XmComboBox(3X) UNIX System V XmComboBox(3X)
NAME
XmComboBox - The ComboBox widget class
SYNOPSIS
#include <Xm/ComboBox.h>
VERSION
This page documents Motif 2.1.
DESCRIPTION
XmComboBox combines the capabilities of a single-line
TextField widget and a List widget. It allows users to
perform opoerations like typing and pasting information, and
it also provides a list of possible choices that the user
can select from to complete the TextField entry field. The
list can either be displayed at all times or can be dropped
down by the user. When the list portion of the ComboBox is
hidden, users are given a visual cue (a downward-pointing
arrow) next to the TextField field. The position of the
arrow relative to the TextField field depends on the
XmNlayoutDirection resource of the widget. This version of
the ComboBox is called the "drop-down" ComboBox. Drop-down
ComboBoxes are useful when screen space is limited, or when
users will complete the text entry field more often by
typing text than by selecting the entry field text from the
list. The user can access the drop-down ComboBox in either
one of two ways:
⊕ By clicking and releasing <Btn1> on the downward-
pointing arrow, which pops the list up, and the list
stays up. A later selection of an item in the list
will cause the item to appear in the text entry field,
and the list will unpost itself.
⊕ By pressing <Btn1> on the downward-pointing arrow,
dragging it to a list item, and then releasing it
there, which selects that item. The list disappears,
and the selected item appears in the text entry field.
The application provides an array of strings that fill the
list. At creation time, string items can be passed to the
ComboBox via an arglist. Each string becomes an item in the
list, with the first string becoming the item in position 1,
the second string becoming the item in position 2, and so
on. The size of the list is set by specifying the number of
items that are visible in the list (XmNvisibleItemCount). If
the number of items in the list exceeds the number of items
that are visible, a vertical scroll bar will automatically
appear that allows the user to scroll through a large number
of items.
ComboBox creates two child widgets: a TextField widget for
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entering text and a ScrolledWindow containing a List for the
list of items. The name of the items list itself is List,
and the name of the TextField is Text. The application or
user can specify resource values for these widgets in a
resource file, and the application can use
XtNameToWidget(specifying "*List" for the items list or
"*Text" for the TextField widget) to obtain the widget IDs
of the descendant widgets. At creation time, ComboBox
passes appropriate resource values in the creation arglist,
including XmNitems, to the items list. Note that the result
of providing the XmNdestroyCallbackresource in the creation
arglist is unspecified. The application should use the
XtAddCallback function to add callbacks to the appropriate
widget (TextField or List) after creating it.
ComboBox forces the following resource values on its List
child:
⊕ If XmNcomboBoxType is XmCOMBOBOX, XmNtraversalOn is
forced to False.
⊕ XmNhighlightThickness is forced to 2 in a drop-down
ComboBox and to 0 in other types of ComboBoxes.
⊕ XmNborderWidth is forced to 0.
⊕ XmNnavigationType is forced to XmNONE.
⊕ XmNselectionPolicy is forced to XmBROWSESELECT.
⊕ XmNlistSizePolicy is forced to XmVARIABLE.
⊕ XmNspacing is forced to 0.
⊕ XmNvisualPolicy is forced to XmVARIABLE.
⊕ XmNselectedPositions is forced to NULL.
⊕ XmNselectedPositionsCount is forced to 0.
When XmNcomboBoxType is XmDROPDOWNLIST, ComboBox forces
the following resource values on its TextField child:
⊕ XmNeditable is forced to False.
⊕ XmNcursorPositionVisible is forced to False.
⊕ XmNshadowThickness is forced to 0.
By contrast, when XmNcomboBoxType is XmCOMBOBOX or
XmDROPDOWNCOMBOBOX, ComboBox forces the following
resource values on its TextField child:
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⊕ XmNeditable is forced to True.
⊕ XmNcursorPositionVisible is forced to True.
⊕ XmNeditMode is forced to XmSINGLELINEEDIT.
ComboBox always forces the values of the following resources
on the TextField:
⊕ XmNnavigationType is forced to XmNONE.
⊕ XmNhighlightThickness is forced to 0.
⊕ XmNborderWidth is forced to 0.
