GTK+ 3 Reference Manual: GtkMenuShell

## GtkMenuShell GtkMenuShell — A base class for menu objects |

## Synopsis

    #include <gtk/gtk.h>

    struct              GtkMenuShell;
    void                gtk_menu_shell_append               (GtkMenuShell *menu_shell,
                                                             GtkWidget *child);
    void                gtk_menu_shell_prepend              (GtkMenuShell *menu_shell,
                                                             GtkWidget *child);
    void                gtk_menu_shell_insert               (GtkMenuShell *menu_shell,
                                                             GtkWidget *child,
                                                             gint position);
    void                gtk_menu_shell_deactivate           (GtkMenuShell *menu_shell);
    void                gtk_menu_shell_select_item          (GtkMenuShell *menu_shell,
                                                             GtkWidget *menu_item);
    void                gtk_menu_shell_select_first         (GtkMenuShell *menu_shell,
                                                             gboolean search_sensitive);
    void                gtk_menu_shell_deselect             (GtkMenuShell *menu_shell);
    void                gtk_menu_shell_activate_item        (GtkMenuShell *menu_shell,
                                                             GtkWidget *menu_item,
                                                             gboolean force_deactivate);
    void                gtk_menu_shell_cancel               (GtkMenuShell *menu_shell);
    void                gtk_menu_shell_set_take_focus       (GtkMenuShell *menu_shell,
                                                             gboolean take_focus);
    gboolean            gtk_menu_shell_get_take_focus       (GtkMenuShell *menu_shell);
    GtkWidget *         gtk_menu_shell_get_selected_item    (GtkMenuShell *menu_shell);
    GtkWidget *         gtk_menu_shell_get_parent_shell     (GtkMenuShell *menu_shell);
    void                gtk_menu_shell_bind_model           (GtkMenuShell *menu_shell,
                                                             GMenuModel *model,
                                                             const gchar *action_namespace,
                                                             gboolean with_separators);
    enum                GtkMenuDirectionType;

## Object Hierarchy

      GObject
       +----GInitiallyUnowned
             +----GtkWidget
                   +----GtkContainer
                         +----GtkMenuShell
                               +----GtkMenuBar
                               +----GtkMenu

## Implemented Interfaces

GtkMenuShell implements AtkImplementorIface and GtkBuildable.

## Properties

      "take-focus"               gboolean              : Read / Write

## Signals

      "activate-current"                               : Action
      "cancel"                                         : Action
      "cycle-focus"                                    : Action
      "deactivate"                                     : Run First
      "insert"                                         : Run First
      "move-current"                                   : Action
      "move-selected"                                  : Run Last
      "selection-done"                                 : Run First

## Description

A GtkMenuShell is the abstract base class used to derive the GtkMenu and GtkMenuBar subclasses.

A GtkMenuShell is a container of GtkMenuItem objects arranged in a list which can be navigated, selected, and activated by the user to perform application functions. A GtkMenuItem can have a submenu associated with it, allowing for nested hierarchical menus.

### Terminology

A menu item can be "selected", this means that it is displayed in the prelight state, and if it has a submenu, that submenu will be popped up.

A menu is "active" when it is visible onscreen and the user is selecting from it. A menubar is not active until the user clicks on one of its menuitems. When a menu is active, passing the mouse over a submenu will pop it up.

There is also is a concept of the current menu and a current menu item. The current menu item is the selected menu item that is furthest down in the hierarchy. (Every active menu shell does not necessarily contain a selected menu item, but if it does, then the parent menu shell must also contain a selected menu item.) The current menu is the menu that contains the current menu item. It will always have a GTK grab and receive all key presses.

## Details

### struct GtkMenuShell

    struct GtkMenuShell;

### gtk_menu_shell_append ()

    void                gtk_menu_shell_append               (GtkMenuShell *menu_shell,
                                                             GtkWidget *child);

Adds a new GtkMenuItem to the end of the menu shell's item list.

`menu_shell` : | a GtkMenuShell
`child` : | The GtkMenuItem to add

### gtk_menu_shell_prepend ()

    void                gtk_menu_shell_prepend              (GtkMenuShell *menu_shell,
                                                             GtkWidget *child);

Adds a new GtkMenuItem to the beginning of the menu shell's item list.

`menu_shell` : | a GtkMenuShell
`child` : | The GtkMenuItem to add

### gtk_menu_shell_insert ()

    void                gtk_menu_shell_insert               (GtkMenuShell *menu_shell,
                                                             GtkWidget *child,
                                                             gint position);

Adds a new GtkMenuItem to the menu shell's item list at the position indicated by `position`.

`menu_shell` : | a GtkMenuShell
`child` : | The GtkMenuItem to add
`position` : | The position in the item list where `child` is added. Positions are numbered from 0 to n-1

### gtk_menu_shell_deactivate ()

    void                gtk_menu_shell_deactivate           (GtkMenuShell *menu_shell);

Deactivates the menu shell.

Typically this results in the menu shell being erased from the screen.

