Signals

Signals — A means for customization of object behaviour and a general purpose notification mechanism

Functions

gboolean (*GSignalAccumulator) ()
gboolean (*GSignalEmissionHook) ()
guint g_signal_new ()
guint g_signal_newv ()
guint g_signal_new_valist ()
void g_signal_set_va_marshaller ()
void g_signal_query ()
guint g_signal_lookup ()
const gchar * g_signal_name ()
guint * g_signal_list_ids ()
void g_signal_emit ()
void g_signal_emit_by_name ()
void g_signal_emitv ()
void g_signal_emit_valist ()
#define g_signal_connect()
#define g_signal_connect_after()
#define g_signal_connect_swapped()
gulong g_signal_connect_object ()
gulong g_signal_connect_data ()
gulong g_signal_connect_closure ()
gulong g_signal_connect_closure_by_id ()
void g_signal_handler_block ()
void g_signal_handler_unblock ()
void g_signal_handler_disconnect ()
gulong g_signal_handler_find ()
guint g_signal_handlers_block_matched ()
guint g_signal_handlers_unblock_matched ()
guint g_signal_handlers_disconnect_matched ()
gboolean g_signal_handler_is_connected ()
#define g_signal_handlers_block_by_func()
#define g_signal_handlers_unblock_by_func()
#define g_signal_handlers_disconnect_by_func()
#define g_signal_handlers_disconnect_by_data()
gboolean g_signal_has_handler_pending ()
void g_signal_stop_emission ()
void g_signal_stop_emission_by_name ()
void g_signal_override_class_closure ()
void g_signal_chain_from_overridden ()
guint g_signal_new_class_handler ()
void g_signal_override_class_handler ()
void g_signal_chain_from_overridden_handler ()
gulong g_signal_add_emission_hook ()
void g_signal_remove_emission_hook ()
gboolean g_signal_is_valid_name ()
gboolean g_signal_parse_name ()
GSignalInvocationHint * g_signal_get_invocation_hint ()
GClosure * g_signal_type_cclosure_new ()
gboolean g_signal_accumulator_first_wins ()
gboolean g_signal_accumulator_true_handled ()
void g_clear_signal_handler ()

Types and Values

Includes

#include <glib-object.h>
#include <gobject/gvaluecollector.h>

Description

The basic concept of the signal system is that of the emission of a signal. Signals are introduced per-type and are identified through strings. Signals introduced for a parent type are available in derived types as well, so basically they are a per-type facility that is inherited.

A signal emission mainly involves invocation of a certain set of callbacks in precisely defined manner. There are two main categories of such callbacks, per-object ones and user provided ones. (Although signals can deal with any kind of instantiatable type, I'm referring to those types as "object types" in the following, simply because that is the context most users will encounter signals in.) The per-object callbacks are most often referred to as "object method handler" or "default (signal) handler", while user provided callbacks are usually just called "signal handler".

The object method handler is provided at signal creation time (this most frequently happens at the end of an object class' creation), while user provided handlers are frequently connected and disconnected to/from a certain signal on certain object instances.

A signal emission consists of five stages, unless prematurely stopped:

  1. Invocation of the object method handler for G_SIGNAL_RUN_FIRST signals

  2. Invocation of normal user-provided signal handlers (where the after flag is not set)

  3. Invocation of the object method handler for G_SIGNAL_RUN_LAST signals

  4. Invocation of user provided signal handlers (where the after flag is set)

  5. Invocation of the object method handler for G_SIGNAL_RUN_CLEANUP signals

The user-provided signal handlers are called in the order they were connected in.

All handlers may prematurely stop a signal emission, and any number of handlers may be connected, disconnected, blocked or unblocked during a signal emission.

There are certain criteria for skipping user handlers in stages 2 and 4 of a signal emission.

First, user handlers may be blocked. Blocked handlers are omitted during callback invocation, to return from the blocked state, a handler has to get unblocked exactly the same amount of times it has been blocked before.

Second, upon emission of a G_SIGNAL_DETAILED signal, an additional detail argument passed in to g_signal_emit() has to match the detail argument of the signal handler currently subject to invocation. Specification of no detail argument for signal handlers (omission of the detail part of the signal specification upon connection) serves as a wildcard and matches any detail argument passed in to emission.

While the detail argument is typically used to pass an object property name (as with “notify”), no specific format is mandated for the detail string, other than that it must be non-empty.

Memory management of signal handlers

If you are connecting handlers to signals and using a GObject instance as your signal handler user data, you should remember to pair calls to g_signal_connect() with calls to g_signal_handler_disconnect() or g_signal_handlers_disconnect_by_func(). While signal handlers are automatically disconnected when the object emitting the signal is finalised, they are not automatically disconnected when the signal handler user data is destroyed. If this user data is a GObject instance, using it from a signal handler after it has been finalised is an error.

There are two strategies for managing such user data. The first is to disconnect the signal handler (using g_signal_handler_disconnect() or g_signal_handlers_disconnect_by_func()) when the user data (object) is finalised; this has to be implemented manually. For non-threaded programs, g_signal_connect_object() can be used to implement this automatically. Currently, however, it is unsafe to use in threaded programs.

The second is to hold a strong reference on the user data until after the signal is disconnected for other reasons. This can be implemented automatically using g_signal_connect_data().

The first approach is recommended, as the second approach can result in effective memory leaks of the user data if the signal handler is never disconnected for some reason.

Functions

GSignalAccumulator ()

gboolean
(*GSignalAccumulator) (GSignalInvocationHint *ihint,
                       GValue *return_accu,
                       const GValue *handler_return,
                       gpointer user_data);

The signal accumulator is a special callback function that can be used to collect return values of the various callbacks that are called during a signal emission.

The signal accumulator is specified at signal creation time, if it is left NULL, no accumulation of callback return values is performed. The return value of signal emissions is then the value returned by the last callback.

Parameters

ihint

Signal invocation hint, see GSignalInvocationHint.

 

return_accu

Accumulator to collect callback return values in, this is the return value of the current signal emission.

 

handler_return

A GValue holding the return value of the signal handler.

