"this" keyword passed as parent parameter

cs_student

QMessageBox::information(this,"Message","You clicked on that button",QMessageBox::Ok);

I know that the "this" keyword returns the address of the current object, but I didn't get it in the context above.

What does the "this" keyword really do in the context above and why it's provided it as its parent?

Pl45m4

this is passed to set this (the QWidget you are currently in) as parent of your QMessageBox.
If you leave it out, which is not possible in your case, your standard QMessageBox ' parent is a nullptr (= no parent).

It's necessary here because it shows this special type of QMessageBox in relation to your QWidget, that invokes it instead of (parentless) "floating around".
(EDIT: Instead of passing a valid widget, a nullptr is possible too, like @GrecKo said below, but you can't leave it out)

~~So these static MessageBoxes like QMessageBox::information() or QMessageBox::warning() need a parent, while a standard QMessageBox does not.~~

GrecKo

It's possible to pass nullptr as a parent.
The parent here acts only to position the message box relatively to it (on top of it, in the same window).

Pl45m4

@GrecKo

~~But why the QMessageBox standard constructor has nullptr as default value while the static messageBox functions don't?~~
(Edit: Never mind... I didn't realized the parameter order)

Of course you can pass a nullptr, but in your case, you can not just leave it out.

jsulm

@cs_student said in "this" keyword passed as parent parameter:

What does the "this" keyword really do in the context above and why it's provided it as its parent?

Read this: https://doc.qt.io/qt-5/objecttrees.html