ComboBox

Deprecated since version 4.10: Use DropDown instead

class ComboBox(**properties: Any)

Superclasses: Widget, InitiallyUnowned, Object

Subclasses: ComboBoxText

Implemented Interfaces: Accessible, Buildable, CellEditable, CellLayout, ConstraintTarget

A GtkComboBox is a widget that allows the user to choose from a list of valid choices.

The GtkComboBox displays the selected choice; when activated, the GtkComboBox displays a popup which allows the user to make a new choice.

The GtkComboBox uses the model-view pattern; the list of valid choices is specified in the form of a tree model, and the display of the choices can be adapted to the data in the model by using cell renderers, as you would in a tree view. This is possible since GtkComboBox implements the CellLayout interface. The tree model holding the valid choices is not restricted to a flat list, it can be a real tree, and the popup will reflect the tree structure.

To allow the user to enter values not in the model, the has_entry property allows the GtkComboBox to contain a Entry. This entry can be accessed by calling get_child on the combo box.

For a simple list of textual choices, the model-view API of GtkComboBox can be a bit overwhelming. In this case, ComboBoxText offers a simple alternative. Both GtkComboBox and GtkComboBoxText can contain an entry.

CSS nodes

combobox
├── box.linked
│   ╰── button.combo
│       ╰── box
│           ├── cellview
│           ╰── arrow
╰── window.popup

A normal combobox contains a box with the .linked class, a button with the .combo class and inside those buttons, there are a cellview and an arrow.

combobox
├── box.linked
│   ├── entry.combo
│   ╰── button.combo
│       ╰── box
│           ╰── arrow
╰── window.popup

A GtkComboBox with an entry has a single CSS node with name combobox. It contains a box with the .linked class. That box contains an entry and a button, both with the .combo class added. The button also contains another node with name arrow.

Accessibility

GtkComboBox uses the COMBO_BOX role.

Constructors

class ComboBox

classmethod new() → Widget: Creates a new empty GtkComboBox.

Deprecated since version 4.10: Use DropDown

classmethod new_with_entry() → Widget

Creates a new empty GtkComboBox with an entry.

In order to use a combo box with entry, you need to tell it which column of the model contains the text for the entry by calling set_entry_text_column.

Deprecated since version 4.10: Use DropDown

classmethod new_with_model(model: TreeModel) → Widget

Creates a new GtkComboBox with a model.

Deprecated since version 4.10: Use DropDown

Parameters:: model – a GtkTreeModel

classmethod new_with_model_and_entry(model: TreeModel) → Widget

Creates a new empty GtkComboBox with an entry and a model.

Methods

class ComboBox

get_active() → int

Returns the index of the currently active item.

If the model is a non-flat treemodel, and the active item is not an immediate child of the root of the tree, this function returns gtk_tree_path_get_indices (path)[0], where path is the TreePath of the active item.

Deprecated since version 4.10: Use DropDown

get_active_id() → str | None

Returns the ID of the active row of combo_box.

This value is taken from the active row and the column specified by the id_column property of combo_box (see set_id_column).

The returned value is an interned string which means that you can compare the pointer by value to other interned strings and that you must not free it.

If the id_column property of combo_box is not set, or if no row is active, or if the active row has a None ID value, then None is returned.

Deprecated since version 4.10: Use DropDown

get_active_iter() → tuple[bool, TreeIter]

Sets iter to point to the currently active item.

If no item is active, iter is left unchanged.

Deprecated since version 4.10: Use DropDown

get_button_sensitivity() → SensitivityType: Returns whether the combo box sets the dropdown button sensitive or not when there are no items in the model.

Deprecated since version 4.10: Use DropDown

get_child() → Widget | None: Gets the child widget of combo_box.

Deprecated since version 4.10: Use DropDown

get_entry_text_column() → int: Returns the column which combo_box is using to get the strings from to display in the internal entry.

Deprecated since version 4.10: Use DropDown

get_has_entry() → bool: Returns whether the combo box has an entry.

Deprecated since version 4.10: Use DropDown

get_id_column() → int: Returns the column which combo_box is using to get string IDs for values from.

Deprecated since version 4.10: Use DropDown

get_model() → TreeModel | None: Returns the GtkTreeModel of combo_box.

Deprecated since version 4.10: Use DropDown

get_popup_fixed_width() → bool: Gets whether the popup uses a fixed width.

Deprecated since version 4.10: Use DropDown

popdown() → None

Hides the menu or dropdown list of combo_box.

This function is mostly intended for use by accessibility technologies; applications should have little use for it.

Deprecated since version 4.10: Use DropDown

popup() → None

Pops up the menu or dropdown list of combo_box.

This function is mostly intended for use by accessibility technologies; applications should have little use for it.

Before calling this, combo_box must be mapped, or nothing will happen.

Deprecated since version 4.10: Use DropDown

popup_for_device(device: Device) → None

Pops up the menu of combo_box.

Note that currently this does not do anything with the device, as it was previously only used for list-mode combo boxes, and those were removed in GTK 4. However, it is retained in case similar functionality is added back later.

Deprecated since version 4.10: Use DropDown

Parameters:: device – a GdkDevice

set_active(index_: int) → None

Sets the active item of combo_box to be the item at index.

Deprecated since version 4.10: Use DropDown

Parameters:: index – An index in the model passed during construction, or -1 to have no active item

set_active_id(active_id: str | None = None) → bool

Changes the active row of combo_box to the one that has an ID equal to active_id.

If active_id is None, the active row is unset. Rows having a None ID string cannot be made active by this function.