 

user_data

Callback data that was specified when creating the signal.

 

Returns

The accumulator function returns whether the signal emission should be aborted. Returning TRUE will continue with the signal emission. Returning FALSE will abort the current emission. Since 2.62, returning FALSE will skip to the CLEANUP stage. In this case, emission will occur as normal in the CLEANUP stage and the handler's return value will be accumulated.


GSignalEmissionHook ()

gboolean
(*GSignalEmissionHook) (GSignalInvocationHint *ihint,
                        guint n_param_values,
                        const GValue *param_values,
                        gpointer user_data);

A simple function pointer to get invoked when the signal is emitted.

Emission hooks allow you to tie a hook to the signal type, so that it will trap all emissions of that signal, from any object.

You may not attach these to signals created with the G_SIGNAL_NO_HOOKS flag.

Parameters

ihint

Signal invocation hint, see GSignalInvocationHint.

 

n_param_values

the number of parameters to the function, including the instance on which the signal was emitted.

 

param_values

the instance on which the signal was emitted, followed by the parameters of the emission.

[array length=n_param_values]

user_data

user data associated with the hook.

 

Returns

whether it wants to stay connected. If it returns FALSE, the signal hook is disconnected (and destroyed).


g_signal_new ()

guint
g_signal_new (const gchar *signal_name,
              GType itype,
              GSignalFlags signal_flags,
              guint class_offset,
              GSignalAccumulator accumulator,
              gpointer accu_data,
              GSignalCMarshaller c_marshaller,
              GType return_type,
              guint n_params,
              ...);

Creates a new signal. (This is usually done in the class initializer.)

A signal name consists of segments consisting of ASCII letters and digits, separated by either the - or _ character. The first character of a signal name must be a letter. Names which violate these rules lead to undefined behaviour. These are the same rules as for property naming (see g_param_spec_internal()).

When registering a signal and looking up a signal, either separator can be used, but they cannot be mixed. Using - is considerably more efficient. Using _ is discouraged.

If 0 is used for class_offset subclasses cannot override the class handler in their class_init method by doing super_class->signal_handler = my_signal_handler. Instead they will have to use g_signal_override_class_handler().

If c_marshaller is NULL, g_cclosure_marshal_generic() will be used as the marshaller for this signal. In some simple cases, g_signal_new() will use a more optimized c_marshaller and va_marshaller for the signal instead of g_cclosure_marshal_generic().

If c_marshaller is non-NULL, you need to also specify a va_marshaller using g_signal_set_va_marshaller() or the generic va_marshaller will be used.

Parameters

signal_name

the name for the signal

 

itype

the type this signal pertains to. It will also pertain to types which are derived from this type.

 

signal_flags

a combination of GSignalFlags specifying detail of when the default handler is to be invoked. You should at least specify G_SIGNAL_RUN_FIRST or G_SIGNAL_RUN_LAST.

 

class_offset

The offset of the function pointer in the class structure for this type. Used to invoke a class method generically. Pass 0 to not associate a class method slot with this signal.

 

accumulator

the accumulator for this signal; may be NULL.

[nullable]

accu_data

user data for the accumulator .

[nullable][closure accumulator]

c_marshaller

the function to translate arrays of parameter values to signal emissions into C language callback invocations or NULL.

[nullable]

return_type

the type of return value, or G_TYPE_NONE for a signal without a return value.

 

n_params

the number of parameter types to follow.

 

...

a list of types, one for each parameter.

 

Returns

the signal id


g_signal_newv ()

guint
g_signal_newv (const gchar *signal_name,
               GType itype,
               GSignalFlags signal_flags,
               GClosure *class_closure,
               GSignalAccumulator accumulator,
               gpointer accu_data,
               GSignalCMarshaller c_marshaller,
               GType return_type,
               guint n_params,
               GType *param_types);

Creates a new signal. (This is usually done in the class initializer.)

See g_signal_new() for details on allowed signal names.

If c_marshaller is NULL, g_cclosure_marshal_generic() will be used as the marshaller for this signal.

Parameters

signal_name

the name for the signal

 

itype

the type this signal pertains to. It will also pertain to types which are derived from this type

 

signal_flags

a combination of GSignalFlags specifying detail of when the default handler is to be invoked. You should at least specify G_SIGNAL_RUN_FIRST or G_SIGNAL_RUN_LAST

 

class_closure

The closure to invoke on signal emission; may be NULL.

[nullable]

accumulator

the accumulator for this signal; may be NULL.

[nullable]

accu_data

user data for the accumulator .

[nullable][closure accumulator]

c_marshaller

the function to translate arrays of parameter values to signal emissions into C language callback invocations or NULL.

[nullable]

return_type

the type of return value, or G_TYPE_NONE for a signal without a return value

 

n_params

the length of param_types

 

param_types

an array of types, one for each parameter (may be NULL if n_params is zero).

[array length=n_params][nullable]

Returns

the signal id


g_signal_new_valist ()

guint
g_signal_new_valist (const gchar *signal_name,
                     GType itype,
                     GSignalFlags signal_flags,
                     GClosure *class_closure,
                     GSignalAccumulator accumulator,
                     gpointer accu_data,
                     GSignalCMarshaller c_marshaller,
                     GType return_type,
                     guint n_params,
                     va_list args);

Creates a new signal. (This is usually done in the class initializer.)

See g_signal_new() for details on allowed signal names.

If c_marshaller is NULL, g_cclosure_marshal_generic() will be used as the marshaller for this signal.

Parameters

signal_name

the name for the signal

 

itype

the type this signal pertains to. It will also pertain to types which are derived from this type.

 

signal_flags

a combination of GSignalFlags specifying detail of when the default handler is to be invoked. You should at least specify G_SIGNAL_RUN_FIRST or G_SIGNAL_RUN_LAST.

 

class_closure

The closure to invoke on signal emission; may be NULL.

[nullable]

accumulator

the accumulator for this signal; may be NULL.

[nullable]

accu_data

user data for the accumulator .

[nullable][closure accumulator]

c_marshaller

the function to translate arrays of parameter values to signal emissions into C language callback invocations or NULL.

