LCL Internals

Internals of the LCL

There is the LCL, and the "interface". The LCL is the part that is platform independent, and it resides in the lazarus/lcl/ directory. This directory contains mainly class definitions. Many of the different controls are actually implemented in the lazarus/lcl/include/ directory in the various .inc files. This is to find the implementation of a specific control, TCustomMemo for example, faster (which is in custommemo.inc). Every .inc starts with a line {%MainUnit ...} to define where it is included.

Then there is the "interface" which lives in a subdirectory of the lazarus/lcl/interfaces/ directory. The gtk interface is in gtk/, win32 in win32/, etc. They all have a Interfaces unit, which is used by the lcl and creates the main interface object. Usually the main interface object is defined in XXint.pp (win32int.pp), and implemented in various inc files, XXobject.inc, for the interface specific methods, XXwinapi.inc for winapi implementation methods, XXlistsl.inc for implementation of the stringlist used by the TComboBox, TListBox, and other such controls, XXcallback.inc for handling of widget events and taking appropriate action to notify the LCL.

Every control has a WidgetSetClass property which is of the 'mirror' class in the interfaces directory, for example: mirror of TCustomEdit is TWSCustomEdit, which methods are implemented by TWin32WSCustomEdit in win32wsstdctrls. This is the way the LCL communicates with the interface, and how it lets the interface do things.

Communication of interface back to LCL is mostly done by sending messages, usually 'DeliverMessage' which calls TControl.Perform(<message_id>, wparam, lparam) with wparam and lparam being the extra info for the message.

Example of how the interfaces work

Below is a simple example. Supose you have a button component. How would it be implemented for different platforms on the LCL way?

There would be the files:

\trayicon.pas

\wstrayicon.pas

\gtk\gtkwstrayicon.pas

\gtk\trayintf.pas

\win32\win32wstrayicon.pas

\win32\trayintf.pas

This way you require zero ifdefs. You will need to add as a unit path $(LCLWidgetType) for it to add the correct trayintf.pas file which will in turn initialize the correct WS Tray class.

in trayicon.pas you include wstrayicon. Derive your main class from a LCL class, and only use wstrayicon on the implementation.

unit TrayIcon;

interface

type
  TTrayIcon = class(TComponent)
  public
    procedure DoTray;
  end;

implementation

uses wstrayicon;

procedure TTrayIcon.DoTray;
begin
  // Call wstrayicon
end;

end.

in trayintf you use gtkwstrayicon or win32trayicon depending on which trayintf file it is.

in wstrayicon you create a class like so:

unit WSTrayIcon;

uses WSLCLClasses, Controls, TrayIcon; // and other things as well

TWSTrayIcon = class of TWSTrayIcon;
TWSTrayIcon = class(TWSWinControl);
public
 class procedure EmbedTrayIcon(const ATrayIcon: TCustomTrayIcon);
virtual; // these must all be virtual and class procedures!!
 class procedure RemoveTrayIcon(const ATrayIcon: TCustomTrayIcon); virtual;
 ....
end;
...

implementation

procedure TWSTrayIcon.EmbedTrayIcon(const ATrayIcon: TCustomTrayIcon);
begin
 //do nothing
end;

procedure TWSTrayIcon.RemoveTrayIcon(const ATrayIcon: TCustomTrayIcon);
begin
 //do nothing
end;

now in gtkwstrayicon.pas do this:

uses WSTrayIcon, WSLCLClasses, Controls, TrayIcon, gtk, gdk;


TGtkWSTrayIcon = class(TWSTrayIcon);
private
 class function FindSystemTray(const ATrayIcon: TCustomTrayIcon):
TWindow; virtual;
public
 class procedure EmbedTrayIcon(const ATrayIcon: TCustomTrayIcon); override;
 class procedure RemoveTrayIcon(const ATrayIcon: TCustomTrayIcon);
override;
 class function  CreateHandle(const AWinControl: TWinControl; const
AParams: TCreateParams): HWND; override;
 ....
end;
...

implementation

procedure TGtkWSTrayIcon.CreateHandle(const AWinControl: TWinControl;
const AParams: TCreateParams): HWND;
var
WidgetInfo: PWidgetInfo;
begin

 Result := gtk_plug_new;
 WidgetInfo := CreateWidgetInfo(AWinControl, Result); // it's something
like this anyway
 TGtkWSWincontrolClass(WidgetSetClass).SetCallbacks(AWinControl);
 // and more stuff
end;

function TGtkWSTrayIcon.FindSystemTray(const ATrayIcon:
TCustomTrayIcon): TWindow;
begin
 // do something
end;


procedure TGtkWSTrayIcon.EmbedTrayIcon(const ATrayIcon: TCustomTrayIcon);
var
SystemTray: TWindow;
begin
 SystemTray := FindSystemTray(ATrayIcon);
 //do something
end;

procedure TGtkWSTrayIcon.RemoveTrayIcon(const ATrayIcon: TCustomTrayIcon);
begin
 //do something
end;

......

initialization

RegisterWSComponent(TCustomTrayIcon, TGtkWSTrayIcon); //this is very
important!!!

end.

then finally in trayicon.pas you go as normal

uses WSTrayIcon; //etc. you DON'T include GtkWSTrayIcon here!

TCustomTrayIcon = class(TWinControl)
public
 procedure EmbedControl;
....
end;

...
procedure TTrayIcon.EmbedControl;
begin
 TWSTrayIconClass(WidgetSetClass).EmbedControl(Self);

end;

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