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diff --git a/doc/src/declarative/extending.qdoc b/doc/src/declarative/extending.qdoc index 7163a93..138ccb2 100644 --- a/doc/src/declarative/extending.qdoc +++ b/doc/src/declarative/extending.qdoc @@ -1,3 +1,376 @@ +/**************************************************************************** +** +** Copyright (C) 2009 Nokia Corporation and/or its subsidiary(-ies). +** Contact: Qt Software Information (qt-info@nokia.com) +** +** This file is part of the documentation of the Qt Toolkit. +** +** $QT_BEGIN_LICENSE:LGPL$ +** No Commercial Usage +** This file contains pre-release code and may not be distributed. +** You may use this file in accordance with the terms and conditions +** contained in the either Technology Preview License Agreement or the +** Beta Release License Agreement. +** +** GNU Lesser General Public License Usage +** Alternatively, this file may be used under the terms of the GNU Lesser +** General Public License version 2.1 as published by the Free Software +** Foundation and appearing in the file LICENSE.LGPL included in the +** packaging of this file. Please review the following information to +** ensure the GNU Lesser General Public License version 2.1 requirements +** will be met: http://www.gnu.org/licenses/old-licenses/lgpl-2.1.html. +** +** In addition, as a special exception, Nokia gives you certain +** additional rights. These rights are described in the Nokia Qt LGPL +** Exception version 1.0, included in the file LGPL_EXCEPTION.txt in this +** package. +** +** GNU General Public License Usage +** Alternatively, this file may be used under the terms of the GNU +** General Public License version 3.0 as published by the Free Software +** Foundation and appearing in the file LICENSE.GPL included in the +** packaging of this file. Please review the following information to +** ensure the GNU General Public License version 3.0 requirements will be +** met: http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/gpl.html. +** +** If you are unsure which license is appropriate for your use, please +** contact the sales department at qt-sales@nokia.com. +** $QT_END_LICENSE$ +** +****************************************************************************/ + +/*! +\page qml-extending.html +\title Extending QML + +The QML syntax declaratively describes how to construct an in memory object +tree. In Qt, QML is mainly used to describe a visual scene graph, but it is +not conceptually limited to this: the QML format is an abstract description of +any object tree. All the QML element types included in Qt are implemented using +the C++ extension mechanisms describe on this page. Programmers can use these +APIs to add new types that interact with the existing Qt types, or to repurpose +QML for their own independent use. + +\tableofcontents + +\section1 Adding Types + +\snippet examples/declarative/extending/adding/example.qml 0 + +The QML snippet shown above instantiates one \c Person instance and sets +the name and shoeSize properties on it. Everything in QML ultimately comes down +to either instantiating an object instance, or assigning a property a value. +QML relies heavily on Qt's meta object system and can only instantiate classes +that derive from QObject. + +The QML engine has no intrinsic knowledge of any class types. Instead the +programmer must define the C++ types, and their corresponding QML name. + +Custom C++ types are made available to QML using these two macros: + +\quotation +\code +#define QML_DECLARE_TYPE(T) +#define QML_DEFINE_TYPE(T,QmlName) +\endcode + +Register the C++ type \a T with the QML system, and make it available in QML +under the name \a QmlName. \a T and \a QmlName may be the same. + +Generally the QML_DECLARE_TYPE() macro should be included immediately following +the type declaration (usually in its header file), and the QML_DEFINE_TYPE() +macro in the implementation file. QML_DEFINE_TYPE() must not be present in +a header file. + +Type \a T must be a concrete type that inherits QObject and has a default +constructor. +\endquotation + +Once registered, all of the \l {Qt's Property System}{properties} of a supported +type are available for use within QML. QML has intrinsic support for properties +of these types: + +\list +\o bool +\o unsigned int, int +\o float, double, qreal +\o QString +\o QUrl +\o QColor +\o QDate, QTime, QDateTime +\o QPoint, QPointF +\o QSize, QSizeF +\o QRect, QRectF +\o QVariant +\endlist + +QML is typesafe. Attempting to assign an invalid value to a property will +generate an error. For example, assuming the name property of the \c Person +element had a type of QString, this would cause an error: + +\code +Person { + // Will NOT work + name: 12 +} +\endcode + +\l {Extending QML - Adding Types Example} shows the complete code used to create +the \c Person type. + +\section1 Object and List Property Types + +\snippet examples/declarative/extending/properties/example.qml 0 + +The QML snippet shown above assigns a \c Person object to the \c BirthdayParty's +celebrant property, and