ComboBox allows a single item to be selected in two ways: by
selecting the desired item from the List or by entering text
into the TextField. ComboBox does not automatically select
a list item if the user types that string into the
TextField. It selects the item when the user presses
KActivate or moves the focus. ComboBox supports the Browse
Select selection model of List (see the XmList reference
page for a description of this model), so selections are
mutually exclusive. Selecting an item from the list causes
that item to be displayed in the TextField portion of the
ComboBox. If an application sets the XmNvalue resource of
TextField, that string is shown in the TextField. If the
application has not provided any list items, or if there is
no current selection, the TextField is empty.
The TextField in the ComboBox widget can be either editable
or noneditable, depending on the value of the
XmNcomboBoxType resource.
If the TextField is editable, the user can type into it.
When the user presses the Return key, the ComboBox will
compare the typed entry to the items in the List. If there
is an exact match, then the matched List item is selected.
If the application wishes to validate the entered text (for
example, to ensure that the typed selection is a valid one),
it can do so by setting XmNmodifyVerifyCallback on the
TextField widget.
If the TextField is noneditable, typing text may invoke a
matching algorithm that will attempt to match the entered
text with items in the list. The specific matching algorithm
applied, which may be none, is determined by the value of
the XmNmatchBehavior resource in ComboBox, which can be
either XmNONE or XmQUICKNAVIGATE. A value of XmNONE
indicates that no matching algorithm will occur. A value of
XmQUICKNAVIGATE indicates that when the List widget has
focus, one-character navigation is supported. In this
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algorithm, if the typed character is the initial character
of some item in the List, this algorithm causes that item to
be navigated to and selected, and the item is displayed in
the TextField. Subsequently typing the same character will
cycle among the items with the same first character.
Regardless of the selection mechanism used (either selected
directly from the List or typed into the TextField), when an
item in the List is selected, that item is highlighted in
the List. In addition, the selected item is displayed in
the TextField of the ComboBox. If the user performs an
action that would move focus away from ComboBox, or selects
a List item, the XmNselectionCallback callbacks are invoked
to notify the application of the current contents of the
TextField (or choice). The application then takes whatever
action is required based on those contents (or choice).
ComboBox uses the XmQTspecifyRenderTable trait and holds the
XmQTaccessTextual trait.
Classes
XmComboBox inherits behavior, resources, and traits from
Core, Composite, and XmManager classes.
The class pointer is xmComboBoxWidgetClass.
The class name is XmComboBox.
New Resources
The following table defines a set of widget resources used
by the programmer to specify data. The programmer can also
set the resource values for the inherited classes to set
attributes for this widget. To reference a resource by name
or by class in a .Xdefaults file, remove the XmN or XmC
prefix and use the remaining letters. To specify one of the
defined values for a resource in a .Xdefaults file, remove
the Xm prefix and use the remaining letters (in either
lowercase or uppercase, but include any underscores between
words). The codes in the access column indicate if the given
resource can be at creation time (C), set by using
XtSetValues (S), retrieved by using XtGetValues (G), or is
not applicable (N/A).
XmComboBox Resource Set
Name Class Type Default Access
XmNarrowSize XmCArrowSize Dimension dynamic CSG
XmNarrowSpacing XmCArrowSpacing Dimension dynamic CSG
XmNcolumns XmCColumn short dynamic CSG
XmNcomboBoxType XmCComboBoxType unsigned char XmCOMBO_BOX CG
XmNfontList XmCFontList XmFontList NULL CSG
XmNhighlightThickness XmCHighlightThickness Dimension 2 CSG
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XmNitemCount XmCItemCount int dynamic CSG
XmNitems XmCItems XmStringTable dynamic CSG
XmNlist XmCList Widget dynamic G
XmNmarginHeight XmCMarginHeight Dimension 2 CSG
XmNmarginWidth XmCMarginWidth Dimension 2 CSG
XmNmatchBehavior XmCMatchBehavior unsigned char dynamic CSG
XmNpositionMode XmCPositionMode XtEnum XmZERO_BASED CG
XmNrenderTable XmCRenderTable XmRenderTable dynamic CSG
XmNselectedItem XmCSelectedItem XmString NULL CSG
XmNselectedPosition XmCSelectedPosition int dynamic CSG
XmNselectionCallback XmCCallback XmCallbackList NULL C
XmtextField XmCTextField Widget dynamic G
XmNvisibleItemCount XmCVisibleItemCount int 10 CSG
XmNarrowSize
Specifies the width of the arrow. The default size
depends on the size of the text, as well as the
size of the ComboBox.
