TixGrid(3pm) User Contributed Perl Documentation TixGrid(3pm)
NAME
Tk::TixGrid - Create and manipulate Tix Grid widgets
SYNOPSIS
$tixgrid = $parent->TixGrid?(options)?;
DESCRIPTION
This widget is intended as the basis of "spread sheet" like interfaces.
The widget displays its contents in a two dimensional "grid" of cells.
Each cell may contain one Tix display item, which may be in text,
graphics or other formats. See Tk::DItem for more information about Tix
display items. Because these "items" need not be "windows" large grids
can be handled without consuming excessive display system resources.
Individual cells, or groups of cells, can be formatted with a wide range
of attributes, such as its color, relief and border. However because the
widget is intended to handle large grids the mechanisms to achieve these
are lower level, and more callback oriented than for other widgets. The
assumption is that to avoid storing display details of a large number of
cells, the data will be re-computed as needed.
The port of Tix C code and some of the bindings to perl/Tk is done but
still need further work. In several places the intent of the Tix code is
not yet understood. For example the 'edit' interface is clearly intended
for spread-sheet like cell content editing in an auxillary "entry"
widget or similar, but how that should work is not yet clear.
The TixGrid method creates a new TixGrid window and returns a blessed
reference of this TixGrid widget. Additional options, described below,
may be specified on the command line or in the option database to
configure aspects of the TixGrid widget.
STANDARD OPTIONS
-background -borderwidth -cursor -font -foreground
-height -highlightbackground -highlightcolor
-highlightthickness -padx -pady -relief
-selectbackground -selectborderwidth -selectforeground
-state -takefocus -width -xscrollcommand
-yscrollcommand
See Tk::options for details of the standard options.
WIDGET-SPECIFIC OPTIONS
Name: browseCmd
Class: BrowseCmd
Switch: -browsecmd
If defined, gives a perl/Tk callback to be executed when the user
browses a grid cell (This is normally the case when the user clicks
on an entry). When this callback is called, it is passed with two
additional parameters: x y, where (x,y) is the location of the cell
that has just been clicked.
Name: Command
Class: Command
Switch: -command
If defined, gives a perl/Tk callback to be executed when the user
double-clicks a grid cell. When this callback is called, it is
passed with two additional parameters: x y, where (x,y) is the
location of the cell that has just been clicked.
Name: editDoneCmd
Class: EditDoneCmd
Switch: -editdonecmd
If defined, gives a perl/Tk callback to be executed when the user
has edited grid cell. When this callback is called, it is passed
with two additional parameters: x y, where (x,y) is the location of
the cell that has just been edited.
Name: editNotifyCmd
Class: EditNotifyCmd
Switch: -editnotifycmd
If defined gives a perl/Tk callback to be executed when the user
tries to edit a grid cell. When this callback is called, it is
passed with two additional parameters: x y, where (x,y,) is the
location of the cell. This callback should return a boolean value:
true indicates that the cell is editable and false otherwise.
Name: FloatingCols
Class: floatingCols
Switch: -floatingcols
Defines the number of extra columns beyond the existing grid that
can be brought into view by scrolling.
Name: FloatingRows
Class: floatingRows
Switch: -floatingrows
Defines the number of extra rows beyond the the existing grid that
can be brought into view by scrolling.
Name: formatCmd
Class: FormatCmd
Switch: -formatcmd
If defined, gives a perl/Tk callback to be executed when the grid
cells need to be displayed on the screen. Its primary purpose is to
draw the background of the region before the cells are rendered on
top. This is normally achieved by calling formatGrid or formatBorder
(see below). However other uses can be made of this low-level
callback. For example it can be used to "lazily" populate the grid
by calling the set method only as cells come into view.
When this callback is called, it is passed with five additional
parameters: type x1 y1 x2 y2.
x1 y1 x2 y2 gives the extent of the region that needs formatting.
type gives the logical type of the region in the grid. It may be one
of the following.
x_margin
The horizontal margin.
y_margin
The vertical margin.
s_margin
The area in the top left corner where the horizontal and
vertical margins are joined.
main The main body i.e. all the cells that do not fall into the
above three types.
Name: leftMargin
Class: LeftMargin
Switch: -leftmargin
Gives the width of vertical margin in cells (columns). A zero
indicates that no vertical margin exists. A positive value N
indicates that first N columns are "labels" and are always displayed
and not scrolled.
