[ << ] | [ >> ] |  |  |  |  |  | [Top] | [Contents] | [Index] | [ ? ]

# 19. Choice Objects

## 19.1 Select Object

A select object is a rather simple object that allows the user to pick alternatives from a linear list that pops up when he clicks on the object. It remembers the last selected item, which is also shown on top of the select object.

The select object internally uses a popup (see section Popups) and thus it can be helpful to understand at lest some aspects of how popups work to fully grasp the functionality of select objects.

### 19.1.1 Adding Select Objects

To add a select object to a form use

    FL_OBJECT *fl_add_select(int type, FL_Coord x, FL_Coord y,
                             FL_Coord w, FL_Coord h, const char *label)

There are currently three types which just differ by the way they look:

`FL_NORMAL_SELECT`

  Per default this type is drawn as a rounded, flat box (but you can change that by setting a different boxtype for the object) with the text of the currently selected item in its center.

`FL_MENU_SELECT`

  This select object looks like a button with a little extra box at its right side (just like a `FL_MENU_BUTTON`) and the text of the currently selected item is drawn on the button-like object.

`FL_DROPLIST_SELECT`

  This type looks like a button with the text of the currently selected item on top of it and a second square button directly beside it with an downward pointing arrow on it.

Per default `label` is drawn outside and to the left of the object.

Once a new select object has been created items have to be added to it. For this the following function exists:

    FL_POPUP_ENTRY *fl_add_select_items(FL_OBJECT *obj,
                                        const char items,...);

`items` is a string with the items to add, separated by the `|` character. In the simplest case you would just use something like `"Item 1|Item 2|Item 3"` to add three items to the list. If there weren't any items before the first item will be automatically shown as the selected one.

As also described in the documentation for the similar function `fl_popup_add_entries()` (see section Adding Popups) the text for an item may contain "special sequences" that start with the character `%` and the may require an additional argument passed to the function after the `items` argument:

`%x`

  Set a value of type `long int` that's passed to all callback routines for the item. The value must be given in the arguments following the `items` string.

`%u`

  Set a `user_void` pointer that's passed to all callbacks of the item. The pointer must be specified in the arguments following the `items` string.

`%f`

  Set a callback function that gets called when the item is selected. The function is of type

      int callback(FL_POPUP_RETURN *r);

  Information about the item etc. gets passed to the callback function via the `FL_POPUP_RETURN` structure and the return value of the function can be used to keep the selection from becoming reported back to the user made by returning a value of `FL_IGNORE` (-1). The function's address must be given in the arguments following the `items` string.

`%E`

  Set a callback routine that gets called each time the mouse enters the item (as long as the item isn't disabled or hidden). The type of the function is the same as that of the callback function for the selection of the item but it's return value is never used. The functions address must be given in the arguments following the `items` string.

`%L`

  Set a callback routine that gets called each time the mouse leaves the item. The type of the function is the same that as of the callback function for the selection of the item but it's return value is never used. The functions address must be given in the arguments following the `items` string.

`%d`

  Marks the item as disabled, i.e., it can't be selected and its text is per default drawn in a different color

`%h`

  Marks the item as hidden, i.e., it is not shown while in this state.

`%S`

  For items with shortcut keys it's quite common to have them shown on the right hand side. Using `"%S"` you can split the items text into two parts, the first one (before `"%S"`) being drawn flushed left and the second part flushed right. Note that using this special sequence doesn't automatically sets a shortcut key, this still has to be done using `"%s"`.

`%s`

  Sets one or more shortcut keys for an item. Requires a string with the shortcuts in the arguments following the `items` string. See section Shortcuts, for details on how to define shortcuts. Please note that the character in the label identical to the shortcut character is only shown as underlined if `"%S"` isn't used.

`%%`

  Use this to get a `'%'` within the text of an item.

If you compare this list of "special sequences" with those listed for the `fl_popup_add_entries()` function you will find that aome are missing. This is because a select object is a simple linear list of items that uses only parts of the popups functionalities.

Another way to set up the popup of a select object is to use the function

    long fl_set_select_items(FL_OBJECT *obj, FL_POPUP_ITEM *item);

Here `item` is an array of structures of type `FL_POPUP_ITEM` with the `text` member of the very last element of the array being set to `NULL`, indicating the end of the array.

The `text` member is the text of the item. It may only contain one "special sequence", `"%S"` to indicate that the string is to be split at that position into the part of the item label to be drawn to the left and on the right side (also prepending the string with `'_'` or `'/'` has no effect). `callback` is a callback function to be invoked on selection of the item. `shortcut` is a string for setting keybord shortcuts for the item. `type` has no function at all here (there can be only items of type `FL_POPUP_NORMAL` in a select objects popup) and `state` can be set to `FL_POPUP_DISABLED` and/or `FL_POPUP_HIDDEN`.

Please note: when the select object already had items before the call of `fl_set_select_items()` then they are removed before the new ones are set. The values assigned to the items start at 0.

A third way to "populate" a select object is to create a popup directly and then associate it with the select object using

    int fl_set_select_popup(FL_OBJECT *obj, FL_POPUP *popup);

If the select object already had a popup before this will be deleted and replaced by the new popup passed as the second argument. Please note that the popup the argument `popup` points to may not contain any entries other than those of type `FL_POPUP_NORMAL` (and, of course, the popup can't be a sub-popup of another popup).

### 19.1.2 Select Interaction

The simplest interaction with a select object consists of clicking onto the object and then selecting an item in the popup that gets shown directly beside the mouse position.

If you click with the left or right mouse button onto the select object previous or next item, respectively, will be selected. If youl keep the left or mouse button pressed down for a longer time slowly all alternatives are selected, one after each other.

You finally can also use the scroll wheel of your mouse to select the next or previous item (scrolling down selects the next, scrolling up the previous item).

On every selection of an item (also if the already selected item is re-selected) a callback that may have been associated with the item is executed. The callback receives as its argument a pointer to a structure of type `FL_POPUP_RETURN`.

