ApplicationProtocol

public protocol ApplicationProtocol : ApplicationProtocol

GtkApplication is a high-level API for writing applications.

It supports many aspects of writing a GTK application in a convenient fashion, without enforcing a one-size-fits-all model.

Currently, GtkApplication handles GTK initialization, application uniqueness, session management, provides some basic scriptability and desktop shell integration by exporting actions and menus and manages a list of toplevel windows whose life-cycle is automatically tied to the life-cycle of your application.

While GtkApplication works fine with plain [classGtk.Window]s, it is recommended to use it together with [classGtk.ApplicationWindow].

Automatic resources

GtkApplication will automatically load menus from the GtkBuilder resource located at “gtk/menus.ui”, relative to the application’s resource base path (see g_application_set_resource_base_path()). The menu with the ID “menubar” is taken as the application’s menubar. Additional menus (most interesting submenus) can be named and accessed via [methodGtk.Application.get_menu_by_id] which allows for dynamic population of a part of the menu structure.

It is also possible to provide the menubar manually using [methodGtk.Application.set_menubar].

GtkApplication will also automatically setup an icon search path for the default icon theme by appending “icons” to the resource base path. This allows your application to easily store its icons as resources. See [methodGtk.IconTheme.add_resource_path] for more information.

If there is a resource located at “gtk/help-overlay.ui” which defines a [classGtk.ShortcutsWindow] with ID “help_overlay” then GtkApplication associates an instance of this shortcuts window with each [classGtk.ApplicationWindow] and sets up the keyboard accelerator <kbd>Control</kbd>+<kbd>?</kbd> to open it. To create a menu item that displays the shortcuts window, associate the item with the action win.show-help-overlay.

A simple application

A simple example is available in the GTK source code repository

GtkApplication optionally registers with a session manager of the users session (if you set the [propertyGtk.Application:register-session] property) and offers various functionality related to the session life-cycle.

An application can block various ways to end the session with the [methodGtk.Application.inhibit] function. Typical use cases for this kind of inhibiting are long-running, uninterruptible operations, such as burning a CD or performing a disk backup. The session manager may not honor the inhibitor, but it can be expected to inform the user about the negative consequences of ending the session while inhibitors are present.

See Also

HowDoI: Using GtkApplication, Getting Started with GTK: Basics

The ApplicationProtocol protocol exposes the methods and properties of an underlying GtkApplication instance. The default implementation of these can be found in the protocol extension below. For a concrete class that implements these methods and properties, see Application. Alternatively, use ApplicationRef as a lighweight, unowned reference if you already have an instance you just want to use.

  • ptr

    Untyped pointer to the underlying GtkApplication instance.

    Declaration

    Swift

    var ptr: UnsafeMutableRawPointer! { get }
  • application_ptr Default implementation

    Typed pointer to the underlying GtkApplication instance.

    Default Implementation

    Return the stored, untyped pointer as a typed pointer to the GtkApplication instance.

    Declaration

    Swift

    var application_ptr: UnsafeMutablePointer<GtkApplication>! { get }
  • Required Initialiser for types conforming to ApplicationProtocol

    Declaration

    Swift

    init(raw: UnsafeMutableRawPointer)
  • onStartup(flags:handler:) Extension method

    Hook in a Gtk application startup handler.

    Declaration

    Swift

    @discardableResult
    @inlinable
    func onStartup(flags: ConnectFlags = ConnectFlags(0), handler: @escaping ApplicationSignalHandler) -> Int

    Parameters

    flags

    The connection flags to use

    handler

    The startup handler, taking in an application reference

    Return Value

    The handler ID of the startup handler

  • onActivation(flags:handler:) Extension method

    Hook in a Gtk application activation handler.

    Declaration

    Swift

    @discardableResult
    @inlinable
    func onActivation(flags: ConnectFlags = ConnectFlags(0), handler: @escaping ApplicationSignalHandler) -> Int

    Parameters

    flags

    The connection flags to use

    handler

    The activation handler, taking in an application reference

    Return Value

    The handler ID of the startup handler

Application Class

  • Bind a ApplicationPropertyName source property to a given target object.

