11.114Class GtkTextBuffer

Stores attributed text for display in a GtkTextView

Class GtkTextBuffer( [table] )
table (GtkTextTable) a tag table, or nil to create a new one.

You may wish to begin by reading the text widget conceptual overview which gives an overview of all the objects and data types related to the text widget and how they work together.

Methods
add_markAdds the mark at position where.
apply_tagEmits the "apply-tag" signal on buffer.
apply_tag_by_nameCalls gtk_text_tag_table_lookup() on the buffer's tag table to get a GtkTextTag, then calls gtk_text_buffer_apply_tag().
backspacePerforms the appropriate action as if the user hit the delete key with the cursor at the position specified by iter.
begin_user_actionCalled to indicate that the buffer operations between here and a call to gtk_text_buffer_end_user_action() are part of a single user-visible operation.
create_markCreates a mark at position where.
deleteDeletes text between start and end.
delete_interactiveDeletes all editable text in the given range.
delete_markDeletes mark, so that it's no longer located anywhere in the buffer.
delete_mark_by_nameDeletes the mark named name; the mark must exist.
delete_selectionDeletes the range between the "insert" and "selection_bound" marks, that is, the currently-selected text.
end_user_actionShould be paired with a call to begin_user_action(). See that function for a full explanation.
get_boundsRetrieves the first and last iterators in the buffer, i.e. the entire buffer lies within the range [start,end].
get_char_countGets the number of characters in the buffer.
get_end_iterInitializes iter with the "end iterator," one past the last valid character in the text buffer.
get_has_selectionIndicates whether the buffer has some text currently selected.
get_insertReturns the mark that represents the cursor (insertion point).
get_iter_at_lineInitializes iter to the start of the given line.
get_iter_at_line_indexObtains an iterator pointing to byte_index within the given line.
get_iter_at_line_offsetObtains an iterator pointing to char_offset within the given line.
get_iter_at_offsetInitializes iter to a position char_offset chars from the start of the entire buffer.
get_line_countObtains the number of lines in the buffer.
get_markReturns the mark named name in buffer buffer, or nil if no such mark exists in the buffer.
get_modifiedIndicates whether the buffer has been modified since the last call to set_modified() set the modification flag to false.
get_selection_boundReturns the mark that represents the selection bound.
get_selection_boundsReturns true if some text is selected; places the bounds of the selection in start and end (if the selection has length 0, then start and end are filled in with the same value).
get_sliceReturns the text in the range [start,end).
get_start_iterInitialize iter with the first position in the text buffer.
get_tag_tableGet the GtkTextTagTable associated with this buffer.
get_textReturns the text in the range [start,end).
insertInserts len bytes of text at position iter.
insert_at_cursorSimply calls insert(), using the current cursor position as the insertion point.
insert_interactiveLike insert(), but the insertion will not occur if iter is at a non-editable location in the buffer.
insert_interactive_at_cursorCalls gtk_text_buffer_insert_interactive() at the cursor position.
insert_pixbufInserts an image into the text buffer at iter.
insert_rangeCopies text, tags, and pixbufs between start and end (the order of start and end doesn't matter) and inserts the copy at iter.
insert_range_interactiveLike insert(), but the insertion will not occur if iter is at a non-editable location in the buffer.
move_markMoves mark to the new location where.
move_mark_by_nameMoves the mark named name (which must exist) to location where.
place_cursorThis function moves the "insert" and "selection_bound" marks simultaneously.
remove_all_tagsRemoves all tags in the range between start and end.
remove_tagEmits the "remove-tag" signal.
remove_tag_by_nameCalls gtk_text_tag_table_lookup() on the buffer's tag table to get a GtkTextTag, then calls gtk_text_buffer_remove_tag().
select_rangeThis function moves the "insert" and "selection_bound" marks simultaneously.
set_modifiedUsed to keep track of whether the buffer has been modified since the last time it was saved.
set_textDeletes current contents of buffer, and inserts text instead.

Methods

add_mark

Adds the mark at position where.

GtkTextBuffer.add_mark( mark, where )
mark the mark to add
where location to place mark

The mark must not be added to another buffer, and if its name is not NULL then there must not be another mark in the buffer with the same name.

