gtk2/docs/reference/gtk/migrating-3to4.xml
2018-05-05 13:33:36 -04:00

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<chapter id="gtk-migrating-3-to-4">
<title>Migrating from GTK+ 3.x to GTK+ 4</title>
<para>
GTK+ 4 is a major new version of GTK+ that breaks both API and ABI
compared to GTK+ 3.x. Thankfully, most of the changes are not hard
to adapt to and there are a number of steps that you can take to
prepare your GTK+ 3.x application for the switch to GTK+ 4. After
that, there's a small number of adjustments that you may have to do
when you actually switch your application to build against GTK+ 4.
</para>
<section>
<title>Preparation in GTK+ 3.x</title>
<para>
The steps outlined in the following sections assume that your
application is working with GTK+ 3.22, which is the final stable
release of GTK+ 3.x. It includes all the necessary APIs and tools
to help you port your application to GTK+ 4. If you are still using
an older version of GTK+ 3.x, you should first get your application
to build and work with the latest minor release in the 3.22 series.
</para>
<section>
<title>Do not use deprecated symbols</title>
<para>
Over the years, a number of functions, and in some cases, entire
widgets have been deprecated. These deprecations are clearly spelled
out in the API reference, with hints about the recommended replacements.
The API reference for GTK+ 3 also includes an
<ulink url="https://developer.gnome.org/gtk3/3.22/api-index-deprecated.html">index</ulink> of all deprecated symbols.
</para>
<para>
To verify that your program does not use any deprecated symbols,
you can use defines to remove deprecated symbols from the header files,
as follows:
<programlisting>
make CFLAGS+="-DGDK_DISABLE_DEPRECATED -DGTK_DISABLE_DEPRECATED"
</programlisting>
</para>
<para>
Note that some parts of our API, such as enumeration values, are
not well covered by the deprecation warnings. In most cases, using
them will require you to also use deprecated functions, which will
trigger warnings.
</para>
</section>
<section>
<title>Enable diagnostic warnings</title>
<para>
Deprecations of properties and signals cannot be caught at compile
time, as both properties and signals are installed and used after
types have been instantiated. In order to catch deprecations and
changes in the run time components, you should use the
<envar>G_ENABLE_DIAGNOSTIC</envar> environment variable when
running your application, e.g.:
<programlisting>
G_ENABLE_DIAGNOSTIC=1 ./your-app
</programlisting>
</para>
</section>
<section>
<title>Do not use widget style properties</title>
<para>
Style properties do not exist in GTK+ 4. You should stop using them in
your custom CSS and in your code.
</para>
</section>
<section>
<title>Review your window creation flags</title>
<para>
GTK+ 4 removes the GDK_WA_CURSOR flag. Instead, just use
gdk_surface_set_cursor() to set a cursor on the window after
creating it.
</para>
<para>
GTK+ 4 also removes the GDK_WA_VISUAL flag, and always uses
an RGBA visual for windows. To prepare your code for this,
use gdk_surface_set_visual (gdk_screen_get_rgba_visual ()) after
creating your window.
</para>
<para>
GTK+ 4 also removes the GDK_WA_WMCLASS flag. If you need this
X11-specific functionality, use XSetClassHint() directly.
</para>
</section>
<section>
<title>Stop using non-RGBA visuals</title>
<para>
GTK+ 4 always uses RGBA visuals for its windows; you should make
sure that your code works with that.
</para>
<para>
At the same time, you should stop using GdkVisual APIs, this object
not longer exist in GTK+ 4. Most of its APIs are deprecated already
and not useful when dealing with RGBA visuals.
</para>
</section>
<section>
<title>Stop using GtkBox:padding, GtkBox:fill and GtkBox:expand</title>
<para>
GTK+4 removes these #GtkBox child properties, so you should not use them.
You can replace GtkBox:padding using the #GtkWidget:margin properties
on your #GtkBox child widgets.
</para>
<para>
The fill child property can be replaced by setting appropriate values
for the #GtkWidget:halign and #GtkWidget:valign properties of the child
widgets. If you previously set the fill child property to %TRUE, you can
achieve the same effect by setting the halign or valign properties to
%GTK_ALIGN_FILL, depending on the parent box -- halign for a horizontal
box, valign for a vertical one.
