Ktk: Aiding the KDE Revolution!

Ktk, version 0.4
Released 29th March 1999

Ktk is a library of procedures designed to allow Tcl/Tk applications (using the Tix extension) to look like (and mostly to behave like) the native KDE ones. This page describes version 0.4.
You can download it from the following places;

• by clicking-right over this link and choosing "Save Link As"
• the Neosoft archive
• my local FTP server.

Contents

• About this package
• KDE Applications: differences with Tcl/Tk
• Same examples (including screenshots)
• Installing Ktk
• Using Ktk
  • Kinit: library initialisation
  • utilitybar: for creating menu and utility bars
  • toolbutton: for toolbar buttons
  • kfileselect: a KDE-style file select window
  • kombobox: a KDE/Qt combobox
  • Kdialog: a KDE user-dialogue window

This web page gives details of my Tcl/Tk library (called Ktk) which allows tixwish programs to come close to the native KDE look and feel.

Ktk is designed to be used with the Tix extension for wish. There are several reasons why I chose Tix--support for xpm and several new ``mega widgets'' being the most significant.

It currently looks as though work on Tix has stopped. This is a great pity and could become a problem as newer versions of Tcl and Tk are developed. Recently, while developing the file select window, I've found a number of annoyances (I'd call them bugs) with Tix which has taken a lot of effort to work around, so the time when Tix may be dropped is closer.

It should be fairly easy to retro-fit Ktk to an existing wish application in order to ``K-ise'' it, though modifications may still be necessary in order to conform to the KDE style guide.

KDE Applications: differences with Tcl/Tk

Drag and Drop

I note that with Qt release 2.0 KDE will move to use XDND. I also note that GNOME is using XDND, so the value of having XDND support in Tcl/Tk is greater than ever.

In a later version I plan to add very crude drag-and-drop support which would allow an open application to receive ``events'' when objects are dropped over desktop icons.

Colours and Fonts

Ktk provides a procedure which initialises the Tk option database to use the currently selected colour scheme and font. If the user changes these settings in mid-session, Tk applications will not use the new values until re-started.

Session Management

Dialogues

Menubars and Toolbars

Buttons displaying images (KDE Tool bars)

The Qt image button is flat until the mouse enters the widget, when it becomes raised. A tool-tip is posted if the mouse remains over the widget for longer than about 1 second.

Ktk provides the toolbutton widget which mimics the Qt tool button.

Advanced widgets

Tear-off Menus

kmtools is a GUI front-end for the mtools package of DOS floppy disc programs. It allows users to copy individual or multiple files to/from a floppy disc. It shows the names of files stored on the floppy disc and the space used. You can read more about this from the Ktk Home site.

kprint is a print tool which provides access to lpr, lpq and lprm in one easy-to-use application. It is modelled closely along the lines of Xyz's klp program, though he seems to have stopped development on that. At some point I will make kprint available for download--check here for details.

kexample is included in the distribution tarfile. It is a mock-up of a typical KDE application with menu, toolbar and combobox.

kexample demonstrates the following features;

• the `cut' button (fifth one from the left) toggles the state of the idea button (the first one).
• the tooltip for the `cut' button changes according to the state of the idea button
• the reload button (sixth from left) toggles the state of the combobox
• the exit toolbutton includes text
• the home button (the fourth from the left) changes the text on the exit button
• the second and third buttons are created disabled (note the sunken shading)
• the options, displayed by the Option menu, are saved when the program terminates
• clicking Button3 over the menubar's extreme left control area gives a popup menu
• using the file select window (from the File menu), the chosen file name is inserted into the combobox

Having downloaded the library, installation is very simple:

1. place K.tk in a convenient directory, such as /usr/local/lib. To make life easy, install it in the same directory as other Tk libraries
2. (re-)create the tclIndex file by running the tixindex program (which is part of the Tix installation) in the installation directory using the command
   tixindex *.tk
3. in your wish application which wants to use Ktk, add the pathname of the install-directory to the special Tcl list auto_path using
   lappend auto_path install-pathname

1. create the directory "kfileselect" under your $KDEDIR/share/doc/HTML/default directory. You may need to be "root" to do this
2. copy all the files from the distribution's kfileselect.help directory to the newly created "kfileselect" directory
3. on a multi-user setup, make sure all your users can access the files by giving them general read permission.