widgetPlus - Enhanced Entry, Spinbox, and Combobox Widgets with Undo/Redo and other useful features
The widgetPlus package adds new features to the widgets entry, spinbox, ttk::entry, ttk::spinbox, and ttk::combobox.
The new features are Undo and Redo operations, a <<Selection>> event, and for the Tk (unthemed) widgets an -inactiveselectbackground option, and some minor fixes to bindings. The new facilities closely follow those of the text widget.
The revised entry, spinbox, ttk::entry, ttk::spinbox, and ttk::combobox widgets are created by the commands widgetPlus::entryPlus, widgetPlus::spinboxPlus, widgetPlus::ttkEntryPlus, widgetPlus::ttkSpinboxPlus, and widgetPlus::ttkComboboxPlus respectively.
For example, the widgetPlus::entryPlus widget is implemented as a Snit snit::widgetadaptor that wraps a Tk entry widget. Its winfo class is Entry, and it uses a binding tag EntryPlus that replaces the Entry binding tag. The other widgets are implemented in a similar way.
The package uses the namespace ::widgetPlus, which exports (only) the five commands defined below that begin with a lower-case letter (EnableBWidget is not exported). These commands can be imported into the global namespace, and for simplicity, descriptive text in this manual will henceforth omit the namespace qualifier.
namespace import ::widgetPlus::*
In addition to the usual options of the entry, spinbox, ttk::entry, ttk::spinbox, and ttk::combobox widgets, the wrappers entryPlus, spinboxPlus, ttkEntryPlus, ttkSpinboxPlus, and ttkComboboxPlus provide the options below.
Create an entryPlus widget; or convert an existing entry widget into an entryPlus.
Create a spinboxPlus widget; or convert an existing spinbox widget into a spinboxPlus.
Create a ttkEntryPlus widget; or convert an existing ttk::entry widget into a ttkEntryPlus.
Create a ttkSpinboxPlus widget; or convert an existing ttk::spinbox widget into a ttkSpinboxPlus.
Create a ttkComboboxPlus widget; or convert an existing ttk::combobox widget into a ttkComboboxPlus.
Enable widgetPlus to modify BWidget Entry widgets and their compounds (such as the BWidget ComboBox). The command creates a bindtag BwEntryPlus to replace the default bindtag BwEntry. This operation is not performed when the package is loaded because it requires BWidget to be loaded first. This command is not exported from namespace ::widgetPlus.
In addition to the usual commands of the entry, spinbox, ttk::entry, ttk::spinbox, and ttk::combobox widgets, the wrappers entryPlus, ttkEntryPlus, spinboxPlus, ttkSpinboxPlus, and ttkComboboxPlus provide:
This command controls the undo mechanism and the modified flag. The exact behavior of the command depends on the option argument that follows the edit argument. The following forms of the command are currently supported:
Returns a boolean true if redo is possible, i.e. when the redo stack is not empty. Otherwise returns false.
Returns a boolean true if undo is possible, i.e. when the undo stack is not empty. Otherwise returns false.
If boolean is not specified, returns the modified flag of the widget. The insert, delete, edit undo and edit redo commands, or (by using this command) the user, can set or clear the modified flag. If boolean is specified, sets the modified flag of the widget to boolean.
When the -undo option is true, reapplies the last undone edits provided no other edits were done since then. Generates an error when the redo stack is empty. Does nothing when the -undo option is false.
Clears the undo stack and redo stack.
Included for completeness, but has no effect.
(N.B. An implicit separator is added to the undo stack for each call to a widget command (e.g. insert or delete) that changes the widget contents. These therefore separate the addition or removal of individual characters by typing, except that cut or paste operations are discrete.)
Undoes the last edit action when the -undo option is true. An edit action is defined as a single insert or delete command that is recorded on the undo stack. Generates an error when the undo stack is empty. Does nothing when the -undo option is false.
The class binding tag for different widgets has these default values:
entry uses Entry
spinbox uses Spinbox
ttk::entry uses TEntry
ttk::spinbox uses TSpinbox
ttk::combobox uses TCombobox
entryPlus uses EntryPlus
spinboxPlus uses SpinboxPlus
ttkEntryPlus uses TEntryPlus
ttkSpinboxPlus uses TSpinboxPlus
ttkComboboxPlus uses TComboboxPlus
The <<Undo>> and <<Redo>> virtual events are mapped to these keyboard events:
On X11 systems (Linux®, BSD®, Solaris®, etc):
<<Undo>> is mapped to <Control-z>
<<Redo>> is mapped to <Control-Shift-z>
On Windows® systems:
<<Undo>> is mapped to <Control-z>
<<Redo>> is mapped to <Control-y>
On Aqua® systems (i.e. Apple® macOS® or OS X®):
<<Undo>> is mapped to <Command-z>
<<Redo>> is mapped to <Command-Shift-z>
The EntryPlus bindings are based on those of the Entry bindtag, with these changes:
New bindings to <<Undo>> and <<Redo>>.