</para>
<para>
#GtkBox also uses the expand child property. It can be replaced by setting
#GtkWidget:hexpand or #GtkWidget:vexpand on the child widgets. To match the
old behavior of the #GtkBox's expand child property, you need to set
#GtkWidget:hexpand on the child widgets of a horizontal #GtkBox and
#GtkWidget:vexpand on the child widgets of a vertical #GtkBox.
</para>
<para>
Note that there's a subtle but important difference between #GtkBox's
expand and fill child properties and the ones in #GtkWidget: setting
#GtkWidget:hexpand or #GtkWidget:vexpand to %TRUE will propagate up
the widget hierarchy, so a pixel-perfect port might require you to reset
the expansion flags to %FALSE in a parent widget higher up the hierarchy.
</para>
</section>
<section>
<title>Stop using the state argument of GtkStyleContext getters</title>
<para>
The getters in the GtkStyleContext API, such as
gtk_style_context_get_property(), gtk_style_context_get(),
or gtk_style_context_get_color() only accept the context's current
state for their state argument. You should update all callers to pass
the current state.
</para>
</section>
<section>
<title>Stop using gdk_pixbuf_get_from_window() and gdk_cairo_set_source_surface()</title>
<para>
These functions are not supported in GTK+ 4. Instead, either use backend-specific
APIs, or render your widgets using gtk_widget_render().
</para>
</section>
<section>
<title>Stop using GtkButton's image-related API</title>
<para>
The functions and properties related to automatically add a GtkImage
to a GtkButton, and using a GtkSetting to control its visibility, are
not supported in GTK+ 4. Instead, you can just pack a GtkImage inside
a GtkButton, and control its visibility like you would for any other
widget. If you only want to add a named icon to a GtkButton, you can
use gtk_button_set_icon_name().
</para>
</section>
</section>
<section>
<title>Changes that need to be done at the time of the switch</title>
<para>
This section outlines porting tasks that you need to tackle when
you get to the point that you actually build your application against
GTK+ 4. Making it possible to prepare for these in GTK+ 3 would
have been either impossible or impractical.
</para>
<section>
<title>Stop using GdkScreen</title>
<para>
The GdkScreen object has been removed in GTK+ 4. Most of its APIs already
had replacements in GTK+ 3 and were deprecated, a few remaining replacements
have been added to GdkDisplay.
</para>
</section>
<section>
<title>Stop using the root window</title>
<para>
The root window is an X11-centric concept that is no longer exposed in the
backend-neutral GDK API. gdk_surface_get_parent() will return %NULL for toplevel
windows. If you need to interact with the X11 root window, you can use
gdk_x11_display_get_xrootwindow() to get its XID.
</para>
</section>
<section>
<title>Stop using GdkVisual</title>
<para>
This object is not useful with current GTK+ drawing APIs and has been removed
without replacement.
</para>
</section>
<section>
<title>Stop using GdkDeviceManager</title>
<para>
The GdkDeviceManager object has been removed in GTK+ 4. Most of its APIs already
had replacements in GTK+ 3 and were deprecated in favor of GdkSeat.
</para>
</section>
<section>
<title>Adapt to GdkWindow API changes</title>
<para>
GdkWindow has been renamed to GdkSurface.
</para>
<para>
The gdk_window_new() function has been replaced by a number of more
specialized constructors: gdk_surface_new_toplevel(), gdk_surface_new_popup(),
gdk_surface_new_temp(), gdk_surface_new_child(), gdk_surface_new_input(),
gdk_wayland_surface_new_subsurface(). Use the appropriate ones to create
your windows.
</para>
<para>
Native and foreign subwindows are no longer supported. These concepts were
complicating the code and could not be supported across backends.
</para>
<para>
gdk_window_reparent() is no longer available.
</para>
</section>
<section>
<title>Stop accessing GdkEvent fields</title>
<para>
Direct access to GdkEvent structs is no longer possible in GTK+ 4. Some
frequently-used fields already had accessors in GTK+ 3, and the remaining
fields have gained accessors in GTK+ 4.
