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KDEUI

KNotification Class Reference

KNotification is used to notify the user of an event. More...

#include <knotification.h>

Inheritance diagram for KNotification:
QObject

List of all members.

Public Types

typedef QPair< QString, QString > Context
typedef QList< Context > ContextList
enum  NotificationFlag {
  RaiseWidgetOnActivation = 0x01, CloseOnTimeout = 0x00, Persistent = 0x02, CloseWhenWidgetActivated = 0x04,
  Persistant = Persistent, DefaultEvent = 0xF000
}
enum  StandardEvent { Notification, Warning, Error, Catastrophe }

Public Slots

void activate (unsigned int action=0)
void close ()
void deref ()
void raiseWidget ()
void ref ()
void sendEvent ()
void update ()

Signals

void action1Activated ()
void action2Activated ()
void action3Activated ()
void activated (unsigned int action)
void activated ()
void closed ()
void ignored ()

Public Member Functions

QStringList actions () const
void addContext (const QString &context_key, const QString &context_value)
void addContext (const Context &context)
ContextList contexts () const
QString eventId () const
NotificationFlags flags () const
 KNotification (const QString &eventId, QWidget *widget=0L, const NotificationFlags &flags=CloseOnTimeout)
QPixmap pixmap () const
void setActions (const QStringList &actions)
void setComponentData (const KComponentData &componentData)
void setContexts (const ContextList &contexts)
void setFlags (const NotificationFlags &flags)
void setPixmap (const QPixmap &pix)
void setText (const QString &text)
void setTitle (const QString &title)
void setWidget (QWidget *widget)
QString text () const
QString title () const
QWidget * widget () const
 ~KNotification ()

Static Public Member Functions

static void beep (const QString &reason=QString(), QWidget *widget=0L)
static KNotification * event (StandardEvent eventId, const QString &text=QString(), const QPixmap &pixmap=QPixmap(), QWidget *widget=0L, const NotificationFlags &flags=CloseOnTimeout)
static KNotification * event (const QString &eventId, const QString &text=QString(), const QPixmap &pixmap=QPixmap(), QWidget *widget=0L, const NotificationFlags &flags=CloseOnTimeout, const KComponentData &componentData=KComponentData())

Protected Member Functions

virtual bool eventFilter (QObject *watched, QEvent *event)

Detailed Description

KNotification is used to notify the user of an event.

introduction

There are two main kinds of notifications:

  • Feedback events: For notifying the user that he/she just performed an operation, like maximizing a window. This allows us to play sounds when a dialog appears. This is an instant notification. It ends automatically after a small timeout.
  • persistant notifications: Notify when the user received a new message, or when something else important happened the user has to know about. This notification has a start and a end. It begins when the event actually occurs, and finishes when the message is acknowledged or read.

Example of a persistent notification in an instant messaging application: The application emits the notification when the message is actually received, and closes it only when the user has read the message (when the message window has received the focus) using the close() slot Persistent notifications must have the Persistent flag.

By default a notification will use the application name as title, but you can also provide a brief text in the title and a more precise description in the body text. This is especially useful for notifications coming from applications which should be considered "part of the system", like a battery monitor or a network connection manager. For example a battery indicator could use "Low Battery" as a title and "Only 12 minutes left." as a body text.

In order to perform a notification, you need to create a description file, which contains default parameters of the notification, and use KNotification::event at the place in the application code where the notification occurs. The returned KNotification pointer may be used to connect signals or slots

The global config file

Your application should install a file called: $KDEDIR/share/apps/appname/appname.notifyrc

You can do this with the following CMake command: install( FILES appname.notifyrc DESTINATION ${DATA_INSTALL_DIR}/appname))

This file contains mainly 3 parts

  1. Global information
  2. Context information
  3. Definition of individual events

Global information

The global part looks like that

		   [Global]
		   IconName=Filename
		   Comment=Friendly Name of app
		   Name=Name of app
 

The icon filename is just the name, without extension, it's found with the KIconLoader. The Comment field will be used in KControl to describe the application. The Name field is optional and may be used as the application name for popup, if Name is not present, Comment is used instead

Context information

This part consists of hints for the configuration widget

		   [Context/group]
		   Name=Group name
		   Comment=The name of the group for contacts
		   [Context/folder]
		   Name=Group name
  