[nullable]

return_type

the type of return value, or G_TYPE_NONE for a signal without a return value.

 

n_params

the number of parameter types in args .

 

args

va_list of GType, one for each parameter.

 

Returns

the signal id


g_signal_set_va_marshaller ()

void
g_signal_set_va_marshaller (guint signal_id,
                            GType instance_type,
                            GSignalCVaMarshaller va_marshaller);

Change the GSignalCVaMarshaller used for a given signal. This is a specialised form of the marshaller that can often be used for the common case of a single connected signal handler and avoids the overhead of GValue. Its use is optional.

Parameters

signal_id

the signal id

 

instance_type

the instance type on which to set the marshaller.

 

va_marshaller

the marshaller to set.

 

Since: 2.32


g_signal_query ()

void
g_signal_query (guint signal_id,
                GSignalQuery *query);

Queries the signal system for in-depth information about a specific signal. This function will fill in a user-provided structure to hold signal-specific information. If an invalid signal id is passed in, the signal_id member of the GSignalQuery is 0. All members filled into the GSignalQuery structure should be considered constant and have to be left untouched.

Parameters

signal_id

The signal id of the signal to query information for.

 

query

A user provided structure that is filled in with constant values upon success.

[out caller-allocates][not optional]

g_signal_lookup ()

guint
g_signal_lookup (const gchar *name,
                 GType itype);

Given the name of the signal and the type of object it connects to, gets the signal's identifying integer. Emitting the signal by number is somewhat faster than using the name each time.

Also tries the ancestors of the given type.

The type class passed as itype must already have been instantiated (for example, using g_type_class_ref()) for this function to work, as signals are always installed during class initialization.

See g_signal_new() for details on allowed signal names.

Parameters

name

the signal's name.

 

itype

the type that the signal operates on.

 

Returns

the signal's identifying number, or 0 if no signal was found.


g_signal_name ()

const gchar *
g_signal_name (guint signal_id);

Given the signal's identifier, finds its name.

Two different signals may have the same name, if they have differing types.

Parameters

signal_id

the signal's identifying number.

 

Returns

the signal name, or NULL if the signal number was invalid.

[nullable]


g_signal_list_ids ()

guint *
g_signal_list_ids (GType itype,
                   guint *n_ids);

Lists the signals by id that a certain instance or interface type created. Further information about the signals can be acquired through g_signal_query().

Parameters

itype

Instance or interface type.

 

n_ids

Location to store the number of signal ids for itype .

 

Returns

Newly allocated array of signal IDs.

[array length=n_ids][transfer full]


g_signal_emit ()

void
g_signal_emit (gpointer instance,
               guint signal_id,
               GQuark detail,
               ...);

Emits a signal. Signal emission is done synchronously. The method will only return control after all handlers are called or signal emission was stopped.

Note that g_signal_emit() resets the return value to the default if no handlers are connected, in contrast to g_signal_emitv().

Parameters

instance

the instance the signal is being emitted on.

[type GObject.Object]

signal_id

the signal id

 

detail

the detail

 

...

parameters to be passed to the signal, followed by a location for the return value. If the return type of the signal is G_TYPE_NONE, the return value location can be omitted.

 

g_signal_emit_by_name ()

void
g_signal_emit_by_name (gpointer instance,
                       const gchar *detailed_signal,
                       ...);

Emits a signal. Signal emission is done synchronously. The method will only return control after all handlers are called or signal emission was stopped.

Note that g_signal_emit_by_name() resets the return value to the default if no handlers are connected, in contrast to g_signal_emitv().

Parameters

instance

the instance the signal is being emitted on.

[type GObject.Object]

detailed_signal

a string of the form "signal-name::detail".

 

...

parameters to be passed to the signal, followed by a location for the return value. If the return type of the signal is G_TYPE_NONE, the return value location can be omitted. The number of parameters to pass to this function is defined when creating the signal.

 

g_signal_emitv ()

void
g_signal_emitv (const GValue *instance_and_params,
                guint signal_id,
                GQuark detail,
                GValue *return_value);

Emits a signal. Signal emission is done synchronously. The method will only return control after all handlers are called or signal emission was stopped.

Note that g_signal_emitv() doesn't change return_value if no handlers are connected, in contrast to g_signal_emit() and g_signal_emit_valist().

Parameters

instance_and_params

argument list for the signal emission. The first element in the array is a GValue for the instance the signal is being emitted on. The rest are any arguments to be passed to the signal.

[array]

signal_id

the signal id

 

detail

the detail

 

return_value

Location to store the return value of the signal emission. This must be provided if the specified signal returns a value, but may be ignored otherwise.

[inout][optional]

g_signal_emit_valist ()

void
g_signal_emit_valist (gpointer instance,
                      guint signal_id,
                      GQuark detail,
                      va_list var_args);

Emits a signal. Signal emission is done synchronously. The method will only return control after all handlers are called or signal emission was stopped.

Note that g_signal_emit_valist() resets the return value to the default if no handlers are connected, in contrast to g_signal_emitv().

[skip]

Parameters

instance

the instance the signal is being emitted on.

[type GObject.TypeInstance]

signal_id

the signal id

 

detail

the detail

 

var_args

a list of parameters to be passed to the signal, followed by a location for the return value. If the return type of the signal is G_TYPE_NONE, the return value location can be omitted.

 

g_signal_connect()

#define             g_signal_connect(instance, detailed_signal, c_handler, data)

Connects a GCallback function to a signal for a particular object.

The handler will be called synchronously, before the default handler of the signal. g_signal_emit() will not return control until all handlers are called.

See memory management of signal handlers for details on how to handle the return value and memory management of data .

Parameters

instance

the instance to connect to.

 

detailed_signal

a string of the form "signal-name::detail".

 

c_handler

the GCallback to connect.

 

data

data to pass to c_handler calls.

 

Returns

the handler ID, of type gulong (always greater than 0 for successful connections)


g_signal_connect_after()

#define             g_signal_connect_after(instance, detailed_signal, c_handler, data)

Connects a GCallback function to a signal for a particular object.

