combobox
combobox(1) [incr Widgets] combobox(1)
______________________________________________________________________________
NAME
combobox - Create and manipulate combination box widgets
SYNOPSIS
combobox pathName ?options?
INHERITANCE
itk::Widget <- LabeledWidget <- Entryfield <- Combobox
STANDARD OPTIONS
background borderWidth cursor justify
exportSelection foreground highlightColor highlightThickness
relief width insertWidth insertBackground
insertOffTime insertOnTime insertWidth insertBorderWidth
selectForeground selectBackground
selectBorderWidth textVariable
See the "options" manual entry for details on the standard options.
ASSOCIATED OPTIONS
hscrollmode textBackground textFont vscrollmode
See the "scrolledlistbox" manual entry for details on the above inher-
ited options.
show
See the "entry" manual entry for details on the above inherited option.
INHERITED OPTIONS
childSitePos command fixed focusCommand
invalid textBackground textFont validate
See the "entryfield" class manual entry for details on the inherited
options.
labelBitmap labelFont labelImage labelMargin
labelPos labelText labelVariable
See the "labeledwidget" class manual entry for details on the inherited
options.
WIDGET-SPECIFIC OPTIONS
Name: arrowRelief
Class: Relief
Command-Line Switch: -arrowrelief
Specifies the relief style to use for a dropdown Combobox's
arrow button in a normal (not depressed) state. Acceptable val-
ues are raised, sunken, flat, ridge, and groove. Sunken is dis-
couraged as this is the relief used to indicate a depressed
state. This option has no effect on simple Comboboxes. The
default is raised.
Name: completion
Class: Completion
Command-Line Switch: -completion
Boolean given in any of the forms acceptable to Tcl_GetBoolean
which determines whether insertions into the entry field,
whether from the keyboard or programmatically via the insert
method, are automatically completed with the first matching item
from the listbox. The default is true.
Name: dropdown
Class: Dropdown
Command-Line Switch: -dropdown
Boolean describing the Combobox layout style given in any of the
forms acceptable to Tcl_GetBoolean. If true, the Combobox will
be a dropdown style widget which displays an entry field and an
arrow button which when activated will pop up a scrollable list
of items. If false, a simple Combobox style will be used which
has an entry field and a scrollable list beneath it which is
always visible. Both styles allow an optional label for the
entry field area. The default is true.
Name: editable
Class: Editable
Command-Line Switch: -editable
Boolean describing whether or not the text entry area is
editable by the user. If true the user can add items to the com-
bobox by entering text into the entry area and then pressing
Return. If false, the list of items is non-editable and can only
be changed by calling the insert or delete methods. (The value
in the entry field can still be modified by selecting from the
list.) Given in any of the forms acceptable to Tcl_GetBoolean.
The default is true.
Name: grab
Class: Grab
Command-Line Switch: -grab
This option sets the grab scope for the appearance of the list-
box in drop-down comboboxes. It can be either global or local.
The default is local.
Name: listHeight
Class: Height
Command-Line Switch: -listheight
Height of the listbox specified in any of the forms acceptable
to Tk_GetPixels. The default is 150 pixels.
Name: margin
Class: Margin
Command-Line Switch: -margin
Specifies the width in pixels between the entry component and
the arrow button for a dropdown Combobox given in any of the
forms acceptable to Tk_GetPixels. This option has no effect on a
simple Combobox. The default is 1.
Name: popupCursor
Class: Cursor
Command-Line Switch: -popupcursor
Specifies the cursor to be used for dropdown style listboxes.
The value may have any of the forms acceptable to Tk_GetCursor.
The default is arrow.
Name: selectionCommand
Class: SelectionCommand
Command-Line Switch: -selectioncommand
Specifies a Tcl command procedure which is called when an item
in the listbox area is selected. The item will be selected in
the list, the listbox will be removed if it is a dropdown Com-
bobox, and the selected item's text will be inserted into the
entry field before the -selectioncommand proc is called. The
default is {}.
Name: state
Class: State
Command-Line Switch: -state
Specifies the overall state of the Combobox megawidget. Can be
either normal or disabled. If the Combobox is disabled, no text
can be entered into the entry field, no selection can be made in
the listbox, and the arrowBtn component is disabled. The
default is normal.
Name: unique
Class: Unique
Command-Line Switch: -unique
Boolean describing whether or not duplicate items are allowed in
the combobox list. If true, then duplicates are not allowed to
be inserted. If false, a duplicate entry causes selection of the
item. Given in any of the forms acceptable to Tcl_GetBoolean.
The default is true.
______________________________________________________________________________
DESCRIPTION
The combobox command creates an enhanced entry field widget with an
optional associated label and a scrollable list. When an item is
selected in the list area of a Combobox, its value is then displayed in
the entry field text area. Functionally similar to an Optionmenu, the
Combobox adds (optional) list scrolling and (optional) item editing and
inserting capabilities.
