating a simple list store.

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    enum {
      COLUMN_STRING,
      COLUMN_INT,
      COLUMN_BOOLEAN,
      N_COLUMNS
    };

    {
      GtkListStore *list_store;
      GtkTreePath *path;
      GtkTreeIter iter;
      gint i;

      list_store = gtk_list_store_new (N_COLUMNS,
                                       G_TYPE_STRING,
                                       G_TYPE_INT,
                                       G_TYPE_BOOLEAN);

      for (i = 0; i < 10; i++)
        {
          gchar *some_data;

          some_data = get_some_data (i);

          // Add a new row to the model
          gtk_list_store_append (list_store, &iter);
          gtk_list_store_set (list_store, &iter,
                              COLUMN_STRING, some_data,
                              COLUMN_INT, i,
                              COLUMN_BOOLEAN,  FALSE,
                              -1);

          /* As the store will keep a copy of the string internally, we
           * free some_data.
           */
          g_free (some_data);
        }

      // Modify a particular row
      path = gtk_tree_path_new_from_string ("4");
      gtk_tree_model_get_iter (GTK_TREE_MODEL (list_store),
                               &iter,
                               path);
      gtk_tree_path_free (path);
      gtk_list_store_set (list_store, &iter,
                          COLUMN_BOOLEAN, TRUE,
                          -1);
    }

### Performance Considerations

Internally, the GtkListStore was implemented with a linked list with a tail pointer prior to GTK+ 2.6. As a result, it was fast at data insertion and deletion, and not fast at random data access. The GtkListStore sets the GTK_TREE_MODEL_ITERS_PERSIST flag, which means that GtkTreeIters can be cached while the row exists. Thus, if access to a particular row is needed often and your code is expected to run on older versions of GTK+, it is worth keeping the iter around.

### Atomic Operations

It is important to note that only the methods `gtk_list_store_insert_with_values()` and `gtk_list_store_insert_with_valuesv()` are atomic, in the sense that the row is being appended to the store and the values filled in in a single operation with regard to GtkTreeModel signaling. In contrast, using e.g. `gtk_list_store_append()` and then `gtk_list_store_set()` will first create a row, which triggers the "row-inserted" signal on GtkListStore. The row, however, is still empty, and any signal handler connecting to "row-inserted" on this particular store should be prepared for the situation that the row might be empty. This is especially important if you are wrapping the GtkListStore inside a GtkTreeModelFilter and are using a GtkTreeModelFilterVisibleFunc. Using any of the non-atomic operations to append rows to the GtkListStore will cause the GtkTreeModelFilterVisibleFunc to be visited with an empty row first; the function must be prepared for that.

### GtkListStore as GtkBuildable

The GtkListStore implementation of the GtkBuildable interface allows to specify the model columns with a <columns> element that may contain multiple <column> elements, each specifying one model column. The "type" attribute specifies the data type for the column.

Additionally, it is possible to specify content for the list store in the UI definition, with the <data> element. It can contain multiple <row> elements, each specifying to content for one row of the list model. Inside a <row>, the <col> elements specify the content for individual cells.

Note that it is probably more common to define your models in the code, and one might consider it a layering violation to specify the content of a list store in a UI definition, data, not presentation, and common wisdom is to separate the two, as far as possible.

Example 75. A UI Definition fragment for a list store

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    <object class="GtkListStore">
      <columns>
        <column type="gchararray"/>
        <column type="gchararray"/>
        <column type="gint"/>
      </columns>
      <data>
        <row>
          <col id="0">John</col>
          <col id="1">Doe</col>
          <col id="2">25</col>
        </row>
        <row>
          <col id="0">Johan</col>
          <col id="1">Dahlin</col>
          <col id="2">50</col>
        </row>
      </data>
    </object>

## Details

### struct GtkListStore

    struct GtkListStore;

### gtk_list_store_new ()

    GtkListStore *      gtk_list_store_new                  (gint n_columns,
                                                             ...);

Creates a new list store as with `n_columns` columns each of the types passed in. Note that only types derived from standard GObject fundamental types are supported.