The second part of the groupname is the context identifier. It should not contain special characters. The Name field is the one the user will see (and which is translated)

Definition of Events

The definition of the events forms the most important part of the config file

		   [Event/newmail]
		   Name=New email
		   Comment=You have got a new email
		   Contexts=folder,group
		   Action=Sound|Popup
		   [Event/contactOnline]
		   Name=Contact goes online
		   Comment=One of your contact has been connected
		   Contexts=group
		   Sound=filetoplay.ogg
		   Action=None
  

These are the default settings for each notifiable event. Action is a bitmask of KNotification::NotifyPresentation

Contexts is a comma separated list of possible context for this event.

The user's config file

This is an implementation detail, and is described here for your information.

In the config file, there are two parts: the event configuration, and the context information

Context information

These are hints for the configuration dialog. They contain both the internal id of the context, and the user visible string.

		   [Context/group]
		   Values=1:Friends,2:Work,3:Family
  

Events configuration

This contains the configuration of events for the user. It contains the same fields as the description file. The key of groups is in the form Event/<EventName>/<ContextName>/<ContextValue>

		   [Event/contactOnline]
		   Action=Sound
		   Sound=/usr/share/sounds/super.ogg
		   [Event/contactOnline/group/1]
		   Action=Popup|Sound
 

Example of code

This portion of code will fire the event for the "contactOnline" event

    KNotification *notification= new KNotification ( "contactOnline", widget );
    notification->setText( i18n("The contact <i>%1</i> has gone online").arg( contact->name() ) );
    notification->setPixmap( contact->pixmap() );
    notification->setActions( QStringList( i18n( "Open chat" ) ) );
    
    foreach( const QString &group , contact->groups() ) {
        notification->addContext( "group" , group ) ;
    }
    
    connect(notification, SIGNAL(activated(unsigned int )), contact , SLOT(slotOpenChat()) );
    
    notification->sendEvent();
Author:
Olivier Goffart <ogoffart at kde.org>

Definition at line 176 of file knotification.h.


Member Typedef Documentation

typedef QPair<QString,QString> KNotification::Context

Sometimes the user may want different notifications for the same event, depending the source of the event.

Example, you want to be notified for mails that arrive in your folder "personal inbox" but not for those in "spam" folder

A notification context is a pair of two strings. The first string is a key from what the context is. example "group" or "filter" (not translated). The second is the id of the context. In our example, the group id or the filter id in the applications. These strings are the ones present in the config file, and are in theory not shown in the user interface.

The order of contexts in the list is is important, the most important context should be placed first. They are processed in that order when the notification occurs.

See also:
event

Definition at line 199 of file knotification.h.

typedef QList< Context > KNotification::ContextList

Definition at line 200 of file knotification.h.


Member Enumeration Documentation

enum KNotification::NotificationFlag
Enumerator:
RaiseWidgetOnActivation 

When the notification is activated, raise the notification's widget.

This will change the desktop, raise the window, and switch to the tab.

Todo:
doesn't work yet
CloseOnTimeout 

The notification will be automatically closed after a timeout.

(this is the default)

Persistent 

The notification will NOT be automatically closed after a timeout.

You will have to track the notification, and close it with the close function manually when the event is done, otherwise there will be a memory leak

CloseWhenWidgetActivated 

The notification will be automatically closed if the widget() becomes activated.

If the widget is already activated when the notification occurs, the notification will be closed after a small timeout.

This only works if the widget is the toplevel widget

Todo:
make it work with tabulated widget
Persistant 

DEPRECATED - Misspelling of 'Persistent'.

Do not use in new code.

DefaultEvent 

For internal use only.

The event is a standard kde event, and not an event of the application

Definition at line 202 of file knotification.h.

enum KNotification::StandardEvent

default events you can use in the event function

Enumerator:
Notification 
Warning 
Error 
Catastrophe 

Definition at line 252 of file knotification.h.


Constructor & Destructor Documentation

KNotification::KNotification ( const QString &  eventId,
QWidget *  widget = 0L,
const NotificationFlags &  flags = CloseOnTimeout 
) [explicit]

Create a new notification.