There are two basic styles of Comboboxes (determined by the -dropdown
option): dropdown and simple. The dropdown style adds an arrow button
to the right of the entry field which when activated will pop up (and
down) the scrolled listbox beneath the entry field. The simple (non-
dropdown) Combobox permanently displays the listbox beneath the entry
field and has no arrow button. Either style allows an optional entry
field label.
METHODS
The combobox command creates a new Tcl command whose name is pathName.
This command may be used to invoke various operations on the widget. It
has the following general form:
pathName option ?arg arg ...?
Option and the args determine the exact behavior of the command. The
following commands are possible for Combobox widgets:
ASSOCIATED METHODS
icursor scan
See the "entry" manual entries for details on the above associated
methods.
curselection index see size
xview yview
See the "listbox" manual entries for details on the above associated
methods.
getcurselection justify sort
See the "scrolledlistbox" manual entries for details on the above asso-
ciated methods.
WIDGET-SPECIFIC METHODS
pathName cget option
Returns the current value of the configuration option given by
option. Option may have any of the values accepted by the com-
bobox command.
pathName clear ?component?
Clears the contents from one or both components. Valid component
values are list, or entry. With no component specified, both
are cleared.
pathName configure ?option? ?value option value ...?
Query or modify the configuration options of the widget. If no
option is specified, returns a list describing all of the avail-
able options for pathName (see Tk_ConfigureInfo for information
on the format of this list). If option is specified with no
value, then the command returns a list describing the one named
option (this list will be identical to the corresponding sublist
of the value returned if no option is specified). If one or
more option-value pairs are specified, then the command modifies
the given widget option(s) to have the given value(s); in this
case the command returns an empty string. Option may have any
of the values accepted by the combobox command.
pathName delete component first ?last?
Delete one or more elements from a given component, list or
entry. If a list item to be removed is currently selected (dis-
played in the entry field area), the entry field will be
cleared.
pathName get ?index?
With no arguments, returns the contents currently in the entry
field area. With a single argument, returns the contents of the
listbox item at the indicated index.
pathName insert component index element ?element element ...?
Insert one or more new elements into the given component, list
or entry, just before the element given by index.
pathName selection option first ?last?
Adjust the selection within the listbox component and updates
the contents of the entry field component to the value of the
selected item. See the "listbox" manual entry for more details
on parameter options.
COMPONENTS
Name: entry
Class: Entry
Text entry area where the current selection is displayed. If the
Combobox is editable and its state is normal, the user can edit
the contents of this item.
Name: list
Class: Scrolledlistbox
Scrollable list which stores all the items which the user can
select from. For dropdown Comboboxes, this component is hidden
until the user pops it up by pressing on the arrow button to the
right of the entry component. For simple Comboboxes this compo-
nent is always visible just beneath the entry component.
DEFAULT BINDINGS
The Combobox generally has the same bindings as its primary component
items - the Scrolledlistbox and Entryfield. However it also adds these:
[1] Button-1 mouse press on the arrow key of a dropdown Combobox causes
the list to be popped up. If the combobox is non-editable, a Button-1
press on the entry field area will also pop up the list.
[2] Button-1 mouse press anywhere on the display removes a dropdown
listbox which has been popped up, unless the keypress is upon one of
the Combobox scrollbars which scrolls the list. If it is pressed upon
an item in the list area, that item will be selected before the list is
removed.
[3] Button-3 mouse press on the arrow key of a dropdown Combobox causes
the next item to be selected. Shift-Button-3 causes the previous item
to be selected.
[4] Escape keypress removes a dropdown list which has been popped up.
[5] The <space> and <Return> keystrokes select the current item. They
also remove the popped up list for dropdown comboboxes.
[6] Up and Down arrow keypresses from the entry field and arrow button
component cause the previous and next items in the listbox to be
selected respectively. Ctl-P and Ctl-N are similarly mapped for emacs
emulation.
[7] Entry field and arrow button component Shift-Up and Shift-Down
arrow keys pop up and down the listbox of a dropdown Combobox. The
arrow button component also maps <Return> and <space> similarly.
EXAMPLE
proc selectCmd {} {
puts stdout "[.cb2 getcurselection]"
}
#
# Non-editable Dropdown Combobox
#
combobox .cb1 -labeltext Month: \
-selectioncommand {puts "selected: [.cb1 getcurselection]"} \
-editable false -listheight 185 -popupcursor hand1
.cb1 insert list end Jan Feb Mar Apr May June Jul Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec
#
# Editable Dropdown Combobox
#
combobox .cb2 -labeltext "Operating System:" -selectioncommand selectCmd
.cb2 insert list end Linux HP-UX SunOS Solaris Irix
.cb2 insert entry end L
pack .cb1 -padx 10 -pady 10 -fill x
pack .cb2 -padx 10 -pady 10 -fill x
ORIGINAL AUTHOR
John S. Sigler
CURRENT MAINTAINER
Mitch Gorman (logain@erols.com)
KEYWORDS
combobox, entryfield, scrolledlistbox, itk::Widget, entry, listbox,
widget, iwidgets
Tk combobox(1)
