Qt Style Sheets cascading classes selectors

[JonB]

@webzoid
Oooohhh, I have held the phone, and this looks perfect!

I am new to Qt, and I'm afraid I use Python/PyQt (and no Qt Creator). How (C++ will do) do I do:

Assign a dynamic property called "class"

?

[J.Hilk]

@webzoid wait wait, could you elaborate that example a bit for all us none StyleSheet Experts x)

[webzoid]

@JNBarchan I believe the QObject::setProperty function is how you would assign a dynamic property in c++. See here

http://doc.qt.io/qt-5/qobject.html#setProperty

@J-Hilk I will post my worked example for download shortly...

[webzoid]

Here's a QWidgets example:

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1XbOJgF6DNqsmq_JR5c9gfWiHv3poHPWV

The "style.css" file needs to live alongside the executable in order for this to work. Or change the code...

[JonB]

@webzoid said in Qt Style Sheets cascading classes selectors:

@JNBarchan I believe the QObject::setProperty function is how you would assign a dynamic property in c++. See here

http://doc.qt.io/qt-5/qobject.html#setProperty

Hopefully, you are a hero(!), though not time to try it right now.

From the docs I note:

If the property is defined in the class using Q_PROPERTY then true is returned on success and false otherwise. If the property is not defined using Q_PROPERTY, and therefore not listed in the meta-object, it is added as a dynamic property and false is returned.

Being Python/PyQt, I don't know how (or even if it's possible) to do Q_PROPERTY. Assuming I can't, does your class property principle work OK if that is absent?

[webzoid]

@JNBarchan Unfortunately I'm coming from the Windows QWidget application side of things so I really can't comment on what Python/PyQt will do in this instance.

I have just done a test whereby I call the setProperty function from C++ as follows:

ui->pushButton->setProperty("class", "red thick-border");

and the result is exactly the same as if I'd done it in the designer. Hopefully PyQt works in the same way.

[J.Hilk]

@JNBarchan Q_Property is part of QObject that is the essential part of what makes qt qt, so I would be seriously surpised if its not possible.

@webzoid thank you very much! That will help a lot of people for a long time ;-)

[webzoid]

@J.Hilk It's definitely helped me already!

[JonB]

@webzoid

@JNBarchan Unfortunately I'm coming from the Windows QWidget application side of things so I really can't comment on what Python/PyQt will do in this instance.

No, we're on the same page there. I inherit from QWidget OK just like you do. But (I believe) you can do something like:

class MyWidget : QWidget
{
    Q_PROPERTY QString cssClass;  // declare cssClass member as a known property in MyWidget
    ...
    this.cssClass = "red blue";
}

I can't (don't know how to/if I can) use that Q_PROPERTY macro you have, so just:

class MyWidget(QWidget)
{
    ...
    self.cssClass = "red blue";
}

But I think you are not using Q_PROPERTY anywhere yourself, you just go ui->pushButton->setProperty("class", "red thick-border");, so your class is:

therefore not listed in the meta-object, it is added as a dynamic property

Is that correct for your C++ situation? Which is all I can do, and looks same as what you are doing to me, so I should be OK?

[JonB]

@J.Hilk said in Qt Style Sheets cascading classes selectors:

@JNBarchan Q_Property is part of QObject that is the essential part of what makes qt qt, so I would be seriously surpised if its not possible.

? a. I think it's a macro, so what is its expansion anyway? and b. in Python we do not even declare any member variables in a class (not my fault, I didn't choose Python), so ... ?

[J.Hilk]

@JNBarchan said in Qt Style Sheets cascading classes selectors:

@J.Hilk said in Qt Style Sheets cascading classes selectors:

@JNBarchan Q_Property is part of QObject that is the essential part of what makes qt qt, so I would be seriously surpised if its not possible.

? a. I think it's a macro, so what is its expansion anyway? and b. in Python we do not even declare any member variables in a class (not my fault, I didn't choose Python), so ... ?

Well, yes, technically its a Macro (I think), I found this webside Support for Qt Properties for PyQt5

seems like a good place to start, I guess.

[raven-worx]

@J.Hilk
actually this is already stated in the docs.
Altough i am surprised that it works when you assign a string with space-separated values instead of a QVariant containing a QStringList.

[JonB]

@raven-worx
Thanks, I needed that link. I had not come across it, its discussion of setProperty(), dynamic properties, multiple properties, use of ~=, etc. Obscure (for me)!

I see it says:

In addition, the special class property is supported, for the name of the class.

This might explain why my attempts so far to set & match my own property named class, as per @webzoid's suggestion, has not been working...!