XmNarrowSpacing
Specifies the space between the text and arrow
visual in pixels. The default value is obtained
from the XmNmarginWidth resource.
XmNcolumns
Specifies the number of columns in the text field.
If unset, the text field's value is used. Refer to
the XmTextField man page for more detailed
information.
XmNcomboBoxType
Specifies the type of ComboBox to be created. This
can be one of the following:
XmCOMBOBOX
Generates a ComboBox where the list is
always displayed, and the text entry
field is editable.
XmDROPDOWNCOMBOBOX
Generates a ComboBox where the list is
hidden unless specifically requested,
and the text entry field is editable.
XmDROPDOWNLIST
Generates a ComboBox where the list is
hidden unless specifically requested,
and the text entry field is noneditable.
XmNfontList
Specifies the fontlist associated with XmComboBox.
The fontlist is an obsolete construct, and has
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been superseded by the render table. It is
included for compatibility with earlier versions
of Motif, and for applications that do not easily
support render tables. The default fontlist is
derived from the default render table, and if both
a fontlist and a render table are specified, the
render table takes precedence.
XmNhighlightThickness
Specifies the thickness of the highlighting
rectangle.
XmNitemCount
Specifies the number of items in the list. If
unset, the lists's value is used. Refer to the
XmList man page for more detailed information.
XmNitems Specifies the items in the list. If unset, the
lists's value is used. Refer to the XmList man
page for more detailed information.
XmNlist The list widget.
XmNmarginWidth
Specifies the horizontal spacing between the child
widgets and the boundary of the ComboBox.
XmNmarginHeight
Specifies the vertical spacing between the child
widgets and the boundary of the ComboBox.
XmNmatchBehavior
Defines the matching algorithm applied to match
the text typed by the user in the TextField field
with items in the list. The current values are
XmNONE and XmQUICKNAVIGATE, as follows:
XmNONE Indicates that there is no assigned
matching algorithm.
XmQUICKNAVIGATE
Is only valid for noneditable ComboBoxes
(XmNcomboBoxType resource value
XmDROPDOWNLIST). This algorithm
supports 1-character navigation when the
List widget has focus. If the typed
character is the initial character of
some item in the List, this algorithm
causes that item to be navigated to and
selected. Subsequently typing the same
character will cycle among the items
with the same first character.
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XmNpositionMode
Specifies how the value of the
XmNselectedPositionresource and the itemposition
field of the callback structure are to be
interpreted. Note that the convenience functions
XmComboBoxDeletePos and XmComboBoxAddItemare not
affected by this resource, and (like XmList)
always use 1-based positions. Valid values for
this resource are:
XmZEROBASED
(DtComboBox compatibility mode: default)
XmNselectedPositionis in [0,itemcount-
1]. The itemposition in the
XmComboBoxCallbackStructis 0 if the
first element in the list was selected.
Note that 0 is also returned if no
element in the list was selected (that
is, a new item was entered in the text
field).
XmONEBASED
(Motif mode) Both the resource value and
the callback fields are 1-based. This is
consistent with other Motif widgets.
XmNrenderTable
Specifies the render table associated with
ComboBox. This render table is used in both the
TextField field and the List in the ComboBox. This
is used in conjunction with the
XmNvisibleItemCount resource of the List to
determine the height of the ComboBox widget.
If this value is NULL at initialization, and if
the widget parent is XmBulletinBoard or its
subclasses, VendorShell or its subclasses, or
XmMenuShell, then the widget parent provides the
default render table associated with the widget.
If both a render table and a fontlist are
specified, the render table will take precedence.
XmNselectedItem
Specifies a compound string that represents the
current selection of the ComboBox. The selected
item is the content of the ComboBox text entry
field.
XmNselectedPosition
If the selection in the ComboBox is an item in the
list, this is the index of the selected item in
the list. If no item in the list is selected, this
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is 0.
XmNselectionCallback
Specifies the list of callbacks called when an
item is selected. The reason field in the
XmComboBoxCallbackStruct is XmCRSELECT.
XmNtextField
The text field widget.
XmNvisibleItemCount
Specifies the number of visible items in the list.
