# Does there exist a comprehensive manual for an overview of the functions and features provided in Gtk.jl?

**URL:** <https://discourse.julialang.org/t/does-there-exist-a-comprehensive-manual-for-an-overview-of-the-functions-and-features-provided-in-gtk-jl/28119>\
**Category:** General Usage\
**Tags:** question\
**Created:** [August 28, 2019, 4:12pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/does-there-exist-a-comprehensive-manual-for-an-overview-of-the-functions-and-features-provided-in-gtk-jl/28119 "2019-08-28T16:12:58Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 10\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![mantzaris](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/mantzaris/32/3852_2.png) [@mantzaris](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/mantzaris)\
**Post date:** [August 28, 2019, 4:12pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/does-there-exist-a-comprehensive-manual-for-an-overview-of-the-functions-and-features-provided-in-gtk-jl/28119/1 "2019-08-28T16:12:58Z")

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I am looking at examples of code developing UIs with `Gtk.jl`, but occasionally (if not frequently) encounter functions that I do not know what they actually do. If I run the examples, I can then piece together what I believe they do but wonder if there is a documentation list for the Gtk.jl api somewhere. Eg, in `https://juliagraphics.github.io/Gtk.jl/latest/manual/async.html#Asynchronous-UI-1` there is the use of `@Gtk.sigatom` but I cannot see it described or even mentioned elsewhere in the manual. Is there a comprehensive list of the functionality provided by Gtk.jl?

In the terminal help I do not see much of a description:

```julia
help?> @Gtk.sigatom
  No documentation found.

  Gtk.GLib.@sigatom is a macro.

  # 1 method for macro "@sigatom":
  [1] @sigatom( __source__ ::LineNumberNode, __module__ ::Module, f) in Gtk.GLib at /home/xel/.julia/packages/Gtk/aP55V/src/GLib/signals.jl:190

```

another example is with `@Pixbuf` and appears to be a key component, in examples from `https://julia-users.narkive.com/lKyJ0OOH/understanding-how-to-display-an-image-and-change-pixels-in-real-time-fast` where a segment showing that use:

```julia
...
julia> using Gtk.ShortNames

julia> win = @Window("Test", 800, 600);

julia> data = Gtk.RGB[Gtk.RGB(div(255*x,800),div(255*y,600),0) for x=0:800,
y=0:600];

julia> pixbuf = @Pixbuf(data=data,has_alpha=false) # removing the has_alpha
parameter required variable is https://github.com/JuliaLang/Gtk.jl/issues/94

julia> view = @Image(pixbuf);
...

```

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**Author:** ![jonathanBieler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/82dd89/32.png) [@jonathanBieler](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/jonathanBieler)\
**Post date:** [August 28, 2019, 6:28pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/does-there-exist-a-comprehensive-manual-for-an-overview-of-the-functions-and-features-provided-in-gtk-jl/28119/2 "2019-08-28T18:28:50Z")

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I think the manual is all there is at the moment.

When I use Gtk.jl I usually have the github repo and the [Gtk docs](https://developer.gnome.org/gtk3/stable/GtkWidget.html) opened in my browser. I often find the function I want to call in Gtk doc (or by googling), and then search it in the repo to see how it’s been wrapped.

Gtk.jl got a few things that are not in Gtk (like @sigatom) but most of it is relatively straightforward bindings of the C library.

Looking at the [tests](https://github.com/JuliaGraphics/Gtk.jl/blob/master/test/gui.jl) can be helpful too.

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**Author:** ![mantzaris](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/mantzaris/32/3852_2.png) [@mantzaris](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/mantzaris)\
**Post date:** [August 28, 2019, 7:08pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/does-there-exist-a-comprehensive-manual-for-an-overview-of-the-functions-and-features-provided-in-gtk-jl/28119/3 "2019-08-28T19:08:36Z")

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"` I often find the function I want to call in Gtk doc`"  
As an example I tried to search in the Gtk docs for the function _set\_gtk\_property_ which is used in `Gtk.jl` but did not find it. How should I go about looking in those Gtk docs and translating that to Gtk.jl code?