assigns three \c Person objects to the guests property. + +QML can set properties of types that are more complex than basic intrinsics like +integers and strings. Properties can also be object pointers, Qt interface +pointers, lists of object points, and lists of Qt interface pointers. As QML +is typesafe it ensures that only valid types are assigned to these properties, +just like it does for primitive types. + +Properties that are pointers to objects or Qt interfaces are declared with the +Q_PROPERTY() macro, just like other properties. The celebrant property +declaration looks like this: + +\snippet examples/declarative/extending/properties/birthdayparty.h 1 + +As long as the property type, in this case Person, is registered with QML the +property can be assigned. + +QML also supports assigning Qt interfaces. To assign to a property whose type +is a Qt interface pointer, the interface must also be registered with QML. As +they cannot be instantiated directly, registering a Qt interface is different +from registering a new QML type. The following macros are used instead: + +\quotation +\code + #define QML_DECLARE_INTERFACE(T) + #define QML_DEFINE_INTERFACE(T) +\endcode + +Register the C++ interface \a T with the QML system. + +Generally the QML_DECLARE_INTERFACE() macro should be included immediately +following the interface declaration (usually in its header file), and the +QML_DEFINE_INTERFACE() macro in an implementation file. QML_DEFINE_INTERFACE() +must not be present in a header file. + +Following registration, QML can coerce objects that implement this interface +for assignment to appropriately typed properties. +\endquotation + +The guests property is a list of \c Person objects. Properties that are lists +of objects or Qt interfaces are also declared with the Q_PROPERTY() macro, just +like other properties. List properties must have the type \c {QmlList<T *>*}. +As with object properties, the type \a T must be registered with QML. + +The guest property declaration looks like this: + +\snippet examples/declarative/extending/properties/birthdayparty.h 2 + +\l {Extending QML - Object and List Property Types Example} shows the complete +code used to create the \c BirthdayParty type. + +\section1 Inheritance and Coercion + +\snippet examples/declarative/extending/coercion/example.qml 0 + +The QML snippet shown above assigns a \c Boy object to the \c BirthdayParty's +celebrant property, and assigns three other objects to the guests property. + +QML supports C++ inheritance heirarchies and can freely coerce between known, +valid object types. This enables the creation of common base classes that allow +the assignment of specialized classes to object or list properties. In the +snippet shown, both the celebrant and the guests properties retain the Person +type used in the previous section, but the assignment is valid as both the Boy +and Girl objects inherit from Person. + +To assign to a property, the property's type must have been registered with QML. +Both the QML_DEFINE_TYPE() and QML_DEFINE_INTERFACE() macros already shown can +be used to register a type with QML. Additionally, if a type that acts purely +as a base class that cannot be instantiated from QML needs to be +registered these macros can be used: + +\quotation +\code + #define QML_DECLARE_TYPE(T) + #define QML_DEFINE_NOCREATE_TYPE(T) +\endcode + +Register the C++ type \a T with the QML system. QML_DEFINE_NOCREATE_TYPE() +differs from QML_DEFINE_TYPE() in that it does not define a mapping between the +C++ class and a QML element name, so the type is not instantiable from QML, but +it is available for type coercion. + +Generally the QML_DECLARE_TYPE() macro should be included immediately following +the type declaration (usually in its header file), and the +QML_DEFINE_NOCREATE_TYPE() macro in the implementation file. +QML_DEFINE_NOCREATE_TYPE() must not be present in a header file. + +Type \a T must inherit QObject, but there are no restrictions on whether it is +concrete or the signature of its constructor. +\endquotation + +QML will automatically coerce C++ types when assigning to either an object +property, or to a list property. Only if coercion fails does an assignment +error occur. + +\l {Extending QML - Inheritance and Coercion Example} shows the complete +code used to create the \c Boy and \c Girl types. + +\section1 Default Property + +\snippet examples/declarative/extending/default/example.qml 0 + +The QML snippet shown above assigns a collection of objects to the +\c BirthdayParty's default property. + +The default property is a syntactic convenience that allows a type designer to +specify a single property as the type's default. The default property is +assigned to whenever no explicit property is specified. As a convenience, it is +behaviorally identical to assigning the default property explicitly by name. + +From C++, type designers mark the default property using a Q_CLASSINFO() +annotation: + +\quotation +\code +Q_CLASSINFO("DefaultProperty", "property") +\endcode + +Mark \a property as the class's default property. \a