Its `val` member is a integer value associated with the entry. It can be set explicitely on creation of the item using the `"%x"` "special sequence". If not given then first item gets the value 0, the next 1 etc. `user_data` is a pointer to some user data, which can be set on creation of the item using `"%u"`. `text` is the string used in creating the item, including all "special sequences", while `label` is the string shown in the popup for the item. If there was a special sequence of `"%S"` in the string that was used to create the item `accel` is the text that appears right-flushed in the popup for the item. `entry` is a pointer to the popup entry that represents the item in the select object and, finally, `popup` is the popup associated with the select object.

Normally, when a new item is selected this is reported back to the caller either by calling the select objects callback (if one exists) or by returning the object as the result of a call of e.g., `fl_do_forms()`. But if the callback for the item itself returns `FL_IGNORE` then the latter doesn't happen. This can be useful for cases where all work for a change of the selection can already be done within the items callback and the "main loop" shouldn't get involved anymore.

As for all other normal objects the condition under which a `FL_SELECT` object gets returned to the application (or an associate callback is called) can be influenced by calling the function

    int fl_set_object_return(FL_OBJECT *obj, unsigned int when)

where `when` can have the following values

`FL_RETURN_NONE`

  Never return or invoke a callback.

`FL_RETURN_END_CHANGED`

  Return or invoke callback if end of interaction and selection of an item coincide.

`FL_RETURN_CHANGED`

  Return or invoke callback whenever an item is selected (this is the default).

`FL_RETURN_END`

  Return or invoke callback on end of an interaction.

`FL_RETURN_ALWAYS`

  Return (or invoke callback) whenever the interaction ends and/or an item is selected.

Per default the popup of a select objects remains shown when the user releases the mouse somewhere outside the popup window (or on its title area). The alternative is to close the popup immediately when the user releases the mouse, independent of where it is. Using the function

    int fl_set_select_policy(FL_OBJECT *obj, int policy);

the program can switch between these two modes of operation, where `policy` can be on of two values:

`FL_POPUP_NORMAL_SELECT`

  Keeps the popup opened when the mouse isn't released on one of the selectable items.

`FL_POPUP_DRAG_SELECT`

  Close the popup immediately when the mouse button is released.

The function returns on success the previous setting of the "policy" and -1 on error.

### 19.1.3 Other Select Routines

To find out which item is currently selected use

    FL_POPUP_RETURN *fl_get_select_item(FL_OBJECT *obj);

It returns a pointer to a structure of type `FL_POPUP_RETURN` as already described above, containing all needed information about the selected item.

For some actions, e.g., deletion of an item etc., it is necessary to know the popup entry that represents it. Therefore it's possible to search the list of items according to several criteria:

    FL_POPUP_ENTRY *fl_get_select_item_by_value(FL_OBJECT *obj, long val);
    FL_POPUP_ENTRY *fl_get_select_item_by_label(FL_OBJECT *obj,
                                                const char *label);
    FL_POPUP_ENTRY *fl_get_select_item_by_label_f(FL_OBJECT *obj,
                                                  const char *fmt, ...);
    FL_POPUP_ENTRY *fl_get_select_item_by_text(FL_OBJECT *obj,
                                               const char *text);
    FL_POPUP_ENTRY *fl_get_select_item_by_text_f(FL_OBJECT *obj,
                                                 const char *fmt, ...);

The first function, `fl_get_select_item_by_value()`, searches through the list of items and returns the first one with the `val` associated with the item (or `NULL` if none is found). The second and third, `fl_get_select_item_by_label()` and `fl_get_select_item_by_label_f()` searches for a certain label as displayed for the item in the popup. The last two, `fl_get_select_item_by_text()` and `fl_get_select_item_by_text_f()` searches for the text the item was created by (that might be the same as the label text in simple cases). The difference between the second and third and the forth and the last is the way the text is passed to the functions, it's either a simple string or the result of the expansion of a format string as used for `printf()` etc. using the following unspecified arguments.

Please note that all these functions return a structure of type `FL_POPUP_ENTRY` (and not `FL_POPUP_RETURN`, which gives you direct access to the entry in the popup for the item.

Using e.g., the result of one of the functions above you can also set the currently selected item via your program using

    FL_POPUP_RETURN *fl_set_select_item(FL_OBJECT *obj,
                                        FL_POPUP_ENTRY *entry);

Or you could use the result to delete an item:

    int fl_delete_select_item(FL_OBJECT *obj, FL_POPUP_ENTRY *entry);

Please note that the values associated with items won't change due to removing an item.

Alternatively, you can replace an item by one or more new ones. To do that use

    FL_POPUP_ENTRY *fl_replace_select_item(FL_OBJECT *obj,
                                           FL_POPUP_ENTRY *old,
                                           const char *new_items, ...);

`old` designates the item to be removed and `new_items` is a string exactly like it would be used in `fl_add_select_items()` for the `items` argument, that defines the item(s) to replace the existing item. Please note that, unless values to be associated with the items (see the `val` member of the `FL_POPUP_RETURN` structure) there's a twist here. When items get created they per default receive increasing values, starting at 0. This also holds for items that get created in the process of replacement. The result is that the ordering of those values in that case wont represent the order in which they appear in the select objects popup.

Another sometimes useful function allows insertion of new items somewhere in the middle of a list of already existing items:

    FL_POPUP_ENTRY *fl_insert_select_items(FL_OBJECT *obj,
                                           FL_POPUP_ENTRY *after,
                                           const char *new_items, ...);

`after` is the entry after which the new item(s) are to be inserted (if it's `NULL` the new items are inserted at the very start). The rest of the arguments are the same as for `fl_replace_select_item()` and the same caveats about the values associated automatically with the new items holds.

It's possible to remove all items from a select object by calling

    int fl_clear_select(FL_OBJECT *obj);

Afterwards you have to call again e.g., `fl_add_select_items()` to set new entries. Note that if you used `fl_set_select_popup()` to set a popup for the select object then that popup gets deleted automatically on calling `fl_clear_select()`! The values automatically associated with items when calling `fl_add_select_items()` will start at 0 again.

