controlwidget(3tk)

controlwidget

controlwidget(3tk)

NAME¶

controlwidget - Collection of widgets for displaying and controlling numerical values

SYNOPSIS¶

package require Tcl ?8.5?

package require Tk ?8.5?

package require snit ?2.0?

package require controlwidget ?0.1?

::controlwidget::meter w args

::controlwidget::slider w args

::controlwidget::equalizerBar w args

::controlwidget::thermometer w args

::controlwidget::voltmeter w args

::controlwidget::tachometer w args

::controlwidget::rdial w args

$widget get

$widget set value

::controlwidget::led w args

::controlwidget::radioMatrix w args

$led on

$led off

$led setstate state

$matrix get

$matrix set index

DESCRIPTION¶

The controlwidget package focuses on the display and interactive control of numerical values. It mimicks several of the meters and controls found in laboratory settings but also daily life: volt meters, equalizers and tachometers to name a few. They can be seen as alternatives for the scale widget.

Note: The package has not sofar been tested extensively, and that may result in an unexpected appearance if you use sizes that are different than the defaults. Also not all options for the coloring of the various parts and fonts and so on have been tested, so that may be another source of bugs.

A last note: some parts have not been included in any option, most notably the colors of parts that require lighter and darker shades to cooperate.

TYPES OF WIDGETS¶

The package distinguishes several typed of widgets:

Vertical meters: the value of the variable is translated into a vertical position, like with the coloured bars you find on your stereo installation.
Angle displays: the value of the variable is related to the angle of a needle, like with tachometers.
Interactive widgets: most widgets allow you to change the value of the variable by pressing the mouse button on the needle and shifting it up and down or left and right.
Non-interactive widgets: some widgets, like the thermometer widget, do not allow such interaction.
Logical or choice widgets: some widgets display the values as either on/off (or true/false) or as one of a set of discrete choices.

All widgets have in common, however, that you can connect them to a variable and that changing the variable changes the display. Forthermore, all widgets have the set and get methods to interact with the value that the widget displays (whether that is stored in a global variable or not).

They also have in common that their appearance and behaviour is determined by one or more options that you can set at creation time and often later on as well. The widgets are all based on the snit package, so that the methods configure and cget are available to set and get these options.

COMMANDS¶

Currently the package contains these widgets of the vertical meter type:

::controlwidget::meter w args: Create a vertical meter consisting of an axis and a moveable arrow.

widget w (in): Name of the widget to be created.
arguments args (in): List of key-value pairs, controlling the appearance and behaviour of the widget:

variable name: Name of the variable to be associated with the meter
background color: Background color for the widget
height pixels: Height of the widget
width pixels: Width of the widget
arrowthickness pixels: Thickness of the displayed arrow in pixels
arrowcolor color: Color of the displayed arrow
readonly boolean: Whether the arrow can be moved interactively or not

::controlwidget::slider w args: Create a widget containing one or more vertical sliders and an axis. You can shift the slider handles interactively via the mouse.

widget w (in): Name of the widget to be created.
arguments args (in): List of key-value pairs, controlling the appearance and behaviour of the widget:

variable name: Name of the (list) variable to be associated with the widget
number integer: Number of sliders in the widget
background color: Background color for the widget
height pixels: Height of the widget
width pixels: Width of the widget
sliderthickness pixels: Thickness of the slider handles
sliderwidth color: Width of the slider handles
troughwidth color: Width of the troughs holding the sliders

::controlwidget::equalizerBar w args: Create a widget containing one or more vertical bars resembling those found on hifi graphical equalizers. Note that it is a read-only widget.

widget w (in): Name of the widget to be created.
arguments args (in): List of key-value pairs, controlling the appearance and behaviour of the widget:

variable name: Name of the (list) variable to be associated with the widget
number integer: Number of bars in the widget
background color: Background color for the widget
height pixels: Height of the widget
width pixels: Width of the widget
barwidth pixels: Width of the bars
segments integer: Number of segments the bars are divided in
safecolor color: Color for values lower than the warning level
warningcolor color: Color for values greater than the warning level
warninglevel double: Threshold value, determines at what level the color changes

::controlwidget::thermometer w args: Create a thermometer widget (read-only)

widget w (in): Name of the widget to be created.
arguments args (in): List of key-value pairs, controlling the appearance and behaviour of the widget:

variable name: Name of the (list) variable to be associated with the widget
background color: Background color for the widget
height pixels: Height of the widget
width pixels: Width of the widget
linethickness pixels: Thickness of the line representing the "temperature"
linecolor color: Color of the line

These widgets all use a vertical axis and have the following options in common for configuring the axis:

axisformat string: Format string for formatting the numbers along the axis
axisfont string: Name of the font to be used for the numbers
axiscolor color: Color of the axis (including the numbers)
from color: Lower value for the axis
to color: Upper value for the axis
majorticks integer: Number of major tickmarks to draw (each is labelled)
minorticks integer: Number of minor tickmarks to draw between two major tickmarks
log boolean: Use a logarithmic axis (true) or a linear axis (false)

The package contains the following widget based on angle displays:

::controlwidget::voltmeter w args: Create a voltmeter-like widget.

