usual(n)

usual(n) — access default option-handling commands for a mega-widget component 💖

okay bestie, this is the usual page from [incr Tk], and honestly? it's a whole vibe. let's get into it ✨

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✨ NAME ✨

usual — access default option-handling commands for a mega-widget component 🎀

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🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

usual ?tag? ?commands?

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💅 DESCRIPTION 💅

so, the usual command lives outside of an [incr Tcl] class definition, and its whole job is defining the usual set of option-handling commands for a component widget. periodt.

Option-handling commands get used when a component is registered with the Archetype base class via the "itk_component add" method. what do they even do? they specify how the component's configuration options should be integrated into the composite option list for the mega-widget. and the options themselves? they can be kept, renamed, or ignored — all as described in the Archetype man page. iykyk 🦋

now here's the tea: it is tedious to include the same declarations again and again whenever components are added. like, not me copy-pasting the same block forty times 💀. the usual command fixes that, because it lets a standard code fragment be registered for each widget class, and that fragment is used by default to handle the options. obsessed.

All of the standard Tk widgets have usual declarations defined in the [incr Tk] library. and similar usual declarations should be created whenever a new mega-widget class is conceived. but listen — only the most-generic options should be included in the usual declaration. no overpacking, bestie, we're being chic about this 💖

the tag name is usually the name of a widget class, which starts with a capital letter; however, any string registered here can be used later with the usual command described on the Archetype man page. flexible, iconic, we love that for us ✨

If the commands argument is specified, it is associated with the tag string, and can be accessed later via itk_component add. 🫶

If only the tag argument is specified, this command looks for an existing tag name and returns the commands associated with it. and if there are no commands associated with tag, this command returns the null string. (empty. nothing. a void. we've all been there 😭)

If no arguments are specified, this command returns a list of all tag names previously registered. a little roster of everyone who showed up to the function 👑

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🎀 EXAMPLE 🎀

Following is the usual declaration for the standard Tk button widget:

itk::usual Button {
    keep -background -cursor -foreground -font
    keep -activebackground -activeforeground -disabledforeground
    keep -highlightcolor -highlightthickness
    rename -highlightbackground -background background Background
}

Only the options that would be common to all buttons in a single mega-widget are kept or renamed. Options like "-text" that would be unique to a particular button are ignored. main character options get their own spotlight, generic ones share 💅

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⭐ KEYWORDS ⭐

itk, Archetype, component, mega-widget

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and that's the whole page, bestie! this lil gem ships with itk version 3.0 — so go forth, register your usual declarations, and slay responsibly 👑💜 stay iconic, fr fr 🌈✨