Is there a way to connect signal and slot without using connect function?
If a way exists, please give some examples.
Nope, there is no other way, not in the public API at least. In Qt4 there is only the connect() function with the SIGNAL() and SLOT macro().
In Qt5 you have another, type-safe connection syntax, but it still uses the connect() function. And in QML you can use "attached handlers" - onSignal: doStuff() - but that's just for QML.
There is a way to use the meta-call interface to avoid using the connect() function. Depending on what you precisely need to do though this may not be the solution you are looking for, or it may be.
You essentially define a callback slot function in your QOBJECT class with a certain syntax and let the MOC sort the 'connection' out.
So say you wanted to use:
connect(ui->actionButton, SIGNAL(triggered()), this, SLOT(someCallbackSlot()));
but without having to use the callback function...
You can do it implicitly with a particular syntax of a member function in the QOBJECT who receives the signal:
class MyQtObj : public QWidget
{
QObject
private slots:
void on_actionButton_triggered();
}
Where on_actionButton_triggered is the functional equivalent of someCallbackSlot(), actionButton is the name of the button/action/signal emitter and triggered() is the signal emitted.
So any of these functions are valid providing the signal emitter is correct:
void on_minimizedButton_clicked();
void on_closeButton_released();
etc
When you run the Qt Meta-Object-Compiler and generate your moc_.cpp file of this class there will be a function called qt_static_metacall; this contains a switch statement that looks like :
void MyQtObj::qt_static_metacall(QObject *_o, QMetaObject::Call _c, int _id, void **_a)
{
if (_c == QMetaObject::InvokeMetaMethod) {
MyQtObj*_t = static_cast<MyQtObj*>(_o);
Q_UNUSED(_t)
switch (_id) {
case 0: _t->on_actionButton_triggered(); break;
default: ;
}
}
}
If you put a break point in this and trigger your action/button/signal you should see your function get executed.
I'm not too sure of the details of how this works though and I noticed it when I used this frame-less Qt window code and have now adopted it in my own Qt C++ projects.
Related
the runnable project is here:
enter link description here
I sincerely glad to have your detail answers to solve this, but I am still confusing on this issue:
case 1: changing socket_session as a member variable of mainwindow
class MainWindow : public QMainWindow
{
Q_OBJECT
public:
explicit MainWindow(QWidget *parent = 0);
~MainWindow();
SocketThread* socket_session;
private:
...
But this is not the solution to access setFlag, even after I change the `Form1::on_qpushButton__set_white_level_0_clicked()' function like this:
void Form1::on_qpushButton__set_white_level_0_clicked() {
qDebug() <<"clicked()";
socket_session->setThreadFlag(true);
}
Still it doesn't make sense because form1 instance doesn't have "the" instance of socket_thread which has been instantiated from mainwindow.
There's a solution I think is making another class that includes all instances that I want to use from inside of mainwindow but I don't think that is a good one because I am using thread and accessing a global big instance class that includes all of them to be "shared" is not a good idea for someone like me.
#include <form1.h>
#include <ui_form1.h>
#include "socketthread.h"
Form1::Form1(QWidget *parent) :
QWidget(parent),
ui(new Ui::Form1) {
ui->setupUi(this);
}
Form1::~Form1() {
delete ui;
}
void Form1::on_qpushButton__set_white_level_0_clicked() {
qDebug() <<"clicked()";
socket_session->setThreadFlag(true);
}
enter image description here
I know I am lack of understanding about this but, do I wanna make something nobody does...? I think everyone wants to separate all objects and their methods clearly and communicate via signals or calling functions from delivered object instances...
case 2: ... let me try how you suggested make possible first...
I can read C++ code and overall structure, but I don't know why I have to struggle with this, so please help me, dear Guru.
On socketthread.h :
class SocketThread : public QThread {
Q_OBJECT
public:
QTcpSocket *socket_session;
SocketThread();
~SocketThread(){}
bool connectToServer(QString, int);
void sendData(const char*, int, int);
void run(void);
private:
QString message;
volatile bool threadFlag;
signals:
void changedThreadFlag(void);
void changedMessageStr(void);
void setThreadFlag(bool);
void setMessageStr(QString);
private slots:
void setStr(QString);
void setFlag(bool);
void socketError(QAbstractSocket::SocketError);
};
And its implementation is...
