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<div class="chapter">
<div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title">
<a name="chapter-gobject"></a>The GObject base class</h2></div></div></div>
<div class="toc"><dl class="toc">
<dt><span class="sect1"><a href="chapter-gobject.html#gobject-instantiation">Object instantiation</a></span></dt>
<dt><span class="sect1"><a href="gobject-memory.html">Object memory management</a></span></dt>
<dd><dl>
<dt><span class="sect2"><a href="gobject-memory.html#gobject-memory-refcount">Reference count</a></span></dt>
<dt><span class="sect2"><a href="gobject-memory.html#gobject-memory-weakref">Weak References</a></span></dt>
<dt><span class="sect2"><a href="gobject-memory.html#gobject-memory-cycles">Reference counts and cycles</a></span></dt>
</dl></dd>
<dt><span class="sect1"><a href="gobject-properties.html">Object properties</a></span></dt>
<dd><dl><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="gobject-properties.html#gobject-multi-properties">Accessing multiple properties at once</a></span></dt></dl></dd>
</dl></div>
<p>
    The previous chapter discussed the details of GLib's Dynamic Type System.
    The GObject library also contains an implementation for a base fundamental
    type named <a class="link" href="gobject-The-Base-Object-Type.html#GObject"><span class="type">GObject</span></a>.
  </p>
<p>
    <a class="link" href="gobject-The-Base-Object-Type.html#GObject"><span class="type">GObject</span></a> is a fundamental classed instantiable type. It implements:
    </p>
<div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; ">
<li class="listitem"><p>Memory management with reference counting</p></li>
<li class="listitem"><p>Construction/Destruction of instances</p></li>
<li class="listitem"><p>Generic per-object properties with set/get function pairs</p></li>
<li class="listitem"><p>Easy use of signals</p></li>
</ul></div>
<p>
    All the GNOME libraries which use the GLib type system (like GTK+ and GStreamer)
    inherit from <a class="link" href="gobject-The-Base-Object-Type.html#GObject"><span class="type">GObject</span></a> which is why it is important to understand
    the details of how it works.
  </p>
<div class="sect1">
<div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both">
<a name="gobject-instantiation"></a>Object instantiation</h2></div></div></div>
<p>
      The <code class="function"><a class="link" href="gobject-The-Base-Object-Type.html#g-object-new" title="g_object_new ()">g_object_new</a></code>
      family of functions can be used to instantiate any GType which inherits
      from the GObject base type. All these functions make sure the class and
      instance structures have been correctly initialized by GLib's type system
      and then invoke at one point or another the constructor class method
      which is used to:
      </p>
<div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; ">
<li class="listitem"><p>
            Allocate and clear memory through <code class="function"><a class="link" href="gobject-Type-Information.html#g-type-create-instance" title="g_type_create_instance ()">g_type_create_instance</a></code>,
          </p></li>
<li class="listitem"><p>
            Initialize the object's instance with the construction properties.
          </p></li>
</ul></div>
<p>
     Although one can expect all class and instance members (except the fields
     pointing to the parents) to be set to zero, some consider it good practice
     to explicitly set them.
    </p>
<p>
      Once all construction operations have been completed and constructor
      properties set, the constructed class method is called.
    </p>
<p>
      Objects which inherit from GObject are allowed to override this
      constructed class method.
      The example below shows how <span class="type">ViewerFile</span> overrides the parent's construction process:
</p>
<div class="informalexample">
  <table class="listing_frame" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0">
    <tbody>
      <tr>
        <td class="listing_lines" align="right"><pre>1
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36</pre></td>
        <td class="listing_code"><pre class="programlisting"><span class="preproc">#define</span><span class="normal"> </span><span class="usertype">VIEWER_TYPE_FILE</span><span class="normal"> </span><span class="function">viewer_file_get_type</span><span class="normal"> </span><span class="symbol">()</span>
<span class="function"><a href="gobject-Type-Information.html#G-DECLARE-FINAL-TYPE:CAPS">G_DECLARE_FINAL_TYPE</a></span><span class="normal"> </span><span class="symbol">(</span><span class="normal">ViewerFile</span><span class="symbol">,</span><span class="normal"> viewer_file</span><span class="symbol">,</span><span class="normal"> VIEWER</span><span class="symbol">,</span><span class="normal"> FILE</span><span class="symbol">,</span><span class="normal"> <a href="gobject-The-Base-Object-Type.html#GObject-struct">GObject</a></span><span class="symbol">)</span>