property must be either +an object property, or a list property. + +A default property is optional. A derived class inherits its base class's +default property, but may override it in its own declaration. \a property can +refer to a property declared in the class itself, or a property inherited from a +base class. +\endquotation + +\l {Extending QML - Default Property Example} shows the complete code used to +specify a default property. + +\section1 Grouped Properties + +\snippet examples/declarative/extending/grouped/example.qml 1 + +The QML snippet shown above assigns a number properties to the \c Boy object, +including four properties using the grouped property syntax. + +Grouped properties collect similar properties together into a single named +block. Grouped properties can be used to present a nicer API to developers, and +may also simplify the implementation of common property collections across +different types through implementation reuse. + +A grouped property block is implemented as a read-only object property. The +shoe property shown is declared like this: + +\snippet examples/declarative/extending/grouped/person.h 1 + +The ShoeDescription type declares the properties available to the grouped +property block - in this case the size, color, brand and price properties. + +Grouped property blocks may declared and accessed be recusively. + +\l {Extending QML - Grouped Properties Example} shows the complete code used to +implement the \c shoe property grouping. + +\section1 Attached Properties + +\snippet examples/declarative/extending/attached/example.qml 1 + +The QML snippet shown above assigns the rsvp property using the attached +property syntax. + +Attached properties allow unrelated types to annotate other types with some +additional properties, generally for their own use. Attached properties are +identified through the use of the attacher type name, in the case shown +\c BirthdayParty, as a suffix to the property name. + +In the example shown, \c BirthdayParty is called the attaching type, and the +Box instance the attachee object instance. + +For the attaching type, an attached property block is implemented as a new +QObject derived type, called the attachment object. The properties on the +attachment object are those that become available for use as the attached +property block. + +Any QML type can become an attaching type by declaring the +\c qmlAttachedProperties() public function: + +\quotation +\code +static AttachedPropertiesType *qmlAttachedProperties(QObject *object) +\endcode +Return an attachment object, of type \a AttachedPropertiesType, for the +attachee \a object instance. It is customary, though not strictly required, for +the attachment object to be parented to \a object to prevent memory leaks. + +\a AttachedPropertiesType must be a QObject derived type. The properties on +this type will be accessible through the attached properties syntax. + +This method will be called at most once for each attachee object instance. The +QML engine will cache the returned instance pointer for subsequent attached +property accesses. Consequently the attachment object may not be deleted until +\a object is destroyed. +\endquotation + +Conceptually, attached properties are a \e type exporting a set of additional +properties that can be set on \e any other object instance. Attached properties +cannot be limited to only attaching to a sub-set of object instances, although +their effect may be so limited. + +For example, a common usage scenario is for a type to enhance the properties +available to its children in order to gather instance specific data. Here we +add a rsvp field to all the guests coming to a birthday party: +\code +BirthdayParty { + Boy { BirthdayParty.rsvp: "2009-06-01" } +} +\endcode +However, as a type cannot limit the instances to which the attachment object +must attach, the following is also allowed, even though adding a birthday party +rsvp in this context will have no effect. +\code +GraduationParty { + Boy { BirthdayParty.rsvp: "2009-06-01" } +} +\endcode + +From C++, including the attaching type implementation, the attachment object for +an instance can be accessed using the following method: + +\quotation +\code +template<typename T> +QObject *qmlAttachedPropertiesObject<T>(QObject *attachee, bool create = true); +\endcode +Returns the attachment object attached to \a attachee by the attaching type +\a T. If type \a T is not a valid attaching type, this method always returns 0. + +If \a create is true, a valid attachment object will always be returned, +creating it if it does not already exist. If \a create is false, the attachment +object will only be returned if it has previously been created. +\endquotation + +\l {Extending QML - Attached Properties Example} shows the complete code used to +implement the rsvp attached property. + +\section1 Property Binding + +\section1 Signal support + +\section1 Extension Objects + +\section1 Parser Status + +\section1 Property Value Sources +*/ + + /*! \page qml-extending-types.html \title Extending types from QML |