Emits the "mark-set" signal as notification of the mark's initial placement.

apply_tag

Emits the "apply-tag" signal on buffer.

GtkTextBuffer.apply_tag( tag, start, end )
tag a GtkTextTag
start one bound of range to be tagged
end other bound of range to be tagged

The default handler for the signal applies tag to the given range. start and end do not have to be in order.

apply_tag_by_name

Calls gtk_text_tag_table_lookup() on the buffer's tag table to get a GtkTextTag, then calls gtk_text_buffer_apply_tag().

GtkTextBuffer.apply_tag_by_name( name, start, end )
name name of a named GtkTextTag
start one bound of range to be tagged
end other bound of range to be tagged

backspace

Performs the appropriate action as if the user hit the delete key with the cursor at the position specified by iter.

GtkTextBuffer.backspace( iter, interactive, default_editable )
iter a position in buffer
interactive whether the deletion is caused by user interaction
default_editable whether the buffer is editable by default
Returntrue if the buffer was modified

In the normal case a single character will be deleted, but when combining accents are involved, more than one character can be deleted, and when precomposed character and accent combinations are involved, less than one character will be deleted.

Because the buffer is modified, all outstanding iterators become invalid after calling this function; however, the iter will be re-initialized to point to the location where text was deleted.

begin_user_action

Called to indicate that the buffer operations between here and a call to gtk_text_buffer_end_user_action() are part of a single user-visible operation.

GtkTextBuffer.begin_user_action()

The operations between begin_user_action() and end_user_action() can then be grouped when creating an undo stack. GtkTextBuffer maintains a count of calls to begin_user_action() that have not been closed with a call to end_user_action(), and emits the "begin-user-action" and "end-user-action" signals only for the outermost pair of calls. This allows you to build user actions from other user actions.

The "interactive" buffer mutation functions, such as insert_interactive(), automatically call begin/end user action around the buffer operations they perform, so there's no need to add extra calls if you user action consists solely of a single call to one of those functions.

create_mark

Creates a mark at position where.

GtkTextBuffer.create_mark( mark_name, where, left_gravity )
mark_name name for mark, or nil
where (GtkTextIter) location to place mark
left_gravity (boolean) whether the mark has left gravity

If mark_name is NULL, the mark is anonymous; otherwise, the mark can be retrieved by name using gtk_text_buffer_get_mark(). If a mark has left gravity, and text is inserted at the mark's current location, the mark will be moved to the left of the newly-inserted text. If the mark has right gravity (left_gravity = FALSE), the mark will end up on the right of newly-inserted text. The standard left-to-right cursor is a mark with right gravity (when you type, the cursor stays on the right side of the text you're typing).

The caller of this function does not own a reference to the returned GtkTextMark, so you can ignore the return value if you like. Marks are owned by the buffer and go away when the buffer does.

Emits the "mark-set" signal as notification of the mark's initial placement.

delete

Deletes text between start and end.

GtkTextBuffer.delete( start, end )
start a position in buffer
end another position in buffer

The order of start and end is not actually relevant; delete() will reorder them. This function actually emits the "delete-range" signal, and the default handler of that signal deletes the text. Because the buffer is modified, all outstanding iterators become invalid after calling this function; however, the start and end will be re-initialized to point to the location where text was deleted.

delete_interactive

Deletes all editable text in the given range.

GtkTextBuffer.delete_interactive( start, end, default_editable )
start a position in buffer
end another position in buffer
default_editable whether the buffer is editable by default
Returnwhether some text was actually deleted

Calls delete() for each editable sub-range of [start,end]. start and end are revalidated to point to the location of the last deleted range, or left untouched if no text was deleted.

delete_mark

Deletes mark, so that it's no longer located anywhere in the buffer.

GtkTextBuffer.delete_mark( amrk )
amrk a GtkTextMark in buffer

Most operations on mark become invalid, until the mark gets added to a buffer again with gtk_text_buffer_add_mark(). Use gtk_text_mark_get_deleted() to find out if a mark has been removed from its buffer. The "mark-deleted" signal will be emitted as notification after the mark is deleted.

delete_mark_by_name

Deletes the mark named name; the mark must exist.

