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# Properties

Qt provides a sophisticated property system similar to those shipped by some compiler vendors. However, as a compiler- and platform-independent library, Qt cannot rely on non-standard compiler features like `__property` or `[property]`. Our solution works with any standard C++ compiler on every platform we support. It's based on the meta-object system that also provides object communication through signals and slots.

The `Q_PROPERTY` macro in a class declaration declares a property. Properties can only be declared in classes that inherit QObject. A second macro, `Q_OVERRIDE`, can be used to override some aspects of an inherited property in a subclass.

To the outer world, a property appears quite similar to a data member. However, properties have several features that distinguish them from ordinary data members:

- A read function. This always exists.

- A write function. Optional: read-only properties like QWidget::isDesktop() do not have this.

- An attribute "stored" that indicates persistence. Most properties are stored, but a few virtual properties like QWidget::minimumWidth() aren't, since it's just way of looking at QWidget::minimumSize(), and has no data of its own.

- A reset function to set a property back to its context specific default value. Very unusual, but e.g. QWidget::font() needs this, since no call to QWidget::setFont() can mean 'reset to the context specific font'.

- An attribute "designable" that indicates whether it makes sense to set make the property available in a GUI builder (e.g. Qt Designer). For most properties this make sense, but not for all, e.g. QButton::isDown(). The user can press buttons, and the application programmer can make the program press its own buttons, but a GUI design tool can't press buttons.

The read, write and reset functions can be just about any member functions, inherited or not, virtual or not, with the exception of member functions inherited from parents other than the first in the case of multiple inheritance.

Properties can be read and written through generic functions in QObject without knowing anything about the class in use. These two function calls are equivalent:

        // QButton *b and QObject *o point to the same button
        b->setDown( TRUE );
        o->setProperty( "down", TRUE );

Equivalent, that is, except that the first is faster, and provides much better diagnostics at compile time. When practical, the first is better. However, since you can get a list of all available properties for any QObject through its QMetaObject, QObject::setProperty() can give you control over classes that weren't available at compile time.

As well as QObject::setProperty(), there is a corresponding QObject::property() function. QMetaObject::propertyNames() returns the names of all available properties. QMetaObject::property() returns the property data for a named property: a QMetaProperty object.

Here's a simple example that shows the most important property functions in use:

        class MyClass : public QObject
        {
            Q_OBJECT
        public:
            MyClass( QObject * parent=0, const char * name=0 );
            ~MyClass();

            enum Priority { High, Low, VeryHigh, VeryLow };
            void setPriority( Priority );
            Priority priority() const;
        };

The class has a property "priority" that is not yet known to the meta object system. In order to make the property known, you have to declare it with the `Q_PROPERTY` macro. The syntax is as follows:

    Q_PROPERTY( type name READ getFunction [WRITE setFunction]
                [RESET resetFunction] [DESIGNABLE bool]
                [SCRIPTABLE bool] [STORED bool] )

For the declaration to be valid, the get function has to be const and to return either the type itself, a pointer to it, or a reference to it. The optional write function has to return void and to take exactly one argument, either the type itself, a pointer or a const reference to it. The meta object compiler enforces this.

The type of a property can be everything QVariant provides or an enumeration type declared in the class itself. Since `MyClass` uses the enumeration type `Priority` for the property, this type has to be registered with the property system as well. This way it will be possible to set a value by name, like this:

        obj->setProperty( "priority", "VeryHigh" );

Enumeration types are registered with the `Q_ENUMS` macro. Here's the final class declaration including the property related declarations:

        class MyClass : public QObject
        {
            Q_OBJECT
            Q_PROPERTY( Priority priority READ priority WRITE setPriority )
            Q_ENUMS( Priority )
        public:
            MyClass( QObject * parent=0, const char * name=0 );
            ~MyClass();

            enum Priority { High, Low, VeryHigh, VeryLow };
            void setPriority( Priority );
            Priority priority() const;
        };

Another similar macro is `Q_SETS`. Like `Q_ENUMS`, it registers an enumeration type but marks it in addition as a "set", i.e. the enumeration values can be OR'ed together. An I/O class might have enumeration values "Read" and "Write" and accept "Read|Write": such an enum is best handled with `Q_SETS`, rather than `Q_ENUMS`.

The remaining keywords in the `Q_PROPERTY` section are `RESET`, `DESIGNABLE`, `SCRIPTABLE` and STORED.

`RESET` names a function that will set the property to its default state (which may have changed since initialization). The function must return void and take no arguments.

`DESIGNABLE` declares whether this property is suited for modification by a GUI design tool. The default is `TRUE` for writable properties; otherwise `FALSE`. Instead of `TRUE` or `FALSE`, you can specify a boolean member function.

`SCRIPTABLE` declares whether this property is suited for access by a scripting engine. The default is `TRUE`. Instead of `TRUE` or `FALSE`, you can specify a boolean member function.

`STORED` declares whether the property's value must be remembered when storing an object's state. Stored makes only sense for writable properties. The default value is `TRUE`. Technically superfluous properties (like QPoint pos if QRect geometry is already a property) define this to be `FALSE`.

Connected to the property system is an additional macro, "Q_CLASSINFO", that can be used to attach additional name/value-pairs to a class' meta object, for example:

        Q_CLASSINFO( "Status", "Very nice class" )

Like other meta data, class information is accessible at runtime through the meta object, see QMetaObject::classInfo() for details.