### 19.1.4 Select Attributes

The two color arguments, `clo1` and `col2`, of the function `fl_set_object_color()` set the background color of the object normally and when the mouse is hovering over it, respectively.

With the functions

    FL_COLOR fl_set_selection_text_color(FL_OBJECT *obj, FL_COLOR color);
    FL_COLOR fl_get_selection_text_color(FL_OBJECT *obj);

the color of the text of the currently selected item on top of the object can be set or queried.

To control (or determine) the alignment of the text with the currently selected item on top of the select object use

    int fl_set_select_text_align(FLOBJECT *obj, int align);
    int fl_get_select_text_align(FLOBJECT *obj);

Please note that the `FL_ALIGN_INSIDE` flag should be set with `align` since the text always will be drawn within the boundaries of the object. On success the function return the old setting for the alignment or -1 on error.

Finally, the font style and size of the text can be set or obtained using

    int fl_set_select_text_font(FL_OBJECT *obj, int style, int size);
    int fl_get_select_text_font(FL_OBJECT *obj, int *style, int *size);

The rest of the appearance of a select object concerns the popup that is used. To avoid bloating the API unnecessarily no functions for select objects were added that would just call popup functions. The popup belonging to a select object can be easily found from either a `FL_POPUP_ENTRY` structure as returned by the functions for searching for items or the `FL_POPUP_RETURN` structure passed to all callbacks and also returned by `fl_get_select_item()`. Both structures have a member called `popup` that is a pointer to the popup associated with the select object. For popup functions operation on indiviual items just use the pointer to the `FL_POPUP_ENTRY` structure itself or the `entry` member of the `FL_POPUP_RETURN` structure.

There's also a convenience function for finding out the popup used for a select object:

    FL_POPUP *fl_get_select_popup(FL_OBJECT *obj);

During the lifetime of a select object the popup never changes as long as `fl_set_select_popup()` isn't called.

Per default the popup of a select object does not have a title drawn on top of it. To change that use `fl_popup_set_title()`.

To change the various colors and fonts used when drawing the popup use the functions `fl_popup_set_color()` and `fl_popup_entry_set_font()` (and `fl_popup_set_title_font()`).

To change the border width or minimum width of the popup use `fl_popup_set_bw()` and `fl_popup_set_min_width()`.

To disable or hide (or do the reverse) an item use the functions `fl_popup_entry_set_state()` and `fl_popup_entry_get_state()`.

The keyboard shortcut for an entry can be set via `fl_popup_entry_set_shortcut()`.

The callback functions (selection, enter and leave callback) for individual items can be set via `fl_popup_entry_set_callback()`, `fl_popup_entry_set_enter_callback()` and `fl_popup_entry_set_leave_callback()`, a callback for the whole popup with `fl_popup_set_callback()`.

Finally, to assign a different (long) value to an item or set a pointer to user data use `fl_popup_entry_set_value()` and `fl_popup_entry_set_user_data()`.

### 19.1.5 Remarks

See the demo program ``select.c`' for an example of the use of select objects.

## 19.2 Nmenu Object

Another object type that heavily depends on popups is the "nmenu" object type. It is meant to be used for menus and the "n" in front of the name stands for "new" since this is a re-implementation of the old menu object type (which is now deprecated since it is based on XPopup).

### 19.2.1 Adding Nmenu Objects

To add a nmenu object use

    FL_OBJECT *fl_add_nmenu(int type, FL_Coord x, FL_Coord y,
                            FL_Coord w, FL_Coord h, const char *label);

There are currently three types:

`FL_NORMAL_NMENU`

  Probably the most often used type: shown as text on a borderless background, popup gets opened when clicked on.

`FL_NORMAL_TOUCH_NMENU`

  Also shown as text on a borderless background, but popup gets opened when the mouse is moved on top of it without any further user action required.

`FL_BUTTON_NMENU`

  When not active shown as text on borderless background, when clicked on popup is shown and the object itself being displayed as a button.

`FL_BUTTON_TOUCH_NMENU`

  When not active shown as text on borderless background, when mouse is moved onto it the popup is shown and the object itself is displayed as a button.

Once a new nmenu object has been created items have to be added to it. For this the following function exists:

    FL_POPUP_ENTRY *fl_add_nmenu_items(FL_OBJECT *obj,
                                       const char items, ...);

(The function can also be used to append new items to a nmenu object that already has items.)

The function returns a pointer to the first menu entry added on success and `NULL` on failure. `items` is a string with the items to add, separated by the `'|'` character. In the simplest case you would just use something like `"Item 1|Item 2|Item 3"` to add three items to the list.

As also described in the documentation for the similar function `fl_popup_add_entries()` the text for an item may contain "special sequences" that start with the character `'%'` and then may require an additional argument passed to the function after the `items` argument. All of those described in detail in the documentation for the `fl_popup_add_entries()` function can also be used for nmenus.

Another way to set up the popup of a select object, using an array of FL_POPUP_ITEM structures, is via the function

    FL_POPUP_ENTRY *fl_set_nmenu_items(FL_OBJECT *obj, FL_POPUP_ITEM *item);

The function returns a pointer to the first menu item on success and `NULL` on failure. The function expects as arguments a pointer to the nmenu object and an array of `FL_POPUP_ITEM` structuress, with the very last element having `NULL` as the `text` member to mark the end of the array.

The `text` member of the structure may contain the character sequence `"%S"` to have the text drawn for the item split up at that position and with everything before `"%S"` drawn left-flushed and the rest right-flushed. Moreover, `text` may start with the character `'/'` and/or `'_'`. For an underline character a line is drawn above the item. And if there's a slash this item marks the begin of a sub-menu with all further items belonging to the sub-menu until a structure with member `text` being set to `NULL` is found in the array. (The `'/'` and `'_'` characters are, of course, not drawn.)

`type` indicates the type of the item. It can be

`FL_POPUP_NORMAL`

  A normal, plain item.

`FL_POPUP_TOGGLE`

  An item that represents one of two states and is drawn with a check-marker when in "on" state.

