Focusable GTK4 labels

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1

Hello,

Since GTK4 labels are no longer focusable, however I have found focusable labels in the wild and I am trying to learn how to make the label focusable with the keyboard and allow text selection.

I am looking at two examples.

Within the gnome-podcasts app there is a label holding the podcast episode description which is focusable and text can be selected and copyed.
That label is described inside the ui file like this.

                      <object class="GtkLabel" id="description">
                        <property name="valign">start</property>
                        <property name="margin-start">18</property>
                        <property name="margin-end">18</property>
                        <property name="margin-bottom">18</property>
                        <property name="label" translatable="yes">Episode Description</property>
                        <property name="wrap">True</property>
                        <property name="wrap-mode">word-char</property>
                        <property name="xalign">0</property>
                        <style>
                          <class name="episode_description_label"/>
                        </style>
                      </object>

In the shortwave app there is a label wit the currently playing track title. This one is not focusable with the keyboard and the text can’t be selected.
It’s described inside the ui file like this.

                                  <object class="GtkLabel" id="track_label">
                                    <property name="margin_top">6</property>
                                    <property name="justify">center</property>
                                    <property name="ellipsize">end</property>
                                    <property name="wrap">True</property>
                                    <property name="lines">2</property>
                                    <binding name="label">
                                      <lookup name="title" type="SwTrack">
                                        <lookup name="playing-track" type="SwPlayer">
                                          <lookup name="player">SwPlayerView</lookup>
                                        </lookup>
                                      </lookup>
                                    </binding>
                                  </object>

Please can you help me to understand this?
Does it something to do with these labels, or is relation to the other widgets important here?

Thanks and greetings

Peter

2

Text in a label can be made selectable using the selectable property.

Since your first code snippet does not include this property, I would assume the property is set in the code when the description is added.
But it is settable in the UI file.

3

Thank you for the hint, it’s verry helpfull and answers mi question perfectly. The gnome-podcasts app does do much more a11y related within the code rather than UI and I’m discovering it’s for a reason.
I guess I’ll start another topic very soon.

Thanks and greetings

Peter