GtkWindow

GtkWindow is a top-level window widget in the GTK toolkit, used to create the main application windows that are managed by the window manager. It is part of the GTK widget hierarchy as a GObject-based class and typically contains a single child widget, such as a container that holds the rest of the user interface.

Properties and characteristics

A GtkWindow exposes standard window properties such as title, default size, and decoration. Common settings include title, default_width and default_height (via set_default_size), resizable to control resizing, and decorated to show or hide window chrome. Other options control how the window integrates with the desktop environment, for example transient_for to indicate a parent window for dialogs, modal to create a modal relationship, and skip_taskbar or skip_pager to influence taskbar or pager behavior.

Common methods and behavior

The API includes operations to manage window state and appearance, such as set_title, set_default_size, move, resize, set_position, and set_icon_name (for the window icon). Functions like gtk_window_present bring the window to the foreground, while maximize, unmaximize, minimize (iconify), and stick control its state. Additional methods manage focus and stacking, such as set_keep_above and set_keep_below.

Signals and events

GtkWindow emits signals tied to user and system interactions, including delete-event (when the user attempts to close the window), destroy (upon destruction), configure-event (when size or position changes), map-event and unmap-event (showing and hiding the window), and focus-in-event/ focus-out-event for focus changes.

Usage and scope

GtkWindow serves as the standard container for top-level application interfaces in GTK-based applications and interoperates with the rest of the GTK widget set and the underlying GDK layer. It is designed to be cross-platform and relies on the window manager for decoration and positioning.