    Declaration

    Swift

    @discardableResult
    @inlinable
    func bind<Q, T>(property source_property: ApplicationPropertyName, to target: T, _ target_property: Q, flags f: BindingFlags = .default, transformFrom transform_from: @escaping GLibObject.ValueTransformer = { $0.transform(destValue: $1) }, transformTo transform_to: @escaping GLibObject.ValueTransformer = { $0.transform(destValue: $1) }) -> BindingRef! where Q : PropertyNameProtocol, T : ObjectProtocol

    Parameters

    source_property

    the source property to bind

    target

    the target object to bind to

    target_property

    the target property to bind to

    flags

    the flags to pass to the Binding

    transform_from

    ValueTransformer to use for forward transformation

    transform_to

    ValueTransformer to use for backwards transformation

    Return Value

    binding reference or nil in case of an error

  • get(property:) Extension method

    Get the value of a Application property

    Declaration

    Swift

    @inlinable
    func get(property: ApplicationPropertyName) -> GLibObject.Value

    Parameters

    property

    the property to get the value for

    Return Value

    the value of the named property

  • set(property:value:) Extension method

    Set the value of a Application property. Note that this will only have an effect on properties that are writable and not construct-only!

    Declaration

    Swift

    @inlinable
    func set(property: ApplicationPropertyName, value v: GLibObject.Value)

    Parameters

    property

    the property to get the value for

    Return Value

    the value of the named property

Application signals

  • Connect a Swift signal handler to the given, typed ApplicationSignalName signal

    Declaration

    Swift

    @discardableResult
    @inlinable
    func connect(signal s: ApplicationSignalName, flags f: ConnectFlags = ConnectFlags(0), handler h: @escaping SignalHandler) -> Int

    Parameters

    signal

    The signal to connect

    flags

    The connection flags to use

    data

    A pointer to user data to provide to the callback

    destroyData

    A GClosureNotify C function to destroy the data pointed to by userData

    handler

    The Swift signal handler (function or callback) to invoke on the given signal

    Return Value

    The signal handler ID (always greater than 0 for successful connections)

  • Connect a C signal handler to the given, typed ApplicationSignalName signal

    Declaration

    Swift

    @discardableResult
    @inlinable
    func connect(signal s: ApplicationSignalName, flags f: ConnectFlags = ConnectFlags(0), data userData: gpointer!, destroyData destructor: GClosureNotify? = nil, signalHandler h: @escaping GCallback) -> Int

    Parameters

    signal

    The signal to connect

    flags

    The connection flags to use

    data

    A pointer to user data to provide to the callback

    destroyData

    A GClosureNotify C function to destroy the data pointed to by userData

    signalHandler

    The C function to be called on the given signal

    Return Value

    The signal handler ID (always greater than 0 for successful connections)

  • onQueryEnd(flags:handler:) Extension method

    Emitted when the session manager is about to end the session.

    This signal is only emitted if [propertyGtk.Application:register-session] is TRUE. Applications can connect to this signal and call [methodGtk.Application.inhibit] with GTK_APPLICATION_INHIBIT_LOGOUT to delay the end of the session until state has been saved.

    Note

    This represents the underlying query-end signal

    Declaration

    Swift

    @discardableResult
    @inlinable
    func onQueryEnd(flags: ConnectFlags = ConnectFlags(0), handler: @escaping (_ unownedSelf: ApplicationRef) -> Void) -> Int

    Parameters

    flags

    Flags

    unownedSelf

    Reference to instance of self

    handler

    The signal handler to call Run the given callback whenever the queryEnd signal is emitted

  • queryEndSignal Extension method

    Typed query-end signal for using the connect(signal:) methods

    Declaration

    Swift

    static var queryEndSignal: ApplicationSignalName { get }
  • Emitted when a [classGtk.Window] is added to application through [methodGtk.Application.add_window].

    Note

    This represents the underlying window-added signal

    Declaration

    Swift

    @discardableResult
    @inlinable
    func onWindowAdded(flags: ConnectFlags = ConnectFlags(0), handler: @escaping (_ unownedSelf: ApplicationRef, _ window: WindowRef) -> Void) -> Int

    Parameters

    flags

    Flags

    unownedSelf

    Reference to instance of self

    window

    the newly-added [classGtk.Window]

    handler

    The signal handler to call Run the given callback whenever the windowAdded signal is emitted

  • windowAddedSignal Extension method

    Typed window-added signal for using the connect(signal:) methods

    Declaration

    Swift

    static var windowAddedSignal: ApplicationSignalName { get }
  • Emitted when a [classGtk.Window] is removed from application.

