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  4. how to clear a QPlainTextBox within a QTabWidget?
Forum Update on Monday, May 27th 2025

how to clear a QPlainTextBox within a QTabWidget?

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  • mzimmersM mzimmers

    @mrjj I want to keep the tab because more stuff will be written to it. Clearing the contents is just a convenience for the user.

    mrjjM Offline
    mrjjM Offline
    mrjj
    Lifetime Qt Champion
    wrote on last edited by
    #5

    @mzimmers
    Ok, but is the page the actual plainTextEdit or does it have a parent QWidget?
    (as @SGaist asks)

    1 Reply Last reply
    0
    • mzimmersM Offline
      mzimmersM Offline
      mzimmers
      wrote on last edited by
      #6

      This is how I did it (but I'd be happy to change it if it would make this easier):
      0_1532038762624_tabs.PNG
      0_1532038786023_tabs2.PNG

      mrjjM 1 Reply Last reply
      0
      • mzimmersM mzimmers

        This is how I did it (but I'd be happy to change it if it would make this easier):
        0_1532038762624_tabs.PNG
        0_1532038786023_tabs2.PNG

        mrjjM Offline
        mrjjM Offline
        mrjj
        Lifetime Qt Champion
        wrote on last edited by
        #7

        @mzimmers
        Ok so its not the page itself.
        Well, calling clear() on PlainTextWidget should make you happy.

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        • mzimmersM Offline
          mzimmersM Offline
          mzimmers
          wrote on last edited by
          #8

          I'm afraid I don't understand. How do I know which one to call the clear on? In other words, what do I do with the index that denotes which tab is displayed?

          1 Reply Last reply
          0
          • SGaistS Offline
            SGaistS Offline
            SGaist
            Lifetime Qt Champion
            wrote on last edited by
            #9

            You don't need it, as I suggested, you can get the widget directly.

            Interested in AI ? www.idiap.ch
            Please read the Qt Code of Conduct - https://forum.qt.io/topic/113070/qt-code-of-conduct

            mzimmersM 1 Reply Last reply
            0
            • SGaistS SGaist

              You don't need it, as I suggested, you can get the widget directly.

              mzimmersM Offline
              mzimmersM Offline
              mzimmers
              wrote on last edited by
              #10

              @SGaist right, I can do this:

                  QWidget *w ;
              ...
                  w = ui->tabWidget->currentWidget();
              

              But what member/method of w gives me the child QPlainTextBox? That's the step I'm missing.

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              • M Offline
                M Offline
                mpergand
                wrote on last edited by
                #11

                The QPlainText should be the first child.

                But, why not put the QPlainText directly as the tab widget ?

                mzimmersM 1 Reply Last reply
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                • M mpergand

                  The QPlainText should be the first child.

                  But, why not put the QPlainText directly as the tab widget ?

                  mzimmersM Offline
                  mzimmersM Offline
                  mzimmers
                  wrote on last edited by
                  #12

                  @mpergand I don't know how to do that, at least not with Designer.

                  But this seems to work, though I'm not sure it's what SGaist had in mind:

                  void Widget::on_pushButtonClear_clicked()
                  {
                      QWidget *w ;
                      QPlainTextEdit *qpte;
                  
                      w = ui->tabWidget->currentWidget();
                      qpte = qobject_cast<QPlainTextEdit *>(w->children().at(0));
                      qpte->clear();
                  }
                  

                  Comments?

                  mrjjM J.HilkJ 2 Replies Last reply
                  0
                  • M Offline
                    M Offline
                    mpergand
                    wrote on last edited by
                    #13

                    In Designer, it seems impossible to change the default widget added automaticaly.
                    I'm missing something ?

                    mrjjM 1 Reply Last reply
                    0
                    • M mpergand

                      In Designer, it seems impossible to change the default widget added automaticaly.
                      I'm missing something ?

                      mrjjM Offline
                      mrjjM Offline
                      mrjj
                      Lifetime Qt Champion
                      wrote on last edited by
                      #14

                      @mpergand
                      I think not. Only way i found was via promotion.

                      M 1 Reply Last reply
                      0
                      • mzimmersM mzimmers

                        @mpergand I don't know how to do that, at least not with Designer.

                        But this seems to work, though I'm not sure it's what SGaist had in mind:

                        void Widget::on_pushButtonClear_clicked()
                        {
                            QWidget *w ;
                            QPlainTextEdit *qpte;
                        
                            w = ui->tabWidget->currentWidget();
                            qpte = qobject_cast<QPlainTextEdit *>(w->children().at(0));
                            qpte->clear();
                        }
                        

                        Comments?