widget w (in): Name of the widget to be created.
arguments args (in): List of key-value pairs, controlling the appearance and behaviour of the widget:

variable name: Name of the variable to be associated with the meter
value value: Value for the meter (if not associated with a variable)
min value: The minimum value for data in the display
max value: The maximum value for data in the display
labels list: The labels to be shown along the scale. (These are simply considered texts, so no relation with the minimum and maximum perse)
title string: String to be shown below the dial
width pixels: The width of the widget
height pixels: The height of the widget
borderwidth pixels: The width of the border surrounding the entire widget
relief string: The relief of the border surrounding the entire widget
highlightthickness pixels: The width of the border to indicate the widget has keyboard focus
labelfont fontname: Font of the labels to the scale
titlefont fontname: Font of the title below the dial
dialcolor color: Color of the dial holding the needle
needlecolor color: Color of the needle
scalecolor color: Color of the scale (arc and tickmarks)
labelcolor color: Color of the labels to the scale
titlecolor color: Color of the title below the dial

::controlwidget::tachometer w args: Create a tachometer-like widget.

widget w (in): Name of the widget to be created.
arguments args (in): List of key-value pairs, controlling the appearance and behaviour of the widget. In addition to the ones given for the voltmeter widget:

variable name: Name of the variable to be associated with the meter
value value: Value for the meter (if not associated with a variable)
dangerlevel value: Level above which values are indicated with a different color
dangercolor color: Color for the values above the "danger level"
dangerwidth pixels: Width for the colored band indicating the "danger level"
pincolor color: Color for the needle and the pin

::controlwidget::rdial w args: Create a rotating dial. You can drag the dial to change the value. With the shift button depressed the value changes slowly, with the control button depressed it changes fast. Similarly, you can control the dial via the mouse wheel, with the shift and control button working in the same way as with the mouse pointer. Note: The shift and control buttons currently have no effect on Windows.

widget w (in): Name of the widget to be created.
arguments args (in): List of key-value pairs, controlling the appearance and behaviour of the widget:

variable name: Name of the variable to be associated with the dial
value value: Value for the dial (if not associated with a variable)
orient string: Whether a horizontal disk/dial is required ("horizontal") or a vertical one ("vertical")
step value: Initial step for incrementing or decrementing the value
bindwheel value: Step size for controlling the dial's value via the mouse wheel
slow value: Factor on the step size for incrementing or decrementing the value slowly
fast value: Factor on the step size for incrementing or decrementing the value fast
scale value: Scale value to be applied to the actual value
callback command: Command to be called when the value changes
width pixels: The width of the widget
height pixels: The height of the widget
background color: The background color of the widget (coloring of the disk/dial)
foreground color: The foreground color of the widget (the marker lines)

All these widgets have the following methods:

$widget get: Return the current value or values shown in the widget
$widget set value: Reset the value or values shown in the widget. If the widget is associated with a variable, that variable is set as well.

value double/list: New value or values for the widget

Two further widgets are available, meant to display logical values:

::controlwidget::led w args: Create a LED-like widget.

widget w (in): Name of the widget to be created.
arguments args (in): List of key-value pairs, controlling the appearance and behaviour of the widget. In addition to the ones given for the voltmeter widget:

variable name: Name of the variable to be associated with the LED
size pixels: Diameter of the LED widget
on color: Color to use for the "on" state
off color: Color to use for the "off" state

::controlwidget::radioMatrix w args: Create a matrix of radio buttons that behaves as a single widget.

widget w (in): Name of the widget to be created.
arguments args (in): List of key-value pairs, controlling the appearance and behaviour of the widget. In addition to the ones given for the voltmeter widget:

variable name: Name of the variable to be associated with the matrix
orient string: The way the radio buttons are to be arranged (horizontal or vertical first)
rows integer: Number of rows in the matrix
columns integer: Number of columns in the matrix
command list: Command associated with the radio buttons. Invoked when the active radio button changes.

The LED widget has the following public methods:

$led on: Set the state to "on"
$led off: Set the state to "off"
$led setstate state: Set the state according to the value of "state"

state boolean (in): New state for the LED widget

The radioMatrix widget has two public methods:

$matrix get: Return the index of the currently selected radio button
$matrix set index: Select the radio button with index "index"

index integer: Index of the radio button to be set

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS¶

The code for most of these widgets first appeared on the Wiki. In many cases, Arjen Markus merely refactored the code a bit and "snitified" some of them. The original code was developed by the following people:

Vertical meter, LED display, radio matrix: Ron Fox
Rotating dials: Gerhard Reithofer
Voltmeter and tachometer: Marco Maggi
Code for moving the needle: ?

BUGS, IDEAS, FEEDBACK¶

This document, and the package it describes, will undoubtedly contain bugs and other problems. Please report such in the category controlwidget of the Tklib Trackers [http://core.tcl.tk/tklib/reportlist]. Please also report any ideas for enhancements you may have for either package and/or documentation.

KEYWORDS¶

controlling, displaying, numerical values, scale widget

COPYRIGHT¶

Copyright (c) 2010 Ron Fox <rfox@...>
Copyright (c) 2010 Gerhard Reithofer <...@...>
Copyright (c) 2010 Marco Maggi <...@...>
Copyright (c) 2010 Arjen Markus <arjenmarkus@users.sourceforge.net>

0.1

tklib

Source file:	controlwidget.3tk.en.gz (from tklib 0.8~20230222-1)
Source last updated:	2023-02-22T10:53:11Z
Converted to HTML:	2024-10-21T17:53:44Z