`menu_shell` : | a GtkMenuShell

### gtk_menu_shell_select_item ()

    void                gtk_menu_shell_select_item          (GtkMenuShell *menu_shell,
                                                             GtkWidget *menu_item);

Selects the menu item from the menu shell.

`menu_shell` : | a GtkMenuShell
`menu_item` : | The GtkMenuItem to select

### gtk_menu_shell_select_first ()

    void                gtk_menu_shell_select_first         (GtkMenuShell *menu_shell,
                                                             gboolean search_sensitive);

Select the first visible or selectable child of the menu shell; don't select tearoff items unless the only item is a tearoff item.

`menu_shell` : | a GtkMenuShell
`search_sensitive` : | if `TRUE`, search for the first selectable menu item, otherwise select nothing if the first item isn't sensitive. This should be `FALSE` if the menu is being popped up initially.

Since 2.2

### gtk_menu_shell_deselect ()

    void                gtk_menu_shell_deselect             (GtkMenuShell *menu_shell);

Deselects the currently selected item from the menu shell, if any.

`menu_shell` : | a GtkMenuShell

### gtk_menu_shell_activate_item ()

    void                gtk_menu_shell_activate_item        (GtkMenuShell *menu_shell,
                                                             GtkWidget *menu_item,
                                                             gboolean force_deactivate);

Activates the menu item within the menu shell.

`menu_shell` : | a GtkMenuShell
`menu_item` : | the GtkMenuItem to activate
`force_deactivate` : | if `TRUE`, force the deactivation of the menu shell after the menu item is activated

### gtk_menu_shell_cancel ()

    void                gtk_menu_shell_cancel               (GtkMenuShell *menu_shell);

Cancels the selection within the menu shell.

`menu_shell` : | a GtkMenuShell

Since 2.4

### gtk_menu_shell_set_take_focus ()

    void                gtk_menu_shell_set_take_focus       (GtkMenuShell *menu_shell,
                                                             gboolean take_focus);

If `take_focus` is `TRUE` (the default) the menu shell will take the keyboard focus so that it will receive all keyboard events which is needed to enable keyboard navigation in menus.

Setting `take_focus` to `FALSE` is useful only for special applications like virtual keyboard implementations which should not take keyboard focus.

The `take_focus` state of a menu or menu bar is automatically propagated to submenus whenever a submenu is popped up, so you don't have to worry about recursively setting it for your entire menu hierarchy. Only when programmatically picking a submenu and popping it up manually, the `take_focus` property of the submenu needs to be set explicitely.

Note that setting it to `FALSE` has side-effects:

If the focus is in some other app, it keeps the focus and keynav in the menu doesn't work. Consequently, keynav on the menu will only work if the focus is on some toplevel owned by the onscreen keyboard.

To avoid confusing the user, menus with `take_focus` set to `FALSE` should not display mnemonics or accelerators, since it cannot be guaranteed that they will work.

See also `gdk_keyboard_grab()`

`menu_shell` : | a GtkMenuShell
`take_focus` : | `TRUE` if the menu shell should take the keyboard focus on popup

Since 2.8

### gtk_menu_shell_get_take_focus ()

    gboolean            gtk_menu_shell_get_take_focus       (GtkMenuShell *menu_shell);

Returns `TRUE` if the menu shell will take the keyboard focus on popup.

`menu_shell` : | a GtkMenuShell
Returns : | `TRUE` if the menu shell will take the keyboard focus on popup.

Since 2.8

### gtk_menu_shell_get_selected_item ()

    GtkWidget *         gtk_menu_shell_get_selected_item    (GtkMenuShell *menu_shell);

Gets the currently selected item.

`menu_shell` : | a GtkMenuShell
Returns : | the currently selected item. [transfer none]

Since 3.0

### gtk_menu_shell_get_parent_shell ()

    GtkWidget *         gtk_menu_shell_get_parent_shell     (GtkMenuShell *menu_shell);

Gets the parent menu shell.

The parent menu shell of a submenu is the GtkMenu or GtkMenuBar from which it was opened up.

`menu_shell` : | a GtkMenuShell
Returns : | the parent GtkMenuShell. [transfer none]

Since 3.0

### gtk_menu_shell_bind_model ()

    void                gtk_menu_shell_bind_model           (GtkMenuShell *menu_shell,
                                                             GMenuModel *model,
                                                             const gchar *action_namespace,
                                                             gboolean with_separators);

Establishes a binding between a GtkMenuShell and a GMenuModel.

The contents of `shell` are removed and then refilled with menu items according to `model`. When `model` changes, `shell` is updated. Calling this function twice on `shell` with different `model` will cause the first binding to be replaced with a binding to the new model. If `model` is `NULL` then any previous binding is undone and all children are removed.

`with_separators` determines if toplevel items (eg: sections) have separators inserted between them. This is typically desired for menus but doesn't make sense for menubars.

If `action_namespace` is non-`NULL` then the effect is as if all actions mentioned in the `model` have their names prefixed with the namespace, plus a dot. For example, if the action "quit" is mentioned and `action_namespace` is "app" then the effective action name is "app.quit".

