## GtkBox

GtkBox — Base class for box containers

## Synopsis

    #include <gtk/gtk.h>

                GtkBox;
                GtkBoxChild;
    void        gtk_box_pack_start              (GtkBox *box,
                                                 GtkWidget *child,
                                                 gboolean expand,
                                                 gboolean fill,
                                                 guint padding);
    void        gtk_box_pack_end                (GtkBox *box,
                                                 GtkWidget *child,
                                                 gboolean expand,
                                                 gboolean fill,
                                                 guint padding);
    void        gtk_box_pack_start_defaults     (GtkBox *box,
                                                 GtkWidget *widget);
    void        gtk_box_pack_end_defaults       (GtkBox *box,
                                                 GtkWidget *widget);
    gboolean    gtk_box_get_homogeneous         (GtkBox *box);
    void        gtk_box_set_homogeneous         (GtkBox *box,
                                                 gboolean homogeneous);
    gint        gtk_box_get_spacing             (GtkBox *box);
    void        gtk_box_set_spacing             (GtkBox *box,
                                                 gint spacing);
    void        gtk_box_reorder_child           (GtkBox *box,
                                                 GtkWidget *child,
                                                 gint position);
    void        gtk_box_query_child_packing     (GtkBox *box,
                                                 GtkWidget *child,
                                                 gboolean *expand,
                                                 gboolean *fill,
                                                 guint *padding,
                                                 GtkPackType *pack_type);
    void        gtk_box_set_child_packing       (GtkBox *box,
                                                 GtkWidget *child,
                                                 gboolean expand,
                                                 gboolean fill,
                                                 guint padding,
                                                 GtkPackType pack_type);

## Object Hierarchy

      GObject
       +----GtkObject
             +----GtkWidget
                   +----GtkContainer
                         +----GtkBox
                               +----GtkButtonBox
                               +----GtkVBox
                               +----GtkHBox

## Implemented Interfaces

GtkBox implements AtkImplementorIface.

## Properties

      "homogeneous"          gboolean              : Read / Write
      "spacing"              gint                  : Read / Write

## Child Properties

      "expand"               gboolean              : Read / Write
      "fill"                 gboolean              : Read / Write
      "pack-type"            GtkPackType           : Read / Write
      "padding"              guint                 : Read / Write
      "position"             gint                  : Read / Write

## Description

GtkBox is an abstract widget which encapsulates functionallity for a particular kind of container, one that organizes a variable number of widgets into a rectangular area. GtkBox currently has two derived classes, GtkHBox and GtkVBox.

The rectangular area of a GtkBox is organized into either a single row or a single column of child widgets depending upon whether the box is of type GtkHBox or GtkVBox, respectively. Thus, all children of a GtkBox are allocated one dimension in common, which is the height of a row, or the width of a column.

GtkBox uses a notion of packing. Packing refers to adding widgets with reference to a particular position in a GtkContainer. For a GtkBox, there are two reference positions: the start and the end of the box. For a GtkVBox, the start is defined as the top of the box and the end is defined as the bottom. For a GtkHBox the start is defined as the left side and the end is defined as the right side.

Use repeated calls to `gtk_box_pack_start()` to pack widgets into a GtkBox from start to end. Use `gtk_box_pack_end()` to add widgets from end to start. You may intersperse these calls and add widgets from both ends of the same GtkBox.

Use `gtk_box_pack_start_defaults()` or `gtk_box_pack_end_defaults()` to pack widgets into a GtkBox if you do not need to specify the `expand`, `fill`, or `padding` attributes of the child to be added.

Because GtkBox is a GtkContainer, you may also use `gtk_container_add()` to insert widgets into the box, and they will be packed as if with `gtk_box_pack_start_defaults()`. Use `gtk_container_remove()` to remove widgets from the GtkBox.

Use `gtk_box_set_homogeneous()` to specify whether or not all children of the GtkBox are forced to get the same amount of space.

Use `gtk_box_set_spacing()` to determine how much space will be minimally placed between all children in the GtkBox.

Use `gtk_box_reorder_child()` to move a GtkBox child to a different place in the box.

Use `gtk_box_set_child_packing()` to reset the `expand`, `fill`, and `padding` attributes of any GtkBox child. Use `gtk_box_query_child_packing()` to query these fields.

## Details

### GtkBox

    typedef struct {
      GList *children;
      gint16 spacing;
      guint homogeneous : 1;
    } GtkBox;

The GtkBox-struct describes an instance of GtkBox and contains the following fields. (These fields should be considered read-only. They should never be set by an application.)