You have to use sendEvent to show the notification.

The pointer is automatically deleted when the event is closed.

Make sure you use one of the NotificationFlags CloseOnTimeOut or CloseWhenWidgetActivated, if not, you have to close the notification yourself.

Parameters:
eventId is the name of the event
widget is a widget where the notification reports to
flags is a bitmask of NotificationFlag

Definition at line 81 of file knotification.cpp.

KNotification::~KNotification (  ) 

Definition at line 92 of file knotification.cpp.


Member Function Documentation

void KNotification::action1Activated (  )  [signal]

Convenience signal that is emitted when the first action is activated.

void KNotification::action2Activated (  )  [signal]

This is an overloaded member function, provided for convenience. It differs from the above function only in what argument(s) it accepts.

void KNotification::action3Activated (  )  [signal]

This is an overloaded member function, provided for convenience. It differs from the above function only in what argument(s) it accepts.

QStringList KNotification::actions (  )  const
Returns:
the list of actions

Definition at line 155 of file knotification.cpp.

void KNotification::activate ( unsigned int  action = 0  )  [slot]

Activate the action specified action If the action is zero, then the default action is activated.

Definition at line 203 of file knotification.cpp.

void KNotification::activated ( unsigned int  action  )  [signal]

Emit when an action has been activated.

Parameters:
action will be 0 is the default aciton was activated, or any action id
void KNotification::activated (  )  [signal]

Emit only when the default activation has occurred.

void KNotification::addContext ( const QString &  context_key,
const QString &  context_value 
)

This is an overloaded member function, provided for convenience. It differs from the above function only in what argument(s) it accepts.

Parameters:
context_key is the key of the context
context_value is the value of the context

Definition at line 182 of file knotification.cpp.

void KNotification::addContext ( const Context &  context  ) 

append a context at the list of contexts, see KNotificaiton::Context

Parameters:
context the context which is added

Definition at line 177 of file knotification.cpp.

void KNotification::beep ( const QString &  reason = QString(),
QWidget *  widget = 0L 
) [static]

This is a simple substitution for QApplication::beep().

Parameters:
reason a short text explaining what has happened (may be empty)
widget the widget the notification refers to

Definition at line 322 of file knotification.cpp.

void KNotification::close (  )  [slot]

Close the notification without activating it.

This will delete the notification.

Definition at line 227 of file knotification.cpp.

void KNotification::closed (  )  [signal]

Emitted when the notification is closed.

Both when it is activated or if it is just ignored.

KNotification::ContextList KNotification::contexts (  )  const
Returns:
the list of contexts, see KNotification::Context

Definition at line 167 of file knotification.cpp.

void KNotification::deref (  )  [slot]

remove a reference made with ref() the notification may be closed when calling this.

See also:
ref

Definition at line 315 of file knotification.cpp.

KNotification * KNotification::event ( StandardEvent  eventId,
const QString &  text = QString(),
const QPixmap &  pixmap = QPixmap(),
QWidget *  widget = 0L,
const NotificationFlags &  flags = CloseOnTimeout 
) [static]

emit a standard eventThis is an overloaded member function, provided for convenience. It differs from the above function only in what argument(s) it accepts. This will emit a standard event

Parameters:
eventId is the name of the event
text is the text of the notification to show in the popup
pixmap is a picture which may be shown in the popup
widget is a widget where the notification reports to
flags is a bitmask of NotificationFlag

Definition at line 288 of file knotification.cpp.

KNotification * KNotification::event ( const QString &  eventId,
const QString &  text = QString(),
const QPixmap &  pixmap = QPixmap(),
QWidget *  widget = 0L,
const NotificationFlags &  flags = CloseOnTimeout,
const KComponentData &  componentData = KComponentData() 
) [static]

emit an event

This method creates the KNotification, setting every parameter, and fire the event. You don't need to call sendEvent

A popup may be displayed or a sound may be played, depending the config.

return a KNotification . You may use that pointer to connect some signals or slot. the pointer is automatically deleted when the event is closed.

Make sure you use one of the CloseOnTimeOut or CloseWhenWidgetActivated, if not, you have to close yourself the notification.