SocketThread::SocketThread() {
socket_session = NULL;
threadFlag = false;
message = "NULL";
connect(this, SIGNAL(setThreadFlag(bool)), this, SLOT(setFlag(bool)));
}
...
void SocketThread::setStr(QString str) {
message = str;
}
void SocketThread::setFlag(bool flag) {
threadFlag = flag;
}
void SocketThread::run() {
while(true) {
if(threadFlag) {
QThread::msleep(100);
qDebug() << message;
} else
break;
}
qDebug() << "loop ended";
}
And I have one form which has a button, and I put a clicked() slot of it like this...
void Form1::on_qpushButton__set_white_level_0_clicked() {
qDebug() <<"clicked()";
--how can I emit the signal of the one of socketthread from here??
}
Now, the mainwindow is like this:
MainWindow::MainWindow(QWidget *parent) :
QMainWindow(parent),
ui(new Ui::MainWindow) {
QString addr_server = "223.194.32.106";
int port = 11000;
SocketThread* socket_session = new SocketThread();
socket_session->connectToServer(addr_server, port);
ui->setupUi(this);
Form1* form1;
form1 = new Form1();
ui->stackedWidget_mainwindow->addWidget(form1);
ui->stackedWidget_mainwindow->setCurrentWidget(form1);
socket_session->run();
...
I just simply want to emit the signal setThreadFlag of the socketthread from inside of QPushbutton_clicked() slot.
Once the socket_session->run() started, I need to change the threadFlag by clicking the button by emitting setThreadFlag() of one's from the running thread. And I just stuck in here.
Does it possible even?
Or am I doing this all wrong from the beginning?
As mentioned in this post:
"Emitting a signal" == "calling a function"
So all you really have to do is call the signal function, and all connected slots should be called.
This of course means that the Form1 object needs a pointer to the thread object, i.e. it needs a copy of socket_session. Then you can simply call the signal on the object
socket_session->setThreadFlag(your_flag);
Of course, if the Form1 have a copy of the socket_session pointer, it might as well call setFlag directly, if it was public.
I just simply want to emit the signal setThreadFlag of the socketthread from inside of QPushbutton_clicked() slot.
No signal is needed – just call the function.
void Form1::on_qpushButton__set_white_level_0_clicked() {
qDebug() <<"clicked()";
// --how can I emit the signal of the one of socketthread from here??
// E.g. this way:
socket_session->setThreadFlag(true);
}
To make this possible, another fix is needed:
socket_session is a local variable in OP's exposed code.
To make it "persistent", it has to become e.g. a member variable.
So, the constructor MainWindow::MainWindow() has to be changed:
// Nope: SocketThread* socket_session = new SocketThread();
// Instead:
socket_session = new SocketThread();
and SocketThread* socket_session; has to be added to member variables of class MainWindow.
To make it accessible in Form1, it has to be passed to Form1 as well.
This could be done e.g. by making it a member variable in Form1 also which is initialized with a constructor argument (or set from MainWindow afterwards).
(I must admit that I never have used the Qt UI builder QtDesigner but build all my UIs by C++ code exclusively.)
But, now, another fix is necessary:
volatile doesn't make a variable suitable for interthread communication.
(This was used in ancient times before multi-threading started to be supported by C++11.)
However, this is wrong: Is volatile useful with threads?
An appropriate fix would be to use std::atomic instead:
// Wrong for interthread-com.
//volatile bool threadFlag;
// Correct:
std::atomic<bool> threadFlag; // #include <atomic> needed
FYI: SO: Multithreading program stuck in optimized mode but runs normally in -O0
And, finally, in SocketThread::SocketThread():
connect(this, SIGNAL(setThreadFlag(bool)), this, SLOT(setFlag(bool)));
is not necessary in this case.
SocketThread::setThreadFlag() could call SocketThread::setFlag() directly, or even write threadFlag itself:
void setThreadFlag(bool flag) { threadFlag = flag; }
As I (recommended to) make threadFlag atomic, it can be accessed from any thread without causing a data race.