The handler will be called synchronously, after the default handler of the signal.

Parameters

instance

the instance to connect to.

 

detailed_signal

a string of the form "signal-name::detail".

 

c_handler

the GCallback to connect.

 

data

data to pass to c_handler calls.

 

Returns

the handler ID, of type gulong (always greater than 0 for successful connections)


g_signal_connect_swapped()

#define             g_signal_connect_swapped(instance, detailed_signal, c_handler, data)

Connects a GCallback function to a signal for a particular object.

The instance on which the signal is emitted and data will be swapped when calling the handler. This is useful when calling pre-existing functions to operate purely on the data , rather than the instance : swapping the parameters avoids the need to write a wrapper function.

For example, this allows the shorter code:

1
2
g_signal_connect_swapped (button, "clicked",
                          (GCallback) gtk_widget_hide, other_widget);

Rather than the cumbersome:

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
static void
button_clicked_cb (GtkButton *button, GtkWidget *other_widget)
{
    gtk_widget_hide (other_widget);
}

...

g_signal_connect (button, "clicked",
                  (GCallback) button_clicked_cb, other_widget);

Parameters

instance

the instance to connect to.

 

detailed_signal

a string of the form "signal-name::detail".

 

c_handler

the GCallback to connect.

 

data

data to pass to c_handler calls.

 

Returns

the handler ID, of type gulong (always greater than 0 for successful connections)


g_signal_connect_object ()

gulong
g_signal_connect_object (gpointer instance,
                         const gchar *detailed_signal,
                         GCallback c_handler,
                         gpointer gobject,
                         GConnectFlags connect_flags);

This is similar to g_signal_connect_data(), but uses a closure which ensures that the gobject stays alive during the call to c_handler by temporarily adding a reference count to gobject .

When the gobject is destroyed the signal handler will be automatically disconnected. Note that this is not currently threadsafe (ie: emitting a signal while gobject is being destroyed in another thread is not safe).

[skip]

Parameters

instance

the instance to connect to.

[type GObject.TypeInstance]

detailed_signal

a string of the form "signal-name::detail".

 

c_handler

the GCallback to connect.

 

gobject

the object to pass as data to c_handler .

[type GObject.Object][nullable]

connect_flags

a combination of GConnectFlags.

 

Returns

the handler id.


g_signal_connect_data ()

gulong
g_signal_connect_data (gpointer instance,
                       const gchar *detailed_signal,
                       GCallback c_handler,
                       gpointer data,
                       GClosureNotify destroy_data,
                       GConnectFlags connect_flags);

Connects a GCallback function to a signal for a particular object. Similar to g_signal_connect(), but allows to provide a GClosureNotify for the data which will be called when the signal handler is disconnected and no longer used. Specify connect_flags if you need ..._after() or ..._swapped() variants of this function.

Parameters

instance

the instance to connect to.

[type GObject.Object]

detailed_signal

a string of the form "signal-name::detail".

 

c_handler

the GCallback to connect.

[not nullable]

data

data to pass to c_handler calls.

[nullable][closure c_handler]

destroy_data

a GClosureNotify for data .

[nullable][destroy data]

connect_flags

a combination of GConnectFlags.

 

Returns

the handler ID (always greater than 0 for successful connections)


g_signal_connect_closure ()

gulong
g_signal_connect_closure (gpointer instance,
                          const gchar *detailed_signal,
                          GClosure *closure,
                          gboolean after);

Connects a closure to a signal for a particular object.

Parameters

instance

the instance to connect to.

[type GObject.Object]

detailed_signal

a string of the form "signal-name::detail".

 

closure

the closure to connect.

[not nullable]

after

whether the handler should be called before or after the default handler of the signal.

 

Returns

the handler ID (always greater than 0 for successful connections)


g_signal_connect_closure_by_id ()

gulong
g_signal_connect_closure_by_id (gpointer instance,
                                guint signal_id,
                                GQuark detail,
                                GClosure *closure,
                                gboolean after);

Connects a closure to a signal for a particular object.

Parameters

instance

the instance to connect to.

[type GObject.Object]

signal_id

the id of the signal.

 

detail

the detail.

 

closure

the closure to connect.

[not nullable]

after

whether the handler should be called before or after the default handler of the signal.

 

Returns

the handler ID (always greater than 0 for successful connections)


g_signal_handler_block ()

void
g_signal_handler_block (gpointer instance,
                        gulong handler_id);

Blocks a handler of an instance so it will not be called during any signal emissions unless it is unblocked again. Thus "blocking" a signal handler means to temporarily deactivate it, a signal handler has to be unblocked exactly the same amount of times it has been blocked before to become active again.

The handler_id has to be a valid signal handler id, connected to a signal of instance .

Parameters

instance

The instance to block the signal handler of.

[type GObject.Object]

handler_id

Handler id of the handler to be blocked.

 

g_signal_handler_unblock ()

void
g_signal_handler_unblock (gpointer instance,
                          gulong handler_id);

Undoes the effect of a previous g_signal_handler_block() call. A blocked handler is skipped during signal emissions and will not be invoked, unblocking it (for exactly the amount of times it has been blocked before) reverts its "blocked" state, so the handler will be recognized by the signal system and is called upon future or currently ongoing signal emissions (since the order in which handlers are called during signal emissions is deterministic, whether the unblocked handler in question is called as part of a currently ongoing emission depends on how far that emission has proceeded yet).

The handler_id has to be a valid id of a signal handler that is connected to a signal of instance and is currently blocked.

Parameters

instance

The instance to unblock the signal handler of.

[type GObject.Object]

handler_id

Handler id of the handler to be unblocked.

 

g_signal_handler_disconnect ()

void
g_signal_handler_disconnect (gpointer instance,
                             gulong handler_id);

Disconnects a handler from an instance so it will not be called during any future or currently ongoing emissions of the signal it has been connected to. The handler_id becomes invalid and may be reused.

The handler_id has to be a valid signal handler id, connected to a signal of instance .

Parameters

instance

The instance to remove the signal handler from.

[type GObject.Object]

handler_id

Handler id of the handler to be disconnected.