This will override any value specified for the
list. Refer to the XmList man page for more
detailed information.
Inherited Resources
ComboBox inherits behavior and resources from superclasses
described in the following tables. For a complete
description of each resource, refer to the reference page
for that superclass.
XmManager Resource Set
Name Class Type Default Access
XmNbottomShadowColor XmCBottomShadowColor Pixel dynamic CSG
XmNbottomShadowPixmap XmCBottomShadowPixmap Pixmap XmUNSPECIFIED_PIXMAP CSG
XmNforeground XmCForeground Pixel dynamic CSG
XmNhelpCallback XmCCallback XtCallbackList NULL C
XmNhighlightColor XmCHighlightColor Pixel dynamic CSG
XmNhighlightPixmap XmCHighlightPixmap Pixmap dynamic CSG
XmNinitialFocus XmCInitialFocus Widget NULL CSG
XmNlayoutDirection XmCLayoutDirection XmDirection dynamic CG
XmNnavigationType XmCNavigationType XmNavigationType XmSTICKY_TAG_GROUP CSG
XmNpopupHandlerCallback XmCCallback XtCallbackList NULL C
XmNshadowThickness XmCShadowThickness Dimension 2 CSG
XmNstringDirection XmCStringDirection XmStringDirection dynamic CG
XmNtopShadowColor XmCTopShadowColor Pixel dynamic CSG
XmNtopShadowPixmap XmCTopShadowPixmap Pixmap dynamic CSG
XmNtraversalOn XmCTraversalOn Boolean True CSG
XmNunitType XmCUnitType unsigned char dynamic CSG
XmNuserData XmCUserData XtPointer NULL CSG
Composite Resource Set
Name Class Type Default Access
XmNchildren XmCReadOnly WidgetList NULL G
XmNinsertPosition XmCInsertPosition XtOrderProc NULL CSG
XmNnumChildren XmCReadOnly Cardinal 0 G
Core Resource Set
Name Class Type Default Access
XmNaccelerators XmCAccelerators XtAccelerators dynamic CSG
XmNancestorSensitive XmCSensitive Boolean dynamic G
XmNbackground XmCBackground Pixel dynamic CSG
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XmNbackgroundPixmap XmCPixmap Pixmap XmUNSPECIFIED_PIXMAP CSG
XmNborderColor XmCBorderColor Pixel XtDefaultForeground CSG
XmNborderPixmap XmCPixmap Pixmap XmUNSPECIFIED_PIXMAP CSG
XmNborderWidth XmCBorderWidth Dimension 0 CSG
XmNcolormap XmCColormap Colormap dynamic CG
XmNdepth XmCDepth int dynamic CG
XmNdestroyCallback XmCCallback XtCallbackList NULL C
XmNheight XmCHeight Dimension dynamic CSG
XmNinitialResourcesPersistent XmCInitialResourcesPersistent Boolean True C
XmNmappedWhenManaged XmCMappedWhenManaged Boolean True CSG
XmNscreen XmCScreen Screen * dynamic CG
XmNsensitive XmCSensitive Boolean True CSG
XmNtranslations XmCTranslations XtTranslations dynamic CSG
XmNwidth XmCWidth Dimension dynamic CSG
XmNx XmCPosition Position 0 CSG
XmNy XmCPosition Position 0 CSG
Callback Information
A pointer to the following structure is passed to each
callback. The callback structure is defined as follows:
typedef struct
{
int reason;
XEvent *event;
XmString item_or_text;
int item_position;
} XmComboBoxCallbackStruct;
reason Indicates why the callback was invoked.
event Points to the XEvent that triggered the callback.
It can be NULL.
item_or_text
The contents of the text field at the time the
event caused the callback. The item_or_text
parameter points to a temporary storage space that
is reused after the callback is finished. If an
application needs to save the item, it should copy
item_or_text into its own data space.
item_position
The position of item in the list's XmNitems 1-
based array. If this is 0, it means that the
item_or_text was not selected from the List.
Translations
The ComboBox translations are listed below.
The following key names are listed in the X standard key
event translation table syntax. This format is the one used
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by Motif to specify the widget actions corresponding to a
given key. A brief overview of the format is provided under
VirtualBindings(3). For a complete description of the
format, please refer to the X Toolkit Instrinsics
Documentation.