As an example, `gtk_list_store_new (3, G_TYPE_INT, G_TYPE_STRING, GDK_TYPE_PIXBUF);` will create a new GtkListStore with three columns, of type int, string and GdkPixbuf respectively.

`n_columns` : | number of columns in the list store
`...` : | all GType types for the columns, from first to last
Returns : | a new GtkListStore

### gtk_list_store_newv ()

    GtkListStore *      gtk_list_store_newv                 (gint n_columns,
                                                             GType *types);

Non-vararg creation function. Used primarily by language bindings.

`n_columns` : | number of columns in the list store
`types` : | an array of GType types for the columns, from first to last. [array length=n_columns]
Returns : | a new GtkListStore Rename to: gtk_list_store_new. [transfer full]

### gtk_list_store_set_column_types ()

    void                gtk_list_store_set_column_types     (GtkListStore *list_store,
                                                             gint n_columns,
                                                             GType *types);

This function is meant primarily for GObjects that inherit from GtkListStore, and should only be used when constructing a new GtkListStore. It will not function after a row has been added, or a method on the GtkTreeModel interface is called.

`list_store` : | A GtkListStore
`n_columns` : | Number of columns for the list store
`types` : | An array length n of GTypes. [array length=n_columns]

### gtk_list_store_set ()

    void                gtk_list_store_set                  (GtkListStore *list_store,
                                                             GtkTreeIter *iter,
                                                             ...);

Sets the value of one or more cells in the row referenced by `iter`. The variable argument list should contain integer column numbers, each column number followed by the value to be set. The list is terminated by a -1. For example, to set column 0 with type `G_TYPE_STRING` to "Foo", you would write `gtk_list_store_set (store, iter, 0, "Foo", -1)`.

The value will be referenced by the store if it is a `G_TYPE_OBJECT`, and it will be copied if it is a `G_TYPE_STRING` or `G_TYPE_BOXED`.

`list_store` : | a GtkListStore
`iter` : | row iterator
`...` : | pairs of column number and value, terminated with -1

### gtk_list_store_set_valist ()

    void                gtk_list_store_set_valist           (GtkListStore *list_store,
                                                             GtkTreeIter *iter,
                                                             va_list var_args);

See `gtk_list_store_set()`; this version takes a va_list for use by language bindings.

`list_store` : | A GtkListStore
`iter` : | A valid GtkTreeIter for the row being modified
`var_args` : | va_list of column/value pairs

### gtk_list_store_set_value ()

    void                gtk_list_store_set_value            (GtkListStore *list_store,
                                                             GtkTreeIter *iter,
                                                             gint column,
                                                             GValue *value);

Sets the data in the cell specified by `iter` and `column`. The type of `value` must be convertible to the type of the column.

`list_store` : | A GtkListStore
`iter` : | A valid GtkTreeIter for the row being modified
`column` : | column number to modify
`value` : | new value for the cell

### gtk_list_store_set_valuesv ()

    void                gtk_list_store_set_valuesv          (GtkListStore *list_store,
                                                             GtkTreeIter *iter,
                                                             gint *columns,
                                                             GValue *values,
                                                             gint n_values);

A variant of `gtk_list_store_set_valist()` which takes the columns and values as two arrays, instead of varargs. This function is mainly intended for language-bindings and in case the number of columns to change is not known until run-time.

`list_store` : | A GtkListStore
`iter` : | A valid GtkTreeIter for the row being modified
`columns` : | an array of column numbers. [array length=n_values]
`values` : | an array of GValues. [array length=n_values]
`n_values` : | the length of the `columns` and `values` arrays

Since 2.12

### gtk_list_store_remove ()

    gboolean            gtk_list_store_remove               (GtkListStore *list_store,
                                                             GtkTreeIter *iter);

Removes the given row from the list store. After being removed, `iter` is set to be the next valid row, or invalidated if it pointed to the last row in `list_store`.