 

g_signal_handler_find ()

gulong
g_signal_handler_find (gpointer instance,
                       GSignalMatchType mask,
                       guint signal_id,
                       GQuark detail,
                       GClosure *closure,
                       gpointer func,
                       gpointer data);

Finds the first signal handler that matches certain selection criteria. The criteria mask is passed as an OR-ed combination of GSignalMatchType flags, and the criteria values are passed as arguments. The match mask has to be non-0 for successful matches. If no handler was found, 0 is returned.

Parameters

instance

The instance owning the signal handler to be found.

[type GObject.Object]

mask

Mask indicating which of signal_id , detail , closure , func and/or data the handler has to match.

 

signal_id

Signal the handler has to be connected to.

 

detail

Signal detail the handler has to be connected to.

 

closure

The closure the handler will invoke.

[nullable]

func

The C closure callback of the handler (useless for non-C closures).

 

data

The closure data of the handler's closure.

[nullable][closure closure]

Returns

A valid non-0 signal handler id for a successful match.


g_signal_handlers_block_matched ()

guint
g_signal_handlers_block_matched (gpointer instance,
                                 GSignalMatchType mask,
                                 guint signal_id,
                                 GQuark detail,
                                 GClosure *closure,
                                 gpointer func,
                                 gpointer data);

Blocks all handlers on an instance that match a certain selection criteria. The criteria mask is passed as an OR-ed combination of GSignalMatchType flags, and the criteria values are passed as arguments. Passing at least one of the G_SIGNAL_MATCH_CLOSURE, G_SIGNAL_MATCH_FUNC or G_SIGNAL_MATCH_DATA match flags is required for successful matches. If no handlers were found, 0 is returned, the number of blocked handlers otherwise.

Parameters

instance

The instance to block handlers from.

[type GObject.Object]

mask

Mask indicating which of signal_id , detail , closure , func and/or data the handlers have to match.

 

signal_id

Signal the handlers have to be connected to.

 

detail

Signal detail the handlers have to be connected to.

 

closure

The closure the handlers will invoke.

[nullable]

func

The C closure callback of the handlers (useless for non-C closures).

 

data

The closure data of the handlers' closures.

[nullable][closure closure]

Returns

The number of handlers that matched.


g_signal_handlers_unblock_matched ()

guint
g_signal_handlers_unblock_matched (gpointer instance,
                                   GSignalMatchType mask,
                                   guint signal_id,
                                   GQuark detail,
                                   GClosure *closure,
                                   gpointer func,
                                   gpointer data);

Unblocks all handlers on an instance that match a certain selection criteria. The criteria mask is passed as an OR-ed combination of GSignalMatchType flags, and the criteria values are passed as arguments. Passing at least one of the G_SIGNAL_MATCH_CLOSURE, G_SIGNAL_MATCH_FUNC or G_SIGNAL_MATCH_DATA match flags is required for successful matches. If no handlers were found, 0 is returned, the number of unblocked handlers otherwise. The match criteria should not apply to any handlers that are not currently blocked.

Parameters

instance

The instance to unblock handlers from.

[type GObject.Object]

mask

Mask indicating which of signal_id , detail , closure , func and/or data the handlers have to match.

 

signal_id

Signal the handlers have to be connected to.

 

detail

Signal detail the handlers have to be connected to.

 

closure

The closure the handlers will invoke.

[nullable]

func

The C closure callback of the handlers (useless for non-C closures).

 

data

The closure data of the handlers' closures.

[nullable][closure closure]

Returns

The number of handlers that matched.


g_signal_handlers_disconnect_matched ()

guint
g_signal_handlers_disconnect_matched (gpointer instance,
                                      GSignalMatchType mask,
                                      guint signal_id,
                                      GQuark detail,
                                      GClosure *closure,
                                      gpointer func,
                                      gpointer data);

Disconnects all handlers on an instance that match a certain selection criteria. The criteria mask is passed as an OR-ed combination of GSignalMatchType flags, and the criteria values are passed as arguments. Passing at least one of the G_SIGNAL_MATCH_CLOSURE, G_SIGNAL_MATCH_FUNC or G_SIGNAL_MATCH_DATA match flags is required for successful matches. If no handlers were found, 0 is returned, the number of disconnected handlers otherwise.

Parameters

instance

The instance to remove handlers from.

[type GObject.Object]

mask

Mask indicating which of signal_id , detail , closure , func and/or data the handlers have to match.

 

signal_id

Signal the handlers have to be connected to.

 

detail

Signal detail the handlers have to be connected to.

 

closure

The closure the handlers will invoke.

[nullable]

func

The C closure callback of the handlers (useless for non-C closures).

 

data

The closure data of the handlers' closures.

[nullable][closure closure]

Returns

The number of handlers that matched.


g_signal_handler_is_connected ()

gboolean
g_signal_handler_is_connected (gpointer instance,
                               gulong handler_id);

Returns whether handler_id is the ID of a handler connected to instance .

Parameters

instance

The instance where a signal handler is sought.

[type GObject.Object]

handler_id

the handler ID.

 

Returns

whether handler_id identifies a handler connected to instance .


g_signal_handlers_block_by_func()

#define             g_signal_handlers_block_by_func(instance, func, data)

Blocks all handlers on an instance that match func and data .

Parameters

instance

The instance to block handlers from.

 

func

The C closure callback of the handlers (useless for non-C closures).

 

data

The closure data of the handlers' closures.

 

Returns

The number of handlers that matched.


g_signal_handlers_unblock_by_func()

#define             g_signal_handlers_unblock_by_func(instance, func, data)

Unblocks all handlers on an instance that match func and data .

Parameters

instance

The instance to unblock handlers from.

 

func

The C closure callback of the handlers (useless for non-C closures).

 

data

The closure data of the handlers' closures.

 

Returns

The number of handlers that matched.


g_signal_handlers_disconnect_by_func()

#define             g_signal_handlers_disconnect_by_func(instance, func, data)

Disconnects all handlers on an instance that match func and data .

Parameters

instance

The instance to remove handlers from.

 

func

The C closure callback of the handlers (useless for non-C closures).

