sequencetypes.qdoc

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// Copyright (C) 2023 The Qt Company Ltd.
// SPDX-License-Identifier: LicenseRef-Qt-Commercial OR GFDL-1.3-no-invariants-only
/*!
\page qtqml-typesystem-sequencetypes.html
\meta {keywords} {qmltopic}
\title QML Sequence Types
\brief Description of QML sequence types
 
For every \l{qtqml-typesystem-objecttypes.html}{object type} and
\l{qtqml-typesystem-valuetypes.html}{value type} a sequence type for storing
multiple instances of the type is automatically made available. You can use
the \c list keyword to create properties of sequence types:
 
\qml
import QtQml
 
QtObject {
    property list<int> ints: [1, 2, 3, 4]
    property list<Connection> connections: [
        Connection {
            // ...
        },
        Connection {
            // ...
        }
    ]
}
\endqml
 
Sequences of value types are implemented as \l{QList} and sequences of object
types are implemented as \l{QQmlListProperty}.
 
Sequences in QML generally behave like the JavaScript \c Array type, with some
important differences which result from the use of a C++ storage type in the
implementation:
 
\list 1
\li Deleting an element from a sequence will result in a default-constructed
    value replacing that element, rather than an \c undefined value.
\li Setting the \c length property of a sequence to a value larger
    than its current value will result in the sequence being padded out to the
    specified length with default-constructed elements rather than \c undefined
    elements.
\li The Qt container classes support signed (rather than
    unsigned) integer indexes; thus, attempting to access any index greater
    than the maximum number \l qsizetype can hold will fail.
\endlist
 
If you wish to remove elements from a sequence rather than simply replace
them with default constructed values, do not use the indexed delete operator
(\c{delete sequence[i]}) but instead use the \c {splice} function
(\c{sequence.splice(startIndex, deleteCount)}).
 
In general any container recognizable by \l QMetaSequence can be passed from
C++ to QML via \l Q_PROPERTY or \l Q_INVOKABLE methods. This includes, but is
not limited to, all registered QList, QQueue, QStack, QSet, std::list,
std::vector that contain a type marked with \l Q_DECLARE_METATYPE.
 
Using a sequence via \l QMetaSequence results in expensive data conversions.
To avoid the conversions you can register your own anonymous sequence types
using \l{QML_SEQUENTIAL_CONTAINER} from C++. Types registered this way behave
like the pre-defined sequence types and are stored as-is. However, they have
no QML names.
 
\warning Sequences stored as a C++ container like \l QList or \c std::vector are
subject to the effects caused by \l{QML Value Type and Sequence References} and
should thus be handled with care. \l QQmlListProperty is not affected since
it is only a view for an underlying container. C++ standard containers such as
\c std::vector are not implicitly shared. Therefore, copying them always
produces a deep copy. Since a sequence read from a property always has to be
copied at least once, using such containers as QML sequences is rather
expensive, even if you don't modify them from QML.
 
The QtQml module contains a few \l [QML] {QtQml#Sequence Types}{sequence types}
you may want to use.
 
*/