2 #include FORMS_H_LOCATION
5 #include "FormCopyright.h"
7 #include "FormPreferences.h"
8 #include "FormCitation.h"
11 #pragma implementation
15 Dialogs::Dialogs(LyXView * lv)
17 dialogs_.push_back(new FormCopyright(lv, this));
18 dialogs_.push_back(new FormPrint(lv, this));
19 dialogs_.push_back(new FormPreferences(lv, this));
20 dialogs_.push_back(new FormCitation(lv, this));
22 // reduce the number of connections needed in
23 // dialogs by a simple connection here.
24 hideAll.connect(hideBufferDependent.slot());
29 for (vector<DialogBase *>::iterator iter = dialogs_.begin();
30 iter != dialogs_.end();
37 /*****************************************************************************
39 Q. WHY does Dialogs::Dialogs pass `this' to dialog constructors?
41 A. To avoid a segfault.
42 The dialog constructors need to connect to their
43 respective showSomeDialog signal(*) but in order to do
44 that they need to get the address of the Dialogs instance
45 from LyXView::getDialogs(). However, since the Dialogs
46 instance is still being constructed at that time
47 LyXView::getDialogs() will *not* return the correct
48 address because it hasn't finished being constructed.
49 A Catch-22 situation (or is that the chicken and the egg...).
50 So to get around the problem we pass the address of
51 the newly created Dialogs instance using `this'.
53 (*) -- I'm using signals exclusively to guarantee that the gui code
54 remains hidden from the rest of the system. In fact the only
55 header related to dialogs that anything in the non-gui-specific
56 code gets to see is Dialogs.h! Even Dialogs.h doesn't know what a
57 FormCopyright class looks like or that its even going to be used!
59 No other gui dialog headers are seen outside of the gui-specific
60 directories! This ensures that the gui is completely separate from
61 the rest of LyX. All this through the use of a few simple signals.
62 BUT, the price is that during construction we need to connect the
63 implementations show() method to the showSomeDialog signal and this
64 requires that we have an instance of Dialogs and the problem mentioned
67 Almost all other dialogs should be able to operate using the same style
68 of signalling used for Copyright. Exceptions should be handled
69 by adding a specific show or update signal. For example, spellchecker
70 needs to set the next suspect word and its options/replacements so we
72 Signal0<void> updateSpellChecker;
74 Since we would have to have a
75 Signal0<void> showSpellChecker;
77 in order to just see the spellchecker and let the user push the [Start]
78 button then the updateSpellChecker signal will make the SpellChecker
79 dialog get the new word and replacements list from LyX. If you really,
80 really wanted to you could define a signal that would pass the new
81 word and replacements:
82 Signal2<void, string, vector<string> > updateSpellChecker;
84 (or something similar) but, why bother when the spellchecker can get
85 it anyway with a LyXFunc call or two. Besides if someone extends
86 what a dialog does then they also have to change code in the rest of
87 LyX to pass more parameters or get the extra info via a function
88 call anyway. Thus reducing the independence of the two code bases.
90 We don't need a separate update signal for each dialog because most of
91 them will be changed only when the buffer is changed (either by closing
92 the current open buffer or switching to another buffer in the current
93 LyXView -- different BufferView same LyXView or same BufferView same
96 So we minimise signals but maximise independence and programming
97 simplicity, understandability and maintainability. It's also
98 extremely easy to add support for Qt or gtk-- because they use
99 signals already. Guis that use callbacks, like xforms, must have their
100 code wrapped up like that in the form_copyright.[Ch] which is awkward
101 but will at least allow multiple instances of the same dialog.
103 Signals will also be a great help in controlling the splashscreen --
104 once signalled to hide it can disconnect from the signal and remove
107 LyXFuncs will be used for requesting/setting LyX internal info. This
108 will ensure that scripts or LyXServer-connected applications can all
109 have access to the same calls as the internal user-interface.
111 ******************************************************************************/