 

data

The closure data of the handlers' closures.

 

Returns

The number of handlers that matched.


g_signal_handlers_disconnect_by_data()

#define             g_signal_handlers_disconnect_by_data(instance, data)

Disconnects all handlers on an instance that match data .

Parameters

instance

The instance to remove handlers from

 

data

the closure data of the handlers' closures

 

Returns

The number of handlers that matched.

Since: 2.32


g_signal_has_handler_pending ()

gboolean
g_signal_has_handler_pending (gpointer instance,
                              guint signal_id,
                              GQuark detail,
                              gboolean may_be_blocked);

Returns whether there are any handlers connected to instance for the given signal id and detail.

If detail is 0 then it will only match handlers that were connected without detail. If detail is non-zero then it will match handlers connected both without detail and with the given detail. This is consistent with how a signal emitted with detail would be delivered to those handlers.

Since 2.46 this also checks for a non-default class closure being installed, as this is basically always what you want.

One example of when you might use this is when the arguments to the signal are difficult to compute. A class implementor may opt to not emit the signal if no one is attached anyway, thus saving the cost of building the arguments.

Parameters

instance

the object whose signal handlers are sought.

[type GObject.Object]

signal_id

the signal id.

 

detail

the detail.

 

may_be_blocked

whether blocked handlers should count as match.

 

Returns

TRUE if a handler is connected to the signal, FALSE otherwise.


g_signal_stop_emission ()

void
g_signal_stop_emission (gpointer instance,
                        guint signal_id,
                        GQuark detail);

Stops a signal's current emission.

This will prevent the default method from running, if the signal was G_SIGNAL_RUN_LAST and you connected normally (i.e. without the "after" flag).

Prints a warning if used on a signal which isn't being emitted.

Parameters

instance

the object whose signal handlers you wish to stop.

[type GObject.Object]

signal_id

the signal identifier, as returned by g_signal_lookup().

 

detail

the detail which the signal was emitted with.

 

g_signal_stop_emission_by_name ()

void
g_signal_stop_emission_by_name (gpointer instance,
                                const gchar *detailed_signal);

Stops a signal's current emission.

This is just like g_signal_stop_emission() except it will look up the signal id for you.

Parameters

instance

the object whose signal handlers you wish to stop.

[type GObject.Object]

detailed_signal

a string of the form "signal-name::detail".

 

g_signal_override_class_closure ()

void
g_signal_override_class_closure (guint signal_id,
                                 GType instance_type,
                                 GClosure *class_closure);

Overrides the class closure (i.e. the default handler) for the given signal for emissions on instances of instance_type . instance_type must be derived from the type to which the signal belongs.

See g_signal_chain_from_overridden() and g_signal_chain_from_overridden_handler() for how to chain up to the parent class closure from inside the overridden one.

Parameters

signal_id

the signal id

 

instance_type

the instance type on which to override the class closure for the signal.

 

class_closure

the closure.

 

g_signal_chain_from_overridden ()

void
g_signal_chain_from_overridden (const GValue *instance_and_params,
                                GValue *return_value);

Calls the original class closure of a signal. This function should only be called from an overridden class closure; see g_signal_override_class_closure() and g_signal_override_class_handler().

Parameters

instance_and_params

(array) the argument list of the signal emission. The first element in the array is a GValue for the instance the signal is being emitted on. The rest are any arguments to be passed to the signal.

 

return_value

Location for the return value.

 

g_signal_new_class_handler ()

guint
g_signal_new_class_handler (const gchar *signal_name,
                            GType itype,
                            GSignalFlags signal_flags,
                            GCallback class_handler,
                            GSignalAccumulator accumulator,
                            gpointer accu_data,
                            GSignalCMarshaller c_marshaller,
                            GType return_type,
                            guint n_params,
                            ...);

Creates a new signal. (This is usually done in the class initializer.)

This is a variant of g_signal_new() that takes a C callback instead of a class offset for the signal's class handler. This function doesn't need a function pointer exposed in the class structure of an object definition, instead the function pointer is passed directly and can be overridden by derived classes with g_signal_override_class_closure() or g_signal_override_class_handler() and chained to with g_signal_chain_from_overridden() or g_signal_chain_from_overridden_handler().

See g_signal_new() for information about signal names.

If c_marshaller is NULL, g_cclosure_marshal_generic() will be used as the marshaller for this signal.

Parameters

signal_name

the name for the signal

 

itype

the type this signal pertains to. It will also pertain to types which are derived from this type.

 

signal_flags

a combination of GSignalFlags specifying detail of when the default handler is to be invoked. You should at least specify G_SIGNAL_RUN_FIRST or G_SIGNAL_RUN_LAST.

 

class_handler

a GCallback which acts as class implementation of this signal. Used to invoke a class method generically. Pass NULL to not associate a class method with this signal.

[nullable]

accumulator

the accumulator for this signal; may be NULL.

[nullable]

accu_data

user data for the accumulator .

[nullable][closure accumulator]

c_marshaller

the function to translate arrays of parameter values to signal emissions into C language callback invocations or NULL.

[nullable]

return_type

the type of return value, or G_TYPE_NONE for a signal without a return value.

 

n_params

the number of parameter types to follow.

 

...

a list of types, one for each parameter.

 

Returns

the signal id

Since: 2.18


g_signal_override_class_handler ()

void
g_signal_override_class_handler (const gchar *signal_name,
                                 GType instance_type,
                                 GCallback class_handler);

Overrides the class closure (i.e. the default handler) for the given signal for emissions on instances of instance_type with callback class_handler . instance_type must be derived from the type to which the signal belongs.

See g_signal_chain_from_overridden() and g_signal_chain_from_overridden_handler() for how to chain up to the parent class closure from inside the overridden one.

Parameters

signal_name

the name for the signal

 

instance_type

the instance type on which to override the class handler for the signal.

 

class_handler

the handler.

 

Since: 2.18


g_signal_chain_from_overridden_handler ()

void
g_signal_chain_from_overridden_handler
                               (gpointer instance,
                                ...);

Calls the original class closure of a signal. This function should only be called from an overridden class closure; see g_signal_override_class_closure() and g_signal_override_class_handler().