    This can happen as a side-effect of the window being destroyed or explicitly through [methodGtk.Application.remove_window].

    Note

    This represents the underlying window-removed signal

    Declaration

    Swift

    @discardableResult
    @inlinable
    func onWindowRemoved(flags: ConnectFlags = ConnectFlags(0), handler: @escaping (_ unownedSelf: ApplicationRef, _ window: WindowRef) -> Void) -> Int

    Parameters

    flags

    Flags

    unownedSelf

    Reference to instance of self

    window

    the [classGtk.Window] that is being removed

    handler

    The signal handler to call Run the given callback whenever the windowRemoved signal is emitted

  • windowRemovedSignal Extension method

    Typed window-removed signal for using the connect(signal:) methods

    Declaration

    Swift

    static var windowRemovedSignal: ApplicationSignalName { get }
  • The notify signal is emitted on an object when one of its properties has its value set through g_object_set_property(), g_object_set(), et al.

    Note that getting this signal doesn’t itself guarantee that the value of the property has actually changed. When it is emitted is determined by the derived GObject class. If the implementor did not create the property with G_PARAM_EXPLICIT_NOTIFY, then any call to g_object_set_property() results in notify being emitted, even if the new value is the same as the old. If they did pass G_PARAM_EXPLICIT_NOTIFY, then this signal is emitted only when they explicitly call g_object_notify() or g_object_notify_by_pspec(), and common practice is to do that only when the value has actually changed.

    This signal is typically used to obtain change notification for a single property, by specifying the property name as a detail in the g_signal_connect() call, like this:

    (C Language Example):

    g_signal_connect (text_view->buffer, "notify::paste-target-list",
                      G_CALLBACK (gtk_text_view_target_list_notify),
                      text_view)
    

    It is important to note that you must use canonical parameter names as detail strings for the notify signal.

    Note

    This represents the underlying notify::active-window signal

    Declaration

    Swift

    @discardableResult
    @inlinable
    func onNotifyActiveWindow(flags: ConnectFlags = ConnectFlags(0), handler: @escaping (_ unownedSelf: ApplicationRef, _ pspec: ParamSpecRef) -> Void) -> Int

    Parameters

    flags

    Flags

    unownedSelf

    Reference to instance of self

    pspec

    the GParamSpec of the property which changed.

    handler

    The signal handler to call Run the given callback whenever the notifyActiveWindow signal is emitted

  • notifyActiveWindowSignal Extension method

    Typed notify::active-window signal for using the connect(signal:) methods

    Declaration

    Swift

    static var notifyActiveWindowSignal: ApplicationSignalName { get }
  • The notify signal is emitted on an object when one of its properties has its value set through g_object_set_property(), g_object_set(), et al.

    Note that getting this signal doesn’t itself guarantee that the value of the property has actually changed. When it is emitted is determined by the derived GObject class. If the implementor did not create the property with G_PARAM_EXPLICIT_NOTIFY, then any call to g_object_set_property() results in notify being emitted, even if the new value is the same as the old. If they did pass G_PARAM_EXPLICIT_NOTIFY, then this signal is emitted only when they explicitly call g_object_notify() or g_object_notify_by_pspec(), and common practice is to do that only when the value has actually changed.

    This signal is typically used to obtain change notification for a single property, by specifying the property name as a detail in the g_signal_connect() call, like this:

    (C Language Example):

    g_signal_connect (text_view->buffer, "notify::paste-target-list",
                      G_CALLBACK (gtk_text_view_target_list_notify),
                      text_view)
    

    It is important to note that you must use canonical parameter names as detail strings for the notify signal.

    Note

    This represents the underlying notify::menubar signal

    Declaration

    Swift

    @discardableResult
    @inlinable
    func onNotifyMenubar(flags: ConnectFlags = ConnectFlags(0), handler: @escaping (_ unownedSelf: ApplicationRef, _ pspec: ParamSpecRef) -> Void) -> Int

    Parameters

    flags

    Flags

    unownedSelf

    Reference to instance of self

    pspec

    the GParamSpec of the property which changed.

    handler

    The signal handler to call Run the given callback whenever the notifyMenubar signal is emitted

  • notifyMenubarSignal Extension method

    Typed notify::menubar signal for using the connect(signal:) methods

    Declaration

    Swift

    static var notifyMenubarSignal: ApplicationSignalName { get }
  • The notify signal is emitted on an object when one of its properties has its value set through g_object_set_property(), g_object_set(), et al.