Note:
the text is shown in a QLabel, you should escape HTML, if needed.
Parameters:
eventId is the name of the event
text is the text of the notification to show in the popup.
pixmap is a picture which may be shown in the popup.
widget is a widget where the notification reports to
flags is a bitmask of NotificationFlag
componentData used to determine the location of the config file. by default, kapp is used

Definition at line 274 of file knotification.cpp.

bool KNotification::eventFilter ( QObject *  watched,
QEvent *  event 
) [protected, virtual]

reimplemented for internal reasons

Definition at line 394 of file knotification.cpp.

QString KNotification::eventId (  )  const
Returns:
the name of the event

Definition at line 100 of file knotification.cpp.

KNotification::NotificationFlags KNotification::flags (  )  const
Returns:
the notification flags.

Definition at line 187 of file knotification.cpp.

void KNotification::ignored (  )  [signal]

The notification has been ignored.

QPixmap KNotification::pixmap (  )  const
Returns:
the pixmap shown in the popup
See also:
setPixmap

Definition at line 143 of file knotification.cpp.

void KNotification::raiseWidget (  )  [slot]

Raise the widget.

This will change the desktop, activate the window, and the tab if needed.

Definition at line 239 of file knotification.cpp.

void KNotification::ref (  )  [slot]

The notification will automatically be closed if all presentations are finished.

if you want to show your own presentation in your application, you should use this function, so it will not be automatically closed when there is nothing to show.

don't forgot to deref, or the notification may be never closed if there is no timeout.

See also:
ref

Definition at line 310 of file knotification.cpp.

void KNotification::sendEvent (  )  [slot]

Emit or re-emit the event.

Definition at line 327 of file knotification.cpp.

void KNotification::setActions ( const QStringList &  actions  ) 

Set the list of actions link shown in the popup.

Parameters:
actions the list of actions

Definition at line 160 of file knotification.cpp.

void KNotification::setComponentData ( const KComponentData &  componentData  ) 

The componentData is used to determine the location of the config file.

By default, kapp is used

Parameters:
componentData the new componentData

Definition at line 198 of file knotification.cpp.

void KNotification::setContexts ( const ContextList &  contexts  ) 

set the list of contexts, see KNotification::Context

The list of contexts must be set before calling sendEvent;

Definition at line 172 of file knotification.cpp.

void KNotification::setFlags ( const NotificationFlags &  flags  ) 

Set the notification flags.

should be called before sendEvent().

Definition at line 192 of file knotification.cpp.

void KNotification::setPixmap ( const QPixmap &  pix  ) 

set the pixmap that will be shown in the popup.

Parameters:
pix the pixmap

Definition at line 148 of file knotification.cpp.

void KNotification::setText ( const QString &  text  ) 

Set the notification text that will appear in the popup.

The text is shown in a QLabel, you should make sure to escape any html that is needed. You can use some of the qt basic html tags.

Parameters:
text the text

Definition at line 136 of file knotification.cpp.

void KNotification::setTitle ( const QString &  title  ) 

Set the title of the notification popup.

If no title is set, the application name will be used.

Parameters:
title the title
Since:
4.3

Definition at line 129 of file knotification.cpp.

void KNotification::setWidget ( QWidget *  widget  ) 

Set the widget associated to the notification.

The notification is reparented to the new widget.

See also:
widget()
Parameters:
widget the new widget

Definition at line 120 of file knotification.cpp.

QString KNotification::text (  )  const
Returns:
the notification text
See also:
setText

Definition at line 110 of file knotification.cpp.

QString KNotification::title (  )  const
Returns:
the notification title
See also:
setTitle
Since:
4.3

Definition at line 105 of file knotification.cpp.

void KNotification::update (  )  [slot]

For internal use only.

update the texts, the icon, and the actions of one existing notification

Definition at line 389 of file knotification.cpp.

QWidget * KNotification::widget (  )  const

the widget associated to the notification

If the widget is destroyed, the notification will be automatically cancelled. If the widget is activated, the notification will be automatically closed if the NotificationFlags specify that

When the notification is activated, the widget might be raised. Depending on the configuration, the taskbar entry of the window containing the widget may blink.

Definition at line 115 of file knotification.cpp.


The documentation for this class was generated from the following files:
  • knotification.h
  • knotification.cpp

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