Description
AtkValue should be implemented for components which either display
a value from a bounded range, or which allow the user to specify a
value from a bounded range, or both. For instance, most sliders and
range controls, as well as dials, should have AtkObject
representations which implement AtkValue on the component's
behalf. AtKValues may be read-only, in which case attempts to
alter the value return would fail.
On the subject of current value text
In addition to providing the current value, implementors can
optionally provide an end-user-consumable textual description
associated with this value. This description should be included
when the numeric value fails to convey the full, on-screen
representation seen by users.
Example 1. Password strength
A password strength meter whose value changes as the user types
their new password. Red is used for values less than 4.0, yellow
for values between 4.0 and 7.0, and green for values greater than
7.0. In this instance, value text should be provided by the
implementor. Appropriate value text would be "weak", "acceptable,"
and "strong" respectively.
A level bar whose value changes to reflect the battery charge. The
color remains the same regardless of the charge and there is no
on-screen text reflecting the fullness of the battery. In this
case, because the position within the bar is the only indication
the user has of the current charge, value text should not be
provided by the implementor.
Implementor Notes
Implementors should bear in mind that assistive technologies will
likely prefer the value text provided over the numeric value when
presenting a widget's value. As a result, strings not intended for
end users should not be exposed in the value text, and strings
which are exposed should be localized. In the case of widgets which
display value text on screen, for instance through a separate label
in close proximity to the value-displaying widget, it is still
expected that implementors will expose the value text using the
above API.
AtkValue should NOT be implemented for widgets whose displayed
value is not reflective of a meaningful amount. For instance, a
progress pulse indicator whose value alternates between 0.0 and 1.0
to indicate that some process is still taking place should not
implement AtkValue because the current value does not reflect
progress towards completion.
On the subject of ranges
In addition to providing the minimum and maximum values,
implementors can optionally provide details about subranges
associated with the widget. These details should be provided by the
implementor when both of the following are communicated visually to
the end user:
- The existence of distinct ranges such as "weak",
"acceptable", and "strong" indicated by color, bar tick marks,
and/or on-screen text.
- Where the current value stands within a given subrange,
for instance illustrating progression from very "weak" towards
nearly "acceptable" through changes in shade and/or position on
the bar within the "weak" subrange.
If both of the above do not apply to the widget, it should be
sufficient to expose the numeric value, along with the value text
if appropriate, to make the widget accessible.
Implementor Notes
If providing subrange details is deemed necessary, all possible
values of the widget are expected to fall within one of the
subranges defined by the implementor.
On the subject of localization of end-user-consumable text
values
Because value text and subrange descriptors are human-consumable,
implementors are expected to provide localized strings which can be
directly presented to end users via their assistive technology. In
order to simplify this for implementors, implementors can use
atk_value_type_get_localized_name() with the following
already-localized constants for commonly-needed values can be used:
- ATK_VALUE_VERY_WEAK
- ATK_VALUE_WEAK
- ATK_VALUE_ACCEPTABLE
- ATK_VALUE_STRONG
- ATK_VALUE_VERY_STRONG
- ATK_VALUE_VERY_LOW
- ATK_VALUE_LOW
- ATK_VALUE_MEDIUM
- ATK_VALUE_HIGH
- ATK_VALUE_VERY_HIGH
- ATK_VALUE_VERY_BAD
- ATK_VALUE_BAD
- ATK_VALUE_GOOD
- ATK_VALUE_VERY_GOOD
- ATK_VALUE_BEST
- ATK_VALUE_SUBSUBOPTIMAL
- ATK_VALUE_SUBOPTIMAL
- ATK_VALUE_OPTIMAL
Proposals for additional constants, along with their use cases,
should be submitted to the GNOME Accessibility Team.
On the subject of changes
Note that if there is a textual description associated with the new
numeric value, that description should be included regardless of
whether or not it has also changed.
Functions
atk_value_get_current_value ()
void
atk_value_get_current_value (AtkValue *obj,
GValue *value);
Gets the value of this object.
atk_value_get_maximum_value ()
void
atk_value_get_maximum_value (AtkValue *obj,
GValue *value);
atk_value_get_maximum_value is deprecated and should not be used in newly-written code.
