found (widget-apply child :validate)))
found))
+(defun widget-child-value-get (widget)
+ "Get the value of the first member of :children in WIDGET."
+ (widget-value (car (widget-get widget :children))))
+
+(defun widget-child-value-inline (widget)
+ "Get the inline value of the first member of :children in WIDGET."
+ (widget-apply (car (widget-get widget :children)) :value-inline))
+
+(defun widget-child-validate (widget)
+ "The result of validating the first member of :children in WIDGET."
+ (widget-apply (car (widget-get widget :children)) :validate))
+
+(defun widget-type-value-create (widget)
+ "Convert and instantiate the value of the :type attribute of WIDGET.
+Store the newly created widget in the :children attribute.
+
+The value of the :type attribute should be an unconverted widget type."
+ (let ((value (widget-get widget :value))
+ (type (widget-get widget :type)))
+ (widget-put widget :children
+ (list (widget-create-child-value widget
+ (widget-convert type)
+ value)))))
+
+(defun widget-type-default-get (widget)
+ "Get default value from the :type attribute of WIDGET.
+
+The value of the :type attribute should be an unconverted widget type."
+ (widget-default-get (widget-convert (widget-get widget :type))))
+
+(defun widget-type-match (widget value)
+ "Non-nil if the :type value of WIDGET matches VALUE.
+
+The value of the :type attribute should be an unconverted widget type."
+ (widget-apply (widget-convert (widget-get widget :type)) :match value))
+
(defun widget-types-copy (widget)
"Copy :args as widget types in WIDGET."
(widget-put widget :args (mapcar 'widget-copy (widget-get widget :args)))
:tag "choice"
:void '(item :format "invalid (%t)\n")
:value-create 'widget-choice-value-create
- :value-delete 'widget-children-value-delete
- :value-get 'widget-choice-value-get
- :value-inline 'widget-choice-value-inline
+ :value-get 'widget-child-value-get
+ :value-inline 'widget-child-value-inline
:default-get 'widget-choice-default-get
:mouse-down-action 'widget-choice-mouse-down-action
:action 'widget-choice-action
widget void :value value)))
(widget-put widget :choice void))))))
-(defun widget-choice-value-get (widget)
- ;; Get value of the child widget.
- (widget-value (car (widget-get widget :children))))
-
-(defun widget-choice-value-inline (widget)
- ;; Get value of the child widget.
- (widget-apply (car (widget-get widget :children)) :value-inline))
-
(defun widget-choice-default-get (widget)
;; Get default for the first choice.
(widget-default-get (car (widget-get widget :args))))
:entry-format "%b %v"
:greedy nil
:value-create 'widget-checklist-value-create
- :value-delete 'widget-children-value-delete
:value-get 'widget-checklist-value-get
:validate 'widget-checklist-validate
:match 'widget-checklist-match
:format "%v"
:entry-format "%b %v"
:value-create 'widget-radio-value-create
- :value-delete 'widget-children-value-delete
:value-get 'widget-radio-value-get
:value-inline 'widget-radio-value-inline
:value-set 'widget-radio-value-set
:format-handler 'widget-editable-list-format-handler
:entry-format "%i %d %v"
:value-create 'widget-editable-list-value-create
- :value-delete 'widget-children-value-delete
:value-get 'widget-editable-list-value-get
:validate 'widget-children-validate
:match 'widget-editable-list-match
:copy 'widget-types-copy
:format "%v"
:value-create 'widget-group-value-create
- :value-delete 'widget-children-value-delete
:value-get 'widget-editable-list-value-get
:default-get 'widget-group-default-get
:validate 'widget-children-validate
"A documentation string."
:format "%v"
:action 'widget-documentation-string-action
- :value-delete 'widget-children-value-delete
:value-create 'widget-documentation-string-value-create)
(defun widget-documentation-string-value-create (widget)
(widget-group-match widget
(widget-apply widget :value-to-internal value))))
\f
+;;; The `lazy' Widget.
+;;
+;; Recursive datatypes.
+
+(define-widget 'lazy 'default
+ "Base widget for recursive datastructures.
+
+The `lazy' widget will, when instantiated, contain a single inferior
+widget, of the widget type specified by the :type parameter. The
+value of the `lazy' widget is the same as the value of the inferior
+widget. When deriving a new widget from the 'lazy' widget, the :type
+parameter is allowed to refer to the widget currently being defined,
+thus allowing recursive datastructures to be described.
+
+The :type parameter takes the same arguments as the defcustom
+parameter with the same name.
+
+Most composite widgets, i.e. widgets containing other widgets, does
+not allow recursion. That is, when you define a new widget type, none
+of the inferior widgets may be of the same type you are currently
+defining.
