Python 3 + GTK 4 - Buttons with pictures and labels look weird

Question

I develop a simple app for Linux, Kamarada Firstboot (source on GitLab), using Python 3 and GTK, and I'm migrating from GTK 3 to GTK 4. In case you are curious, you can see it in action if you download the Linux Kamarada ISO image and boot it using e.g. VirtualBox. The following screenshots are from the current version (15.3 branch), based on GTK 3.

I ported most of it to GTK 4 already (gtk4 branch). But I'm facing an issue with the GtkButton's, as since GTK 4 they don't have the label and image properties anymore, and to achieve the same appearance I need to use a combination of GtkBox, GtkPicture and GtkLabel.

But although all my GtkButton's have similar sources:

      <object class="GtkButton" id="btnPortuguese">
        <property name="child">
          <object class="GtkBox">
            <property name="margin-bottom">10</property>
            <property name="margin-end">10</property>
            <property name="margin-start">10</property>
            <property name="margin-top">10</property>
            <property name="orientation">vertical</property>
            <property name="spacing">10</property>
            <child>
              <object class="GtkPicture" id="imgPortuguese">
                <property name="halign">center</property>
                <property name="valign">start</property>
              </object>  
            </child>
            <child>
              <object class="GtkLabel">
                <property name="label">Português Brasileiro</property>
              </object>
            </child>
          </object>
        </property>
        <layout>
          <property name="column">0</property>
          <property name="row">2</property>
        </layout>
        <signal name="clicked" handler="onBtnPortugueseClicked"/>
      </object>

Each of them look differently:

What am I doing wrong?

I'm new to both Python and GTK, but I have some experience programming.

I believe the most relevant files for this question are: kamarada-firstboot.py and kamarada-firstboot.ui.

Here's how one can easily get started with the project (supposing Git, Python 3 and GTK 4 are installed already):

$ git clone https://gitlab.com/kamarada/firstboot.git
$ cd firstboot
$ git checkout gtk4
$ cd usr/share/kamarada-firstboot
$ python3 kamarada-firstboot.py

When the program ends, it outputs the user choices to ~/.config/kamarada-firstboot. You may want to delete this file between tests.

Completely off-topic, but using flags to represent languages is all but guaranteed to alienate entire ethnic groups. — Robby Cornelissen, Nov 04 '22 at 02:12
Looks like your problem is related to how the containers manage padding/ sizing on gtk4 https://docs.gtk.org/gtk4/migrating-3to4.html#stop-using-gtkbox-padding-fill-and-expand-child-properties — Gonzalo Odiard, Nov 04 '22 at 02:42
Thanks for the suggestion, @GonzaloOdiard. In my last commit ([`d767786c`](https://gitlab.com/kamarada/firstboot/-/commit/d767786c684298ea3afdf653de405c667de7d3ae)), I tried the `margin-*`, `halign` and `valign` properties your link suggests. I made some progress, the buttons look less weird now, but still weird. — Antônio Medeiros, Nov 06 '22 at 14:43

Antônio Medeiros · Accepted Answer · 2022-11-09T02:46:15.867

Using the GTK Inspector on some GNOME core apps and studying their source codes, I found a solution.

Each software listed in GNOME Software corresponds to a GsSummaryTile, which inherits from GsAppTile, whose parent is the GtkButton. So, we are seeing buttons here:

The GsSummaryTile uses a GtkGrid (not a GtkBox, as I was trying to do) to pack the GtkImage and the GtkLabel's together.

I did that inside the buttons:

          <object class="GtkButton" id="btnPortuguese">
            <property name="child">
              <object class="GtkGrid">
                <property name="halign">center</property>
                <property name="margin-bottom">12</property>
                <property name="margin-top">12</property>
                <property name="row-spacing">12</property>
                <property name="valign">center</property>
                <child>
                  <object class="GtkPicture" id="imgPortuguese">
                    <property name="halign">center</property>
                    <property name="valign">end</property>
                    <layout>
                      <property name="column">0</property>
                      <property name="row">0</property>
                    </layout>
                  </object>  
                </child>
                <child>
                  <object class="GtkLabel">
                    <property name="justify">center</property>
                    <property name="label">Português Brasileiro</property>
                    <property name="valign">start</property>
                    <layout>
                      <property name="column">0</property>
                      <property name="row">1</property>
                    </layout>
                  </object>
                </child>
              </object>
            </property>
            <!-- ... -->
          </object>

And to make the buttons have the same width and height, I put them inside a GtkGrid with column-homogeneous and row-homogeneous set to True:

      <object class="GtkGrid">
        <property name="column-homogeneous">True</property>
        <property name="column-spacing">24</property>
        <property name="row-homogeneous">True</property>
        <child>
          <object class="GtkButton" id="btnPortuguese">
          <!-- ... -->
        </child>
        <child>
          <object class="GtkButton" id="btnEnglish">
          <!-- ... -->
        </child>
      </object>

With the buttons on the second stack, I did a similar solution, but with one detail: I split the button in half and put the icon on the first (upper) half and the label on the second (bottom) half, setting row-homogeneous to True on the inner GtkGrid, valign to end on the GtkPicture and valign to start on the GtkLabel.

          <object class="GtkButton" id="btnInstall">
            <property name="halign">fill</property>
            <property name="valign">fill</property>
            <property name="child">
              <object class="GtkGrid">
                <property name="halign">center</property>
                <property name="margin-bottom">12</property>
                <property name="margin-top">12</property>
                <property name="row-homogeneous">True</property>
                <property name="valign">center</property>
                <child>
                  <object class="GtkPicture" id="imgInstall">
                    <property name="halign">center</property>
                    <property name="valign">end</property>
                    <layout>
                      <property name="column">0</property>
                      <property name="row">0</property>
                    </layout>
                  </object>  
                </child>
                <child>
                  <object class="GtkLabel" id="lbInstallButton">
                    <property name="justify">center</property>
                    <property name="label">Install Linux Kamarada</property>
                    <property name="margin-top">12</property>
                    <property name="valign">start</property>
                    <layout>
                      <property name="column">0</property>
                      <property name="row">1</property>
                    </layout>
                  </object>
                </child>
              </object>
            </property>
            <!-- ... -->
          </object>

I believe I summarized the main ideas of my solution.

You can see the full source here: kamarada-firstboot.ui.

Python 3 + GTK 4 - Buttons with pictures and labels look weird

1 Answers1