How can i log all executions of QAction?

[stefanwoe]

In our application we want to log all QAction executions to a log file. All Commands are called using QAction objects, and using that we would be able to reconstruct what a user did.
I originally wanted to extend QAction with a own class and just overload the triggered method, but this method is not virtual as most others of QAction.

I then tried to add signals following this approach here
https://stackoverflow.com/questions/70064468/list-all-signals-emitted-from-qt-application/70066122#70066122

But i am unable to get the calling QAction Element.
Is there a way to do this without adding code to each command we implemented?

[DerReisende]

Having had only a quick look at QAction source why don‘t you overrride the event() function and do the logging before emitting the appropriate signals?

[stefanwoe]

@DerReisende I tried that, but i dont find a matching event type:
I find 3 events related to actions:
QEvent::ActionAdded
QEvent::ActionChanged
QEvent::ActionRemoved
(https://doc.qt.io/qt-6/qevent.html)

QEvent::ActionChanged will be send when executing but also when building the events or on a a language change etc. I dont find a way to distinguish this.

[DerReisende]

I meant void QAction::activate(ActionEvent event):

void QAction::activate(ActionEvent event)
1113	{
1114	    Q_D(QAction);
1115	    if (event == Trigger) {
1116	        // Ignore even explicit triggers when explicitly disabled
1117	        if ((d->explicitEnabled && !d->explicitEnabledValue) || (d->group && !d->group->isEnabled()))
1118	            return;
1119	        QPointer<QObject> guard = this;
1120	        if (d->checkable) {
1121	            // the checked action of an exclusive group may not be unchecked
1122	            if (d->checked && (d->group
1123	                               && d->group->exclusionPolicy() == QActionGroup::ExclusionPolicy::Exclusive
1124	                               && d->group->checkedAction() == this)) {
1125	                if (!guard.isNull())
1126	                    emit triggered(true);
1127	                return;
1128	            }
1129	            setChecked(!d->checked);
1130	        }
1131	        if (!guard.isNull())
1132	            emit triggered(d->checked);
1133	    } else if (event == Hover) {
1134	        emit hovered();
1135	    }
1136	}

This is from Qt6 source file and maybe you should be able to properly put logging content in your override.

[stefanwoe]

I found a rather simple solution inspired by @DerReisende.
It just uses a signal / slot. So all i had to do besides this, was
replace "new QAction" by "new MyAction" all over my program.

This seems to work fine:

class MyAction : public QAction
{
    Q_OBJECT
    using QAction::QAction;

    bool event(QEvent *e);

public slots:
    void onTriggered(bool);
};

bool MyAction ::event(QEvent *e)
{
    if(e->type() == QEvent::ActionChanged)
    {
        static const QMetaMethod triggeredSignal = QMetaMethod::fromSignal(&CMDIAction::triggered);

        if(! isSignalConnected(triggeredSignal))
           connect(this, SIGNAL(triggered(bool)), this, SLOT(onTriggered(bool)));
    }
    return QAction::event(e);
}

void MyAction ::onTriggered(bool)
{
    gLogStream << " Action Triggered: " << text() ;
}

[stefanwoe]

@DerReisende
As noted above, you cant override QAction::activate its not virtual.

[mchinand]

@stefanwoe said in How can i log all executions of QAction?:

connect(this, SIGNAL(triggered(bool)), this, SLOT(onTriggered(bool)));

Couldn't you put this connect statement (and switch to the new(ish) connect format) in the constructor of MyAction?

[stefanwoe]

@mchinand N0, i tried, but i failed on this.

[jsulm]

@stefanwoe said in How can i log all executions of QAction?:

but i failed on this

Why? What happened and how exactly did you try?

[stefanwoe]

@jsulm Nothing i tried compiled, but i may have done it wrong Thats not important for me. The solution seems to work. Thats important.

[stefanwoe]

Ah, it works that way:

connect(this, &QAction::triggered, this, &MyAction::onTriggered);

If do that in the constructor ill have to overload all 3 different ctors - but yes that would probably work to.