</para>
</section>
<section>
<title>Stop using gdk_surface_set_event_compression</title>
<para>
Event compression is now always enabled. If you need to see the uncoalesced
motion history, use gdk_event_get_motion_history().
</para>
</section>
<section>
<title>Adapt to GdkKeymap API changes</title>
<para>
The way to get a keymap has changed slightly. gdk_keymap_get_for_display() has
been renamed to gdk_display_get_keymap().
</para>
</section>
<section>
<title>Adapt to GtkHeaderBar API changes</title>
<para>
The gtk_header_bar_set_show_close_button() function has been renamed to
the more accurate name gtk_header_bar_set_show_title_buttons(). The corresponding
getter and the property itself have also been renamed.
</para>
</section>
<section>
<title>Adapt to GtkStyleContext API changes</title>
<para>
The getters in the GtkStyleContext API, such as
gtk_style_context_get_property(), gtk_style_context_get(),
or gtk_style_context_get_color() have lost their state argument,
and always use the context's current state. Update all callers
to omit the state argument.
</para>
</section>
<section>
<title>Adapt to GtkCssProvider API changes</title>
<para>
In GTK+ 4, the various #GtkCssProvider load functions have lost
their #GError argument. If you want to handle CSS loading errors,
use the #GtkCssProvider::parsing-error signal instead.
</para>
</section>
<section>
<title>Stop using GtkContainer::border-width</title>
<para>
GTK+ 4 has removed the #GtkContainer::border-width property.
Use other means to influence the spacing of your containers,
such as the CSS margin and padding properties on child widgets.
</para>
</section>
<section>
<title>Adapt to GtkWidget's size request changes</title>
<para>
GTK+ 3 used five different virtual functions in GtkWidget to
implement size requisition, namely the gtk_widget_get_preferred_width()
family of functions. To simplify widget implementations, GTK+4 uses
only one virtual function, GtkWidgetClass::measure() that widgets
have to implement.
</para>
</section>
<section>
<title>Switch to GtkWidget's children APIs</title>
<para>
Instead of the GtkContainer subclass, in GTK+ 4, any widget can
have children, and there is new API to navigate the widget tree:
gtk_widget_get_first_child(), gtk_widget_get_last_child(),
gtk_widget_get_next_sibling(), gtk_widget_get_prev_sibling().
The GtkContainer API still works, but if you are implementing
your own widgets, you should consider using the new APIs.
</para>
</section>
<section>
<title>Don't use -gtk-gradient in your CSS</title>
<para>
GTK+ now supports standard CSS syntax for both linear and radial
gradients, just use those.
</para>
</section>
<section>
<title>Don't use -gtk-icon-effect in your CSS</title>
<para>
GTK+ now supports a more versatile -gtk-icon-filter instead. Replace
-gtk-icon-effect: dim; with -gtk-icon-filter: opacity(0.5); and
-gtk-icon-effect: hilight; with -gtk-icon-filter: brightness(1.2);.
</para>
</section>
<section>
<title>Use gtk_widget_measure</title>
<para>
gtk_widget_measure() replaces the various gtk_widget_get_preferred_ functions
for querying sizes.
</para>
</section>
<section>
<title>Adapt to drawing model changes</title>
<para>
This area has seen the most radical changes in the transition from GTK+ 3
to GTK+ 4. Widgets no longer use a draw() function to render their contents
to a cairo surface. Instead, they have a snapshot() function that creates
one or more GskRenderNodes to represent their content. Third-party widgets
that use a draw() function or a #GtkWidget::draw signal handler for custom
drawing will need to be converted to use gtk_snapshot_append_cairo().
</para>
<para>
The auxiliary #GtkSnapshot object has APIs to help with creating render
nodes.
</para>
<para>
If you are using a #GtkDrawingArea for custom drawing, you need to switch
to using gtk_drawing_area_set_draw_func() to set a draw function instead
of connnecting a handler to the #GtkWidget::draw signal.
</para>
</section>
<section>
<title>Stop using APIs to query GdkSurfaces</title>
<para>
A number of APIs for querying special-purpose windows have been removed,
since these windows are no longer publically available:
gtk_tree_view_get_bin_window(), gtk_viewport_get_bin_window(),
gtk_viewport_get_view_window().