`list_store` : | A GtkListStore
`iter` : | A valid GtkTreeIter
Returns : | `TRUE` if `iter` is valid, `FALSE` if not.

### gtk_list_store_insert ()

    void                gtk_list_store_insert               (GtkListStore *list_store,
                                                             GtkTreeIter *iter,
                                                             gint position);

Creates a new row at `position`. `iter` will be changed to point to this new row. If `position` is -1 or is larger than the number of rows on the list, then the new row will be appended to the list. The row will be empty after this function is called. To fill in values, you need to call `gtk_list_store_set()` or `gtk_list_store_set_value()`.

`list_store` : | A GtkListStore
`iter` : | An unset GtkTreeIter to set to the new row. [out]
`position` : | position to insert the new row, or -1 for last

### gtk_list_store_insert_before ()

    void                gtk_list_store_insert_before        (GtkListStore *list_store,
                                                             GtkTreeIter *iter,
                                                             GtkTreeIter *sibling);

Inserts a new row before `sibling`. If `sibling` is `NULL`, then the row will be appended to the end of the list. `iter` will be changed to point to this new row. The row will be empty after this function is called. To fill in values, you need to call `gtk_list_store_set()` or `gtk_list_store_set_value()`.

`list_store` : | A GtkListStore
`iter` : | An unset GtkTreeIter to set to the new row. [out]
`sibling` : | A valid GtkTreeIter, or `NULL`. [allow-none]

### gtk_list_store_insert_after ()

    void                gtk_list_store_insert_after         (GtkListStore *list_store,
                                                             GtkTreeIter *iter,
                                                             GtkTreeIter *sibling);

Inserts a new row after `sibling`. If `sibling` is `NULL`, then the row will be prepended to the beginning of the list. `iter` will be changed to point to this new row. The row will be empty after this function is called. To fill in values, you need to call `gtk_list_store_set()` or `gtk_list_store_set_value()`.

`list_store` : | A GtkListStore
`iter` : | An unset GtkTreeIter to set to the new row. [out]
`sibling` : | A valid GtkTreeIter, or `NULL`. [allow-none]

### gtk_list_store_insert_with_values ()

    void                gtk_list_store_insert_with_values   (GtkListStore *list_store,
                                                             GtkTreeIter *iter,
                                                             gint position,
                                                             ...);

Creates a new row at `position`. `iter` will be changed to point to this new row. If `position` is -1, or larger than the number of rows in the list, then the new row will be appended to the list. The row will be filled with the values given to this function.

Calling `gtk_list_store_insert_with_values (list_store, iter, position...)` has the same effect as calling

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    gtk_list_store_insert (list_store, iter, position);
    gtk_list_store_set (list_store, iter, ...);

with the difference that the former will only emit a row_inserted signal, while the latter will emit row_inserted, row_changed and, if the list store is sorted, rows_reordered. Since emitting the rows_reordered signal repeatedly can affect the performance of the program, `gtk_list_store_insert_with_values()` should generally be preferred when inserting rows in a sorted list store.

`list_store` : | A GtkListStore
`iter` : | An unset GtkTreeIter to set to the new row, or `NULL`. [out][allow-none]
`position` : | position to insert the new row, or -1 to append after existing rows
`...` : | pairs of column number and value, terminated with -1

Since 2.6

### gtk_list_store_insert_with_valuesv ()

    void                gtk_list_store_insert_with_valuesv  (GtkListStore *list_store,
                                                             GtkTreeIter *iter,
                                                             gint position,
                                                             gint *columns,
                                                             GValue *values,
                                                             gint n_values);

A variant of `gtk_list_store_insert_with_values()` which takes the columns and values as two arrays, instead of varargs. This function is mainly intended for language-bindings.