`FL_POPUP_RADIO`

  A radio item, i.e., it belongs to a group of items of which only one can be in "on" state at a time. They are drawn with a circle to the left with the circle for the "selected" item being filled with a color.

Please note that if `text` starts with a `'/'` the type must be `FL_POPUP_NORMAL`.

The `state` member per default is `FL_POPUP_NONE`. It can be set to

`FL_POPUP_NONE`

  No special flags are set for the state of the item.

`FL_POPUP_DSABLED`

  The item is disabled and can't be selected.

`FL_POPUP_HIDDEN`

  The item is hidden, i.e., does not get shown (and thus can't be selected).

`FL_POPUP_CHECKED`

  Only relevant for toggle or radio items, marks it as in "on" state.

`callback` is a function that will be called if the item is selected. The callback function has the following type:

    typedef int (*FL_POPUP_CB)(FL_POPUP_RETURN *);

It receives a pointer to a structure that contains all information about the entry selected by the user:

    typedef struct {
        long int              val;       /* value assigned to entry */
        void                 *user_data; /* pointer to user data */
        const char           *text;      /* text of selected popup entry */
        const char           *label;     /* text drawn on left side */
        const char           *accel;     /* text drawn on right side */
        const FL_POPUP_ENTRY *entry;     /* selected popup entry */
        const FL_POPUP       *popup;     /* (sub-)popup it belongs to */
    } FL_POPUP_RETURN;

`val` is a value that has been associated with the entry and `user_data` is a pointer that can be used to store the location of further information. `text` is the text that was used to create the entry (including all "special" characters), while `label` and `accel` are the texts shown for the entry on the left and right. `entry` is the pointer to the structure for the entry selected and `popup` to the (sub-) popup the entry belongs to (see section Popups for more details on these structures).

If the callback function already does all the work required on selection of the item have it return the value `FL_IGNORE` to keep the selection from being reported back to the main loop of the program.

Finally, `shortcut` is a string encoding the keybord shortcut to be used for the item.

There's also a third method to "populate" a menu. If you already created a popup than you can set it as the menu's popup via a call of

    int fl_set_nmenu_popup(FL_POPUP *popup);

Of course, the popup you associate with the nmenu object in this way can't be a sub-popup.

### 19.2.2 Nmenu Interaction

There are, if seen interaction-wise, two types of nmenu objects, normal ones and touch nmenus. For normal nmenus a popup is opened when the user clicks on the area of the nmenu object while for touch nmenus the popup already is shown when the user moves the mouse unto the area. In other respects they behave identical: the user just selects one of the items in the popup (or one of the sub-popups) and then the popup is closed again. The selection can now be handled within a callback function and/or reported back to the main loop of the program.

The popup is always shown directly below the nmenu object (except for the case that the popup is that long that it wouldn't fit on the screen, in which case the popup is drawn above the nmenu's area.

The most natural way to deal with a selection by the user is probably via a callback for the item that was selected. But also a callback for the popup as a whole or the object itself can be used. Item and popup callback functions are of type `FL_POPUP_CB` described above (and in even more detail in Popups), while object callbacks are "normal" XForms callback functions.

The condition under which a `FL_NMENU` object gets returned to the application (or an associate callback is invoked) can be influenced by calling the function

    int fl_set_object_return(FL_OBJECT *obj, unsigned int when)

where `when` can have the following values

`FL_RETURN_NONE`

  Never return or invoke a callback.

`FL_RETURN_END_CHANGED`

  Return or invoke callback if end of interaction and selection of an item coincide.

`FL_RETURN_CHANGED`

  Return or invoke callback whenever an item is selected (this is the default).

`FL_RETURN_END`

  Return or invoke callback on end of an interaction.

`FL_RETURN_ALWAYS`

  Return (or invoke callback) whenever the interaction ends and/or an item is selected.

One detail of the interaction that can be adjusted is under which conditions the nmenu's popup gets closed. Per default the popup is closed when an item is selected or (without a selection) when the user clicks somehwere outside of the popups area. This can be changed so that the popup also gets closed (without a selection) when the mouse button is clicked or released on a non-selectable item (giving the impression of a "pull-down" menu). For this purpose there's the

    int fl_set_nmenu_policy(FL_OBJECT *obj, int policy);

function where `policy` can be one of two values:

`FL_POPUP_NORMAL_SELECT`

  Default, popup stays open until mouse button is released on a selectable entry or button is clicked outside the popups area.

`FL_POPUP_DRAG_SELECT`

  Popup is closed when the mouse button is released.

The function returns on success the previous setting of the "policy" and -1 on error.

### 19.2.3 Other Nmenu Routines

To find out which item of a nmenu object was selected last use

    FL_POPUP_RETURN *fl_get_nmenu_item(FL_OBJECT *obj);

The function returns either a pointer to a `FL_POPUP_RETURN` structure with informations about the selected item (as already discussed above when talking about callbacks) or `NULL` if no selection was made the last time the nmenu object was used.

For some actions, e.g., deletion of an item etc., it is necessary to know the popup entry that represents it. Therefore it's possible to search the list of items according to several criteria:

    FL_POPUP_ENTRY *fl_get_nmenu_item_by_value(FL_OBJECT *obj, long val);
    FL_POPUP_ENTRY *fl_get_nmenu_item_by_label(FL_OBJECT *obj,
                                               const char *label);
    FL_POPUP_ENTRY *fl_get_nmenu_item_by_label(FL_OBJECT *obj,
                                               const char *text);

The first function, `fl_get_nmenu_item_by_value()`, searches through the list of all items (including items in sub-popups) and returns the first one with the `val` associated with the item (or `NULL` if none is found). The second, `fl_get_nmenu_item_by_label()` searches for a certain label as displayed for the item in the popup. The third, `fl_get_nmenu_item_by_text()` searches for the text the item was created by (that might be the same as the label text in simple cases). Please note that all functions return a structure of type `FL_POPUP_ENTRY` (and not `FL_POPUP_RETURN`, which gives you direct access to the entry in the popup for the item.