Since 2.12. Use atk_value_get_range() instead.
Gets the maximum value of this object.
atk_value_get_minimum_value ()
void
atk_value_get_minimum_value (AtkValue *obj,
GValue *value);
atk_value_get_minimum_value is deprecated and should not be used in newly-written code.
Since 2.12. Use atk_value_get_range() instead.
Gets the minimum value of this object.
atk_value_set_current_value ()
gboolean
atk_value_set_current_value (AtkValue *obj,
const GValue *value);
atk_value_set_current_value is deprecated and should not be used in newly-written code.
Since 2.12. Use atk_value_set_value() instead.
Sets the value of this object.
Returns
TRUE if new value is successfully set, FALSE otherwise.
atk_value_get_minimum_increment ()
void
atk_value_get_minimum_increment (AtkValue *obj,
GValue *value);
atk_value_get_minimum_increment is deprecated and should not be used in newly-written code.
Since 2.12. Use atk_value_get_increment() instead.
Gets the minimum increment by which the value of this object may be changed. If zero,
the minimum increment is undefined, which may mean that it is limited only by the
floating point precision of the platform.
Since: 1.12
atk_value_get_value_and_text ()
void
atk_value_get_value_and_text (AtkValue *obj,
gdouble *value,
gchar **text);
Gets the current value and the human readable text alternative of
obj
. text
is a newly created string, that must be freed by the
caller. Can be NULL if no descriptor is available.
Since: 2.12
atk_value_get_range ()
AtkRange *
atk_value_get_range (AtkValue *obj);
Gets the range of this object.
Returns
a newly allocated AtkRange
that represents the minimum, maximum and descriptor (if available)
of obj
. NULL if that range is not defined.
[nullable][transfer full]
Since: 2.12
atk_value_get_increment ()
gdouble
atk_value_get_increment (AtkValue *obj);
Gets the minimum increment by which the value of this object may be
changed. If zero, the minimum increment is undefined, which may
mean that it is limited only by the floating point precision of the
platform.
Returns
the minimum increment by which the value of this
object may be changed. zero if undefined.
Since: 2.12
atk_value_get_sub_ranges ()
GSList *
atk_value_get_sub_ranges (AtkValue *obj);
Gets the list of subranges defined for this object. See AtkValue
introduction for examples of subranges and when to expose them.
Returns
an GSList of
AtkRange which each of the subranges defined for this object. Free
the returns list with g_slist_free().
[element-type AtkRange][transfer full]
Since: 2.12
atk_value_set_value ()
void
atk_value_set_value (AtkValue *obj,
const gdouble new_value);
Sets the value of this object.
This method is intended to provide a way to change the value of the
object. In any case, it is possible that the value can't be
modified (ie: a read-only component). If the value changes due this
call, it is possible that the text could change, and will trigger
an “value-changed” signal emission.
Note for implementors: the deprecated atk_value_set_current_value()
method returned TRUE or FALSE depending if the value was assigned
or not. In the practice several implementors were not able to
decide it, and returned TRUE in any case. For that reason it is not
required anymore to return if the value was properly assigned or
not.
Since: 2.12
atk_value_type_get_localized_name ()
const gchar *
atk_value_type_get_localized_name (AtkValueType value_type);
Gets the localized description string describing the AtkValueType value_type
.
atk_value_type_get_name ()
const gchar *
atk_value_type_get_name (AtkValueType value_type);
Gets the description string describing the AtkValueType value_type
.
Signal Details
The “value-changed” signal
void
user_function (AtkValue *atkvalue,
gdouble value,
gchar *text,
gpointer user_data)
The 'value-changed' signal is emitted when the current value
that represent the object changes. value
is the numerical
representation of this new value. text
is the human
readable text alternative of value
, and can be NULL if it is
not available. Note that if there is a textual description
associated with the new numeric value, that description
should be included regardless of whether or not it has also
changed.
Example: a password meter whose value changes as the user
types their new password. Appropiate value text would be
"weak", "acceptable" and "strong".
Flags: Run Last
Since: 2.12