+
+In Lisp, however, it is custom to define datastructures in terms of
+themselves. A list, for example, is defined as either nil, or a cons
+cell whose cdr itself is a list. The obvious way to translate this
+into a widget type would be
+
+ (define-widget 'my-list 'choice
+ \"A list of sexps.\"
+ :tag \"Sexp list\"
+ :args '((const nil) (cons :value (nil) sexp my-list)))
+
+Here we attempt to define my-list as a choice of either the constant
+nil, or a cons-cell containing a sexp and my-lisp. This will not work
+because the `choice' widget does not allow recursion.
+
+Using the `lazy' widget you can overcome this problem, as in this
+example:
+
+ (define-widget 'sexp-list 'lazy
+ \"A list of sexps.\"
+ :tag \"Sexp list\"
+ :type '(choice (const nil) (cons :value (nil) sexp sexp-list)))"
+ :format "%{%t%}: %v"
+ ;; We don't convert :type because we want to allow recursive
+ ;; datastructures. This is slow, so we should not create speed
+ ;; critical widgets by deriving from this.
+ :convert-widget 'widget-value-convert-widget
+ :value-create 'widget-type-value-create
+ :value-get 'widget-child-value-get
+ :value-inline 'widget-child-value-inline
+ :default-get 'widget-type-default-get
+ :match 'widget-type-match
+ :validate 'widget-child-validate)
+
+\f
;;; The `plist' Widget.
;;
;; Property lists.
@c -*-texinfo-*-
@c This is part of the GNU Emacs Lisp Reference Manual.
-@c Copyright (C) 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
+@c Copyright (C) 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
@c See the file elisp.texi for copying conditions.
@setfilename ../info/customize
@node Customization, Loading, Macros, Top
* Composite Types::
* Splicing into Lists::
* Type Keywords::
+* Defining New Types::
@end menu
All customization types are implemented as widgets; see @ref{Top, ,
@end ignore
@end table
+@node Defining New Types
+@subsection Defining New Types
+
+In the previous sections we have described how to construct elaborate
+type specifications for @code{defcustom}. In some cases you may want to
+give such a type specification a name. The obvious case is when you are
+using the same type for many user options, rather than repeat the
+specification for each option, you can give the type specification a
+name once, and use that name each @code{defcustom}. The other case is
+when a user option accept a recursive datastructure. To make it
+possible for a datatype to refer to itself, it needs to have a name.
+
+Since custom types are implemented as widgets, the way to define a new
+customize type is to define a new widget. We are not going to describe
+the widget interface here in details, see @ref{Top, , Introduction,
+widget, The Emacs Widget Library}, for that. Instead we are going to
+demonstrate the minimal functionality needed for defining new customize
+types by a simple example.
+
+@example
+(define-widget 'binary-tree-of-string 'lazy
+ "A binary tree made of cons-cells and strings."
+ :offset 4
+ :tag "Node"
+ :type '(choice (string :tag "Leaf" :value "")
+ (cons :tag "Interior"
+ :value ("" . "")
+ binary-tree-of-string
+ binary-tree-of-string)))
+
+(defcustom foo-bar ""
+ "Sample variable holding a binary tree of strings."
+ :type 'binary-tree-of-string)
+@end example
+
+The function to define a new widget is name @code{define-widget}. The
+first argument is the symbol we want to make a new widget type. The
+second argument is a symbol representing an existing widget, the new
+widget is going to be defined in terms of difference from the existing
+widget. For the purpose of defining new customization types, the
+@code{lazy} widget is perfect, because it accept a @code{:type} keyword
+argument with the same syntax as the keyword argument to
+@code{defcustom} with the same name. The third argument is a
+documentation string for the new widget. You will be able to see that
+string with the @kbd{M-x widget-browse @key{ret} binary-tree-of-string
+@key{ret}} command.
+
+After these mandatory arguments follows the keyword arguments. The most
+important is @code{:type}, which describes the datatype we want to match
+with this widget. Here a @code{binary-tree-of-string} is described as
+being either a string, or a cons-cell whose car and cdr are themselves
+both @code{binary-tree-of-string}. Note the reference to the widget
+type we are currently in the process of defining. The @code{:tag}
+attribute is a string to name the widget in the user interface, and the
+@code{:offset} argument are there to ensure that child nodes are
+indented four spaces relatively to the parent node, making the tree
+structure apparent in the customization buffer.
+
+The @code{defcustom} shows how the new widget can be used as an ordinary
+customization type.
+
+If you wonder about the name @code{lazy}, know that the other composite
+widgets convert their inferior widgets to internal form when the widget
+is instantiated in a buffer. This conversion is recursive, so the
+inferior widgets will convert @emph{their} inferior widgets. If the
+datastructure is itself recursive, this conversion will go on forever,
+or at least until Emacs run out of stack space. The @code{lazy} widget
+stop this recursion, it will only convert its @code{:type} argument when
+needed.
+
@ignore
arch-tag: d1b8fad3-f48c-4ce4-a402-f73b5ef19bd2
@end ignore