<span class="keyword">struct</span><span class="normal"> </span><span class="classname">_ViewerFile</span>
<span class="cbracket">{</span>
<span class="normal">  </span><span class="usertype">GObject</span><span class="normal"> parent_instance</span><span class="symbol">;</span>

<span class="normal">  </span><span class="comment">/* instance members */</span>
<span class="cbracket">}</span><span class="symbol">;</span>

<span class="comment">/* will create viewer_file_get_type and set viewer_file_parent_class */</span>
<span class="function"><a href="gobject-Type-Information.html#G-DEFINE-TYPE:CAPS">G_DEFINE_TYPE</a></span><span class="normal"> </span><span class="symbol">(</span><span class="normal">ViewerFile</span><span class="symbol">,</span><span class="normal"> viewer_file</span><span class="symbol">,</span><span class="normal"> <a href="gobject-Type-Information.html#G-TYPE-OBJECT:CAPS">G_TYPE_OBJECT</a></span><span class="symbol">)</span>

<span class="keyword">static</span><span class="normal"> </span><span class="type">void</span>
<span class="function">viewer_file_constructed</span><span class="normal"> </span><span class="symbol">(</span><span class="usertype">GObject</span><span class="normal"> </span><span class="symbol">*</span><span class="normal">obj</span><span class="symbol">)</span>
<span class="cbracket">{</span>
<span class="normal">  </span><span class="comment">/* update the object state depending on constructor properties */</span>

<span class="normal">  </span><span class="comment">/* Always chain up to the parent constructed function to complete object</span>
<span class="comment">   * initialisation. */</span>
<span class="normal">  </span><span class="function"><a href="gobject-The-Base-Object-Type.html#G-OBJECT-CLASS:CAPS">G_OBJECT_CLASS</a></span><span class="normal"> </span><span class="symbol">(</span><span class="normal">viewer_file_parent_class</span><span class="symbol">)-&gt;</span><span class="function">constructed</span><span class="normal"> </span><span class="symbol">(</span><span class="normal">obj</span><span class="symbol">);</span>
<span class="cbracket">}</span>

<span class="keyword">static</span><span class="normal"> </span><span class="type">void</span>
<span class="function">viewer_file_class_init</span><span class="normal"> </span><span class="symbol">(</span><span class="usertype">ViewerFileClass</span><span class="normal"> </span><span class="symbol">*</span><span class="normal">klass</span><span class="symbol">)</span>
<span class="cbracket">{</span>
<span class="normal">  </span><span class="usertype">GObjectClass</span><span class="normal"> </span><span class="symbol">*</span><span class="normal">object_class </span><span class="symbol">=</span><span class="normal"> </span><span class="function"><a href="gobject-The-Base-Object-Type.html#G-OBJECT-CLASS:CAPS">G_OBJECT_CLASS</a></span><span class="normal"> </span><span class="symbol">(</span><span class="normal">klass</span><span class="symbol">);</span>

<span class="normal">  object_class</span><span class="symbol">-&gt;</span><span class="normal">constructed </span><span class="symbol">=</span><span class="normal"> viewer_file_constructed</span><span class="symbol">;</span>
<span class="cbracket">}</span>