GList * `children`; | a list of children belonging the GtkBox. The data is a list of structures of type GtkBoxChild-struct.
gint16 `spacing`; | the number of pixels to put between children of the GtkBox, zero by default. Use `gtk_box_set_spacing()` to set this field.
guint `homogeneous`; | a flag that if `TRUE` forces all children to get equal space in the GtkBox; `FALSE` by default. Use `gtk_box_set_homogeneous()` to set this field.

### GtkBoxChild

    typedef struct {
      GtkWidget *widget;
      guint16 padding;
      guint expand : 1;
      guint fill : 1;
      guint pack : 1;
      guint is_secondary : 1;
    } GtkBoxChild;

The GtkBoxChild-struct holds a child widget of GtkBox and describes how the child is to be packed into the GtkBox. Use `gtk_box_query_child_packing()` and `gtk_box_set_child_packing()` to query and reset the `padding`, `expand`, `fill`, and `pack` fields.

GtkBoxChild-struct contains the following fields. (These fields should be considered read-only. They should never be directly set by an application.)

GtkWidget * `widget`; | the child widget, packed into the GtkBox.
guint16 `padding`; | the number of extra pixels to put between this child and its neighbors, set when packed, zero by default.
guint `expand`; | flag indicates whether extra space should be given to this child. Any extra space given to the parent GtkBox is divided up among all children with this attribute set to `TRUE`; set when packed, `TRUE` by default.
guint `fill`; | flag indicates whether any extra space given to this child due to its `expand` attribute being set is actually allocated to the child, rather than being used as padding around the widget; set when packed, `TRUE` by default.
guint `pack`; | one of GtkPackType indicating whether the child is packed with reference to the start (top/left) or end (bottom/right) of the GtkBox.

### gtk_box_pack_start ()

    void        gtk_box_pack_start              (GtkBox *box,
                                                 GtkWidget *child,
                                                 gboolean expand,
                                                 gboolean fill,
                                                 guint padding);

Adds `child` to `box`, packed with reference to the start of `box`. The `child` is packed after any other child packed with reference to the start of `box`.

`box` : | a GtkBox.
`child` : | the GtkWidget to be added to `box`.
`expand` : | `TRUE` if the new child is to be given extra space allocated to `box`. The extra space will be divided evenly between all children of `box` that use this option.
`fill` : | `TRUE` if space given to `child` by the `expand` option is actually allocated to `child`, rather than just padding it. This parameter has no effect if `expand` is set to `FALSE`. A child is always allocated the full height of a GtkHBox and the full width of a GtkVBox. This option affects the other dimension.
`padding` : | extra space in pixels to put between this child and its neighbors, over and above the global amount specified by `spacing` in GtkBox-struct. If `child` is a widget at one of the reference ends of `box`, then `padding` pixels are also put between `child` and the reference edge of `box`.

### gtk_box_pack_end ()

    void        gtk_box_pack_end                (GtkBox *box,
                                                 GtkWidget *child,
                                                 gboolean expand,
                                                 gboolean fill,
                                                 guint padding);

Adds `child` to `box`, packed with reference to the end of `box`. The `child` is packed after (away from end of) any other child packed with reference to the end of `box`.

`box` : | a GtkBox.
`child` : | the GtkWidget to be added to `box`.
`expand` : | `TRUE` if the new child is to be given extra space allocated to `box`. The extra space will be divided evenly between all children of `box` that use this option.
`fill` : | `TRUE` if space given to `child` by the `expand` option is actually allocated to `child`, rather than just padding it. This parameter has no effect if `expand` is set to `FALSE`. A child is always allocated the full height of a GtkHBox and the full width of a GtkVBox. This option affects the other dimension.
`padding` : | extra space in pixels to put between this child and its neighbors, over and above the global amount specified by `spacing` in GtkBox-struct. If `child` is a widget at one of the reference ends of `box`, then `padding` pixels are also put between `child` and the reference edge of `box`.

### gtk_box_pack_start_defaults ()

    void        gtk_box_pack_start_defaults     (GtkBox *box,
                                                 GtkWidget *widget);

Adds `widget` to `box`, packed with reference to the start of `box`. The child is packed after any other child packed with reference to the start of `box`.

Parameters for how to pack the child `widget`, `expand`, `fill`, and `padding` in GtkBoxChild-struct, are given their default values, `TRUE`, `TRUE`, and 0, respectively.

`box` : | a GtkBox.
`widget` : | the GtkWidget to be added to `box`.

### gtk_box_pack_end_defaults ()

    void        gtk_box_pack_end_defaults       (GtkBox *box,
                                                 GtkWidget *widget);

Adds `widget` to `box`, packed with reference to the end of `box`. The child is packed after (away from end of) any other child packed with reference to the end of `box`.

Parameters for how to pack the child `widget`, `expand`, `fill`, and `padding` in GtkBoxChild-struct, are given their default values, `TRUE`, `TRUE`, and 0, respectively.