Update:
After OP has updated the question:
I just simply want to emit the signal setThreadFlag of the socketthread from inside of QPushbutton_clicked() slot.
The button (created from UI Form1) can be connected in the MainWindow as well (without using any method of Form1):
QObject::connect(form1->button1, &QPushButton::clicked,
socket_session, &SocketThread::setThreadFlag,
Qt::QueuedConnection);
Notes:
About form1->button1, I'm not quite sure.
I noticed that widgets in UI generated forms can be accessed this way but I don't know the exact details (as I never used the Qt UI builder on my own).
I used the Qt5 style of QObject::connect().
This is what I would recommend in any case.
The Qt5 style is verified at compile time. –
Wrong connections are detected by the C++ type checking.
Additionally, any function with matching signature can be used – no explicit exposure of slots is anymore necessary.
Even conversion of non-matching signature or adding additional parameters becomes possible by using C++ lambdas which are supported as well.
Qt: Differences between String-Based and Functor-Based Connections
It is possible to connect signals and slots of distinct threads.
I used Qt::QueuedConnection to remark this as interthread communication.
(However, I roughly remember that Qt might be able to detect it itself.
See the doc. for Qt::AutoConnection which is the default.
Further reading: Qt: Signals & Slots
Btw. using the Qt signals for inter-thread communication would exclude the necissity to make SocketThread::threadFlag() atomic. It could become a simple plain bool threadFlag; instead. The slot SocketThread::setThreadFlag() is called in the Qt event loop of QThread, in this case.
I need to know when a QGraphicItem is selected from my Scene. I'm using the signal from the method selectionChange() but this does nothing. This my code:
scene.h
class Scene : public QGraphicsScene{
public:
Scene(QGraphicsScene *scene = 0);
~Scene();
private slots:
void test();
};
scene.cpp
Scene::Scene(QGraphicsScene* scene):QGraphicsScene(scene)
{
connect(this, SIGNAL(QGraphicsScene::selectionChanged()), this, SLOT(test()));
}
void Scene::test() {
qDebug() << "I'm here ";
}
I suppose that the problem is that my scene inherits from QGraphicScene, or that it's a bad idea define the connection in the constructor.
SIGNAL and SLOT are macros and thus text-based processing, which makes them quite picky. It's generally a good idea to assert that all your connections succeed. In your case, the problem is the extraneous qualification. Drop it:
connect(this, SIGNAL(selectionChanged()), this, SLOT(test()));
As mentioned by #Angew, the problem is in the text passed to the SIGNAL macro.
If you're using Qt 5, the preferred method would be to use the newer connection syntax, which benefits from compile time error checking
connect(this, &GraphicsScene::SelectionChanged, this, &Scene::Test);
This connection method uses addresses of functions, which has the additional benefit of being able to connect to functions that haven't been declared as a SLOT. However, it may be desirable to still define slots, as discussed here.
I'm trying to write a method, with two parameters : the Q_PROPERTY name (char *) and the QObject * associated with, that permit to connect the notifySignal (if exists) of the Q_PROPERTY, to a void slot(QVariant), or to a slot dynamically builded which will call a void method(QVariant). The signature of the signal can vary according to the type of the parameter.
How can I achieve that in Qt 5? Maybe it's impossible, but I will not stop searching while I'm not sure of that.
So I think I have 3 solutions:
building dynamically a slot of the exact signature of the signal, from the signal name, and call a method(QVariant) in it, using the old Qt connect way:
connect(sender, SIGNAL (valueChanged(QString,QString)),
receiver, SLOT (updateValue(QString)) );
using the new Qt 5 connect system:
connect(sender, &Sender::valueChanged,receiver, &Receiver::updateValue );
building all slots signatures that can be used with QVariant.
Althougt, I don't know how to build a slot dynamically that call a specified method for the first solution ; I don't know how to retrieve the function pointer from the QMetaMethod of the notifySignal, for the second solution ; maybe the last solution is the best way, and easy to achieve, but it seams a bit extreme.
What do you think about it?
For "building a slot dynamically" there are private APIs in Qt (look for QMetaObjectBuilder or similar classes). However that doesn't solve the problem of the connection.
