fltk/documentation/events.html
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<H1 ALIGN=RIGHT><A NAME="events">6 - Handling Events</A></H1>
This chapter discusses the FLTK event model and how to handle events in your program or
widget.
<H2>The FLTK Event Model</H2>
Events are identified by the integer argument passed to the <a
href="#handle"><tt>Fl_Widget::handle()</tt></a> virtual method. Other
information about the most recent event is stored in static locations
and acquired by calling the <a
href="#event_xxx"><tt>Fl::event_*()</tt></a> methods. This static
information remains valid until the next event is read from window
system (i.e. it is ok to look at it outside of the <tt>handle()</tt> method).
<H2>Mouse Events</H2>
<h3>FL_PUSH</h3>
A mouse button has gone down with the mouse pointing at this widget.
You can find out what button by calling <a
href="#event_button"><tt>Fl::event_button()</tt></a>. You find out the
mouse position by calling <a href="#event_x"><tt>Fl::event_x()</tt></a>
and <a href="#event_y"><tt>Fl::event_y()</tt></a>.
<p>A widget indicates that it "wants" the mouse click by returning
non-zero from its <a href="#handle"><tt>handle()</tt></a> method. It
will then become the <a href="#pushed"><tt>Fl::pushed()</tt></a> widget
and will get <tt>FL_DRAG</tt> and the matching <tt>FL_RELEASE</tt>
events. If <tt>handle()</tt> returns zero then FLTK will try sending
the <tt>FL_PUSH</tt> to another widget.
<h3>FL_DRAG</h3>
The mouse has moved with a button held down.
<h3>FL_RELEASE</h3>
A mouse button has been released. You can find out what button by
calling <a href="#event_button"><tt>Fl::event_button()</tt></a>.
<h3>FL_MOVE</h3>
The mouse has moved without any mouse buttons held down. This event
is sent to the <tt>belowmouse()</tt> widget.
<H2>Focus Events</H2>
<h3>FL_ENTER</h3>
The mouse has been moved to point at this widget. This can be used for
highlighting feedback. If a widget wants to highlight or otherwise
track the mouse, it indicates this by returning non-zero from its <a
href="#handle"><tt>handle()</tt></a> method. It then becomes the <a
href="#belowmouse"><tt>Fl::belowmouse()</tt></a> widget and will
receive <tt>FL_MOVE</tt> and <tt>FL_LEAVE</tt> events.
<h3>FL_LEAVE</h3>
The mouse has moved out of the widget.
<h3>FL_FOCUS</h3>
This indicates an <i>attempt</i> to give a widget the keyboard
focus.
<p>If a widget wants the focus, it should change itself to display the
fact that it has the focus, and return non-zero from its <a
href="#handle"><tt>handle()</tt></a> method. It then becomes the <a
href="#focus"><tt>Fl::focus()</tt></a> widget and gets <tt>FL_KEYBOARD</tt>
and <tt>FL_UNFOCUS</tt> events.
<p>The focus will change either because the window manager changed
which window gets the focus, or because the user tried to navigate
using tab, arrows, or other keys. You can check <a
href="#event_key"><tt>Fl::event_key()</tt></a> to figure out why it moved. For
navigation it will be the key pressed and for instructions from the
window manager it will be zero.
<h3>FL_UNFOCUS</h3>
Sent to the previous <a href="#focus"><tt>Fl::focus()</tt></a> when
another widget gets the focus.
<H2>Keyboard Events</H2>
<h3>FL_KEYBOARD</h3>
A key press. The key pressed can be found in <a
href="#event_key"><tt>Fl::event_key()</tt></a>. The text that the key
should insert can be found with <a
href="#event_text"><tt>Fl::event_text()</tt></a> and its length is in
<a href="#event_length"><tt>Fl::event_length()</tt></a>. If you use
the key <tt>handle()</tt> should return 1. If you return zero then
FLTK assummes you ignored the key. It will then attempt to send it to
a parent widget. If none of them want it, it will change the event into
a <tt>FL_SHORTCUT</tt> event.
<h3>FL_SHORTCUT</h3>
If the <a href="#focus"><tt>Fl::focus()</tt></a> is zero or ignores an
<tt>FL_KEYBOARD</tt> event then FLTK tries sending this event to every
widget it can, until one of them returns non-zero.
<tt>FL_SHORTCUT</tt> is first sent to the <tt>belowmouse()</tt> widget,
then its parents and siblings, and eventually to every widget in the
window, trying to find an object that returns non-zero. FLTK tries
really hard to not to ignore any keystrokes!
<p>You can also make "global" shortcuts by using <a
href="#add_handler"><tt>Fl::add_handler()</tt></a>. A global shortcut
will work no matter what windows are displayed or which one has the
focus.