Using e.g., the results of the above searches a nmenu item can be deleted:

    int fl_delete_nmenu_item(FL_OBJECT *obj, FL_POPUP_ENTRY *item);

Alternatively, an item can be replaced by one or more items:

    FL_POPUP_ENTRY *fl_replace_nmenu_item(FL_OBJECT *obj,
                                          FL_POPUP_ENTRY *old,
                                          const char *new_items, ...);

where `old` is the item to replace and `new_items` is a string exactly as used for `fl_add_nmenu_items()` with informations about the new item(s).

One also may insert additional items using

    FL_POPUP_ENTRY *fl_insert_nmenu_items(FL_OBJECT *obj,
                                          FL_POPUP_ENTRY *after,
                                          const char *new_items, ...);

where `after` is the item after which the new items are to be inserted (use `NULL` to insert at the very start) and `new_items` is a string just like used with `fl_add_nmenu_items()` with informations about the additional item(s).

As you may remember, there are two different ways to "populate" a nmenu object. In one case you pass a kind of format string plus a variable number of arguments and in the other case an array of `FL_POPUP_ITEM` structures. The previously listed functions for inserting and replacing used the first "interface". But there are also three functions for using the alternative interface:

    FL_POPUP_ENTRY *fl_add_nmenu_items2(FL_OBJECT *obj,
                                        FL_POPUP_ITEM *items);
    FL_POPUP_ENTRY *fl_insert_nmenu_items2(FL_OBJECT *obj,
                                           FL_POPUP_ENTRY *after,
                                           FL_POPUP_ITEM *items);
    FL_POPUP_ENTRY *fl_replace_nmenu_items2(FL_OBJECT *obj,
                                            FL_POPUP_ENTRY *old_item,
                                            FL_POPUP_ITEM *items);

All three functions return a pointer to the first new entry in the nmenu's popup on success and `NULL` on failure. The all take a pointer to the nmenu object as their first argument.

`fl_add_nmenu_items2()` appends the items given by the list specified via the second argument to the nmenu's popup. `fl_insert_nmenu_items2()` inserts one or more new items (as given by the last argument) after the entry specified by `after` (if `after` is `NULL` the new items are inserted before all existing items). Finally, `fl_replace_nmenu_items2()` replaces the existing entry `old_item` with a new (or a list of new items specified by `items`.

Finally, there's a function to remove all items from a nmenu object at once:

    in fl_clear_nmenu(FL_OBJECT *obj);

### 19.2.4 Nmenu Attributes

While not "active" the background of the nmenu object is drawn in the color that can be controlled via the first color argument, `col1`, of `fl_set_object_color()`. When "active" (i.e., while the popup is shown) its background is drawn in the color of second color argument, `col2`, of the same function. The color of the label when "inactive" is controlled via `fl_set_object_lcolor()`. When in "active" state the color use for the label can be set via the function

    FL_COLOR fl_set_nmenu_hl_text_color(FL_OBJECT *obj, FL_COLOR color);

The function returns the old color on success or `FL_MAX_COLORS` on failure. Per default this color is `FL_BLACK` for nmenus that are shown as a button while being "active" while for normal nmenus it's the same color that is used items in the popup when the mouse is hovering over them.

The size and style of the font used for the label of the nmenu object can be set via `fl_set_object_lsize()` and `fl_set_object_lstyle()`.

The rest of the appearance of a nmenu object is given by the appearance of the popup. These can be directly set via the functions for setting the popup appearance as described in Popup Attributes. To find out which popup is associated with the nmenu object use the function

    FL_POPUP *fl_get_nmenu_popup(FL_OBJECT *obj);

and then use the popup specific functions to set the appearance. The same also holds for the appearance etc. of the items of the popup, a lot of functions exist that allow to set the attributes of entries of a popup, see section Popup Attributes.

### 19.2.5 Remarks

See the demo program ``menu.c`'.

## 19.3 Browser Object

The browser object class is probably the most powerful that currently exists in the Forms Library. A browser is a box that contains a number of lines of text. If the text does not fit inside the box, a scrollbar is automatically added so that the user can scroll through it. A browser can be used for building up a help facility or to give messages to the user.

It is possible to create a browser from which the user can select lines. In this way the user can make its selections from a (possible) long list of choices. Both single lines and multiple lines can be selected, depending on the type of the browser.

### 19.3.1 Adding Browser Objects

To add a browser to a form use the routine

    FL_OBJECT *fl_add_browser(int type, FL_Coord x, FL_Coord y,
                              FL_Coord w, FL_Coord h, const char *label);

The meaning of the parameters is as usual. The label is placed below the box by default.

### 19.3.2 Browser Types

The following types of browsers exist (see below for more information about them):

`FL_NORMAL_BROWSER`

  A browser in which no selections can be made.

`FL_SELECT_BROWSER`

  In this type of browser the user can make single line selections which get reset immediately when the mouse button is released.

`FL_HOLD_BROWSER`

  Same as `FL_SELECT_BROSER` but the selection remains visible till the next selection.

`FL_DESELECTABLE_HOLD_BROWSER`

  Same as the `FL_HOLD_BROWSER` but the user can deselect the selected line.

`FL_MULTI_BROWSER`

  Multiple selections can be made and remain visible till de-selected.

Hence, the differences only lie in how the selection process works.

### 19.3.3 Browser Interaction

The user can change the position of the slider or use keyboard cursor keys (including `<Home>`, `<PageDown>`, etc.) to scroll through the text. When he/she presses the left mouse below or above the slider, the browser scrolls one page up or down. Any other mouse button scrolls one line at a time (except wheel mouse buttons). When not using an `FL_NORMAL_BROWSER` the user can also make selections with the mouse by pointing to a line or by using the cursor keys.

For `FL_SELECT_BROWSER`'s, as long as the user keeps the left mouse button pressed, the current line under the mouse is highlighted. Whenever she releases the left mouse button the highlighting disappears and the browser is returned to the application program. The application program can now figure out which line was selected using a call of `fl_get_browser()` to be described below. It returns the number of the last selected line (with the topmost line being line 1).