This function uses GtkActionable to define the action name and target values on the created menu items. If you want to use an action group other than "app" and "win", or if you want to use a GtkMenuShell outside of a GtkApplicationWindow, then you will need to attach your own action group to the widget hierarchy using `gtk_widget_insert_action_group()`. As an example, if you created a group with a "quit" action and inserted it with the name "mygroup" then you would use the action name "mygroup.quit" in your GMenuModel.

For most cases you are probably better off using `gtk_menu_new_from_model()` or `gtk_menu_bar_new_from_model()` or just directly passing the GMenuModel to `gtk_application_set_app_menu()` or `gtk_application_set_menu_bar()`.

`menu_shell` : | a GtkMenuShell
`model` : | the GMenuModel to bind to or `NULL` to remove binding. [allow-none]
`action_namespace` : | the namespace for actions in `model`. [allow-none]
`with_separators` : | `TRUE` if toplevel items in `shell` should have separators between them

Since 3.6

### enum GtkMenuDirectionType

    typedef enum {
      GTK_MENU_DIR_PARENT,
      GTK_MENU_DIR_CHILD,
      GTK_MENU_DIR_NEXT,
      GTK_MENU_DIR_PREV
    } GtkMenuDirectionType;

An enumeration representing directional movements within a menu.

`GTK_MENU_DIR_PARENT` | To the parent menu shell
`GTK_MENU_DIR_CHILD` | To the submenu, if any, associated with the item
`GTK_MENU_DIR_NEXT` | To the next menu item
`GTK_MENU_DIR_PREV` | To the previous menu item

## Property Details

### The `"take-focus"` property

      "take-focus"               gboolean              : Read / Write

A boolean that determines whether the menu and its submenus grab the keyboard focus. See `gtk_menu_shell_set_take_focus()` and `gtk_menu_shell_get_take_focus()`.

Default value: TRUE

Since 2.8

## Signal Details

### The `"activate-current"` signal

    void                user_function                      (GtkMenuShell *menushell,
                                                            gboolean      force_hide,
                                                            gpointer      user_data)       : Action

An action signal that activates the current menu item within the menu shell.

`menushell` : | the object which received the signal
`force_hide` : | if `TRUE`, hide the menu after activating the menu item
`user_data` : | user data set when the signal handler was connected.

### The `"cancel"` signal

    void                user_function                      (GtkMenuShell *menushell,
                                                            gpointer      user_data)      : Action

An action signal which cancels the selection within the menu shell. Causes the "selection-done" signal to be emitted.

`menushell` : | the object which received the signal
`user_data` : | user data set when the signal handler was connected.

### The `"cycle-focus"` signal

    void                user_function                      (GtkMenuShell    *menushell,
                                                            GtkDirectionType direction,
                                                            gpointer         user_data)      : Action

A keybinding signal which moves the focus in the given `direction`.

`menushell` : | the object which received the signal
`direction` : | the direction to cycle in
`user_data` : | user data set when the signal handler was connected.

### The `"deactivate"` signal

    void                user_function                      (GtkMenuShell *menushell,
                                                            gpointer      user_data)      : Run First

This signal is emitted when a menu shell is deactivated.

`menushell` : | the object which received the signal
`user_data` : | user data set when the signal handler was connected.

### The `"insert"` signal

    void                user_function                      (GtkMenuShell *menu_shell,
                                                            GtkWidget    *child,
                                                            gint          position,
                                                            gpointer      user_data)       : Run First

The ::insert signal is emitted when a new GtkMenuItem is added to a GtkMenuShell. A separate signal is used instead of GtkContainer::add because of the need for an additional position parameter.

The inverse of this signal is the GtkContainer::removed signal.

`menu_shell` : | the object on which the signal is emitted
`child` : | the GtkMenuItem that is being inserted
`position` : | the position at which the insert occurs
`user_data` : | user data set when the signal handler was connected.

Since 3.2

### The `"move-current"` signal

    void                user_function                      (GtkMenuShell        *menushell,
                                                            GtkMenuDirectionType direction,
                                                            gpointer             user_data)      : Action

An keybinding signal which moves the current menu item in the direction specified by `direction`.

`menushell` : | the object which received the signal
`direction` : | the direction to move
`user_data` : | user data set when the signal handler was connected.

### The `"move-selected"` signal

    gboolean            user_function                      (GtkMenuShell *menu_shell,
                                                            gint          distance,
                                                            gpointer      user_data)       : Run Last

The ::move-selected signal is emitted to move the selection to another item.

`menu_shell` : | the object on which the signal is emitted
`distance` : | +1 to move to the next item, -1 to move to the previous
`user_data` : | user data set when the signal handler was connected.
Returns : | `TRUE` to stop the signal emission, `FALSE` to continue

Since 2.12

### The `"selection-done"` signal

    void                user_function                      (GtkMenuShell *menushell,
                                                            gpointer      user_data)      : Run First

This signal is emitted when a selection has been completed within a menu shell.

`menushell` : | the object which received the signal
`user_data` : | user data set when the signal handler was connected.