Name: itemType
Class: ItemType
Switch: -itemtype
Default item type for cells.
Name: selectMode
Class: SelectMode
Switch: -selectmode
Specifies one of several styles for manipulating the selection. The
value of the option may be arbitrary, but the default bindings
expect it to be either single, browse, multiple, or extended; the
default value is single.
Name: selectUnit
Class: SelectUnit
Switch: -selectunit
Specifies the selection unit. Valid values are cell, column or row.
Name: sizeCmd
Class: SizeCmd
Switch: -sizecmd
Callback is called (with no extra arguments) when grid sizes are re-
computed. For example if window changes size, a different font is
specified etc.
It is called just after scrollbars (if present) are updated.
Name: topMargin
Class: TopMargin
Switch: -topmargin
Gives the width of horizontal margin in cells (rows). A zero
indicates that no horizontal margin exists. A positive value N
indicates that first N rows are "labels" and are always displayed
and not scrolled.
WIDGET METHODS
The TixGrid method creates a TixGrid widget and returns a blessed
reference of this TixGrid widget. This reference may be used to invoke
various operations on the widget. It has the following general form:
$tixgrid->method?(arg, arg, ...)?
args determine the exact behavior of the method.
This object supports the configure and cget methods described in
Tk::options which can be used to enquire and modify the options
described above. The widget also inherits all the methods provided by
the generic Tk::Widget class.
The following additional methods are possible for TixGrid widgets:
$tixgrid->anchorGet(x, y)
$tixgrid->anchorSet(x, y)
$tixgrid->anchorClear
Manipulates the anchor cell of the TixGrid widget. The anchor cell
is the end of the selection that is fixed while the user is dragging
out a selection with the mouse.
($bd,$col,$row) = $tixgrid->bdtype(x,y ?,xDelta,yDelta?)
Determines if the the screen (pixel) position x,y is in a border.
This is useful for changing the mouse cursor when the user points at
a border - e.g. to indicate that the border can be adjusted
interactively.
If in a border returns a list of three elements. First element is
'xy', 'x' or 'y', second two elements are integers. (Value of these
are not understood, seem to indicate which column and row of the
border the screen position corresponds to?)
If not in a border returns an empty list.
$tixgrid->delete(dim, from?, to?)
$tixgrid->deleteColumn(from?, to?)
$tixgrid->deleteRow(from?, to?)
Dim may be row or column. If to is not given, deletes a single row
(or column) at the position from. If to is given, deletes the range
of rows (or columns) from position from through to.
$tixgrid->dragsite(option, x, y)
$tixgrid->dropsite(option, x, y)
Tcl/Tix has (or was going to have) Drag&Drop support. Meaning for
perl/Tk is not clear yet.
$tixgrid->editApply
If any cell is being edited, de-highlight the cell and applies the
changes.
$tixgrid->editSet(x, y)
Highlights the cell at (x,y) for editing, if the -editnotify
callback returns true for this cell.
$tixgrid->entrycget(x, y, '-option')
$tixgrid->entryconfigure(x, y?, -option??=>value, -option=>value, ...?)
Provide a configue interface to cells in the grid. The -options
depend on the item type of the cell.
$tixgrid->formatBorder(x1,y1, x2,y2, options);
$tixgrid->formatGrid(x1,y1, x2,y2, options);
The formatBorder and formatBorder methods can only be called by the
-formatcmd callback of the tixGrid widget. They draw the background
of the region described by x1,y1, x2,y2 according the the supplied
options. One call to -formatcmd callback can make multiple calls to
formatBorder and/or formatBorder for different sub-regions.
formatBorder draws the background using Tk relief style, formatGrid
also draws grid lines between the cells. It only makes sense to
call one or the other for a particular sub-region as one will over-
write the other.
The options allowed are:
-background / -bg
-borderwidth / -bd
-filled
-relief
-selectbackground
-xoff
-xon
-yoff
-yon
The -xon/-xoff and -yon/-yoff options are obscure. If anyone can
figure out how to do something interesting given what pTk/tixGrFmt.c
is doing with them please let Nick know!.
$tixgrid->geometryinfo(?width, height?)