<span class="keyword">static</span><span class="normal"> </span><span class="type">void</span>
<span class="function">viewer_file_init</span><span class="normal"> </span><span class="symbol">(</span><span class="usertype">ViewerFile</span><span class="normal"> </span><span class="symbol">*</span><span class="normal">self</span><span class="symbol">)</span>
<span class="cbracket">{</span>
<span class="normal">  </span><span class="comment">/* initialize the object */</span>
<span class="cbracket">}</span></pre></td>
      </tr>
    </tbody>
  </table>
</div>

<p>
      If the user instantiates an object <span class="type">ViewerFile</span> with:
</p>
<div class="informalexample">
  <table class="listing_frame" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0">
    <tbody>
      <tr>
        <td class="listing_lines" align="right"><pre>1</pre></td>
        <td class="listing_code"><pre class="programlisting"><span class="usertype">ViewerFile</span><span class="normal"> </span><span class="symbol">*</span><span class="normal">file </span><span class="symbol">=</span><span class="normal"> </span><span class="function"><a href="gobject-The-Base-Object-Type.html#g-object-new">g_object_new</a></span><span class="normal"> </span><span class="symbol">(</span><span class="normal">VIEWER_TYPE_FILE</span><span class="symbol">,</span><span class="normal"> <a href="../glib-Standard-Macros.html#NULL:CAPS">NULL</a></span><span class="symbol">);</span></pre></td>
      </tr>
    </tbody>
  </table>
</div>