`box` : | a GtkBox.
`widget` : | the GtkWidget to be added to `box`.

### gtk_box_get_homogeneous ()

    gboolean    gtk_box_get_homogeneous         (GtkBox *box);

Returns whether the box is homogeneous (all children are the same size). See `gtk_box_set_homogeneous()`.

`box` : | a GtkBox
Returns : | `TRUE` if the box is homogeneous.

### gtk_box_set_homogeneous ()

    void        gtk_box_set_homogeneous         (GtkBox *box,
                                                 gboolean homogeneous);

Sets the `homogeneous` field of GtkBox-struct, controlling whether or not all children of `box` are given equal space in the box.

`box` : | a GtkBox.
`homogeneous` : | a boolean value, `TRUE` to create equal allotments, `FALSE` for variable allotments.

### gtk_box_get_spacing ()

    gint        gtk_box_get_spacing             (GtkBox *box);

Gets the value set by `gtk_box_set_spacing()`.

`box` : | a GtkBox
Returns : | spacing between children

### gtk_box_set_spacing ()

    void        gtk_box_set_spacing             (GtkBox *box,
                                                 gint spacing);

Sets the `spacing` field of GtkBox-struct, which is the number of pixels to place between children of `box`.

`box` : | a GtkBox.
`spacing` : | the number of pixels to put between children.

### gtk_box_reorder_child ()

    void        gtk_box_reorder_child           (GtkBox *box,
                                                 GtkWidget *child,
                                                 gint position);

Moves `child` to a new `position` in the list of `box` children. The list is the `children` field of GtkBox-struct, and contains both widgets packed GTK_PACK_START as well as widgets packed GTK_PACK_END, in the order that these widgets were added to `box`.

A widget's position in the `box` children list determines where the widget is packed into `box`. A child widget at some position in the list will be packed just after all other widgets of the same packing type that appear earlier in the list.

`box` : | a GtkBox.
`child` : | the GtkWidget to move.
`position` : | the new position for `child` in the `children` list of GtkBox-struct, starting from 0. If negative, indicates the end of the list.

### gtk_box_query_child_packing ()

    void        gtk_box_query_child_packing     (GtkBox *box,
                                                 GtkWidget *child,
                                                 gboolean *expand,
                                                 gboolean *fill,
                                                 guint *padding,
                                                 GtkPackType *pack_type);

Returns information about how `child` is packed into `box`.

`box` : | a GtkBox.
`child` : | the GtkWidget of the child to query.
`expand` : | the returned value of the `expand` field in GtkBoxChild-struct.
`fill` : | the returned value of the `fill` field in GtkBoxChild-struct.
`padding` : | the returned value of the `padding` field in GtkBoxChild-struct.
`pack_type` : | the returned value of the `pack` field in GtkBoxChild-struct.

### gtk_box_set_child_packing ()

    void        gtk_box_set_child_packing       (GtkBox *box,
                                                 GtkWidget *child,
                                                 gboolean expand,
                                                 gboolean fill,
                                                 guint padding,
                                                 GtkPackType pack_type);

Sets the way `child` is packed into `box`.

`box` : | a GtkBox.
`child` : | the GtkWidget of the child to set.
`expand` : | the new value of the `expand` field in GtkBoxChild-struct.
`fill` : | the new value of the `fill` field in GtkBoxChild-struct.
`padding` : | the new value of the `padding` field in GtkBoxChild-struct.
`pack_type` : | the new value of the `pack` field in GtkBoxChild-struct.

## Properties

### The "`homogeneous`" property

      "homogeneous"          gboolean              : Read / Write

Whether the children should all be the same size.

### The "`spacing`" property

      "spacing"              gint                  : Read / Write

The amount of space between children.

## Child Properties

### The "`expand`" child property

      "expand"               gboolean              : Read / Write

Whether the child should receive extra space when the parent grows.

### The "`fill`" child property

      "fill"                 gboolean              : Read / Write

Whether extra space given to the child should be allocated to the child or used as padding.

### The "`pack-type`" child property

      "pack-type"            GtkPackType           : Read / Write

A GtkPackType indicating whether the child is packed with reference to the start or end of the parent.

### The "`padding`" child property

      "padding"              guint                 : Read / Write

Extra space to put between the child and its neighbors, in pixels.

### The "`position`" child property

      "position"             gint                  : Read / Write

The index of the child in the parent.

## See Also

GtkHBox | a derived class that organizes widgets into a row.
GtkVBox | a derived class that organizes widgets into a column.
GtkFrame | a GtkWidget useful for drawing a border around a GtkBox.
GtkTable | a GtkContainer for organizing widgets into a grid, rather than independent rows or columns.
GtkLayout | a GtkContainer for organizing widgets into arbitrary layouts.