# Why does Gtk::Dialog::run go into TreeViewColumn::initialize?

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/why-does-gtk-run-go-into-treeviewcolumn-initialize/240311>\
**Category:** Ruby-Gnome 2\
**Created:** [April 8, 2014, 4:44am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/why-does-gtk-run-go-into-treeviewcolumn-initialize/240311 "2014-04-08T04:44:07Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![musicdenotation](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/ea666f/32.png) [@musicdenotation](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/musicdenotation)\
**Post date:** [April 8, 2014, 4:44am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/why-does-gtk-run-go-into-treeviewcolumn-initialize/240311/1 "2014-04-08T04:44:07Z")

</div>

I’m trying to pop up a modal dialog. In TestDialog.rb I put

class TestDialog \< Gtk::Dialog  
include GladeGUI

attr\_reader :info

def initialize  
@info = 5  
load\_glade( **FILE** )  
@builder[“window1”].title = “Edit Grammar Rule”  
@builder[“label”].text = @info.to\_s  
super  
end

def run  
puts “TestDialog run called”  
super  
puts “Back from run”  
end

end

I make a TestDialog.glade file with the label, using a GtkDialog  
top-level with name: window1.

When I call

```
  rhs_editor = TestDialog.new
  puts "About to call run in GR:Init"
  rhs_editor.run

```

and put a breakpoint on the “super” in the run method, and step-in in  
RubyMine, it goes straight to line 53 of TreeViewColumn.rb (in the block  
passed to set\_cell\_data\_func in the “user defined object” section of  
initialize).

But TestDialog is inheriting straight from Gtk::Dialog. It should have  
nothing to do with VR. I do use VR elsewhere in my program, but I put a  
breakpoint on the call to set\_cell\_data\_func and it’s not being called  
from that class.

All I really want to do is put up a modal dialog-like window that I  
define in Glade, and get an answer from it before I continue. I’ve spent  
six hours on it today. Help??? Thanks!

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![mahadewa](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/9e8a1a/32.png) [@mahadewa](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/mahadewa)\
**Post date:** [April 8, 2014, 11:02pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/why-does-gtk-run-go-into-treeviewcolumn-initialize/240311/2 "2014-04-08T23:02:45Z")

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Hi:

You’re making it a bit more complicated than it needs to be. I don’t  
understand the callstack, but let me give you another path to try.

First, if all you want to do is pop-up a box and get an answer, use the  
input\_box() method:

[http://visualruby.net/VR/Dialog.html](http://visualruby.net/VR/Dialog.html)

@answer = VR::Dialog.input\_box(“Give me answer:”, “5”, title = “Edit  
Grammar Rule”)

I don’t see any reason to subclass Gtk::Dialog. Visual Ruby is  
naturally made to create windows easily, and the windows default to  
Modal.

Also, the load\_glade( **FILE** ) method is no longer needed in your code.  
visualruby loads the glade file automatically now. I don’t think it  
belongs in the initialize method anyway.

Take a look at the example programs in visualruby. They show the new  
way of doing things. Now, you just define a method named before\_show()  
to do any tasks you want done before the window appears on the screen.  
On many occasions, initialize isn’t even necessary.

These two lines:

```
@builder["window1"].title = "Edit Grammar Rule"
@builder["label"].text = @info.to_s

```

are just setting constant values in your glade form. I would suggest  
using the glade program to set those values so you unclutter your code.  
But its great that you understand how to manipulate them with code too.

Let me know how it goes.

Best,  
Eric

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![mahadewa](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/9e8a1a/32.png) [@mahadewa](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/mahadewa)\
**Post date:** [April 10, 2014, 10:56am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/why-does-gtk-run-go-into-treeviewcolumn-initialize/240311/3 "2014-04-10T10:56:19Z")

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Many thanks! I found the problem… after another 2 hours of debugging.  
It’s a fun one.

I was indeed using “old-style” code that I inherited (from myself,  
months ago, when I was first learning Glade/VR/Gtk).

(Also, I had missed the instructions on how to create the examples  
directory during install (I use RubyMine as my IDE, so never tried to  
run the VR IDE), and I kept looking on the “child windows” tutorial page  
and in the sidebar for a link to download the code.)

Worst of all… even when I converted my code to “new style” it kept  
not-continuing after the modal window was closed. I could say

def my\_button\_\_pressed  
puts “foo”  
MyWindow.new.show  
puts “bar”  
end

and when I pressed my\_button it would say

foo

and then put up the window, and then I’d close the window, and then…  
it would not say “bar.” It just wouldn’t execute the rest of the code in  
the method.

I finally copied in MyChildClass.rb and MyChildClass.glade from the  
example, verified that it did work properly, diff’d the glade files  
between MyWindow.glade and MyChildClass.glade, copied lines back and  
forth, and narrowed it down to a line that was missing from  
MyWindow.glade

I did mention I’d inherited old code? I’ve been editing MyWindow.glade  
with the new Glade, but apparently Glade didn’t notice that that line  
was missing, didn’t add it, and didn’t warn me that the glade file was  
old-style.

If there are other people out there who’ve inherited old .glade files,  
that would be a nice feature to put into Glade.

Thanks!

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![mahadewa](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/9e8a1a/32.png) [@mahadewa](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/mahadewa)\
**Post date:** [April 10, 2014, 10:38pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/why-does-gtk-run-go-into-treeviewcolumn-initialize/240311/4 "2014-04-10T22:38:11Z")

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Yes - indeed I created the forms/windows using Glade.

Learning a second IDE would also have cost me hours.

A brief note in the tutorial about the importance of using VR-created  
Glade files would have saved me hours…? It just doesn’t seem obvious,  
to someone who starts using Ruby first and then finds VR, that they  
can’t just use the VR library with off-the-shelf Glade.

Thanks,  
Chris

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![mahadewa](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/9e8a1a/32.png) [@mahadewa](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/mahadewa)\
**Post date:** [April 10, 2014, 10:29pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/why-does-gtk-run-go-into-treeviewcolumn-initialize/240311/5 "2014-04-10T22:29:33Z")

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Now I understand.

One of the great things about visualruby is that it does all the  
parent/child windows and closing of windows automatically.

The reason you ran into this problem is because you likely created the  
form from scratch using glade. When you create a new form with  
visualruby, it copies a skeleton glade file from the “skeleton” folder.  
This glade file already has the “destroy” event set to “destroy\_window”.  
Visualruby’s library, vrlib (GladeGUI) has the destroy\_window defined in  
it, so you can simply use the destroy\_window() method anywhere in your  
program.

It might be best to use the visualruby IDE because it knows to create  
new glade files in this way. Also, it helps you organize your files  
because you just right-click on any program file to create the  
corresponding glade file. And it knows the naming conventions.

In your case it would have saved you hours of debugging.

But now you know how it creates new glade files! 🙂

Yours,  
Eric