An adjustment to the <<Paste>> binding, so that it behaves the same way on X11 as on other windowing systems (i.e. it deletes the existing selection, if any exists).
The removal of the antiquated <Insert> binding.
New bindings to <FocusIn> and <FocusOut>, to facilitate the implementation of the -inactiveselectbackground option.
The SpinboxPlus bindings are based on those of the Spinbox bindtag, with the same changes as are made when converting Entry to EntryPlus.
The TEntryPlus bindings are based on those of the TEntry bindtag, with these changes:
New bindings to <<Undo>> and <<Redo>>.
The TSpinboxPlus bindings are based on those of the TSpinbox bindtag, with these changes:
New bindings to <<Undo>> and <<Redo>>.
The TComboboxPlus bindings are based on those of the TCombobox bindtag, with these changes:
New bindings to <<Undo>> and <<Redo>>.
Each widgetPlus widget generates a virtual event <<Selection>> whenever the value of its selection changes. This allows other Tcl code, for example the package persistentSelection, to monitor the selection in these widgets.
When an entry, spinbox, ttk::entry, ttk::spinbox, or ttk::combobox is a component of a megawidget, it is often possible to apply widgetPlus to that component without modifying the megawidget code.
A combobox with path $w includes an entry widget $w.entry, which uses the Entry binding tag. Thus widgetPlus can be applied to the combobox after creation, using the command (see EXAMPLES)
entryPlus $w.entry -undo 1 -maxundo 0
A BWidget ComboBox with path $w includes an entry widget $w.e, which uses the BwEntry binding tag in place of the default tag Entry.
Package widgetPlus provides a replacement bindtag BwEntryPlus, but this is not computed when the package is loaded because it requires BWidget to be loaded first. The command ::widgetPlus::EnableBWidget must be called to provide BwEntryPlus, and then the BWidget ComboBox can be modified (see EXAMPLES)
::widgetPlus::EnableBWidget entryPlus $w.e -undo 1 -maxundo 0
Undo and Redo do not sync the value of the modified flag - they always set the value to boolean true.
Undo and Redo do not sync the position of the insertion cursor.
The <<Modified>> event is not generated.
Undo/Redo separators, and the -autoseparators option, as found in the text widget, are not implemented. An implicit separator is added for each call to a widget command (e.g. insert or delete) that changes the widget contents. The edit separator command has no effect. Separator functionality would be less useful for widgets such as entryPlus than it is for a text widget.
Add an overwrite mode, toggled by <Insert> on non-macOS® systems.
This version of widgetPlus is intended to be compatible with all releases of Tk 8.5 and 8.6, and with the branches core-8-5-branch, core-8-6-branch, and trunk in the source code repository for Tk. Any incompatibility with any of these versions, for any Tk windowing system, should be reported as a bug. Please report such in the category widgetPlus of the Tklib Trackers.
To create and map an entryPlus widget .ep with an unlimited Undo/Redo stack:
package require widgetPlus widgetPlus::entryPlus .ep -undo 1 -maxundo 0 pack .ep
The same but using namespace import:
package require widgetPlus namespace import widgetPlus::* entryPlus .ep -undo 1 -maxundo 0 pack .ep
To convert an existing entry widget .ee into an entryPlus with an unlimited Undo/Redo stack:
entry .ee
.
.
.
package require widgetPlus
widgetPlus::entryPlus .ee -undo 1 -maxundo 0
The same but using namespace import:
entry .ee
.
.
.
package require widgetPlus
namespace import widgetPlus::*
entryPlus .ee -undo 1 -maxundo 0
Apply widgetPlus to a Bryan Oakley combobox:
package require combobox
combobox::combobox .cb
.
.
.
package require widgetPlus
namespace import widgetPlus::*
entryPlus .cb.entry -undo 1 -maxundo 0
Apply widgetPlus to a BWidget ComboBox. The command ::widgetPlus::EnableBWidget must be called first.
package require BWidget
ComboBox .cb
.
.
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package require widgetPlus
::widgetPlus::EnableBWidget
namespace import widgetPlus::*
entryPlus .cb.e -undo 1 -maxundo 0
This document, and the package it describes, will undoubtedly contain bugs and other problems. Please report such in the category widgetPlus of the Tklib Trackers. Please also report any ideas for enhancements you may have for either package and/or documentation.
BWidget, ComboBox, Entry, entry, persistentSelection, spinbox, text, ttk::combobox, ttk::entry, ttk::spinbox