QTableView with custom model: color of disabled items

[StarterKit]

Hi,

I have a QTableView widget that displays data from custom model derived from QAbstractTableModel.
One of model's tasks is to display items with different colors depending on data. I do this by returning a proper QBrush from data() model's method when it is called with role == Qt.ForegroundRole.

Everything worked fine until I disabled my table widget. When I disable it then I have all items greyed-out except items with custom QBrush returned from the model. It is a bit weird behaviour of QTableWidget from my point of view (because many widgets may be connected to the same model).

The question is - what to do with it? How to set a proper color for disabled items when model's data() method returns custom foreground color? (I wouldn't like to use delegates as it will require a lot of stupid extra code for each widget connected to the model...)

For me it looks like a bug in QTableWidget that should paint grey everything disabled, even if custom foreground color is returned. (Or I missed somethign in manuals)
But ok, if it isn't a bug - how can I return a proper color for disabled item from my model? Or how can I override this color in QTableWidget if it is disabled?

[SGaist]

Hi,

You are talking about both QTableView and QTableWidget, which one is it ?

Which version of Qt are you using ?
On which platform ?

Can you provide a minimal compilable example that shows that behaviour. From the looks of it, you might be using Python, in that case a minimal script.

[mpergand]

Hi @StarterKit

You need to know the state of the TableView,
in your TableModel constructor you can pass it as the parent parameter;

struct TableModel : QAbstractTableModel
{
        QWidget* _parent;
        
        TableModel( QWidget *parent) : QAbstractTableModel(parent), _parent(parent) {}

and return no color if the table is disabled:

            switch (role)
                {
                case Qt::ForegroundRole:
                        if(_parent->isEnabled())
                            return you custom color;
                       // if not return nothing
                       return QVariant();  // default gray color will be displayed
                ....
                }

[SGaist]

@mpergand that's the wrong approach, the model shall not care about the state of the view. The view is responsible of the rendering not the model.

[mpergand]

@SGaist said in QTableView with custom model: color of disabled items:

@mpergand that's the wrong approach, the model shall not care about the state of the view. The view is responsible of the rendering not the model.

All rights, so what's your solution ?

[SGaist]

First reproduce and see the issue of the user.

Otherwise, even if he doesn't like it, a custom delegate.

[mpergand]

Rules are meant to be broken (sometimes) ;)

A delegate seems over complicated for a single color issue AMA

[JonB]

@StarterKit
I tested this at least on a QTableWidget I have, and agree I saw items with a color supplied from data() not showing as "dimmed/greyed". It seems that only applies if no color is specified, whether that is right or wrong.

Given which, the only correct way to go is indeed to provide a QStyledItemDelegate as a custom delegate, because only a delegate has access to the state of the parent view. A minimal delegate to do the desired here is actually only a small number of lines of code.

[mpergand]

If I would want to split hairs (couper les cheveux en 4 à la @SGaist)
I will say:

Model-View-Delegate has nothing to do with MVC
And the model in Qt is actually a data source, it’s an abstract class, an interface.
In classic MVC, data sources are implemented in controllers and of course they know all about the views :)
Qt terminology is confusing, by naming data source as model, it seems we have to deal with two kinds of models at the same time, because the real model is a data structure or DB elsewhere.

No one can contest that the MVD is the most complex and confusing paradigm of all the Qt framework …

[JonB]

@mpergand
Dear @mpergand, I usually find I agree with your posts, here I do not. I am in the @SGaist camp.

The OP only needs to have another QTableView --- for whatever reason --- onto the TableModel and your approach simply won't work: suppose one view is disabled and the other enabled. He may not actually have another one now, but MVs are intended to allow multiple views onto the model, so I would not use your suggestion. Politely.

Speaking for myself, I put any models I create in their own source files and do not allow those to include any widget stuff, so I could not access QWidget::isEnabled() in the model's data() even if I wanted to.

If the OP really does not wish to create a delegate for the QTableView, an alternative is to create a QAbstractProxyModel local to the QTableView. Interpose that between the view and the original source model, and do the required data() alteration there (where it can access the view to see if it is disabled). At least then he is sure the model returning the "manipulated" value for the color is totally local to the individual view.

[mpergand]

@JonB you're welcome.

MVs are intended to allow multiple views onto the model,

I have no experience with that and it's a little bit nebulous, for me model=data, several views can share the same data and show the data in different ways with specific sorting, filtering etc.
I am confused with the Qt terminology.

I must confess, I never understood/liked the MVD paradigm from the beginning.

[JonB]

@mpergand said in QTableView with custom model: color of disabled items:

several views can share the same data and show the data in different ways

That's the point. You made your model's constructor take a parameter of a widget parent (like a QTableView). Then how can that model be used in multiple widget views? It cannot. So your approach breaks the ability for this model to be used in any view other than that (single one) passed when it was constructed.

For the record: for MVC ,in Qt's MV-only paradigm you can write "Controller" logic either in its own class which has access to both model & view instances or in the view class which is allowed to access the model. What you are not supposed to do is write it in the model class.

[artwaw]

@mpergand Rule of thumb: model provides the data, nothing else. Delegate is responsible for rendering the data. I agree it is often tempting to make a shortcut, like one you proposed, but this will bite back in the least expected moment. Better off to stick with the paradigm even if it doesn't seem to make sense in a given moment and involves a bit more work.

[StarterKit]

Sorry for delay, it is weekend time... I'll try to answer one by one.

@SGaist said in QTableView with custom model: color of disabled items:

Hi,
You are talking about both QTableView and QTableWidget, which one is it ?
Which version of Qt are you using ?
On which platform ?
Can you provide a minimal compilable example that shows that behaviour. From the looks of it, you might be using Python, in that case a minimal script.