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**Author:** ![jonathanBieler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/82dd89/32.png) [@jonathanBieler](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/jonathanBieler)\
**Post date:** [August 28, 2019, 8:22pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/does-there-exist-a-comprehensive-manual-for-an-overview-of-the-functions-and-features-provided-in-gtk-jl/28119/4 "2019-08-28T20:22:27Z")

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The Gtk names are always in `ccall`’s and start with `gtk_`, for example `gtk_paned_get_child1` [here](https://github.com/JuliaGraphics/Gtk.jl/blob/master/src/layout.jl#L168). If you google [that](https://developer.gnome.org/gtk3/stable/GtkPaned.html#gtk-paned-get-child1) (or search it in Gtk.jl repo) you can find the correspondence between Gtk.jl and Gtk docs. With that you can figure out that `pane[1]` will return its first child (`[]` calls `getindex`).

`set_gtk_property` is a Gtk.jl function. Note that you can use `window.title[String]` instead of `get_gtk_property(window, :title, String)` and `window.title[String] = "test"` instead of `set_gtk_property!(window, :title, "test")`.

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**Author:** ![anon92994695](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ce7236/32.png) [@anon92994695](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/anon92994695)\
**Post date:** [December 24, 2019, 10:50pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/does-there-exist-a-comprehensive-manual-for-an-overview-of-the-functions-and-features-provided-in-gtk-jl/28119/5 "2019-12-24T22:50:02Z")

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Although this is true - I have to admit - it is very laborious to do this. I wonder how hard it would be to autogenerate a table of the functions available in gtk.jl and what they wrap via parsing? Dunno, but using Gtk.jl is not exactly a smooth experience unless you want to do explicitly whats in the docs.

For example: even @Pixbuf mentioned earlier is no longer a function?

I think as I go along I may contribute some more examples.

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**Author:** ![tknopp](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/tknopp/32/3569_2.png) [@tknopp](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/tknopp)\
**Post date:** [December 25, 2019, 10:32am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/does-there-exist-a-comprehensive-manual-for-an-overview-of-the-functions-and-features-provided-in-gtk-jl/28119/6 "2019-12-25T10:32:55Z")

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One issue of Gtk.jl is that only few people are working on it.

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**Author:** ![anon92994695](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ce7236/32.png) [@anon92994695](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/anon92994695)\
**Post date:** [December 25, 2019, 11:42am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/does-there-exist-a-comprehensive-manual-for-an-overview-of-the-functions-and-features-provided-in-gtk-jl/28119/7 "2019-12-25T11:42:24Z")

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I’ve realized that Plots, Gtk, and a few others, despite being widely used are maintained by very few people. So I’ve been trying to raise interest/awareness to these areas, and hopefully will be able to contribute a little to both.

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**Author:** ![tknopp](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/tknopp/32/3569_2.png) [@tknopp](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/tknopp)\
**Post date:** [December 25, 2019, 12:04pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/does-there-exist-a-comprehensive-manual-for-an-overview-of-the-functions-and-features-provided-in-gtk-jl/28119/8 "2019-12-25T12:04:09Z")

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The situation is ok, i think, but the experience could be much better. What we lack is a Gtk dev interested in Julia 🙂

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**Author:** ![anon92994695](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ce7236/32.png) [@anon92994695](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/anon92994695)\
**Post date:** [December 25, 2019, 12:10pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/does-there-exist-a-comprehensive-manual-for-an-overview-of-the-functions-and-features-provided-in-gtk-jl/28119/9 "2019-12-25T12:10:55Z")

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Well a Gtk dev I am not, but able to lend a hand here and there I can do :). For example Plots.jl has \>500 open issues on it’s repo, and Gtk.jl has a completely undocumented API. So I think I’m going to help there when I can

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**Author:** ![mantzaris](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/mantzaris/32/3852_2.png) [@mantzaris](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/mantzaris)\
**Post date:** [December 28, 2019, 1:57pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/does-there-exist-a-comprehensive-manual-for-an-overview-of-the-functions-and-features-provided-in-gtk-jl/28119/10 "2019-12-28T13:57:20Z")

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That would be very much appreciated!