A `FL_HOLD_BROWSER` works exactly the same except that, when the left mouse button is released, the selection remains highlighted. A `FL_DESELECTABLE_HOLD_BROWSER` additionally allows the user to undo a selection (by clicking on it again).

An `FL_MULTI_BROWSER` allows the user to select and de-select multiple lines. Whenever he selects or de-selects a line the browser object is returned to the application program (or a callback is executed when installed) that then can figure out which line was selected using `fl_get_browser()` (described in more detail below). That function returns the number of the last line to be selected or de-selected. When a line was de-selected the negation of the line number gets returned. I.e., if line 10 was selected the routine returns 10 and if line 10 was de-selected -10. When the user presses the left mouse button on a non-selected line and then moves it with the mouse button still pressed down, he will select all lines he touches with his mouse until he releases it. All these lines will become highlighted. When the user starts pressing the mouse on an already selected line he de-selects lines rather than selecting them.

Per default a browser only gets returned (or a possibly associated callback gets invoked) on selection of a line (and, in the case of `FL_MULTI_BROWSER`, on deselections). This behaviour can be changed by using the function

    int fl_set_object_return(FL_OBJECT *obj, unsigned int when)

where `when` can have the following values

`FL_RETURN_NONE`

  Never return or invoke callback.

`FL_RETURN_SELECTION`

  Return or invoke callback on selection of a line. Please note that for `FL_MULTI_BROWSER` the browser may be returned just once for a number of lines having been selected.

`FL_RETURN_DESELECTION`

  Return or invoke a callback on deselection of a line. This only happens for `FL_DESELECTABLE_HOLD_BROWSER` and `FL_MULTI_BROWSER` objects and, for the latter, the browser may get returned (or the callback invoked) just once for a number of lines having been deselected.

`FL_RETURN_END_CHANGED`

  Return or invoke callback at end (mouse release) if the text in the browser has been scrolled.

`FL_RETURN_CHANGED`

  Return or invoke callback whenever the text in the browser has been scrolled.

`FL_RETURN_END`

  Return or invoke callback on end of an interaction for scrolling the text in the browser regardless if the text was scrolled or not.

`FL_RETURN_ALWAYS`

  Return or invoke callback on selection, deselection or scrolling of text or end of scrolling.

The default setting for `when` for a browser object is `FL_RETURN_SELECTION|FL_RETURN_DESELECTION` (unless during the built of XForms you set the configuration flag `--enable-bwc-bs-hack` in which case the default is `FL_RETURN_NONE` to keep backward compatibility with earlier releases of the library).

### 19.3.4 Other Browser Routines

There are a large number of routines to change the contents of a browser, select and de-select lines, etc.

To remove all lnes from a browser use

    void fl_clear_browser(FL_OBJECT *obj);

To add a line to a browser use one of

    void fl_add_browser_line(FL_OBJECT *obj, const char *text);
    void fl_add_browser_line_f(FL_OBJECT *obj, const char *fmt, ...);

The first function receives a simple string as the argument, the second one expects a format string just like for `printf()` etc. and followed by the appropriate number of arguments of the correct types. The line to be added may contain embedded newline characters (`'\n'`). These will result in the text being split up into several lines, separated at the newline characters.

A second way of adding a line to the browser is to use calls of

    void fl_addto_browser(FL_OBJECT *obj, const char *text);

The difference to `fl_add_browser_line()` and `fl_add_browser_line_f()` is that with these calls the browser will be shifted such that the newly appended line is visible. This is useful when e.g., using the browser to display messages.

Sometimes it may be more convenient to add characters to a browser without starting of a new line. To this end, the following routines exists

    void fl_addto_browser_chars(FL_OBJECT *obj, const char *text);
    void fl_addto_browser_chars_f(FL_OBJECT *obj, const char *fmt, ...);

These functions appends text to the last line in the browser without advancing the line counter. The to functions differ in that the first one takes a simple string argument while the second expects a format string just as for `printf()` etc., followed by a corresponding number of arguments. Again the text may contain embedded newline characters (`'\n'`). In that case, the text before the first embedded newline is appended to the last line, and everything afterwards is put onto new lines. As in the case of `fl_addto_browser()` the last added line will be visible in the browser.

You can also insert a line in front of a given line. All lines after it will be shifted. Note that the top line is numbered 1 (not 0).

    void fl_insert_browser_line(FL_OBJECT *obj, int line,
                                const char *text);
    void fl_insert_browser_line_f(FL_OBJECT *obj, int line,
                                  const char *fmt, ...);

The first function takes a simple string argument while the second one expects a format string as used for `printf()` etc. and the appropriate number of arguments (of the types specified in the format string).

Please note that on insertion (as well as replacements, see below) embedded newline characters don't result in the line being split up as it's done in the previous functions. Instead they will rather likely appear as strange looking characters in the text shown. The only exception is when inserting into an empty browser or after the last line, then this function works exactly as if you had called `fl_add_browser_line()` or `fl_add_browser_line_f()`.

To delete a line (shifting the following lines) use:

    void fl_delete_browser_line(FL_OBJECT *obj, int line);

One can also replace a line using one of

    void fl_replace_browser_line(FL_OBJECT *obj, int line,
                                 const char *text);
    void fl_replace_browser_line_f(FL_OBJECT *obj, int line,
                                   const char *fmt, ...);

The first one takes a simple string for the replacement text while for the second it is to be specified by a format string exactly as used in `printf()` etc. and the appropriate number of arguments of the types specifed in the format string. \ As in the case of `fl_insert_browser_line()` and `fl_insert_browser_line_f()` newline characters embedded into the replacement text don't have any special meaning, i.e., they don't result in replacement of more than a single line.

Making many changes to a visible browser after another, e.g., clearing it and then adding a number of new lines, is slow because the browser is redrawn on each and every change. This can be avoided by using calls of `fl_freeze_form()` and `fl_unfreeze_form()`. So a piece of code that fills in a visible browser should preferably look like the following

    fl_freeze_form(browser->form);
    fl_clear_browser(browser);
    fl_add_browser_line(browser, "line 1");
    fl_add_browser_line(browser, "line 2");
    ...
    fl_unfreeze_form(brow->form);

where `browser->form` is the form that contains the browser object named `browser`.