GtkTextBuffer.delete_mark_by_name( name )
name name of a mark in buffer

See delete_mark() for details.

delete_selection

Deletes the range between the "insert" and "selection_bound" marks, that is, the currently-selected text.

GtkTextBuffer.delete_selection( interactive, default_editable )
interactive whether the deletion is caused by user interaction
default_editable whether the buffer is editable by default
Returnwhether there was a non-empty selection to delete

If interactive is true, the editability of the selection will be considered (users can't delete uneditable text).

end_user_action

Should be paired with a call to begin_user_action(). See that function for a full explanation.

GtkTextBuffer.end_user_action()

get_bounds

Retrieves the first and last iterators in the buffer, i.e. the entire buffer lies within the range [start,end].

GtkTextBuffer.get_bounds()
Return[ GtkTextIter, GtkTextIter ]

get_char_count

Gets the number of characters in the buffer.

GtkTextBuffer.get_char_count()

Note that characters and bytes are not the same, you can't e.g. expect the contents of the buffer in string form to be this many bytes long. The character count is cached, so this function is very fast.

get_end_iter

Initializes iter with the "end iterator," one past the last valid character in the text buffer.

GtkTextBuffer.get_end_iter()
Return(GtkTextIter)

If dereferenced with gtk_text_iter_get_char(), the end iterator has a character value of 0. The entire buffer lies in the range from the first position in the buffer (call gtk_text_buffer_get_start_iter() to get character position 0) to the end iterator.

get_has_selection

Indicates whether the buffer has some text currently selected.

GtkTextBuffer.get_has_selection()
Returntrue if the there is text selected

get_insert

Returns the mark that represents the cursor (insertion point).

GtkTextBuffer.get_insert()
Return(GtkTextMark) insertion point mark.

Equivalent to calling gtk_text_buffer_get_mark() to get the mark named "insert", but very slightly more efficient, and involves less typing.

get_iter_at_line

Initializes iter to the start of the given line.

GtkTextBuffer.get_iter_at_line( line_number )
line_number line number counting from 0
Return(GtkTextIter)

get_iter_at_line_index

Obtains an iterator pointing to byte_index within the given line.

GtkTextBuffer.get_iter_at_line_index( line_number, byte_offset )
line_number line number counting from 0
byte_offset byte index from start of line
Return(GtkTextIter)

byte_index must be the start of a UTF-8 character, and must not be beyond the end of the line. Note bytes, not characters; UTF-8 may encode one character as multiple bytes.

get_iter_at_line_offset

Obtains an iterator pointing to char_offset within the given line.

GtkTextBuffer.get_iter_at_line_offset( line_number, line_offset )
line_number line number counting from 0
line_offset char offset from start of line
Return(GtkTextIter)

The char_offset must exist, offsets off the end of the line are not allowed. Note characters, not bytes; UTF-8 may encode one character as multiple bytes.

get_iter_at_offset

Initializes iter to a position char_offset chars from the start of the entire buffer.

GtkTextBuffer.get_iter_at_offset( char_offset )
char_offset char offset from start of buffer, counting from 0, or -1
Return(GtkTextIter)

If char_offset is -1 or greater than the number of characters in the buffer, iter is initialized to the end iterator, the iterator one past the last valid character in the buffer.

get_line_count

Obtains the number of lines in the buffer.

GtkTextBuffer.get_line_count()
Returnnumber of lines in the buffer

This value is cached, so the function is very fast.

get_mark

Returns the mark named name in buffer buffer, or nil if no such mark exists in the buffer.

GtkTextBuffer.get_mark( name )
name a mark name
Returna GtkTextMark, or nil.

get_modified

Indicates whether the buffer has been modified since the last call to set_modified() set the modification flag to false.

GtkTextBuffer.get_modified()
Returntrue if the buffer has been modified Used for example to enable a "save" function in a text editor.

get_selection_bound

Returns the mark that represents the selection bound.

GtkTextBuffer.get_selection_bound()
Return(GtkTextMark) selection bound mark.

Equivalent to calling get_mark() to get the mark named "selection_bound", but very slightly more efficient, and involves less typing.