[skip]

Parameters

instance

the instance the signal is being emitted on.

[type GObject.TypeInstance]

...

parameters to be passed to the parent class closure, followed by a location for the return value. If the return type of the signal is G_TYPE_NONE, the return value location can be omitted.

 

Since: 2.18


g_signal_add_emission_hook ()

gulong
g_signal_add_emission_hook (guint signal_id,
                            GQuark detail,
                            GSignalEmissionHook hook_func,
                            gpointer hook_data,
                            GDestroyNotify data_destroy);

Adds an emission hook for a signal, which will get called for any emission of that signal, independent of the instance. This is possible only for signals which don't have G_SIGNAL_NO_HOOKS flag set.

Parameters

signal_id

the signal identifier, as returned by g_signal_lookup().

 

detail

the detail on which to call the hook.

 

hook_func

a GSignalEmissionHook function.

[not nullable]

hook_data

user data for hook_func .

[nullable][closure hook_func]

data_destroy

a GDestroyNotify for hook_data .

[nullable][destroy hook_data]

Returns

the hook id, for later use with g_signal_remove_emission_hook().


g_signal_remove_emission_hook ()

void
g_signal_remove_emission_hook (guint signal_id,
                               gulong hook_id);

Deletes an emission hook.

Parameters

signal_id

the id of the signal

 

hook_id

the id of the emission hook, as returned by g_signal_add_emission_hook()

 

g_signal_is_valid_name ()

gboolean
g_signal_is_valid_name (const gchar *name);

Validate a signal name. This can be useful for dynamically-generated signals which need to be validated at run-time before actually trying to create them.

See canonical parameter names for details of the rules for valid names. The rules for signal names are the same as those for property names.

Parameters

name

the canonical name of the signal

 

Returns

TRUE if name is a valid signal name, FALSE otherwise.

Since: 2.66


g_signal_parse_name ()

gboolean
g_signal_parse_name (const gchar *detailed_signal,
                     GType itype,
                     guint *signal_id_p,
                     GQuark *detail_p,
                     gboolean force_detail_quark);

Internal function to parse a signal name into its signal_id and detail quark.

Parameters

detailed_signal

a string of the form "signal-name::detail".

 

itype

The interface/instance type that introduced "signal-name".

 

signal_id_p

Location to store the signal id.

[out]

detail_p

Location to store the detail quark.

[out]

force_detail_quark

TRUE forces creation of a GQuark for the detail.

 

Returns

Whether the signal name could successfully be parsed and signal_id_p and detail_p contain valid return values.


g_signal_get_invocation_hint ()

GSignalInvocationHint *
g_signal_get_invocation_hint (gpointer instance);

Returns the invocation hint of the innermost signal emission of instance.

Parameters

instance

the instance to query.

[type GObject.Object]

Returns

the invocation hint of the innermost signal emission, or NULL if not found.

[transfer none][nullable]


g_signal_type_cclosure_new ()

GClosure *
g_signal_type_cclosure_new (GType itype,
                            guint struct_offset);

Creates a new closure which invokes the function found at the offset struct_offset in the class structure of the interface or classed type identified by itype .

Parameters

itype

the GType identifier of an interface or classed type

 

struct_offset

the offset of the member function of itype 's class structure which is to be invoked by the new closure

 

Returns

a floating reference to a new GCClosure.

[transfer none]


g_signal_accumulator_first_wins ()

gboolean
g_signal_accumulator_first_wins (GSignalInvocationHint *ihint,
                                 GValue *return_accu,
                                 const GValue *handler_return,
                                 gpointer dummy);

A predefined GSignalAccumulator for signals intended to be used as a hook for application code to provide a particular value. Usually only one such value is desired and multiple handlers for the same signal don't make much sense (except for the case of the default handler defined in the class structure, in which case you will usually want the signal connection to override the class handler).

This accumulator will use the return value from the first signal handler that is run as the return value for the signal and not run any further handlers (ie: the first handler "wins").

Parameters

ihint

standard GSignalAccumulator parameter

 

return_accu

standard GSignalAccumulator parameter

 

handler_return

standard GSignalAccumulator parameter

 

dummy

standard GSignalAccumulator parameter

 

Returns

standard GSignalAccumulator result

Since: 2.28


g_signal_accumulator_true_handled ()

gboolean
g_signal_accumulator_true_handled (GSignalInvocationHint *ihint,
                                   GValue *return_accu,
                                   const GValue *handler_return,
                                   gpointer dummy);

A predefined GSignalAccumulator for signals that return a boolean values. The behavior that this accumulator gives is that a return of TRUE stops the signal emission: no further callbacks will be invoked, while a return of FALSE allows the emission to continue. The idea here is that a TRUE return indicates that the callback handled the signal, and no further handling is needed.

Parameters

ihint

standard GSignalAccumulator parameter

 

return_accu

standard GSignalAccumulator parameter

 

handler_return

standard GSignalAccumulator parameter

 

dummy

standard GSignalAccumulator parameter

 

Returns

standard GSignalAccumulator result

Since: 2.4


g_clear_signal_handler ()

void
g_clear_signal_handler (gulong *handler_id_ptr,
                        gpointer instance);

Disconnects a handler from instance so it will not be called during any future or currently ongoing emissions of the signal it has been connected to. The handler_id_ptr is then set to zero, which is never a valid handler ID value (see g_signal_connect()).

If the handler ID is 0 then this function does nothing.

There is also a macro version of this function so that the code will be inlined.

Parameters

handler_id_ptr

A pointer to a handler ID (of type gulong) of the handler to be disconnected.

 

instance

The instance to remove the signal handler from. This pointer may be NULL or invalid, if the handler ID is zero.

[type GObject.Object]

Since: 2.62

Types and Values

struct GSignalInvocationHint

struct GSignalInvocationHint {
  guint		signal_id;
  GQuark detail;
  GSignalFlags run_type;
};

The GSignalInvocationHint structure is used to pass on additional information to callbacks during a signal emission.