Note that QObject::connect is overloaded to take QMetaMethods as signals and slots. So you can easily build a "receiver" class object (for the only purpose of remembering which property it's acting upon):
class Receiver : public QObject {
Q_OBJECT
public:
explicit Receiver(const char *property, QObject *parent = 0)
: QObject(parent),
m_property(property)
{}
signals:
void propertyChangedForObject(const char *property, QObject *object);
public slots:
void onPropertyChanged() {
emit propertyChangedForObject(m_property, sender());
}
private:
const char * const m_property;
};
And hook it up in your method.
I have simple Qt form which represents main window of my app. It has method:
void gui_popup::on_pushButton_clicked()
{
QString text = ui->MainText->toPlainText();
text = "1\n" + text;
ui->MainText->setText(text);
}
Also I have some code, running in another thread, created like this:
std:thread* core_thread = new thread(&Init); //void Init()...
Then, at some moment or condition code from std::thread need to call gui_popup::on_pushButton_clicked(). I'm trying to do it like this:
void test_callback(void* object_ptr)
{
auto this_object = (gui_popup*)object_ptr;
this_object->on_pushButton_clicked();
}
In std::thread code I'm saving test_callback pointer and gui_popup object pointer. But when it starts calling on_pushButton_clicked() program halts with segmentation fault error. This code works fine with some other simple classes, but not with QtObject. What am I doing wrong?
UPDATE:
I've solved it this way:
void test_callback(void* object_ptr)
{
QMetaObject qtmo;
qtmo.invokeMethod((gui_popup*)object_ptr, "on_pushButton_clicked");
}
it is, of course, much more complex than using QThread, emitting signals and all other suggested solutions. However thank you everyone for trying to help.
I usually solve it like this:
class Foo : public QObject
{
Q_OBJECT
Foo()
{
// connect to own signal to own slot and hence "translate" it
connect(this, SIGNAL(some_signal(QString)),
this, SLOT(some_slot(QString)));
}
signals:
void some_signal(QString s);
protected slots:
void some_slot(QString s)
{
// do something with your gui
}
public:
void callback_proxy(std::string s)
{
emit some_signal(QString::fromUtf8(m_string.c_str()));
}
};
and then the tread does not need to know about QT:
void thread_run_function(Foo* foo)
{
foo->callback_proxy("Hello from Thread!");
}
As far as I understood this is save because the connect (signal,slot) does have a additional default parameter (Qt::ConnectionType type which defaults to Qt::AutoConnection). This tells QT to dispach signals into the qt main event loop if they originate from a foreign thread. Note that using this connection type essentialy makes qt decide on runtime whether to dispatch the signal or call the slot immediately.
HtH Martin
Edits: Some more info on default parameter and this link as reference:
See http://doc.qt.io/qt-5/qt.html#ConnectionType-enum
I know there are many many questions that are just the same, but none of them helps me:
class Form1 : public QMainWindow {
Q_OBJECT
public:
Form1();
virtual ~Form1();
public slots:
void langChange(const char* lang_label);
private:
Ui::Form1 widget;
void setLangStrings();
};
From1 constructor:
Form1::Form1() {
widget.setupUi(this);
connect(widget.btnL0, SIGNAL(clicked(bool)), this, SLOT(langChange("en")));
connect(widget.btnL1, SIGNAL(clicked(bool)), this, SLOT(langChange("fr")));
setLangStrings();
}
And I also have this langChange function implemented:
void Form1::langChange(const char* lang_label)
{
GL_LANG = lang_label;
setLangStrings();
}
I get this stupid error when the connect function is called:
No such slot Form1::langChange("sl") in Form1.cpp:15
I'm using NetBeans with QDesigner for the UI. I must say this QT4 is very difficult to learn.
You simply can't connect SIGNAL with bool as argument to SLOT with const char* as argument. To do this kind of stuff you have to use QSignalMapper. You have an example how to use it inside documentation. In your case, it's very simple, so you should handle it easly.
The SLOT function must have the same signature than the SIGNAL function
Edit: From the official Qt documentation (http://qt-project.org/doc/qt-4.8/signalsandslots.html):
The signature of a signal must match the signature of the receiving
slot. (In fact a slot may have a shorter signature than the signal it
receives because it can ignore extra arguments.)