To obtain the contents of a particular line in the browser, use

    const char *fl_get_browser_line(FL_OBJECT *obj, int line);

It returns a pointer to the text of that line, exactly as it were passed to the function that created the line.

It is possible to load an entire file into a browser using

    int fl_load_browser(FL_OBJECT *obj, const char *filename);

The routine returns `1` when file could be successfully loaded, otherwise `0`. If the file name is an empty string (or the file could not be opened for reading) the browser is just cleared. This routine is particularly useful when using the browser for a help facility. You can create different help files and load the needed one depending on context.

The application program can select or de-select lines in the browser. To this end the following calls exist with the obvious meaning:

    void fl_select_browser_line(FL_OBJECT *obj, int line);
    void fl_deselect_browser_line(FL_OBJECT *obj, int line);
    void fl_deselect_browser(FL_OBJECT *obj);

The last call de-selects all lines.

To check whether a line is selected, use the routine

    int fl_isselected_browser_line(FL_OBJECT *obj, int line);

The routine

    int fl_get_browser_maxline(FL_OBJECT *obj);

returns the number of lines in the browser. For example, when the application program wants to figure out which lines in a `FL_MULTI_BROWSER` are selected code similar to the following can be used:

    int total_lines = fl_get_browser_maxline(browser);
    for (i = 1; i <= total_lines; i++)
        if (fl_isselected_browser_line(browser, i))
            /* Handle the selected line */

Sometimes it is useful to know how many lines are visible in the browser. To this end, the following call can be used

    int fl_get_browser_screenlines(FL_OBJECT *obj);

Please note that this count only includes lines that are shown completely in the browser, lines that are partially obscured aren't counted in.

To obtain the last selection made by the user, e.g., when the browser is returned, the application program can use the routine

    int fl_get_browser(FL_OBJECT *obj);

It returns the line number of the last selection being made (0 if no selection was made). When the last action was a de-selection (only for `FL_MULTI_BROWSER`) the negative of the de-selected line number is returned.

The following function allows to find out the (unobscured) line that is currently shown at the top of the browser:

    int fl_get_browser_topline(FL_OBJECT *obj);

Note that the index of the top line is `1`, not `0`. A value of `0` is returned if the browser doesn't contain any lines.

Finally, the function

     void fl_show_browser_line(FL_OBJECT *obj, int ln);

shifts the browsers content so that (as far as possible) the line indexed by `ln` is shown at the center of the browser.

It is possible to register a callback function that gets called when a line is double-clicked on. To do so, the following function is available:

    void fl_set_browser_dblclick_callback(FL_OBJECT *obj,
                                          void (*cb)(FL_OBJECT *, long),
    `                                     long data);

Of course, double-click callbacks make most sense for `FL_HOLD_BROWSER`s.

The part if the text visible within the browser can be set programmatically in a number of ways. With the functions

    void fl_set_browser_topline(FL_OBJECT *obj, int line);
    void fl_set_browser_bottomline(FL_OBJECT *obj, int line);

the line shown at the top or the bottom can be set (note again that line numbers start with 1).

Instead of by line number also the amount the text is scrolled in horizontal and vertical direction can be set with the functions

    void fl_set_browser_xoffset(FL_OBJECT *obj, FL_Coord xoff);
    void fl_set_browser_rel_xoffset(FL_OBJECT *obj, double xval);
    void fl_set_browser_yoffset(FL_OBJECT *obj, FL_Coord yoff);
    void fl_set_browser_rel_yoffset(FL_OBJECT *obj, double yval);

where `xoff` and `yoff` indicate how many pixels to scroll horizontally (relative to the left margin) or vertically (relative to the top of the text), while `xval` and `yval` stand for positions relative to the total width or height of all of the text and thus have to be numbers between `0.0` and `1.0`.

There are also a number of functions that can be used to obtain the current amount of scrolling:

    FL_Coord fl_get_browser_xoffset(FL_OBJECT *obj);
    FL_Coord fl_get_browser_rel_xoffset(FL_OBJECT *obj);
    FL_Coord fl_get_browser_yoffset(FL_OBJECT *obj);
    FL_Coord fl_get_browser_rel_yoffset(FL_OBJECT *obj);

Finally, there's a function that tells you the vertical position of a line in pixels:

    int fl_get_browser_line_yoffset(FL_OBJECT *obj, imt line);

The return value is just the value that would have to be passed to `fl_set_browser_yoffset()` to make the line appear at the top of the browser. If the line does not exist it returns `-1` instead.

### 19.3.5 Browser Attributes

Never use the boxtype `FL_NO_BOX` for browsers.

The first color argument (`col1`) to `fl_set_object_color()` controls the color of the browser's box, the second (`col2`) the color of the selection. The text color is the same as the label color, `obj->lcol`.

To set the font size used inside the browser use

    void fl_set_browser_fontsize(FL_OBJECT *obj, int size);

To set the font style used inside the browser use

    void fl_set_browser_fontstyle(FL_OBJECT *obj, int style);

See section Label Attributes and Fonts, for details on font sizes and styles.

It is possible to change the appearance of individual lines in the browser. Whenever a line starts with the symbol `'@'` the next letter indicates the special characteristics associated with this line. The following possibilities exist at the moment:

`f`

  Fixed width font.

`n`

  Normal (Helvetica) font.

`t`

  Times-Roman like font.

`b`

  Boldface modifier.

`i`

  Italics modifier.

`l`

  Large (new size is `FL_LARGE_SIZE`).

`m`

  Medium (new size is `FL_MEDIUM_SIZE`).

`s`

  Small (new size is `FL_SMALL_SIZE`).

`L`

  Large (new size = current size + 6)

`M`

  Medium (new size = current size + 4)

`S`

  Small (new size = current size - 2).

`c`

  Centered.