[JonB]

@raven-worx
I'm really struggling here, because what should be working just isn't. I'm not even as far as multiple property/space-separated strings, just one item:

1. I create a QLabel.

2. Stylesheet: (global, nothing else in it) QLabel { color: red; }

3. Change to: QLabel[cssClass="red"] { color: red; }, or to QLabel[cssClass~="red"] { color: red; }

4. Change code to: label.setProperty("cssClass", "red")

After #2 it's red. After #4 it ceases to be red :(

I know it's Python/PyQt --- and I can't test C++ or QML --- but I really think the setProperty() will be a straight, pass-through call.

Would someone be prepared to just try as simple as above?

[raven-worx]

@JNBarchan
i never used PyQt in my life, so i have absolutely no experience with it.

Do you mean you change the stylesheet at runtime? Or do you just want to specify the stylesheet once from application startup and never change it again?

In c++ i would do this:

QLabel* label = new QLabel;
    label->setProperty("cssClass", QVariant::fromValue<QStringList>( QStringList() << "red" ) );

and in the stylesheet:

QLabel[cssClass~="red"] { color: red; }

I don't what the equivalent of a QStringList in PyQt.

[JonB]

@raven-worx

No, no need to change at runtime, all from startup.

I assume what you have written actually does work for you?

In Python (PyQt), we can't have QString, or QStringList, or QVariant :( (Don't ask, that's how it is...) PyQt's declaration of setProperty() is that it accepts Any, which means you pass any type from the language....

Please, keeping it simple, no lists, would yours still work if you wrote:

label->setProperty("cssClass", "red" );

Or, if that does not work, what about:

label->setProperty("cssClass", QVariant::fromValue<QString>( "red" ) );

(And we could stick to = not ~= in the stylesheet. I'm trying to do everything with just one item, no lists, to get anything working here...)

[raven-worx]

@JNBarchan said in Qt Style Sheets cascading classes selectors:

In Python (PyQt), we can't have QString, or QStringList, or QVariant :( (Don't ask, that's how it is...)

This questions everything else then, if it is even possible at all.
I have no idea then what exactly is assigned to the property in the background.

Do you set the property before the widget is shown? Best would be to set the property right after instantiation.

[JonB]

@raven-worx
Please don't worry about that, I will sort out the PyQt side. I have just posted above what I need to know from you for C++, please. You are being so helpful I don't want to lose you...!

P.S.
Yes, I set property after instantiation, before it gets shown.

[raven-worx]

@JNBarchan
for what you've posted so far the following should work (single strings in the property):

Stylesheet:

QLabel[cssClass="red"] { color: red; }

Code:

label.setProperty("cssClass", "red")

[JonB]

@raven-worx
I couldn't agree more that it should work, but that's what I claim to have in PyQt, and it does not :(

I just put in, and checked in debugger:

result = label.setProperty("cssclass", "red")

and result is getting set to false. This corresponds correctly to:

If the property is not defined using Q_PROPERTY, and therefore not listed in the meta-object, it is added as a dynamic property and false is returned.

Then added immediately afterward:

q = self.label.property("cssclass")

and sure enough that is returning "red".

So it looks to me that the property is getting set correctly...... It's the selector that doesn't seem to be matching, and I have tried using either = or ~=... And remember that QLabel { color: red; } does match...

EDIT: And for an in-built property it does work correctly, e.g. QLabel[class="QLabel"] does match and QLabel[class="rubbish"] does not match. But not for a dynamic property I'm adding.

You wrote:

the following should work

Very, very politely, have you actually verified that your code works?

I confirm that I am finding: everything works fine when I use "inbuilt"/"known" properties (e.g. class, flat, etc.), but nothing works when I use use "dynamic" properties created on the fly via setProperty() (the property seems to get set OK on the QObject, but it's never matched by the selector). Anyone?

UPDATE: OK, I'm starting from scratch in a minimal app, and it is working via setProperty(). Which is good :) So now, obviously, I'll report back after I've spent a few hundred hours finding out what's any different in my proper app... ;-)

UPDATE2: I've now sorted out what was different in the app. (I'm sorry --- it's 32K-odd lines, I didn't write it, I don't know my way around all of it. I thought I knew what I was affecting with my test changes, I was affecting the wrong things.)

The good news it's all working OK now, with setProperty()! Nothing special about Python/PyQt.

I can even use multiple values for my properties, and the ~= selector matcher, and everything is as I need it to be. So you can build up your desired attributes (color, size, font, whatever) into loads of different rules in the CSS and combine them as you please on any widget :)

@raven-worx
You wrote:

Altough i am surprised that it works when you assign a string with space-separated values instead of a QVariant containing a QStringList.

Actually, it does seem to work quite happily as a space-separated string like "tall red rounded", treating each "word" as though it had been an element in the QStringList I guess. CSS/HTML/JavaScript works this way too with a space-separated list of class names.

Thanks so much for your help & patience. And everyone else.