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c++qtqpushbuttonqtoolbutton

Difference between QPushButton and QToolButton

I'm new to Qt and the difference between QPushButton and QToolButton is not so clear to me.

I know that a QToolButton is usually used in a QToolBar and it usually shows only an icon, without text, but I don't quite understand the main difference between both.

Does it have any bigger difference? When should I use QPushButton and when should I use QToolButton?

I would like to know this to use the most appropriate button, and I need to perform some GUI tests and maybe it can be relevant.

Solution

  • QPushButton is simply a button. QToolButton is part of a group of widgets in the QtWidgets module that operate on QActions: QMenu and QToolBar are other examples. As a result, QToolButton is much more complex under the hood than QPushButton.

    Some examples of how they are different in practice:

    • QToolButton is tightly integrated with QAction. Changing the icon, text, or other properties of a tool button's default action is reflected on the button.
    • You can change the layout of the tool button contents (icon only, text only, text beside icon, text below icon). This is not possible for a QPushButton.
    • QToolButton supports a "split" button type: a sidebar hot zone opens a menu instead of triggering the default action.
    • Tool buttons can be created directly in a QToolBar by adding an action. Other widgets must be explicitly added to the toolbar.
    • A tool button is meant to be displayed in a grid, so it has smaller default internal margins than a push button.
    • QPushButton is more for "Ok"/"Close" type buttons that contain text with an optional icon.
    • A QToolButton should generally have an icon.
    • A QPushButton should always have text.