    Note that getting this signal doesn’t itself guarantee that the value of the property has actually changed. When it is emitted is determined by the derived GObject class. If the implementor did not create the property with G_PARAM_EXPLICIT_NOTIFY, then any call to g_object_set_property() results in notify being emitted, even if the new value is the same as the old. If they did pass G_PARAM_EXPLICIT_NOTIFY, then this signal is emitted only when they explicitly call g_object_notify() or g_object_notify_by_pspec(), and common practice is to do that only when the value has actually changed.

    This signal is typically used to obtain change notification for a single property, by specifying the property name as a detail in the g_signal_connect() call, like this:

    (C Language Example):

    g_signal_connect (text_view->buffer, "notify::paste-target-list",
                      G_CALLBACK (gtk_text_view_target_list_notify),
                      text_view)
    

    It is important to note that you must use canonical parameter names as detail strings for the notify signal.

    Note

    This represents the underlying notify::register-session signal

    Declaration

    Swift

    @discardableResult
    @inlinable
    func onNotifyRegisterSession(flags: ConnectFlags = ConnectFlags(0), handler: @escaping (_ unownedSelf: ApplicationRef, _ pspec: ParamSpecRef) -> Void) -> Int

    Parameters

    flags

    Flags

    unownedSelf

    Reference to instance of self

    pspec

    the GParamSpec of the property which changed.

    handler

    The signal handler to call Run the given callback whenever the notifyRegisterSession signal is emitted

  • notifyRegisterSessionSignal Extension method

    Typed notify::register-session signal for using the connect(signal:) methods

    Declaration

    Swift

    static var notifyRegisterSessionSignal: ApplicationSignalName { get }
  • The notify signal is emitted on an object when one of its properties has its value set through g_object_set_property(), g_object_set(), et al.

    Note that getting this signal doesn’t itself guarantee that the value of the property has actually changed. When it is emitted is determined by the derived GObject class. If the implementor did not create the property with G_PARAM_EXPLICIT_NOTIFY, then any call to g_object_set_property() results in notify being emitted, even if the new value is the same as the old. If they did pass G_PARAM_EXPLICIT_NOTIFY, then this signal is emitted only when they explicitly call g_object_notify() or g_object_notify_by_pspec(), and common practice is to do that only when the value has actually changed.

    This signal is typically used to obtain change notification for a single property, by specifying the property name as a detail in the g_signal_connect() call, like this:

    (C Language Example):

    g_signal_connect (text_view->buffer, "notify::paste-target-list",
                      G_CALLBACK (gtk_text_view_target_list_notify),
                      text_view)
    

    It is important to note that you must use canonical parameter names as detail strings for the notify signal.

    Note

    This represents the underlying notify::screensaver-active signal

    Declaration

    Swift

    @discardableResult
    @inlinable
    func onNotifyScreensaverActive(flags: ConnectFlags = ConnectFlags(0), handler: @escaping (_ unownedSelf: ApplicationRef, _ pspec: ParamSpecRef) -> Void) -> Int

    Parameters

    flags

    Flags

    unownedSelf

    Reference to instance of self

    pspec

    the GParamSpec of the property which changed.

    handler

    The signal handler to call Run the given callback whenever the notifyScreensaverActive signal is emitted

  • Typed notify::screensaver-active signal for using the connect(signal:) methods

    Declaration

    Swift

    static var notifyScreensaverActiveSignal: ApplicationSignalName { get }

Application Class: ApplicationProtocol extension (methods and fields)

  • add(window:) Extension method

    Adds a window to application.

    This call can only happen after the application has started; typically, you should add new application windows in response to the emission of the GApplicationactivate`` signal.

    This call is equivalent to setting the [propertyGtk.Window:application] property of window to application.

    Normally, the connection between the application and the window will remain until the window is destroyed, but you can explicitly remove it with [methodGtk.Application.remove_window].

