Package org.eclipse.ui.forms.widgets

Class FormToolkit

java.lang.Object
org.eclipse.ui.forms.widgets.FormToolkit
Direct Known Subclasses:
TabbedPropertySheetWidgetFactory
public class FormToolkit extends Object
The toolkit is responsible for creating SWT controls adapted to work in Eclipse forms. In addition to changing their presentation properties (fonts, colors etc.), various listeners are attached to make them behave correctly in the form context.

In addition to being the control factory, the toolkit is also responsible for painting flat borders for select controls, managing hyperlink groups and control colors.

The toolkit creates some of the most common controls used to populate Eclipse forms. Controls that must be created using their constructors, adapt() method is available to change its properties in the same way as with the supported toolkit controls.

Typically, one toolkit object is created per workbench part (for example, an editor or a form wizard). The toolkit is disposed when the part is disposed. To conserve resources, it is possible to create one color object for the entire plug-in and share it between several toolkits. The plug-in is responsible for disposing the colors (disposing the toolkit that uses shared color object will not dispose the colors).

FormToolkit is normally instantiated, but can also be subclassed if some of the methods needs to be modified. In those cases, super must be called to preserve normal behaviour.

Since:
3.0

  • Field Details

  • Constructor Details

    • FormToolkit

      public FormToolkit(Display display)
      Creates a toolkit that is self-sufficient (will manage its own colors).

      Clients that call this method must call dispose() when they are finished using the toolkit.

    • FormToolkit

      public FormToolkit(FormColors colors)
      Creates a toolkit that will use the provided (shared) colors. The toolkit will dispose the colors if and only if they are not marked as shared via the markShared() method.

      Clients that call this method must call dispose() when they are finished using the toolkit.

      Parameters:
      colors - the shared colors

  • Method Details

    • createButton

      public Button createButton(Composite parent, String text, int style)
      Creates a button as a part of the form.
      Parameters:
      parent - the button parent
      text - an optional text for the button (can be null)
      style - the button style (for example, SWT.PUSH)
      Returns:
      the button widget

    • createComposite

      public Composite createComposite(Composite parent)
      Creates the composite as a part of the form.
      Parameters:
      parent - the composite parent
      Returns:
      the composite widget

    • createComposite

      public Composite createComposite(Composite parent, int style)
      Creates the composite as part of the form using the provided style.
      Parameters:
      parent - the composite parent
      style - the composite style
      Returns:
      the composite widget

    • createCompositeSeparator

      public Composite createCompositeSeparator(Composite parent)
      Creates the composite that can server as a separator between various parts of a form. Separator height should be controlled by setting the height hint on the layout data for the composite.
      Parameters:
      parent - the separator parent
      Returns:
      the separator widget

    • createLabel

      public Label createLabel(Composite parent, String text)
      Creates a label as a part of the form.
      Parameters:
      parent - the label parent
      text - the label text
      Returns:
      the label widget

    • createLabel

      public Label createLabel(Composite parent, String text, int style)
      Creates a label as a part of the form.
      Parameters:
      parent - the label parent
      text - the label text
      style - the label style
      Returns:
      the label widget

    • createHyperlink

      public Hyperlink createHyperlink(Composite parent, String text, int style)
      Creates a hyperlink as a part of the form. The hyperlink will be added to the hyperlink group that belongs to this toolkit.
      Parameters:
      parent - the hyperlink parent
      text - the text of the hyperlink
      style - the hyperlink style
      Returns:
      the hyperlink widget

    • createImageHyperlink

      public ImageHyperlink createImageHyperlink(Composite parent, int style)
      Creates an image hyperlink as a part of the form. The hyperlink will be added to the hyperlink group that belongs to this toolkit.
      Parameters:
      parent - the hyperlink parent
      style - the hyperlink style
      Returns:
      the image hyperlink widget

    • createFormText

      public FormText createFormText(Composite parent, boolean trackFocus)
      Creates a rich text as a part of the form.
      Parameters:
      parent - the rich text parent
      trackFocus - if true, the toolkit will monitor focus transfers to ensure that the hyperlink in focus is visible in the form.
      Returns:
      the rich text widget