The currently-selected text in buffer is the region between the "selection_bound" and "insert" marks. If "selection_bound" and "insert" are in the same place, then there is no current selection. get_selection_bounds() is another convenient function for handling the selection, if you just want to know whether there's a selection and what its bounds are.

get_selection_bounds

Returns true if some text is selected; places the bounds of the selection in start and end (if the selection has length 0, then start and end are filled in with the same value).

GtkTextBuffer.get_selection_bounds()
Return[ boolean (whether the selection has nonzero length ), (GtkTextIter) start, (GtkTextIter) end ]

start and end will be in ascending order. If start and end are nil, then they are not filled in, but the return value still indicates whether text is selected.

get_slice

Returns the text in the range [start,end).

GtkTextBuffer.get_slice( start, end, include_hidden_chars )
start start of range
end end of range
include_hidden_chars whether to include invisible text
Returnan UTF-8 string

Excludes undisplayed text (text marked with tags that set the invisibility attribute) if include_hidden_chars is FALSE. The returned string includes a 0xFFFC character whenever the buffer contains embedded images, so byte and character indexes into the returned string do correspond to byte and character indexes into the buffer. Contrast with gtk_text_buffer_get_text(). Note that 0xFFFC can occur in normal text as well, so it is not a reliable indicator that a pixbuf or widget is in the buffer.

get_start_iter

Initialize iter with the first position in the text buffer.

GtkTextBuffer.get_start_iter()
Return(GtkTextIter)

This is the same as using gtk_text_buffer_get_iter_at_offset() to get the iter at character offset 0.

get_tag_table

Get the GtkTextTagTable associated with this buffer.

GtkTextBuffer.get_tag_table()
Returnthe buffer's tag table.

get_text

Returns the text in the range [start,end).

GtkTextBuffer.get_text( start, end, include_hidden_chars )
start start of range
end end of range
include_hidden_chars whether to include invisible text
Returnan UTF-8 string

Excludes undisplayed text (text marked with tags that set the invisibility attribute) if include_hidden_chars is FALSE. Does not include characters representing embedded images, so byte and character indexes into the returned string do not correspond to byte and character indexes into the buffer. Contrast with gtk_text_buffer_get_slice().

insert

Inserts len bytes of text at position iter.

GtkTextBuffer.insert( iter, text, len )
iter (GtkTextIter) a position in the buffer
text some text in UTF-8 format
len length of text, in bytes

If len is -1, text must be nul-terminated and will be inserted in its entirety.

Emits the "insert-text" signal; insertion actually occurs in the default handler for the signal. iter is invalidated when insertion occurs (because the buffer contents change), but the default signal handler revalidates it to point to the end of the inserted text.

insert_at_cursor

Simply calls insert(), using the current cursor position as the insertion point.

GtkTextBuffer.insert_at_cursor( text, len )
text some text in UTF-8 format
len length of text, in bytes

insert_interactive

Like insert(), but the insertion will not occur if iter is at a non-editable location in the buffer.

GtkTextBuffer.insert_interactive( iter, text, len, default_editable )
iter (GtkTextIter) a position in the buffer
text some text in UTF-8 format
len length of text, in bytes
default_editable (boolean)
Returnwhether text was actually inserted

Usually you want to prevent insertions at ineditable locations if the insertion results from a user action (is interactive).

default_editable indicates the editability of text that doesn't have a tag affecting editability applied to it. Typically the result of gtk_text_view_get_editable() is appropriate here.

insert_interactive_at_cursor

Calls gtk_text_buffer_insert_interactive() at the cursor position.

GtkTextBuffer.insert_interactive_at_cursor( text, len, default_editable )
text some text in UTF-8 format
len length of text, in bytes
default_editable (boolean) default editability of buffer
Returnwhether text was actually inserted

default_editable indicates the editability of text that doesn't have a tag affecting editability applied to it. Typically the result of gtk_text_view_get_editable() is appropriate here.

insert_pixbuf

Inserts an image into the text buffer at iter.

GtkTextBuffer.insert_pixbuf( iter, pixbuf )
iter location to insert the pixbuf
pixbuf a GdkPixbuf

The image will be counted as one character in character counts, and when obtaining the buffer contents as a string, will be represented by the Unicode "object replacement character" 0xFFFC. Note that the "slice" variants for obtaining portions of the buffer as a string include this character for pixbufs, but the "text" variants do not. e.g. see gtk_text_buffer_get_slice() and gtk_text_buffer_get_text().

insert_range

Copies text, tags, and pixbufs between start and end (the order of start and end doesn't matter) and inserts the copy at iter.