If the id_column property of combo_box is unset or if no row has the given ID then the function does nothing and returns False.

Deprecated since version 4.10: Use DropDown

Parameters:: active_id – the ID of the row to select

set_active_iter(iter: TreeIter | None = None) → None

Sets the current active item to be the one referenced by iter.

If iter is None, the active item is unset.

Deprecated since version 4.10: Use DropDown

Parameters:: iter – The GtkTreeIter

set_button_sensitivity(sensitivity: SensitivityType) → None

Sets whether the dropdown button of the combo box should update its sensitivity depending on the model contents.

Deprecated since version 4.10: Use DropDown

Parameters:: sensitivity – specify the sensitivity of the dropdown button

set_child(child: Widget | None = None) → None

Sets the child widget of combo_box.

Deprecated since version 4.10: Use DropDown

Parameters:: child – the child widget

set_entry_text_column(text_column: int) → None

Sets the model column which combo_box should use to get strings from to be text_column.

For this column no separate CellRenderer is needed.

The column text_column in the model of combo_box must be of type str.

This is only relevant if combo_box has been created with has_entry as True.

Deprecated since version 4.10: Use DropDown

Parameters:: text_column – A column in model to get the strings from for the internal entry

set_id_column(id_column: int) → None

Sets the model column which combo_box should use to get string IDs for values from.

The column id_column in the model of combo_box must be of type str.

Deprecated since version 4.10: Use DropDown

Parameters:: id_column – A column in model to get string IDs for values from

set_model(model: TreeModel | None = None) → None

Sets the model used by combo_box to be model.

Will unset a previously set model (if applicable). If model is None, then it will unset the model.

Note that this function does not clear the cell renderers, you have to call clear yourself if you need to set up different cell renderers for the new model.

Deprecated since version 4.10: Use DropDown

Parameters:: model – A GtkTreeModel

set_popup_fixed_width(fixed: bool) → None

Specifies whether the popup’s width should be a fixed width.

If fixed is True, the popup’s width is set to match the allocated width of the combo box.

Deprecated since version 4.10: Use DropDown

Parameters:: fixed – whether to use a fixed popup width

set_row_separator_func(func: Callable[[...], bool] | None = None, *data: Any) → None

Sets the row separator function, which is used to determine whether a row should be drawn as a separator.

If the row separator function is None, no separators are drawn. This is the default value.

Deprecated since version 4.10: Use DropDown

Parameters:

func – a GtkTreeViewRowSeparatorFunc
data – user data to pass to func

Properties

class ComboBox

props.active: int

The item which is currently active.

If the model is a non-flat treemodel, and the active item is not an immediate child of the root of the tree, this property has the value gtk_tree_path_get_indices (path)[0], where path is the TreePath of the active item.

props.active_id: str: The value of the ID column of the active row.

props.button_sensitivity: SensitivityType: Whether the dropdown button is sensitive when the model is empty.

props.child: Widget: The child widget.

props.entry_text_column: int

The model column to associate with strings from the entry.

This is property only relevant if the combo was created with has_entry is True.

props.has_entry: bool: Whether the combo box has an entry.

props.has_frame: bool: The has-frame property controls whether a frame is drawn around the entry.

props.id_column: int: The model column that provides string IDs for the values in the model, if != -1.

props.model: TreeModel: The model from which the combo box takes its values.

props.popup_fixed_width: bool: Whether the popup’s width should be a fixed width matching the allocated width of the combo box.

props.popup_shown: bool

Whether the combo boxes dropdown is popped up.

Note that this property is mainly useful, because it allows you to connect to notify::popup-shown.

Signals

class ComboBox.signals

activate() → None

Emitted to when the combo box is activated.

The ::activate signal on GtkComboBox is an action signal and emitting it causes the combo box to pop up its dropdown.

Added in version 4.6.

changed() → None

Emitted when the active item is changed.

The can be due to the user selecting a different item from the list, or due to a call to set_active_iter. It will also be emitted while typing into the entry of a combo box with an entry.

format_entry_text(path: str) → str

Emitted to allow changing how the text in a combo box’s entry is displayed.

See has_entry.

Connect a signal handler which returns an allocated string representing path. That string will then be used to set the text in the combo box’s entry. The default signal handler uses the text from the entry_text_column model column.

Here’s an example signal handler which fetches data from the model and displays it in the entry.

static char *
format_entry_text_callback (GtkComboBox *combo,
                            const char *path,
                            gpointer     user_data)
{
  GtkTreeIter iter;
  GtkTreeModel model;
  double       value;

  model = gtk_combo_box_get_model (combo);

  gtk_tree_model_get_iter_from_string (model, &iter, path);
  gtk_tree_model_get (model, &iter,
                      THE_DOUBLE_VALUE_COLUMN, &value,
                      -1);

  return g_strdup_printf ("``%g``", value);
}

Parameters:: path – the TreePath string from the combo box’s current model to format text for

move_active(scroll_type: ScrollType) → None

Emitted to move the active selection.

This is an keybinding signal.

Parameters:: scroll_type – a GtkScrollType

popdown() → bool

Emitted to popdown the combo box list.

This is an keybinding signal.

The default bindings for this signal are Alt+Up and Escape.

popup() → None

Emitted to popup the combo box list.

This is an keybinding signal.

The default binding for this signal is Alt+Down.

Virtual Methods

class ComboBox

do_activate() → None

do_changed() → None: Signal is emitted when the active item is changed.

do_format_entry_text(path: str) → str

Signal which allows you to change how the text displayed in a combo box’s entry is displayed.

Parameters:: path

Fields

class ComboBox

parent_instance