    • adapt

      public void adapt(Control control, boolean trackFocus, boolean trackKeyboard)
      Adapts a control to be used in a form that is associated with this toolkit. This involves adjusting colors and optionally adding handlers to ensure focus tracking and keyboard management.
      Parameters:
      control - a control to adapt
      trackFocus - if true, form will be scrolled horizontally and/or vertically if needed to ensure that the control is visible when it gains focus. Set it to false if the control is not capable of gaining focus.
      trackKeyboard - if true, the control that is capable of gaining focus will be tracked for certain keys that are important to the underlying form (for example, PageUp, PageDown, ScrollUp, ScrollDown etc.). Set it to false if the control is not capable of gaining focus or these particular key event are already used by the control.

    • adapt

      public void adapt(Composite composite)
      Adapts a composite to be used in a form associated with this toolkit.
      Parameters:
      composite - the composite to adapt

    • ensureVisible

      public static void ensureVisible(Control c)
      A helper method that ensures the provided control is visible when ScrolledComposite is somewhere in the parent chain. If scroll bars are visible and the control is clipped, the client of the scrolled composite will be scrolled to reveal the control.
      Parameters:
      c - the control to reveal

    • createSection

      public Section createSection(Composite parent, int sectionStyle)
      Creates a section as a part of the form.
      Parameters:
      parent - the section parent
      sectionStyle - the section style
      Returns:
      the section widget

    • createExpandableComposite

      public ExpandableComposite createExpandableComposite(Composite parent, int expansionStyle)
      Creates an expandable composite as a part of the form.
      Parameters:
      parent - the expandable composite parent
      expansionStyle - the expandable composite style
      Returns:
      the expandable composite widget

    • createSeparator

      public Label createSeparator(Composite parent, int style)
      Creates a separator label as a part of the form.
      Parameters:
      parent - the separator parent
      style - the separator style
      Returns:
      the separator label

    • createTable

      public Table createTable(Composite parent, int style)
      Creates a table as a part of the form.
      Parameters:
      parent - the table parent
      style - the table style
      Returns:
      the table widget

    • createText

      public Text createText(Composite parent, String value)
      Creates a text as a part of the form.
      Parameters:
      parent - the text parent
      value - the text initial value
      Returns:
      the text widget

    • createText

      public Text createText(Composite parent, String value, int style)
      Creates a text as a part of the form.
      Parameters:
      parent - the text parent
      value - the text initial value
      style - the text style
      Returns:
      the text widget

    • createTree

      public Tree createTree(Composite parent, int style)
      Creates a tree widget as a part of the form.
      Parameters:
      parent - the tree parent
      style - the tree style
      Returns:
      the tree widget

    • createScrolledForm

      public ScrolledForm createScrolledForm(Composite parent)
      Creates a scrolled form widget in the provided parent. If you do not require scrolling because there is already a scrolled composite up the parent chain, use 'createForm' instead.
      Parameters:
      parent - the scrolled form parent
      Returns:
      the form that can scroll itself
      See Also:

    • createForm

      public Form createForm(Composite parent)
      Creates a form widget in the provided parent. Note that this widget does not scroll its content, so make sure there is a scrolled composite up the parent chain. If you require scrolling, use 'createScrolledForm' instead.
      Parameters:
      parent - the form parent
      Returns:
      the form that does not scroll
      See Also:

    • decorateFormHeading

      public void decorateFormHeading(Form form)
      Takes advantage of the gradients and other capabilities to decorate the form heading using colors computed based on the current skin and operating system.
      Parameters:
      form - the form to decorate
      Since:
      3.3

    • createPageBook

      public ScrolledPageBook createPageBook(Composite parent, int style)
      Creates a scrolled page book widget as a part of the form.
      Parameters:
      parent - the page book parent
      style - the text style
      Returns:
      the scrolled page book widget

    • dispose

      public void dispose()
      Disposes the toolkit.