<p>        
      If this is the first instantiation of such an object, the
      <code class="function">viewer_file_class_init</code> function will be invoked
      after any <code class="function">viewer_file_base_class_init</code> function.
      This will make sure the class structure of this new object is
      correctly initialized. Here, <code class="function">viewer_file_class_init</code>
      is expected to override the object's class methods and setup the
      class' own methods. In the example above, the constructor method is
      the only overridden method: it is set to
      <code class="function">viewer_file_constructor</code>.
    </p>
<p>
      Once <code class="function"><a class="link" href="gobject-The-Base-Object-Type.html#g-object-new" title="g_object_new ()">g_object_new</a></code> has obtained a reference to an initialized
      class structure, it invokes its constructor method to create an instance of the new 
      object, if the constructor has been overridden in <code class="function">viewer_file_class_init</code>.
      Overridden constructors must chain up to their parent’s constructor. In
      order to find the parent class and chain up to the parent class
      constructor, we can use the <code class="literal">viewer_file_parent_class</code>
      pointer that has been set up for us by the
      <a class="link" href="gobject-Type-Information.html#G-DEFINE-TYPE:CAPS" title="G_DEFINE_TYPE()"><code class="literal">G_DEFINE_TYPE</code></a>
      macro.
    </p>
<p>
      Finally, at one point or another, <code class="function">g_object_constructor</code> is invoked
      by the last constructor in the chain. This function allocates the object's instance buffer
      through <code class="function"><a class="link" href="gobject-Type-Information.html#g-type-create-instance" title="g_type_create_instance ()">g_type_create_instance</a></code>
      which means that the <code class="function">instance_init</code> function is invoked at this point if one
      was registered. After <code class="function">instance_init</code> returns, the object is fully initialized and should be 
      ready to have its methods called by the user. When
      <code class="function"><a class="link" href="gobject-Type-Information.html#g-type-create-instance" title="g_type_create_instance ()">g_type_create_instance</a></code>
      returns, <code class="function">g_object_constructor</code> sets the construction properties
      (i.e. the properties which were given to <code class="function"><a class="link" href="gobject-The-Base-Object-Type.html#g-object-new" title="g_object_new ()">g_object_new</a></code>) and returns
      to the user's constructor.
    </p>
<p>
      The process described above might seem a bit complicated, but it can be
      summarized easily by the table below which lists the functions invoked
      by <code class="function"><a class="link" href="gobject-The-Base-Object-Type.html#g-object-new" title="g_object_new ()">g_object_new</a></code>
      and their order of invocation:
    </p>
<p>
      </p>
<div class="table">
<a name="gobject-construction-table"></a><p class="title"><b>Table 4. <code class="function"><a class="link" href="gobject-The-Base-Object-Type.html#g-object-new" title="g_object_new ()">g_object_new</a></code></b></p>
<div class="table-contents"><table class="table" summary="g_object_new" border="1">
<colgroup>
<col align="left">
<col align="left">
<col align="left">
</colgroup>
<thead><tr>
<th align="left">Invocation time</th>
<th align="left">Function invoked</th>
<th align="left">Function's parameters</th>
<th>Remark</th>
</tr></thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td rowspan="4" align="left">First call to <code class="function"><a class="link" href="gobject-The-Base-Object-Type.html#g-object-new" title="g_object_new ()">g_object_new</a></code> for target type</td>
<td align="left">target type's <code class="function">base_init</code> function</td>
<td align="left">On the inheritance tree of classes from fundamental type to target type. 
                <code class="function">base_init</code> is invoked once for each class structure.</td>
<td>Never used in practice. Unlikely you will need it.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left">target type's <code class="function">class_init</code> function</td>
<td align="left">On target type's class structure</td>
<td>
                Here, you should make sure to initialize or override class methods (that is,
                assign to each class' method its function pointer) and create the signals and
                the properties associated to your object.
              </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left">interface's <code class="function">base_init</code> function</td>
<td align="left">On interface's vtable</td>
<td> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left">interface's <code class="function">interface_init</code> function</td>
<td align="left">On interface's vtable</td>
<td> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td rowspan="3" align="left">Each call to <code class="function"><a class="link" href="gobject-The-Base-Object-Type.html#g-object-new" title="g_object_new ()">g_object_new</a></code> for target type</td>
<td align="left">target type's class <code class="function">constructor</code> method: <code class="function">GObjectClass-&gt;constructor</code>
</td>
<td align="left">On object's instance</td>
<td>
                If you need to handle construct properties in a custom way, or implement a singleton class, override the constructor
                method and make sure to chain up to the object's
                parent class before doing your own initialization.
                In doubt, do not override the constructor method.
              </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left">type's <code class="function">instance_init</code> function</td>
<td align="left">On the inheritance tree of classes from fundamental type to target type. 
              the <code class="function">instance_init</code> provided for each type is invoked once for each instance 
              structure.</td>
<td>
                Provide an <code class="function">instance_init</code> function to initialize your object before its construction
                properties are set. This is the preferred way to initialize a GObject instance.
                This function is equivalent to C++ constructors.
              </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left">target type's class <code class="function">constructed</code> method: <code class="function">GObjectClass-&gt;constructed</code>
</td>
<td align="left">On object's instance</td>
<td>
                If you need to perform object initialization steps after all construct properties have been set.
                This is the final step in the object initialization process, and is only called if the <code class="function">constructor</code>
                method returned a new object instance (rather than, for example, an existing singleton).
              </td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table></div>
</div>
<p><br class="table-break">
    </p>
<p>
      Readers should feel concerned about one little twist in the order in
      which functions are invoked: while, technically, the class' constructor
      method is called <span class="emphasis"><em>before</em></span> the GType's <code class="function">instance_init</code>
      function (since <code class="function"><a class="link" href="gobject-Type-Information.html#g-type-create-instance" title="g_type_create_instance ()">g_type_create_instance</a></code> which calls <code class="function">instance_init</code> is called by
      <code class="function">g_object_constructor</code> which is the top-level class 
      constructor method and to which users are expected to chain to), the
      user's code which runs in a user-provided constructor will always
      run <span class="emphasis"><em>after</em></span> GType's <code class="function">instance_init</code> function since the
      user-provided constructor <span class="emphasis"><em>must</em></span> (you've been warned)
      chain up <span class="emphasis"><em>before</em></span> doing anything useful.
    </p>
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