Show and hide tool buttons

RalfSt

A desktop app has several toolbars with different tool buttons. And each tool button is linked to a menu entry.

In a ToolBar Settings dialog, the visibility of the individual tool buttons should be switched on or off (show/hide).
However, you can only activate and deactivate the tool buttons. You can only switch the visibility in the QAction on and off. But then the menu entry also disappears.

One solution would be to create another QAction and copy the data of the Menu-QAction into it and link them together. And then assign this to the tool button.
Then you can switch the visibility of the tool button in the dialog on or off (show/hide) and the menu entry remains.

Is there an easier way in Qt 6.9 ?
Why is it not possible to switch off the visibility of a tool button?

Thanks
Ralf

Kevin Hoang

You'll need to use QWidget *button = toolbar->widgetForAction(action); and then call button->setVisible(false); to hide the button on the toolbar.

RalfSt

auto action1 = new QAction(tr("Action 1"), this);

auto action2 = new QAction(tr("Action 2"), this);
action2->setCheckable(true);

auto testsMenu = menuBar()->addMenu(tr("Tests"));
testsMenu->addAction(action1);
testsMenu->addAction(action2);

auto testsToolbar = new QToolBar(tr("Tests Toolbar"), this);
testsToolbar->setObjectName(QStringLiteral("testsToolbar"));
testsToolbar->addAction(action1);
testsToolbar->addAction(action2);
addToolBar(testsToolbar);

auto widget1 = testsToolbar->widgetForAction(action1);
widget1->setEnabled(false); // works

auto widget2 = testsToolbar->widgetForAction(action2);
widget2->setVisible(false); // doesn't work

Thanks for your help but it doesn't work.

Kevin Hoang

Try calling testsToolbar->update(); after widget2->setVisible(false);. That could help refresh the layout.

RalfSt

It still doesn't work.

Note:
You should use QAction::setVisible() to change the visibility of the widget.
Using QWidget::setVisible(), QWidget::show() and QWidget::hide() does not work.

Source: https://doc.qt.io/qt-6/qtoolbar.html#addWidget

That's why I'm currently "cloning" every QAction. The original for the menu, and the clone for the toolbar.

Kevin Hoang

I also tried it, and it turns out it doesn't work either. When a QToolButton is linked to an action, you can't hide the button if the action is still visible. It's one of those quirky things in the implementation.

I think instead of trying to hide it, you can try using removeAction() and then add or insert it back when needed.