GtkTextBuffer.insert_range( iter, start, end )
iter (GtkTextIter) a position in buffer
start (GtkTextIter) a position in a GtkTextBuffer
end (GtkTextIter) another position in the same buffer as start

Used instead of simply getting/inserting text because it preserves images and tags. If start and end are in a different buffer from buffer, the two buffers must share the same tag table.

Implemented via emissions of the insert_text and apply_tag signals, so expect those.

insert_range_interactive

Like insert(), but the insertion will not occur if iter is at a non-editable location in the buffer.

GtkTextBuffer.insert_range_interactive( iter, start, end, default_editable )
iter (GtkTextIter) a position in buffer
start (GtkTextIter) a position in a GtkTextBuffer
end (GtkTextIter) another position in the same buffer as start
default_editable (boolean) default editability of buffer
Returnwhether an insertion was possible at iter

Usually you want to prevent insertions at ineditable locations if the insertion results from a user action (is interactive).

default_editable indicates the editability of text that doesn't have a tag affecting editability applied to it. Typically the result of gtk_text_view_get_editable() is appropriate here.

move_mark

Moves mark to the new location where.

GtkTextBuffer.move_mark( mark, where )
mark a GtkTextMark
where new location for mark in buffer

Emits the "mark-set" signal as notification of the move.

move_mark_by_name

Moves the mark named name (which must exist) to location where.

GtkTextBuffer.move_mark_by_name( name, where )
name name of a mark
where new location for mark

See move_mark() for details.

place_cursor

This function moves the "insert" and "selection_bound" marks simultaneously.

GtkTextBuffer.place_cursor( where )
where (GtkTextIter) where to put the cursor

If you move them to the same place in two steps with move_mark(), you will temporarily select a region in between their old and new locations, which can be pretty inefficient since the temporarily-selected region will force stuff to be recalculated. This function moves them as a unit, which can be optimized.

remove_all_tags

Removes all tags in the range between start and end.

GtkTextBuffer.remove_all_tags( start, end )
start one bound of range to be untagged
end other bound of range to be untagged

Be careful with this function; it could remove tags added in code unrelated to the code you're currently writing. That is, using this function is probably a bad idea if you have two or more unrelated code sections that add tags.

remove_tag

Emits the "remove-tag" signal.

GtkTextBuffer.remove_tag( tag, start, end )
tag a GtkTextTag
start one bound of range to be untagged
end other bound of range to be untagged

The default handler for the signal removes all occurrences of tag from the given range. start and end don't have to be in order.

remove_tag_by_name

Calls gtk_text_tag_table_lookup() on the buffer's tag table to get a GtkTextTag, then calls gtk_text_buffer_remove_tag().

GtkTextBuffer.remove_tag_by_name( name, start, end )
name name of a named GtkTextTag
start one bound of range to be untagged
end other bound of range to be untagged

select_range

This function moves the "insert" and "selection_bound" marks simultaneously.

GtkTextBuffer.select_range( ins, bound )
ins (GtkTextIter) where to put the "insert" mark
bound (GtkTextIter) where to put the "selection_bound" mark

If you move them in two steps with move_mark(), you will temporarily select a region in between their old and new locations, which can be pretty inefficient since the temporarily-selected region will force stuff to be recalculated. This function moves them as a unit, which can be optimized.

set_modified

Used to keep track of whether the buffer has been modified since the last time it was saved.

GtkTextBuffer.set_modified( setting )
setting modification flag setting

Whenever the buffer is saved to disk, call set_modified (buffer, FALSE). When the buffer is modified, it will automatically toggled on the modified bit again. When the modified bit flips, the buffer emits a "modified-changed" signal.

set_text

Deletes current contents of buffer, and inserts text instead.

GtkTextBuffer.set_text( text, len )
text UTF-8 text to insert
len length of text in bytes

If len is -1, text must be nul-terminated. text must be valid UTF-8.

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