`r`

  Right aligned.

`_`

  Draw underlined text.

`-`

  An engraved separator. Text following `'-'` is ignored.

`C`

  The next number indicates the color index for this line.

`N`

  Non-selectable line (in selectable browsers).

`' '`

  (a space character) Does nothing, can be used to separate between the digits specifying a color (following `"@C"`, see above) and the text of a line starting with a digit.

`@@`

  Regular `'@'` character.

The modifiers (bold and itatic) work by adding `FL_BOLD_STYLE` and `FL_ITALIC_STYLE` to the current active font index to look up the font in the font table (you can modify the table using `fl_set_font_name()` or `fl_set_font_name_f()`).

More than one option can be used by putting them next to each other. For example, `"@C1@l@f@b@cTitle"` will give you the red, large, bold fixed font, centered word `"Title"`. As you can see the font change requests accumulate and the order is important, i.e., `"@f@b@i"` gives you a fixed bold italic font while `"@b@i@f"` gives you a (plain) fixed font.

Depending on the font size and style lines may have different heights.

In some cases the character `'@'` might need to be placed at the beginning of the lines without introducing the special meaning mentioned above. In this case you can use `"@@"` or change the special character to something other than `'@'` using the following routine

    void fl_set_browser_specialkey(FL_OBJECT *obj, int key);

To align different text fields on a line, tab characters (`'\t'`) can be embedded in the text. See `fl_set_tabstop()` on how to set tabstops.

There are two functions to turn the scrollbars on and off:

    void fl_set_browser_hscrollbar(FL_OBJECT *obj, int how);
    void fl_set_browser_vscrollbar(FL_OBJECT *obj, int how);

`how` can be set to the following values:

`FL_ON`

  Always on.

`FL_OFF`

  Always off.

`FL_AUTO`

  On only when needed (i.e., there are more lines/chars than could be shown at once in the browser).

`FL_AUTO` is the default.

Please note that when you switch the scrollbars off the text can't be scrolled by the user anymore at all (i.e., also not using methods that don't use scrollbars, e.g., using the cursor keys).

Sometimes, it may be desirable for the application to obtain the scrollbar positions when they change (e.g., to use the scrollbars of one browser to control other browsers). There are two ways to achieve this. You can use these functions:

    typedef void (*FL_BROWSER_SCROLL_CALLBACK)(FL_OBJECT *, int, void *);
    void fl_set_browser_hscroll_callback(FL_OBJECT *obj,
                                         FL_BROWSER_SCROLL_CALLBACK cb,
                                         void *cb_data);
    void fl_set_browser_vscroll_callback(FL_OBJECT *obj,
                                         FL_BROWSER_SCROLL_CALLBACK cb,
                                         void *cb_data);

After scroll callbacks are set whenever the scrollbar changes position the callback function is called as

    cb(ob, offset, cb_data);

The first argument to the callback function `cb` is the browser object, the second argument is the new xoffset for the horizontal scrollbar or the new top line for the vertical scrollbar. The third argument is the callback data specified as the third argument in the function calls to install the callback.

To uninstall a scroll callback, use a `NULL` pointer as the callback function.

As an alternative you could request that the browser object gets returned (or a callback invoked) when the the scrollbar positions are changed. This can be done e.g., by passing `FL_RETURN_CHANGED` (if necessary `OR`'ed with flags for also returning on selection/deselections). Within the code for dealing with the event you could check if this is a change event by using the function

    int fl_get_object_return_state(FL_OBJECT *obj);

and test if `FL_RETURN_CHANGED` is set in the return value (by just logically `AND`'ing both) and then handle the change.

By default, the scrollbar size is based on the relation between the size of the browser and the size of the text. To change the default, use the following routine

    void fl_set_browser_scrollbarsize(FL_OBJECT *obj, int hh, int vw);

where `hh` is the horizontal scrollbar height and `vw` is the vertical scrollbar width. Use 0 to indicate the default.

The default scrollbar type is `FL_THIN_SCROLLBAR`. There are two ways you can change the default. One way is to use `fl_set_defaults()` or `fl_set_scrollbar_type()` to set the application wide default, another way is to use `fl_get_object_component()` to get the object handle to the scrollbars and change the the object type forcibly. The first method is preferable because the user can override the setting via resources. Although the second method of changing the scrollbar type is not recommended, the object handle obtained can be useful in changing the scrollbar colors etc.

Finally there is a routine that can be used to obtain the browser size in pixels for the text area

    void fl_get_browser_dimension(FL_OBJECT *obj, FL_Coord *x, FL_Coord *y,
                                  FL_COORD *w, FL_COORD *h);

where `x` and `y` are measured from the top-left corner of the form (or the smallest enclosing window). To establish the relationship between the text area (a function of scrollbar size, border with and text margin), you can compare the browser size and text area size.

Finally, the functions

    int fl_get_browser_scrollbar_repeat(FL_OBJECT *obj);
    void fl_set_browser_scrollbar_repeat(FL_OBJECT *obj, int millisec);

allows to determine and control the time delay (in milliseconds) between jumps of the scrollbar knob when the mouse button is kept pressed down on the scrollbar outside of the knobs area. The default value is 100 ms. The delay for the very first jump is twice that long in order to avoid jumping to start too soon when only a single click was intended but the user is a bit slow in releasing the mouse button.

### 19.3.6 Remarks

Since version 1.0.92 there isn't a limit on the maximum length of lines in a browser anymore. (The macro `FL_BROWSER_LINELENGTH` still exists and is set to 2048 for backward compatibility but has no function anymore).

See ``fbrowse1.c`' for an example program using a `FL_NORMAL_BROWSER` to view files. ``browserall.c`' shows all different browsers. ``browserop.c`' shows the insertion and deletion of lines in a `FL_HOLD_BROWSER`.

For the browser class, especially multi browsers, interaction via callbacks is strongly recommended.

[ << ] | [ >> ] |  |  |  |  |  | [Top] | [Contents] | [Index] | [ ? ]

This document was generated on January 5, 2026 using texi2html 1.82.