`list_store` : | A GtkListStore
`iter` : | An unset GtkTreeIter to set to the new row, or `NULL`. [out][allow-none]
`position` : | position to insert the new row, or -1 for last
`columns` : | an array of column numbers. [array length=n_values]
`values` : | an array of GValues. [array length=n_values]
`n_values` : | the length of the `columns` and `values` arrays

Since 2.6

### gtk_list_store_prepend ()

    void                gtk_list_store_prepend              (GtkListStore *list_store,
                                                             GtkTreeIter *iter);

Prepends a new row to `list_store`. `iter` will be changed to point to this new row. The row will be empty after this function is called. To fill in values, you need to call `gtk_list_store_set()` or `gtk_list_store_set_value()`.

`list_store` : | A GtkListStore
`iter` : | An unset GtkTreeIter to set to the prepend row. [out]

### gtk_list_store_append ()

    void                gtk_list_store_append               (GtkListStore *list_store,
                                                             GtkTreeIter *iter);

Appends a new row to `list_store`. `iter` will be changed to point to this new row. The row will be empty after this function is called. To fill in values, you need to call `gtk_list_store_set()` or `gtk_list_store_set_value()`.

`list_store` : | A GtkListStore
`iter` : | An unset GtkTreeIter to set to the appended row. [out]

### gtk_list_store_clear ()

    void                gtk_list_store_clear                (GtkListStore *list_store);

Removes all rows from the list store.

`list_store` : | a GtkListStore.

### gtk_list_store_iter_is_valid ()

    gboolean            gtk_list_store_iter_is_valid        (GtkListStore *list_store,
                                                             GtkTreeIter *iter);

### Warning

This function is slow. Only use it for debugging and/or testing purposes.

Checks if the given iter is a valid iter for this GtkListStore.

`list_store` : | A GtkListStore.
`iter` : | A GtkTreeIter.
Returns : | `TRUE` if the iter is valid, `FALSE` if the iter is invalid.

Since 2.2

### gtk_list_store_reorder ()

    void                gtk_list_store_reorder              (GtkListStore *store,
                                                             gint *new_order);

Reorders `store` to follow the order indicated by `new_order`. Note that this function only works with unsorted stores.

`store` : | A GtkListStore.
`new_order` : | an array of integers mapping the new position of each child to its old position before the re-ordering, i.e. `new_order``[newpos] = oldpos`. It must have exactly as many items as the list store's length. [array zero-terminated=1]

Since 2.2

### gtk_list_store_swap ()

    void                gtk_list_store_swap                 (GtkListStore *store,
                                                             GtkTreeIter *a,
                                                             GtkTreeIter *b);

Swaps `a` and `b` in `store`. Note that this function only works with unsorted stores.

`store` : | A GtkListStore.
`a` : | A GtkTreeIter.
`b` : | Another GtkTreeIter.

Since 2.2

### gtk_list_store_move_before ()

    void                gtk_list_store_move_before          (GtkListStore *store,
                                                             GtkTreeIter *iter,
                                                             GtkTreeIter *position);

Moves `iter` in `store` to the position before `position`. Note that this function only works with unsorted stores. If `position` is `NULL`, `iter` will be moved to the end of the list.

`store` : | A GtkListStore.
`iter` : | A GtkTreeIter.
`position` : | A GtkTreeIter, or `NULL`. [allow-none]

Since 2.2

### gtk_list_store_move_after ()

    void                gtk_list_store_move_after           (GtkListStore *store,
                                                             GtkTreeIter *iter,
                                                             GtkTreeIter *position);

Moves `iter` in `store` to the position after `position`. Note that this function only works with unsorted stores. If `position` is `NULL`, `iter` will be moved to the start of the list.

`store` : | A GtkListStore.
`iter` : | A GtkTreeIter.
`position` : | A GtkTreeIter or `NULL`. [allow-none]

Since 2.2

## See Also

GtkTreeModel, GtkTreeStore