<H2>Widget Events</H2>
<h3>FL_DEACTIVATE</h3>
This widget is no longer active, due to <a
href="#Fl_Widget.deactivate"><tt>deactivate()</tt></a> being called on
it or one of its parents. <tt>active()</tt> may still be true after this, the
widget is only active if <tt>active()</tt> is true on it and all its parents
(use <tt>active_r()</tt> to check this).
<h3>FL_ACTIVATE</h3>
This widget is now active, due to <a
href="#Fl_Widget.activate"><tt>activate()</tt></a> being called on it
or one of its parents.
<h3>FL_HIDE</h3>
This widget is no longer visible, due to <a
href="#Fl_Widget.hide><tt>hide()</tt></a> being called on it or one of its
parents, or due to a parent window being minimized. <tt>visible()</tt>
may still be true after this, but the widget is visible only if
<tt>visible()</tt> is true for it and all its parents (use
<tt>visible_r()</tt> to check this).
<h3>FL_SHOW</h3>
This widget is visible again, due to <a
href="#Fl_Widget.show"><tt>show()</tt></a> being called on it or one of
its parents, or due to a parent window being restored. <i>Child
<tt>Fl_Window</tt>s respond to this by actually creating the window if not
done already, so if you subclass a window, be sure to pass <tt>FL_SHOW</tt> to
the base class <tt>handle()</tt> method!</i>
<H2>Clipboard Events</H2>
<h3>FL_PASTE</h3>
You should get this event some time after you call <a
href="#paste"><tt>Fl::paste()</tt></a>. The contents of <a
href="#event_text"><tt>Fl::event_text()</tt></a> is the text to insert
and the number of characters is in <a
href="#event_length"><tt>Fl::event_length()</tt></a>.
<h3>FL_SELECTIONCLEAR</h3>
The <a href="#selection_owner">Fl::selection_owner()</a> will get this
event before the selection is moved to another widget. This indicates
that some other widget or program has claimed the selection.
<h2><a name="event_xxx">Fl::event_*() methods</a></h2>
FLTK keeps the information about the most recent event in static
storage. This information is good until the next event is processed.
Thus it is valid inside <tt>handle()</tt> and <tt>callback()</tt> methods.
<p>These are all trivial inline functions and thus very fast and
small:
<ul>
<li><a name="event_button">Fl::event_button</a>
<li><a name="event_clicks">Fl::event_clicks</a>
<li><a name="event_inside">Fl::event_inside</a>
<li><a name="event_is_click">Fl::event_is_click</a>
<li><a name="event_key">Fl::event_key</a>
<li><a name="event_length">Fl::event_length</a>
<li><a name="event_state">Fl::event_state</a>
<li><a name="event_text">Fl::event_text</a>
<li><a name="event_x">Fl::event_x</a>
<li><a name="event_x_root">Fl::event_x_root</a>
<li><a name="event_y">Fl::event_y</a>
<li><a name="event_y_root">Fl::event_y_root</a>
<li><a name="get_key">Fl::get_key</a>
<li><a name="get_mouse">Fl::get_mouse</a>
<li><a name="test_shortcut">Fl::test_shortcut</a>
</ul>
<h2><a name="propagation">Event Propagation</a></h2>
FLTK follows very simple and unchangeable rules for sending events. The
major innovation is that widgets can indicate (by returning 0 from the
<tt>handle()</tt> method) that they are not interested in an event, and
FLTK can then send that event elsewhere. This eliminates the need for
"interests" (event masks or tables), and this is probably the main
reason FLTK is much smaller than other toolkits.
<p>Most events are sent directly to the <tt>handle()</tt> method of the
<tt>Fl_Window</tt> that the window system says they belong to. The
window (actually the <tt>Fl_Group</tt> that <tt>Fl_Window</tt> is a
subclass of) is responsible for sending the events on to any child
widgets. To make the <tt>Fl_Group</tt> code somewhat easier, FLTK
sends some events (<tt>FL_DRAG</tt>, <tt>FL_RELEASE</tt>,
<tt>FL_KEYBOARD</tt>, <tt>FL_SHORTCUT</tt>, <tt>FL_UNFOCUS</tt>, and
<tt>FL_LEAVE</tt>) directly to leaf widgets. These procedures control
those leaf widgets:
<ul>
<li><a href="#add_handler">Fl::add_handler</a>
<li><a href="#belowmouse">Fl::belowmouse</a>
<li><a href="#focus">Fl::focus</a>
<li><a href="#grab">Fl::grab</a>
<li><a href="#modal">Fl::modal</a>
<li><a href="#pushed">Fl::pushed</a>
<li><a href="#release">Fl::release</a>
<li><a href="#Fl_Widget.take_focus">Fl_Widget::take_focus</a>
</ul>
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