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Forum Update on Monday, May 27th 2025

Inserting a QAction into a QLayout

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  • J Offline
    J Offline
    JulienMaille
    wrote on last edited by
    #1

    Hello,
    I'm trying to change my app layout and while moving a bunch of buttons from one place to another, I came across a QAction (currently located in a QToolBar) that I would like to move to a QLayout.
    I tried to call myLayout->insertWidget(0, ui->myToolbar->widgetForAction(ui->myAction));
    The button will disappear from the toolbar but does not appear in the layout.
    Is there a way to achieve this?

    Thanks in advance

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    • Christian EhrlicherC Online
      Christian EhrlicherC Online
      Christian Ehrlicher
      Lifetime Qt Champion
      wrote on last edited by
      #2

      An action is not a widget so you can't add it to a layout. What do you really want to do? If you want to execute an action after e.g. a button was pressed then add a button and connect the appropriate signal to the action.

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      JoeCFDJ 1 Reply Last reply
      1
      • Christian EhrlicherC Christian Ehrlicher

        An action is not a widget so you can't add it to a layout. What do you really want to do? If you want to execute an action after e.g. a button was pressed then add a button and connect the appropriate signal to the action.

        JoeCFDJ Offline
        JoeCFDJ Offline
        JoeCFD
        wrote on last edited by JoeCFD
        #3

        @Christian-Ehrlicher ui->myToolbar->widgetForAction(ui->myAction) is a widget, not an action.
        I would prefer to create a new widget for this action. Otherwise, the same widget will be in two layouts.

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        • Christian EhrlicherC Online
          Christian EhrlicherC Online
          Christian Ehrlicher
          Lifetime Qt Champion
          wrote on last edited by
          #4

          @JoeCFD said in Inserting a QAction into a QLayout:

          I would prefer to create a new widget for this action

          Then do this.

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          J 1 Reply Last reply
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          • SGaistS Offline
            SGaistS Offline
            SGaist
            Lifetime Qt Champion
            wrote on last edited by
            #5

            Hi,

            You can associate an action with several widgets for example you can use the same action in a toolbar and a menu.

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            Please read the Qt Code of Conduct - https://forum.qt.io/topic/113070/qt-code-of-conduct

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            • Christian EhrlicherC Christian Ehrlicher

              @JoeCFD said in Inserting a QAction into a QLayout:

              I would prefer to create a new widget for this action

              Then do this.

              J Offline
              J Offline
              JulienMaille
              wrote on last edited by
              #6

              @Christian-Ehrlicher said in Inserting a QAction into a QLayout:

              @JoeCFD said in Inserting a QAction into a QLayout:

              I would prefer to create a new widget for this action

              Then do this.

              He's not the original poster :)
              I would like the widget to react to the QAction visible/disable state (event the tooltip text is shared accross widgets), juste like other QWidgets associated to that QAction.
              As @SGaist said a QAction can be present in several toolbars and menus.

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              • Christian EhrlicherC Online
                Christian EhrlicherC Online
                Christian Ehrlicher
                Lifetime Qt Champion
                wrote on last edited by
                #7

                So still don't understand the problem. Then add the action to e.g. a QPushButton or similar... and action can be associated to more than one widget: https://doc.qt.io/qt-5/qaction.html#associatedWidgets

                Qt Online Installer direct download: https://download.qt.io/official_releases/online_installers/
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                J 1 Reply Last reply
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                • Christian EhrlicherC Christian Ehrlicher

                  So still don't understand the problem. Then add the action to e.g. a QPushButton or similar... and action can be associated to more than one widget: https://doc.qt.io/qt-5/qaction.html#associatedWidgets

                  J Offline
                  J Offline
                  JulienMaille
                  wrote on last edited by
                  #8

                  @Christian-Ehrlicher said in Inserting a QAction into a QLayout:

                  So still don't understand the problem. Then add the action to e.g. a QPushButton or similar... and action can be associated to more than one widget: https://doc.qt.io/qt-5/qaction.html#associatedWidgets

                  I'm not sure I understood how I can add my own QPushButton to the associatedWidgets

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                  • Christian EhrlicherC Online
                    Christian EhrlicherC Online
                    Christian Ehrlicher
                    Lifetime Qt Champion
                    wrote on last edited by
                    #9

                    Via QWidget::addActionas described in the link. But it will not help much since a QPushButton does not react on QEvent::ActionChanged - only a QToolButton or QMenu and some others do. Therefore either derive from QPushButton and do it by your own or, as I already said in my first post: 'If you want to execute an action after e.g. a button was pressed then add a button and connect the appropriate signal to the action.'

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                    • J Offline
                      J Offline
                      JulienMaille
                      wrote on last edited by
                      #10

                      As you said addAction() does not help with my request. It will note even trigger the associated action

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                      • SGaistS Offline
                        SGaistS Offline
                        SGaist
                        Lifetime Qt Champion
                        wrote on last edited by
                        #11

                        Why use a QPushButton if you want to move a QToolButton around ?

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                        Please read the Qt Code of Conduct - https://forum.qt.io/topic/113070/qt-code-of-conduct

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                        • J Offline
                          J Offline
                          JulienMaille
                          wrote on last edited by
                          #12

                          @SGaist what are you suggesting? Is there a way I can easily insert a QAction in a layout as a QToolButton?
                          If I need to create my own toolbutton, connect all the signals and icon/title changes myself, then it defeats the whole purpose of using a QAction

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                          • Christian EhrlicherC Online
                            Christian EhrlicherC Online
                            Christian Ehrlicher
                            Lifetime Qt Champion
                            wrote on last edited by
                            #13

                            Add a QToolButton to the layout and add the action with QWidget::addAction() as I already told you and the documentation tells you.

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                            J 1 Reply Last reply
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                            • J Offline
                              J Offline
                              JulienMaille
                              wrote on last edited by
                              #14

                              I have added a QToolBar in my layout, and add the actions to the toolbar, it works and I think that is the right way to do this.

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                              • Christian EhrlicherC Christian Ehrlicher

                                Add a QToolButton to the layout and add the action with QWidget::addAction() as I already told you and the documentation tells you.

                                J Offline
                                J Offline
                                JulienMaille
                                wrote on last edited by
                                #15

                                @Christian-Ehrlicher said in Inserting a QAction into a QLayout:

                                Add a QToolButton to the layout and add the action with QWidget::addAction() as I already told you and the documentation tells you.

                                This doesn't work. It will add a dropdown icon suggesting the toolbutton has a menu and nothing else

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                                • Christian EhrlicherC Online
                                  Christian EhrlicherC Online
                                  Christian Ehrlicher
                                  Lifetime Qt Champion
                                  wrote on last edited by
                                  #16

                                  Then use signals/slots

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