When exactly to use a Q_PROPERTY ???

Ash V

Could you please tell me the exact scenarios when I need to associate a data member with a Q_PROPERTY ?
Please refer to the below example.

firstselfcodedqobjectclass.h

#ifndef FIRSTSELFCODEDQOBJECTCLASS_H
#define FIRSTSELFCODEDQOBJECTCLASS_H 

#include <QObject>

class FirstSelfCodedQObjectClass : public QObject
{
    Q_OBJECT

public:
    FirstSelfCodedQObjectClass(QObject *parent = nullptr);
    QString getName1() const;
    void setName1(const QString &name1);

signals:
    void name1Changed(const QString& name1);

private:
    QString m_name1;
};

#endif // FIRSTSELFCODEDQOBJECTCLASS_H

firstselfcodedqobjectclass.cpp

#include "firstselfcodedqobjectclass.h"

FirstSelfCodedQObjectClass::FirstSelfCodedQObjectClass(QObject *parent)
    : QObject(parent)
{}

QString FirstSelfCodedQObjectClass::getName1() const
{
    return m_name1;
}

void FirstSelfCodedQObjectClass::setName1(const QString &name1)
{
    if(m_name1 != name1)
    {
        m_name1 = name1;
        emit name1Changed(m_name1);
    }
}

secondselfcodedqobjectclass.h

#ifndef SECONDSELFCODEDQOBJECTCLASS_H
#define SECONDSELFCODEDQOBJECTCLASS_H

#include <QObject>
#include "firstselfcodedqobjectclass.h"

class FirstSelfCodedQObjectClass;
class SecondSelfCodedQObjectClass : public QObject
{
    Q_OBJECT

public:
    SecondSelfCodedQObjectClass(FirstSelfCodedQObjectClass *fs, QObject *parent = nullptr);
    QString getName2() const;
    void setName2(const QString &name2);

public slots:
    void onName1Changed(const QString &name1);

private:
    QString m_name2;
};

#endif // SECONDSELFCODEDQOBJECTCLASS_H

secondselfcodedqobjectclass.cpp

#include "secondselfcodedqobjectclass.h"

SecondSelfCodedQObjectClass::SecondSelfCodedQObjectClass(FirstSelfCodedQObjectClass *fs, QObject *parent)
    : QObject(parent)
{
    QObject::connect(fs
                   , &FirstSelfCodedQObjectClass::name1Changed
                   , this
                   , &SecondSelfCodedQObjectClass::onName1Changed);
}

QString SecondSelfCodedQObjectClass::getName2() const
{
    return m_name2;
}

void SecondSelfCodedQObjectClass::setName2(const QString &name2)
{
    if(m_name2 != name2)
    {
        m_name2 = name2;
    }
}

void SecondSelfCodedQObjectClass::onName1Changed(const QString &name1)
{
    if(m_name2 != name1)
    {
        m_name2 = name1;
    }
}

main.cpp

#include <QCoreApplication>
#include <QDebug>

#include "firstselfcodedqobjectclass.h"
#include "secondselfcodedqobjectclass.h"

int main(int argc, char *argv[])
{
    QCoreApplication a(argc, argv);

    FirstSelfCodedQObjectClass *f = new FirstSelfCodedQObjectClass;
    SecondSelfCodedQObjectClass *s = new SecondSelfCodedQObjectClass(f);

    f->setName1("Justin Bieber");
    qDebug() << (f->getName1()); // Output Justin Bieber
    qDebug() << (s->getName2()); // Output Justin Bieber

    s->setName2("Julius Ceaser");
    qDebug() << (f->getName1()); // Output Justin Bieber
    qDebug() << (s->getName2()); // Output Julius Ceaser

    return a.exec();
}

I had thought that the Q_PROPERTY is for using the signals-and-slots mechanism. But it turns out from the above example that we can use it without necessarily having any Q_PROPERTY.

This is the documentation I have referred to.

I'd greatly appreciate your help on this topic....

JonB

@Ash-V Answered at https://forum.qt.io/topic/154984/expected-primary-expression-before-token/4.

Axel Spoerl

@Ash-V
Within Qt, we use the property system mainly for QML exposure.

If you want to access a variable (e.g. with int MyClass::myNumber() constand void MyClass::setMyNumber(int number), you need to know these accessors at compile time. That means, whoever wants to see myNumber()or change it, needs to include the headers of MyClass.

The Q_PROPERTY macro makes accessors to a variable available at runtime. A caller only needs to know that MyClassinherits from QObject. It can use QMetaObject to find property names and e.g. use QObject::setProperty("myNumber", 42); to modify it.

Ash V

@JonB , @Axel-Spoerl
Thanks, Axel, as well as Jon !

I want to thank you both for being helpful !

Ash V

@Axel-Spoerl
But Axel,
as you mentioned here,

the Q_PROPERTY isn't useful in the C++ part of Qt, right ?

Suppose I have a class class FirstClass : public QObject and a class SecondClass wherein I want to use the accessors of FirstClass.

Now, both ways (with or without using Q_PROPERTY) I definitely need to import the firstclass.hpp header file, I guess.
Because while referring the accessors of FirstClass, in SecondClass, I will refer them as FirstClass::<accessor>().

Am I correct here Axel ???
Or there's something I'm missing here — any enhancements I can gain even in the C++ side of Qt via the usage of Q_PROPERTY ?

Christian Ehrlicher

@Ash-V said in When exactly to use a Q_PROPERTY ???:

any enhancements I can gain even in the C++ side of Qt via the usage of Q_PROPERTY ?

As already said there are none.

JonB

@Ash-V
You have:

#include "firstselfcodedqobjectclass.h"

class FirstSelfCodedQObjectClass;

SecondSelfCodedQObjectClass(FirstSelfCodedQObjectClass *fs, QObject *parent = nullptr);

...

SecondSelfCodedQObjectClass::SecondSelfCodedQObjectClass(FirstSelfCodedQObjectClass *fs, QObject *parent)
    : QObject(parent)
{
    QObject::connect(fs
                   , &FirstSelfCodedQObjectClass::name1Changed
                   , this
                   , &SecondSelfCodedQObjectClass::onName1Changed);
}

While this works, it is probably not the most common pattern. It makes SecondSelfCodedQObjectClass have to know about FirstSelfCodedQObjectClass and require it.

In your other thread I suggested at https://forum.qt.io/topic/154984/expected-primary-expression-before-token/2

You are trying to do connections in constructor of SecondSetCodedObjectClass. This is usually not good, because you would have to pass an instance of signalling object to that constructor. Rather the usual place to do the connect() is (on the line after) where you call new SecondSetCodedObjectClass, which has visibility of that new slot object and the existing signal object (FirstSetCodedObjectClass *) which you want to connect.

I would likely change your main() to:

    FirstSelfCodedQObjectClass *f = new FirstSelfCodedQObjectClass;
    SecondSelfCodedQObjectClass *s = new SecondSelfCodedQObjectClass;
    QObject::connect(f
                   , &FirstSelfCodedQObjectClass::name1Changed
                   , s
                   , &SecondSelfCodedQObjectClass::onName1Changed);

You should at least be aware of this pattern and understand it, it is more common.

Ash V

@JonB
Thank you Jon !

Thanks for giving this additional valuable reply....

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When exactly to use a Q_PROPERTY ???