Gtk.SizeGroup
Description: Reference for Gtk.SizeGroup

### Class

# GtkSizeGroup

#### Description [src]

    final class Gtk.SizeGroup : GObject.Object
      implements Gtk.Buildable {
      /* No available fields */
    }

Groups widgets together so they all request the same size.

This is typically useful when you want a column of widgets to have the same size, but you can’t use a `GtkGrid` or `GtkBox`.

In detail, the size requested for each widget in a `GtkSizeGroup` is the maximum of the sizes that would have been requested for each widget in the size group if they were not in the size group. The mode of the size group determines whether this applies to the horizontal size, the vertical size, or both sizes.

Note that size groups only affect the amount of space requested, not the size that the widgets finally receive. If you want the widgets in a `GtkSizeGroup` to actually be the same size, you need to pack them in such a way that they get the size they request and not more. In particular it doesn’t make a lot of sense to set the expand flags on the widgets that are members of a size group.

`GtkSizeGroup` objects are referenced by each widget in the size group, so once you have added all widgets to a `GtkSizeGroup`, you can drop the initial reference to the size group with `g_object_unref()`. If the widgets in the size group are subsequently destroyed, then they will be removed from the size group and drop their references on the size group; when all widgets have been removed, the size group will be freed.

Widgets can be part of multiple size groups; GTK will compute the horizontal size of a widget from the horizontal requisition of all widgets that can be reached from the widget by a chain of size groups with mode `GTK_SIZE_GROUP_HORIZONTAL` or `GTK_SIZE_GROUP_BOTH`, and the vertical size from the vertical requisition of all widgets that can be reached from the widget by a chain of size groups with mode `GTK_SIZE_GROUP_VERTICAL` or `GTK_SIZE_GROUP_BOTH`.

# Size groups and trading height-for-width

Warning

Generally, size groups don’t interact well with widgets that trade height for width (or width for height), such as wrappable labels. Avoid using size groups with such widgets.

A size group with mode `GTK_SIZE_GROUP_HORIZONTAL` or `GTK_SIZE_GROUP_VERTICAL` only consults non-contextual sizes of widgets other than the one being measured, since it has no knowledge of what size a widget will get allocated in the other orientation. This can lead to widgets in a group actually requesting different contextual sizes, contrary to the purpose of `GtkSizeGroup`.

In contrast, a size group with mode `GTK_SIZE_GROUP_BOTH` can properly propagate the available size in the opposite orientation when measuring widgets in the group, which results in consistent and accurate measurements.

In case some mechanism other than a size group is already used to ensure that widgets in a group all get the same size in one orientation (for example, some common ancestor is known to allocate the same width to all its children), and the size group is only really needed to also make the widgets request the same size in the other orientation, it is beneficial to still set the group’s mode to `GTK_SIZE_GROUP_BOTH`. This lets the group assume and count on sizes of the widgets in the former orientation being the same, which enables it to propagate the available size as described above.

# Alternatives to size groups

Size groups have many limitations, such as only influencing size requests but not allocations, and poor height-for-width support. When possible, prefer using dedicated mechanisms that can properly ensure that the widgets get the same size.

Various container widgets and layout managers support a homogeneous layout mode, where they will explicitly give the same size to their children (see `GtkBox:homogeneous`). Using homogeneous mode can also have large performance benefits compared to either the same container in non-homogeneous mode, or to size groups.

`GtkGrid` can be used to position widgets into rows and columns. Members of each column will have the same width among them; likewise, members of each row will have the same height. On top of that, the heights can be made equal between all rows with `GtkGrid:row-homogeneous`, and the widths can be made equal between all columns with `GtkGrid:column-homogeneous`.

# GtkSizeGroup as GtkBuildable

Size groups can be specified in a UI definition by placing an `<object>` element with `class="GtkSizeGroup"` somewhere in the UI definition. The widgets that belong to the size group are specified by a `<widgets>` element that may contain multiple `<widget>` elements, one for each member of the size group. The ”name” attribute gives the id of the widget.

An example of a UI definition fragment with `GtkSizeGroup`:

    <object class="GtkSizeGroup">
      <property name="mode">horizontal</property>
      <widgets>
        <widget name="radio1"/>
        <widget name="radio2"/>
      </widgets>
    </object>

#### Hierarchy

#### Ancestors

- GObject

#### Implements

- GtkBuildable

#### Constructors

###### gtk_size_group_new

Create a new `GtkSizeGroup`.

#### Instance methods

###### gtk_size_group_add_widget

Adds a widget to a `GtkSizeGroup`.

###### gtk_size_group_get_mode

Gets the current mode of the size group.

###### gtk_size_group_get_widgets

Returns the list of widgets associated with `size_group`.

###### gtk_size_group_remove_widget

Removes a widget from a `GtkSizeGroup`.

###### gtk_size_group_set_mode

Sets the `GtkSizeGroupMode` of the size group.

##### Methods inherited from GObject (43)

Please see GObject for a full list of methods.

##### Methods inherited from GtkBuildable (1)

###### gtk_buildable_get_buildable_id

Gets the ID of the `buildable` object.

#### Properties

###### Gtk.SizeGroup:mode

The direction in which the size group affects requested sizes.

#### Signals

##### Signals inherited from GObject (1)

###### GObject::notify

The notify signal is emitted on an object when one of its properties has its value set through g_object_set_property(), g_object_set(), et al.