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      1 // Copyright (c) 2012 The Chromium Authors. All rights reserved.
      2 // Use of this source code is governed by a BSD-style license that can be
      3 // found in the LICENSE file.
      4 
      5 // This class assists you in dealing with a specific situation when managing
      6 // ownership between a C++ object and a GTK widget.  It is common to have a
      7 // C++ object which encapsulates a GtkWidget, and that widget is exposed from
      8 // the object for use outside of the class.  In this situation, you commonly
      9 // want the GtkWidget's lifetime to match its C++ object's lifetime.  Using an
     10 // OwnedWidgetGtk will take ownership over the initial reference of the
     11 // GtkWidget, so that it is "owned" by the C++ object.  Example usage:
     12 //
     13 // class FooViewGtk() {
     14 //  public:
     15 //   FooViewGtk() { }
     16 //   ~FooViewGtk() { }
     17 //   void Init() { vbox_.Own(gtk_vbox_new()); }
     18 //   GtkWidget* widget() { return vbox_.get() };  // Host my widget!
     19 //  private:
     20 //   OwnedWidgetGtk vbox_;
     21 // };
     22 //
     23 // This design will ensure that the widget stays alive from the call to Own()
     24 // until the call to Destroy().
     25 //
     26 // - Details of the problem and OwnedWidgetGtk's solution:
     27 // In order to make passing ownership more convenient for newly created
     28 // widgets, GTK has a concept of a "floating" reference.  All GtkObjects (and
     29 // thus GtkWidgets) inherit from GInitiallyUnowned.  When they are created, the
     30 // object starts with a reference count of 1, but has its floating flag set.
     31 // When it is put into a container for the first time, that container will
     32 // "sink" the floating reference, and the count will still be 1.  Now the
     33 // container owns the widget, and if we remove the widget from the container,
     34 // the widget is destroyed.  This style of ownership often causes problems when
     35 // you have an object encapsulating the widget.  If we just use a raw
     36 // GtkObject* with no specific ownership management, we push the widget's
     37 // ownership onto the user of the class.  Now the C++ object can't depend on
     38 // the widget being valid, since it doesn't manage its lifetime.  If the widget
     39 // was removed from a container, removing its only reference, it would be
     40 // destroyed (from the C++ object's perspective) unexpectedly destroyed.  The
     41 // solution is fairly simple, make sure that the C++ object owns the widget,
     42 // and thus it is also responsible for destroying it.  This boils down to:
     43 //   GtkWidget* widget = gtk_widget_new();
     44 //   g_object_ref_sink(widget);  // Claim the initial floating reference.
     45 //   ...
     46 //   gtk_destroy_widget(widget);  // Ask all code to destroy their references.
     47 //   g_object_unref(widget);  // Destroy the initial reference we had claimed.
     48 
     49 #ifndef CHROME_BROWSER_UI_LIBGTK2UI_OWNED_WIDGET_GTK2_H_
     50 #define CHROME_BROWSER_UI_LIBGTK2UI_OWNED_WIDGET_GTK2_H_
     51 
     52 #include "base/basictypes.h"
     53 
     54 typedef struct _GtkWidget GtkWidget;
     55 
     56 namespace libgtk2ui {
     57 
     58 class OwnedWidgetGtk {
     59  public:
     60   // Create an instance that isn't managing any ownership.
     61   OwnedWidgetGtk() : widget_(NULL) { }
     62   // Create an instance that owns |widget|.
     63   explicit OwnedWidgetGtk(GtkWidget* widget) : widget_(NULL) { Own(widget); }
     64 
     65   ~OwnedWidgetGtk();
     66 
     67   // Return the currently owned widget, or NULL if no widget is owned.
     68   GtkWidget* get() const { return widget_; }
     69   GtkWidget* operator->() const { return widget_; }
     70 
     71   // Takes ownership of a widget, by taking the initial floating reference of
     72   // the GtkWidget. It is expected that Own() is called right after the widget
     73   // has been created, and before any other references to the widget might have
     74   // been added. It is valid to never call Own(), in which case Destroy() will
     75   // do nothing. If Own() has been called, you must explicitly call Destroy().
     76   void Own(GtkWidget* widget);
     77 
     78   // You may call Destroy() after you have called Own(). Calling Destroy()
     79   // will call gtk_widget_destroy(), and drop our reference to the widget.
     80   // Destroy() is also called in this object's destructor.
     81   // After a call to Destroy(), you may call Own() again. NOTE: It is expected
     82   // that after gtk_widget_destroy we will be holding the only reference left
     83   // on the object. We assert this in debug mode to help catch any leaks.
     84   void Destroy();
     85 
     86  private:
     87   GtkWidget* widget_;
     88 
     89   DISALLOW_COPY_AND_ASSIGN(OwnedWidgetGtk);
     90 };
     91 
     92 }  // namespace libgtk2ui
     93 
     94 #endif  // CHROME_BROWSER_UI_LIBGTK2UI_OWNED_WIDGET_GTK2_H_
     95