NAME¶
itk - framework for building mega-widgets in Tcl/Tk
DESCRIPTION¶
Mega-widgets are high-level widgets that are constructed using Tk widgets as
component parts, usually without any C code. A fileselectionbox, for example,
may have a few listboxes, some entry widgets and some control buttons. These
individual widgets are put together in a way that makes them act like one big
widget. A fileselectionbox mega-widget can be created with a command like:
fileselectionbox .fsb -background blue -foreground white
Once it has been created, it can be reconfigured with a command like:
.fsb configure -background green -foreground black
and all of its internal components will change color. Each mega-widget has a set
of methods that can be used to manipulate it. For example, the current
selection can be queried from a fileselectionbox like this:
In effect, a mega-widget looks and acts exactly like a Tk widget, but is
considerably easier to implement.
[incr Tk] is a framework for building mega-widgets. It uses
[incr Tcl] to support the object paradigm, and adds base classes
which provide default widget behaviors.
All
[incr Tk] widgets are derived from the
Archetype base
class. This class manages internal component widgets, and provides methods
like "configure" and "cget" to access configuration
options.
The
Widget base class inherits everything from
Archetype, and adds
a Tk frame which acts as a container for the mega-widget. It is used to build
mega-widgets that sit inside of other frames and toplevels. Derived classes
create other internal components and pack them into the "hull" frame
created by the
Widget base class.
The
Toplevel base class inherits everything from
Archetype, but
adds a Tk toplevel which acts as a container for the mega-widget. It is used
to build mega-widgets, such as dialog boxes, that have their own toplevel
window. Derived classes create other internal components and pack them into
the "hull" toplevel created by the
Toplevel base class.
[incr Widgets] is a mega-widget library built using
[incr Tk]. It can be used right out of the box, and contains
more than 30 different widget classes, including:
- -
- fileselectiondialog
- -
- tabnotebook
- -
- panedwindow
- -
- combobox
- -
- optionmenu
- -
- scrolledlistbox
- -
- scrolledframe
- -
- messagedialog
- -
- and many others...
The
catalog demo in the "iwidgets/demos" directory shows all of
the available widgets in action. Each widget class has its own man page
describing the features available.
KEYWORDS¶
class, object, object-oriented, mega-widget