Members

guint signal_id;

The signal id of the signal invoking the callback

 

GQuark detail;

The detail passed on for this emission

 

GSignalFlags run_type;

The stage the signal emission is currently in, this field will contain one of G_SIGNAL_RUN_FIRST, G_SIGNAL_RUN_LAST or G_SIGNAL_RUN_CLEANUP and G_SIGNAL_ACCUMULATOR_FIRST_RUN. G_SIGNAL_ACCUMULATOR_FIRST_RUN is only set for the first run of the accumulator function for a signal emission.

 

GSignalCMarshaller

typedef GClosureMarshal			 GSignalCMarshaller;

This is the signature of marshaller functions, required to marshall arrays of parameter values to signal emissions into C language callback invocations.

It is merely an alias to GClosureMarshal since the GClosure mechanism takes over responsibility of actual function invocation for the signal system.


GSignalCVaMarshaller

typedef GVaClosureMarshal		 GSignalCVaMarshaller;

This is the signature of va_list marshaller functions, an optional marshaller that can be used in some situations to avoid marshalling the signal argument into GValues.


enum GSignalFlags

The signal flags are used to specify a signal's behaviour.

Members

G_SIGNAL_RUN_FIRST

Invoke the object method handler in the first emission stage.

 

G_SIGNAL_RUN_LAST

Invoke the object method handler in the third emission stage.

 

G_SIGNAL_RUN_CLEANUP

Invoke the object method handler in the last emission stage.

 

G_SIGNAL_NO_RECURSE

Signals being emitted for an object while currently being in emission for this very object will not be emitted recursively, but instead cause the first emission to be restarted.

 

G_SIGNAL_DETAILED

This signal supports "::detail" appendices to the signal name upon handler connections and emissions.

 

G_SIGNAL_ACTION

Action signals are signals that may freely be emitted on alive objects from user code via g_signal_emit() and friends, without the need of being embedded into extra code that performs pre or post emission adjustments on the object. They can also be thought of as object methods which can be called generically by third-party code.

 

G_SIGNAL_NO_HOOKS

No emissions hooks are supported for this signal.

 

G_SIGNAL_MUST_COLLECT

Varargs signal emission will always collect the arguments, even if there are no signal handlers connected. Since 2.30.

 

G_SIGNAL_DEPRECATED

The signal is deprecated and will be removed in a future version. A warning will be generated if it is connected while running with G_ENABLE_DIAGNOSTIC=1. Since 2.32.

 

G_SIGNAL_ACCUMULATOR_FIRST_RUN

Only used in GSignalAccumulator accumulator functions for the “run_type” field to mark the first call to the accumulator function for a signal emission. Since 2.68.

 

enum GSignalMatchType

The match types specify what g_signal_handlers_block_matched(), g_signal_handlers_unblock_matched() and g_signal_handlers_disconnect_matched() match signals by.

Members

G_SIGNAL_MATCH_ID

The signal id must be equal.

 

G_SIGNAL_MATCH_DETAIL

The signal detail must be equal.

 

G_SIGNAL_MATCH_CLOSURE

The closure must be the same.

 

G_SIGNAL_MATCH_FUNC

The C closure callback must be the same.

 

G_SIGNAL_MATCH_DATA

The closure data must be the same.

 

G_SIGNAL_MATCH_UNBLOCKED

Only unblocked signals may be matched.

 

struct GSignalQuery

struct GSignalQuery {
  guint		signal_id;
  const gchar  *signal_name;
  GType		itype;
  GSignalFlags signal_flags;
  GType		return_type; /* mangled with G_SIGNAL_TYPE_STATIC_SCOPE flag */
  guint		n_params;
  const GType  *param_types; /* mangled with G_SIGNAL_TYPE_STATIC_SCOPE flag */
};

A structure holding in-depth information for a specific signal.

See also: g_signal_query()

Members

guint signal_id;

The signal id of the signal being queried, or 0 if the signal to be queried was unknown.

 

const gchar *signal_name;

The signal name.

 

GType itype;

The interface/instance type that this signal can be emitted for.

 

GSignalFlags signal_flags;

The signal flags as passed in to g_signal_new().

 

GType return_type;

The return type for user callbacks.

 

guint n_params;

The number of parameters that user callbacks take.

 

const GType *param_types;

The individual parameter types for user callbacks, note that the effective callback signature is:

1
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3
@return_type callback (#gpointer     data1,
[param_types param_names,]
gpointer     data2);

.

[array length=n_params]

G_SIGNAL_TYPE_STATIC_SCOPE

#define G_SIGNAL_TYPE_STATIC_SCOPE (G_TYPE_FLAG_RESERVED_ID_BIT)

This macro flags signal argument types for which the signal system may assume that instances thereof remain persistent across all signal emissions they are used in. This is only useful for non ref-counted, value-copy types.

To flag a signal argument in this way, add | G_SIGNAL_TYPE_STATIC_SCOPE to the corresponding argument of g_signal_new().

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
g_signal_new ("size_request",
  G_TYPE_FROM_CLASS (gobject_class),
	 G_SIGNAL_RUN_FIRST,
	 G_STRUCT_OFFSET (GtkWidgetClass, size_request),
	 NULL, NULL,
	 _gtk_marshal_VOID__BOXED,
	 G_TYPE_NONE, 1,
	 GTK_TYPE_REQUISITION | G_SIGNAL_TYPE_STATIC_SCOPE);


G_SIGNAL_MATCH_MASK

#define G_SIGNAL_MATCH_MASK  0x3f

A mask for all GSignalMatchType bits.


G_SIGNAL_FLAGS_MASK

#define G_SIGNAL_FLAGS_MASK  0x1ff

A mask for all GSignalFlags bits.


enum GConnectFlags

The connection flags are used to specify the behaviour of a signal's connection.

Members

G_CONNECT_DEFAULT

Default behaviour (no special flags). Since: 2.74

 

G_CONNECT_AFTER

If set, the handler should be called after the default handler of the signal. Normally, the handler is called before the default handler.

 

G_CONNECT_SWAPPED

If set, the instance and data should be swapped when calling the handler; see g_signal_connect_swapped() for an example.