Note:
The KPageUp and KPageDown translations do not take
effect unless the List child widget is posted.
<Btn1Down>:
CBArmAndDropDownList()
<Btn1Up>: CBDisarm()
The following lists the List translations in the drop-down
list. When ComboBox XmNcomboBoxType is XmDROPDOWNLIST,
<osfActivate>, <osfCancel>, and Return are overriden by
ComboBox actions.
:c <Key><osfDown>:
CBDropDownList()
:c <Key><osfUp>:
CBDropDownList()
:<Key><osfCancel>:
CBCancel()
:<Key><osfActivate>:
CBActivate()
~s ~m ~a<Key>Return:
CBActivate()
Accelerators
The following accelerators are added to ComboBox and its
children. The accelerators may not directly correspond to a
translation table. If the translation is not listed below,
it may depend on the context of the event.
:c <Key><osfUp>:
CBDropDownList()
:<Key><osfUp>:
CBListAction(Up)
:c <Key><osfDown>:
CBDropDownList()
:<Key><osfDown>:
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CBListAction(Down)
:c <Key><osfBeginLine>:
CBListAction(ListBeginData)
:c <Key><osfEndLine>:
CBListAction(ListEndData)
:<Key><osfPageUp>:
CBListAction(ListPrevPage)
:<Key><osfPageDown>:
CBListAction(ListNextPage)
A drop-down ComboBox also adds accelerators to its List
child. Aside from the accelerators that are already listed
in this section, those accelerators are the default
TextField key translations.
Action Routines
The XmComboBox action routines are as follows:
CBActivate():
Calls the XmNselectionCallback callbacks. If the
XmNcomboBoxType is XmDROPDOWNCOMBOBOX or
XmDROPDOWNLIST, it unposts the list. If the
parent is a manager, passes the event to the
parent.
CBArmAndDropDownList():
If the pointer is within the down arrow, draws the
shadow of the arrow in the selected state, and
then posts the list.
CBCancel():
If the XmNcomboBoxType is XmDROPDOWNCOMBOBOX or
XmDROPDOWNLIST, pops down the list. If the
parent is a manager, passes the event to the
parent.
CBDisarm():
Redraws the arrow in an unselected state.
CBDropDownList():
If XmNcomboBoxType is XmDROPDOWN or
XmDROPDOWNLIST, and list is not displayed, posts
the list. If list is displayed, it unposts the
list.
CBListAction(ListBeginData):
Moves the location cursor to the first item in the
list. In Normal Mode, this also deselects any
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current selection, selects the first item in the
list, and calls the XmNbrowseSelectionCallback
selection callback.
CBListAction(ListEndData):
Moves the location cursor to the last item in the
list. In Normal Mode, this also deselects any
current selection, selects the last item in the
list, and calls the XmNbrowseSelectionCallback
selection callback.
CBListAction(ListPrevPage):
Scrolls the list to the previous page, moving the
location cursor to a new item. This action also
selects the new item, deselects any current
selection, and calls the
XmNbrowseSelectionCallback callbacks. If the
ComboBox is not a drop-down type, then this action
does nothing.
CBListAction(ListNextPage):
Scrolls the list to the next page, moving the
location cursor to a new item. This action also
selects the new item, deselects any current
selection, and calls the
XmNbrowseSelectionCallback callbacks. If the
ComboBox is not a drop-down type, then this action
does nothing.
CBListAction(Up):
Moves the location cursor to the previous item in
the list. This action also selects the previous
item, deselects any current selection, and calls
the XmNbrowseSelectionCallback callbacks. Note
that, unlike the List ListPrevItem action, this
action wraps around.
CBListAction(Down):
Moves the location cursor to the next item in the
list. This action also selects the next item,
deselects any current selection, and calls the
XmNbrowseSelectionCallback callbacks. Note that,
unlike the List ListNextItem action, this action
wraps around.
Virtual Bindings
The bindings for virtual keys are vendor specific. For
information about bindings for virtual buttons and keys, see
VirtualBindings(3).
ERRORS/WARNINGS
The toolkit will display a warning if the application tries
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to set the value of XmNlistor the XmNtextField resource,
which are read-only (marked G in the resource table).
RELATED
Composite(3), Core(3), XmCreateComboBox(3), XmList(3),
XmManager(3), and XmTextField(3).
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