    • getHyperlinkGroup

      public HyperlinkGroup getHyperlinkGroup()
      Returns the hyperlink group that manages hyperlinks for this toolkit.
      Returns:
      the hyperlink group

    • setBackground

      public void setBackground(Color bg)
      Sets the background color for the entire toolkit. The method delegates the call to the FormColors object and also updates the hyperlink group so that hyperlinks and other objects are in sync.
      Parameters:
      bg - the new background color

    • refreshHyperlinkColors

      public void refreshHyperlinkColors()
      Refreshes the hyperlink colors by loading from JFace settings.

    • paintBordersFor

      public void paintBordersFor(Composite parent)
      Paints flat borders for widgets created by this toolkit within the provided parent. Borders will not be painted if the global border style is SWT.BORDER (i.e. if native borders are used). Call this method during creation of a form composite to get the borders of its children painted. Care should be taken when selection layout margins. At least one pixel margin width and height must be chosen to allow the toolkit to paint the border on the parent around the widgets.

      Borders are painted for some controls that are selected by the toolkit by default. If a control needs a border but is not on its list, it is possible to force borders in the following ways: 

                   widget.setData(FormToolkit.KEY_DRAW_BORDER, FormToolkit.TREE_BORDER);

             or

             widget.setData(FormToolkit.KEY_DRAW_BORDER, FormToolkit.TEXT_BORDER);

      If borders would normally be painted for a control, but they are not wanted, it is possible to suppress them in the following way: 

                   widget.setData(FormToolkit.KEY_DRAW_BORDER, Boolean.FALSE);
      Parameters:
      parent - the parent that owns the children for which the border needs to be painted.

    • getColors

      public FormColors getColors()
      Returns the colors used by this toolkit.
      Returns:
      the color object

    • getBorderStyle

      public int getBorderStyle()
      Returns the border style used for various widgets created by this toolkit. The intent of the toolkit is to create controls with styles that yield a 'flat' appearance. On systems where the native borders are already flat, we set the style to SWT.BORDER and don't paint the borders ourselves. Otherwise, the style is set to SWT.NULL, and borders are painted by the toolkit.
      Returns:
      the global border style

    • getBorderMargin

      public int getBorderMargin()
      Returns the margin required around the children whose border is being painted by the toolkit using paintBordersFor(Composite). Since the border is painted around the controls on the parent, a number of pixels needs to be reserved for this border. For windowing systems where the native border is used, this margin is 0.
      Returns:
      the margin in the parent when children have their border painted
      Since:
      3.3

    • setBorderStyle

      public void setBorderStyle(int style)
      Sets the border style to be used when creating widgets. The toolkit chooses the correct style based on the platform but this value can be changed using this method.
      Parameters:
      style - SWT.BORDER or SWT.NULL
      See Also:

    • setControlVisible

      public static void setControlVisible(Control c, boolean verticalOnly)
      A utility method that ensures that the control is visible in the scrolled composite. The prerequisite for this method is that the control has a class that extends ScrolledComposite somewhere in the parent chain. If the control is partially or fully clipped, the composite is scrolled to set by setting the origin to the control origin.
      Parameters:
      c - the control to make visible
      verticalOnly - if true, the scrolled composite will be scrolled only vertically if needed. Otherwise, the scrolled composite origin will be set to the control origin.
      Since:
      3.1

    • getOrientation

      public int getOrientation()
      Returns the orientation that all the widgets created by this toolkit will inherit, if set. Can be SWT.NULL, SWT.LEFT_TO_RIGHT and SWT.RIGHT_TO_LEFT.
      Returns:
      orientation style for this toolkit, or SWT.NULL if not set. The default orientation is inherited from the Window default orientation.
      Since:
      3.1
      See Also:

    • setOrientation

      public void setOrientation(int orientation)
      Sets the orientation that all the widgets created by this toolkit will inherit. Can be SWT.NULL, SWT.LEFT_TO_RIGHT and SWT.RIGHT_TO_LEFT.
      Parameters:
      orientation - style for this toolkit.
      Since:
      3.1