Ok, I'm on latest stable 6.2.2 now with PySide6 for python. I have it on Linux and Windows.
Below is the simple python example.
Without setDisabled() it shows pretty normal window:

But after setDisabled(True) I have:

As you may see - green and red numbers are not greyed out.

from PySide6.QtCore import Qt, QAbstractTableModel
from PySide6.QtWidgets import QWidget, QTableView, QVBoxLayout, QApplication
from PySide6.QtGui import QBrush

class MyWindow(QWidget):
    def __init__(self, *args):
        QWidget.__init__(self, *args)
        self.setGeometry(300, 200, 300, 200)
        self.table_model = MyTableModel(self)
        self.table_view = QTableView()
        self.table_view.setModel(self.table_model)
        self.table_view.resizeColumnsToContents()
        self.layout = QVBoxLayout(self)
        self.layout.addWidget(self.table_view)
        self.setLayout(self.layout)
        self.table_view.setDisabled(True)


class MyTableModel(QAbstractTableModel):
    header = ['Watch', 'Price, $']
    data_list = [
        ('Amazfit Pace', 100.0),
        ('Garmin Forerunner 245', 250.0),
        ('Garmin Fenix 6', 500.0)
    ]

    def __init__(self, parent, *args):
        QAbstractTableModel.__init__(self, parent, *args)
    def rowCount(self, parent):
        return len(self.data_list)
    def columnCount(self, parent):
        return len(self.data_list[0])
    def data(self, index, role):
        if not index.isValid():
            return None
        if role == Qt.DisplayRole:
            return self.data_list[index.row()][index.column()]
        if role == Qt.ForegroundRole and index.column() == 1:
            if self.data_list[index.row()][1] > 300:
                return QBrush(Qt.red)
            if self.data_list[index.row()][1] < 200:
                return QBrush(Qt.green)
        return None
    def headerData(self, col, orientation, role):
        if orientation == Qt.Horizontal and role == Qt.DisplayRole:
            return self.header[col]
        return None

app = QApplication([])
win = MyWindow()
win.show()
app.exec()

[StarterKit]

@artwaw said in QTableView with custom model: color of disabled items:

@mpergand Rule of thumb: model provides the data, nothing else. Delegate is responsible for rendering the data. I agree it is often tempting to make a shortcut, like one you proposed, but this will bite back in the least expected moment. Better off to stick with the paradigm even if it doesn't seem to make sense in a given moment and involves a bit more work.

I can't fully agree with it. First of all - I'm legally able to return color from data() method() as Qt.ForegroundRole is definded.
Second - I may say that color of my item is also a piece of data (and it really is - i.e. I may provide it as a separate field for delegate but ForegroundRole gives a smoother way to do it)

[StarterKit]

@JonB said in QTableView with custom model: color of disabled items:

I tested this at least on a QTableWidget I have, and agree I saw items with a color supplied from data() not showing as "dimmed/greyed". It seems that only applies if no color is specified, whether that is right or wrong.
Given which, the only correct way to go is indeed to provide a QStyledItemDelegate as a custom delegate, because only a delegate has access to the state of the parent view. A minimal delegate to do the desired here is actually only a small number of lines of code.

Thanks for your efforts. I assume you got similar result to what I posted above.
In reality I have more complex coloring rules applied and some months ago I handled it with QStyledItemDelegate descendants. I had a lot of different delegates here and there, it was quite a mess.
Then I got a better grasp on Qt MV paradigm and re-wrote my models. I discovered ForegroundRole/BackgroundRole options and got rid of almost all of my delegates (I still have several but for specific things).
This is why I have no desire to go back to that messy code that did only minor things...
I fully understand that it isn't a bug. But from my point of view this behavior of QTableView isn't proper. Is it possible to report it as enhancement proposal somewhere?
(I probably may do a code change by myself... the only problem I don't have C/C++ compiler at hand for last couple of years...)

[StarterKit]

I just checked Qt.BackroundRole to be sure - I can confirm it has the same behavior. I.e. cell background is not grey:

I think QTableView and probably other widgets should be improved.
One simple approach I may propose - to ignore colors provided by ForegroundRole/BackgroundRole if widget is disabled.
As more complex thing - color might be "dimmed".
Without such improvement, text may even occasionally become invisible after disabling of widget (if custom foreground will match with disabled background or vice versa)

[Christian Ehrlicher]

@StarterKit said in QTableView with custom model: color of disabled items:

I think QTableView and probably other widgets should be improved.

Feel free to provide a patch for it and find people who think it's a bug.

Since a model doesn't know anything about enabled/disabled you would have to double all roles with a one for the disabled state. And when you're at it don't forget that there is a focused/non-focues state (see QPalette) too.

One simple approach I may propose - to ignore colors provided by ForegroundRole/BackgroundRole if widget is disabled.

My data is such important that it must have a red background even the widget is disabled.

[StarterKit]

@Christian-Ehrlicher ok, your point is clear and I agree it might be the case sometimes.
But from my side - I'm quite satisfied with options provided by Foreground and Background roles of model's data() method and I'm not happy to go back creating a lot of delegates here and there just to make a somewhat good-looking UI. And a big part of Qt is about UI so I disagree that this dull job should be handled this way. This is not to agrue, just to supply another point of view.

Saying this I'm thinking about anything in between - if I subclass QTableView can I adjust common colors somewhere before painting? will paintEvent help me with it? I see in manual that it is possible to call setBackgroundRole() and setPalette() - how do you think, is it possible to substitute colors in paintEvent handler? Or I need to go deeper and modify some of parent's methods? Any ideas?

[Christian Ehrlicher]

@StarterKit said in QTableView with custom model: color of disabled items:

Any ideas?

Use a delegate or a QIdentityProxyModel.