Returns list of four values - two sets of two floating point
numbers. First set is the scrollbar fractions for x direction,
second set is scrollbar fractions for y direction. If width and
height are specified then fractions are based on as if window size
was of specified size (in pixels, but not allowing normal GetPixels
units). Otherwise fractions are based on current size of the
window.
Usage obscure.
$tixgrid->index(xcoord, ycoord)
Retuns (x, y) of entry at position ($coordx, $coordy). Either
coordinate may be 'max' which is largest existing entry in that
direction, 'end' which is one beyond largest existing entry, or a
number. (This is how you find out how big the grid is.)
$tixgrid->infoBbox(x,y)
Return the pixel bounding box of the cell at x,y.
$tixgrid->infoExists(x,y)
Returns true if there is an item in the cell at x,y. Throws an
exception (dies) if x,y is outside the grid - this may change (Nick
doesn't like it).
$tixgrid->move(dim, from, to, offset)
$tixgrid->moveColumn(from, to, offset)
$tixgrid->moveRow(from, to, offset)
Dim may be row or column. Moves the range of rows (or columns) from
position from through to by the distance indicated by offset. For
example, $tixgrid->moveRow(2, 4, 1) moves the rows 2,3,4 to rows
3,4,5.
$tixgrid->nearest(x, y)
Screen pos (pixels) to entry (nx,ny) translation.
$tixgrid->selectionAdjust(x1, y1 ?,x2, y2?)
$tixgrid->selectionClear(x1, y1 ?,x2, y2?)
$tixgrid->selectionIncludes(x1, y1 ?,x2, y2?)
$tixgrid->selectionSet(x1, y1 ?,x2, y2?)
$tixgrid->selectionToggle(x1, y1 ?,x2, y2?)
Selection support methods - probably buggy.
x1 (y1) has not to be greater than x2 (y2), but only x2 and y2 can
be 'max'.
BUG: selectionIncludes: has no visible effect (as in Tix). Eh???
BUG: selectionClear: only works for 0, 0, max, max (as in Tix).
Eh???
When x2, y2 are not given they default to x1, y1, respectively.
$tixgrid->set(x, y?, -itemtype=>type??, -option=>value, ...?)
Creates a new display item at the cell at (x,y). The optional
-itemtype parameter gives the type of the display item. An
additional list of option-value pairs specify options of the display
item. If a display item already exists at this cell, the old item
will be deleted automatically.
$tixgrid->size(dim, index?, -option??=>value, ...?)
$tixgrid->sizeColumn(index?, -option??=>value, ...?)
$tixgrid->sizeRow(index?, -option??=>value, ...?)
Queries or sets the size of the row or column given by dim and
index. Dim may be row or column. Index may be any non-negative
integer that gives the position of a given row (or column). Index
can also be the string default; in this case, this method queries or
sets the default size of all rows (or columns). When no option-
value pair is given, this method returns a list containing the
current size setting of the given row (or column). When option-
value pairs are given, the corresponding options of the size setting
of the given row are changed. -option may be one of the following:
-pad0 => pixels
Specifies the paddings to the left of a column or the top of
a row.
-pad1 => pixels
Specifies the paddings to the right of a column or the
bottom of a row.
-size => val
Specifies the width of a column or the height of a row. Val
may be: auto -- the width of the column is set the widest
cell in the column; a valid Tk screen distance unit (see
Tk_GetPixels); or a real number following by the word chars
(e.g. 3.4chars) that sets the width of the column to the
given number of characters.
$tixgrid->sort(dimension, start, end, ?args ...?)
?docu here? (not supported on Win* OSs up to now)
$tixgrid->unset(x, y)
Clears the cell at (x,y) by removing its display item.
$tixgrid->xview
Normal horizontal scrollbar method.
$tixgrid->yview
Normal vertical scrollbar method.
BINDINGS
To be done - only most obvious basic bindings work. The Tcl/Tix code was
coded as a "state machine" which is not easy to follow.
SEE ALSO
Tk::DItem Tk::callbacks Tk::FloatEntry
BUGS
Tcl/Tix was/is not finished and both C code and bindings of TixGrid have
some bugs.
KEYWORDS
tix, tixgrid, table, display item, spreadsheet
perl v5.40.1 2025-04-13 TixGrid(3pm)
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