                        mrjjM Offline
                        mrjjM Offline
                        mrjj
                        Lifetime Qt Champion
                        wrote on last edited by
                        #15

                        @mzimmers

                        Just in case u call on_pushButtonClear_clicked twice..

                        if ( w->children().size() ) {
                        qpte = qobject_cast<QPlainTextEdit *>(w->children().at(0));
                        ...
                        }

                        1 Reply Last reply
                        2
                        • mrjjM mrjj

                          @mpergand
                          I think not. Only way i found was via promotion.

                          M Offline
                          M Offline
                          mpergand
                          wrote on last edited by
                          #16

                          @mrjj
                          Infortunately, you cannot promote to an already existing widget, QPlainTextEdit here.
                          A pity ...

                          1 Reply Last reply
                          0
                          • mzimmersM Offline
                            mzimmersM Offline
                            mzimmers
                            wrote on last edited by
                            #17

                            Got it. Thanks for the assistance; perhaps the best lesson here is that there are still things one can't do in Designer.

                            mrjjM 1 Reply Last reply
                            0
                            • mzimmersM mzimmers

                              Got it. Thanks for the assistance; perhaps the best lesson here is that there are still things one can't do in Designer.

                              mrjjM Offline
                              mrjjM Offline
                              mrjj
                              Lifetime Qt Champion
                              wrote on last edited by
                              #18

                              @mzimmers
                              Well its pretty easy to setup in code if really needed.
                              I often mix both UI design and code.
                              Thats what i like the best with Qt. Its not either WYSIWYG and no code
                              or reverse. Its actually only code. ;)

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                              0
                              • mzimmersM mzimmers

                                @mpergand I don't know how to do that, at least not with Designer.

                                But this seems to work, though I'm not sure it's what SGaist had in mind:

                                void Widget::on_pushButtonClear_clicked()
                                {
                                    QWidget *w ;
                                    QPlainTextEdit *qpte;
                                
                                    w = ui->tabWidget->currentWidget();
                                    qpte = qobject_cast<QPlainTextEdit *>(w->children().at(0));
                                    qpte->clear();
                                }
                                

                                Comments?

                                J.HilkJ Offline
                                J.HilkJ Offline
                                J.Hilk
                                Moderators
                                wrote on last edited by
                                #19

                                @mzimmers said in how to clear a QPlainTextBox within a QTabWidget?:

                                void Widget::on_pushButtonClear_clicked()
                                {
                                    QWidget *w ;
                                    QPlainTextEdit *qpte;
                                
                                    w = ui->tabWidget->currentWidget();
                                    qpte = qobject_cast<QPlainTextEdit *>(w->children().at(0));
                                    qpte->clear();
                                }
                                

                                because this is bound to fail as soon as the first child is not the targeted widget, or if it does not have children at all, I would suggest the following change:

                                void Widget::on_pushButtonClear_clicked()
                                {
                                    QWidget *w ;
                                    QPlainTextEdit *qpte;
                                
                                    w = ui->tabWidget->currentWidget();
                                    for(QObject *obj : w->children()){
                                         qpte = qobject_cast<QPlainTextEdit *>(obj);
                                         if(qpte)
                                              qpte->clear();
                                    }   
                                
                                

                                Be aware of the Qt Code of Conduct, when posting : https://forum.qt.io/topic/113070/qt-code-of-conduct


                                Q: What's that?
                                A: It's blue light.
                                Q: What does it do?
                                A: It turns blue.

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                                • SGaistS Offline
                                  SGaistS Offline
                                  SGaist
                                  Lifetime Qt Champion
                                  wrote on last edited by SGaist
                                  #20

                                  No need to make it so complicated: findChild is what you are looking for.

                                  QWidget *w = ui->tabWidget->currentWidget();
                                  QPlainTextEdit *qpte = w->findChild<QPlainTextEdit *>();
                                  if (qpte) {
                                      qpte->clear();
                                  }
                                  

                                  Since the content of the widget is known, there's no real need for the if, it's to show good practice if you are doing "widget inspection".

                                  Interested in AI ? www.idiap.ch
                                  Please read the Qt Code of Conduct - https://forum.qt.io/topic/113070/qt-code-of-conduct

                                  1 Reply Last reply
                                  4

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