    GTK will keep the application running as long as it has any windows.

    Declaration

    Swift

    @inlinable
    func add<WindowT>(window: WindowT) where WindowT : WindowProtocol
  • Gets the accelerators that are currently associated with the given action.

    Declaration

    Swift

    @inlinable
    func getAccelsForAction(detailedActionName: UnsafePointer<CChar>!) -> UnsafeMutablePointer<UnsafeMutablePointer<CChar>?>!
  • getActionsFor(accel:) Extension method

    Returns the list of actions (possibly empty) that accel maps to.

    Each item in the list is a detailed action name in the usual form.

    This might be useful to discover if an accel already exists in order to prevent installation of a conflicting accelerator (from an accelerator editor or a plugin system, for example). Note that having more than one action per accelerator may not be a bad thing and might make sense in cases where the actions never appear in the same context.

    In case there are no actions for a given accelerator, an empty array is returned. NULL is never returned.

    It is a programmer error to pass an invalid accelerator string.

    If you are unsure, check it with [funcGtk.accelerator_parse] first.

    Declaration

    Swift

    @inlinable
    func getActionsFor(accel: UnsafePointer<CChar>!) -> UnsafeMutablePointer<UnsafeMutablePointer<CChar>?>!
  • getActiveWindow() Extension method

    Gets the “active” window for the application.

    The active window is the one that was most recently focused (within the application). This window may not have the focus at the moment if another application has it — this is just the most recently-focused window within this application.

    Declaration

    Swift

    @inlinable
    func getActiveWindow() -> WindowRef!
  • getMenuBy(id:) Extension method

    Gets a menu from automatically loaded resources.

    See the section on Automatic resources for more information.

    Declaration

    Swift

    @inlinable
    func getMenuBy(id: UnsafePointer<CChar>!) -> GIO.MenuRef!
  • getMenubar() Extension method

    Returns the menu model that has been set with [methodGtk.Application.set_menubar].

    Declaration

    Swift

    @inlinable
    func getMenubar() -> GIO.MenuModelRef!
  • getWindowBy(id:) Extension method

    Returns the [classGtk.ApplicationWindow] with the given ID.

    The ID of a GtkApplicationWindow can be retrieved with [methodGtk.ApplicationWindow.get_id].

    Declaration

    Swift

    @inlinable
    func getWindowBy(id: Int) -> WindowRef!
  • getWindows() Extension method

    Gets a list of the [classGtk.Window] instances associated with application.

    The list is sorted by most recently focused window, such that the first element is the currently focused window. (Useful for choosing a parent for a transient window.)

    The list that is returned should not be modified in any way. It will only remain valid until the next focus change or window creation or deletion.

    Declaration

    Swift

    @inlinable
    func getWindows() -> GLib.ListRef!
  • Inform the session manager that certain types of actions should be inhibited.

    This is not guaranteed to work on all platforms and for all types of actions.

    Applications should invoke this method when they begin an operation that should not be interrupted, such as creating a CD or DVD. The types of actions that may be blocked are specified by the flags parameter. When the application completes the operation it should call [methodGtk.Application.uninhibit] to remove the inhibitor. Note that an application can have multiple inhibitors, and all of them must be individually removed. Inhibitors are also cleared when the application exits.

    Applications should not expect that they will always be able to block the action. In most cases, users will be given the option to force the action to take place.

    The reason message should be short and to the point.

    If window is given, the session manager may point the user to this window to find out more about why the action is inhibited.

    Declaration

    Swift

    @inlinable
    func inhibit(window: WindowRef? = nil, flags: ApplicationInhibitFlags, reason: UnsafePointer<CChar>? = nil) -> Int
  • Inform the session manager that certain types of actions should be inhibited.

    This is not guaranteed to work on all platforms and for all types of actions.

    Applications should invoke this method when they begin an operation that should not be interrupted, such as creating a CD or DVD. The types of actions that may be blocked are specified by the flags parameter. When the application completes the operation it should call [methodGtk.Application.uninhibit] to remove the inhibitor. Note that an application can have multiple inhibitors, and all of them must be individually removed. Inhibitors are also cleared when the application exits.

    Applications should not expect that they will always be able to block the action. In most cases, users will be given the option to force the action to take place.

    The reason message should be short and to the point.