</para>
</section>
<section>
<title>Widgets are now visible by default</title>
<para>
The default value of #GtkWidget::visible in GTK+ 4 is %TRUE, so you no
longer need to explicitly show all your widgets. On the flip side, you
need to hide widgets that are not meant to be visible from the start.
</para>
<para>
A convenient way to remove unnecessary property assignments like this
from ui files it run the command <command>gtk4-builder-tool simplify --replace</command>
on them.
</para>
</section>
<section>
<title>Adapt to changes in animated hiding and showing of widgets</title>
<para>
Widgets that appear and disappear with an animation, such as GtkPopover,
GtkInfoBar, GtkRevealer no longer use gtk_widget_show() and gtk_widget_hide()
for this, but have gained dedicated APIs for this purpose that you should
use.
</para>
</section>
<section>
<title>Stop passing commandline arguments to gtk_init</title>
<para>
The gtk_init() and gtk_init_check() functions no longer accept commandline
arguments. Just call them without arguments. Other initialization functions
that were purely related to commandline argument handling, such as
gtk_parse_args() and gtk_get_option_group(), are gone. The APIs to
initialize GDK separately are also gone, but it is very unlikely
that you are affected by that.
</para>
</section>
<section>
<title>GdkPixbuf is deemphasized</title>
<para>
A number of #GdkPixbuf-based APIs have been removed. The available replacements
are either using #GIcon, or the newly introduced #GdkTexture or #GdkPaintable
classes instead.
</para>
<para>
If you are dealing with pixbufs, you can use gdk_texture_new_for_pixbuf()
to convert them to texture objects where needed.
</para>
</section>
<section>
<title>GtkWidget event signals are removed</title>
<para>
Event controllers and #GtkGestures have already been introduced in GTK+ 3 to handle
input for many cases. In GTK+ 4, even more are available, such as #GtkEventControllerScroll
and GtkEventControllerMotion, and the traditional widget signals for handling input,
such as #GtkWidget::motion-event or #GtkWidget::event have been removed.
</para>
</section>
<section>
<title>Invalidation handling has changed</title>
<para>
Only gtk_widget_queue_draw() is left to mark a widget as needing redraw.
Variations like gtk_widget_queue_draw_rectangle() or gtk_widget_queue_draw_region()
are no longer available.
</para>
</section>
<section>
<title>Stop using GtkWidget::draw</title>
<para>
The #GtkWidget::draw signal has been removed. Widgets need to implement the
#GtkWidget::snapshot function now. Connecting draw signal handlers is no longer possible.
</para>
</section>
<section>
<title>Window content observation has changed</title>
<para>
Observing widget contents and widget size is now done by using the
#GtkWidgetPaintable object instead of connecting to widget signals.
</para>
</section>
<section>
<title>The gtk_window_fullscreen_on_monitor API has changed</title>
<para>
Instead of a monitor number, gtk_window_fullscreen_on_monitor() now takes a
#GdkMonitor argument.
</para>
</section>
<section>
<title>Adapt to cursor API changes</title>
<para>
Use the new gtk_widget_set_cursor() function to set cursors, instead of
setting the cursor on the underlying window directly. This is necessary
because most widgets don't have their own window anymore, turning any
such calls into global cursor changes.
</para>
<para>
For creating standard cursors, gdk_cursor_new_for_display() has been removed,
you have to use cursor names instead of GdkCursorType. For creating custom cursors,
use gdk_cursor_new_from_texture(). The ability to get cursor images has been removed.
</para>
</section>
<section>
<title>Adapt to icon size API changes</title>
<para>
Instead of the existing extensible set of symbolic icon sizes, GTK+ now only
supports normal and large icons with the #GtkIconSize enumeration. The actual sizes
can be defined by themes via the CSS property -gtk-icon-size.
</para>
<para>
GtkImage setters like gtk_image_set_from_icon_name() no longer take a #GtkIconSize
argument. You can use the separate gtk_image_set_icon_size() setter if you need
to override the icon size.
</para>
<para>
The ::stock-size property of GtkCellRendererPixbuf has been renamed to
#GtkCellRendererPixbuf:icon-size.
</para>
</section>
</section>
</chapter>