    If window is given, the session manager may point the user to this window to find out more about why the action is inhibited.

    Declaration

    Swift

    @inlinable
    func inhibit<WindowT>(window: WindowT?, flags: ApplicationInhibitFlags, reason: UnsafePointer<CChar>? = nil) -> Int where WindowT : WindowProtocol
  • listActionDescriptions() Extension method

    Lists the detailed action names which have associated accelerators.

    See [methodGtk.Application.set_accels_for_action].

    Declaration

    Swift

    @inlinable
    func listActionDescriptions() -> UnsafeMutablePointer<UnsafeMutablePointer<CChar>?>!
  • remove(window:) Extension method

    Remove a window from application.

    If window belongs to application then this call is equivalent to setting the [propertyGtk.Window:application] property of window to NULL.

    The application may stop running as a result of a call to this function, if window was the last window of the application.

    Declaration

    Swift

    @inlinable
    func remove<WindowT>(window: WindowT) where WindowT : WindowProtocol
  • Sets zero or more keyboard accelerators that will trigger the given action.

    The first item in accels will be the primary accelerator, which may be displayed in the UI.

    To remove all accelerators for an action, use an empty, zero-terminated array for accels.

    For the detailed_action_name, see g_action_parse_detailed_name() and g_action_print_detailed_name().

    Declaration

    Swift

    @inlinable
    func setAccelsForAction(detailedActionName: UnsafePointer<CChar>!, accels: UnsafePointer<UnsafePointer<CChar>?>!)
  • set(menubar:) Extension method

    Sets or unsets the menubar for windows of application.

    This is a menubar in the traditional sense.

    This can only be done in the primary instance of the application, after it has been registered. GApplicationstartup`` is a good place to call this.

    Depending on the desktop environment, this may appear at the top of each window, or at the top of the screen. In some environments, if both the application menu and the menubar are set, the application menu will be presented as if it were the first item of the menubar. Other environments treat the two as completely separate — for example, the application menu may be rendered by the desktop shell while the menubar (if set) remains in each individual window.

    Use the base GActionMap interface to add actions, to respond to the user selecting these menu items.

    Declaration

    Swift

    @inlinable
    func set(menubar: GIO.MenuModelRef? = nil)
  • set(menubar:) Extension method

    Sets or unsets the menubar for windows of application.

    This is a menubar in the traditional sense.

    This can only be done in the primary instance of the application, after it has been registered. GApplicationstartup`` is a good place to call this.

    Depending on the desktop environment, this may appear at the top of each window, or at the top of the screen. In some environments, if both the application menu and the menubar are set, the application menu will be presented as if it were the first item of the menubar. Other environments treat the two as completely separate — for example, the application menu may be rendered by the desktop shell while the menubar (if set) remains in each individual window.

    Use the base GActionMap interface to add actions, to respond to the user selecting these menu items.

    Declaration

    Swift

    @inlinable
    func set<MenuModelT>(menubar: MenuModelT?) where MenuModelT : MenuModelProtocol
  • uninhibit(cookie:) Extension method

    Removes an inhibitor that has been previously established.

    See [methodGtk.Application.inhibit].

    Inhibitors are also cleared when the application exits.

    Declaration

    Swift

    @inlinable
    func uninhibit(cookie: Int)
  • activeWindow Extension method

    Gets the “active” window for the application.

    The active window is the one that was most recently focused (within the application). This window may not have the focus at the moment if another application has it — this is just the most recently-focused window within this application.

    Declaration

    Swift

    @inlinable
    var activeWindow: WindowRef! { get }
  • menubar Extension method

    The GMenuModel to be used for the application’s menu bar.

    Declaration

    Swift

    @inlinable
    var menubar: GIO.MenuModelRef! { get nonmutating set }
  • windows Extension method

    Gets a list of the [classGtk.Window] instances associated with application.

    The list is sorted by most recently focused window, such that the first element is the currently focused window. (Useful for choosing a parent for a transient window.)

    The list that is returned should not be modified in any way. It will only remain valid until the next focus change or window creation or deletion.

    Declaration

    Swift

    @inlinable
    var windows: GLib.ListRef! { get }
  • parentInstance Extension method

    Undocumented

    Declaration

    Swift

    @inlinable
    var parentInstance: GApplication { get }