Source/Interface/Editors

Editors

What we normally call "editors" are a ScrArea struct containing the data needed for an editor including type, data, position, size, callbacks, and more. Each editor is in a list of them in a Screen (areabase), which is in a Window. It is the data, regions, and callbacks that make each editor unique.

Editor Unique Data

Since each editor is different, they all store data in a struct that derives (implicitly) from SpaceLink. ScrArea has a list of these called spacedata and it is the first of these that is used by the active editor. It is a list so that it can contain the data of every editor that has occupied the same space, allowing quick switching between them.

Editor Callbacks

The ScrArea struct contains a type member that is a pointer to a SpaceType. This mostly contains callbacks for when the editor is created, freed, activated, refreshed, saved, etc. It also contains the area's name, icons, keymaps, dropboxes, and much more.

Other ScrArea Contents

Some other parts of the ScrArea are the ScrVerts, which define each outer corner and can be shared with immediate neighbors. totrct defines the interior visible part of the editor in window space. There is also a winx, winy containing the width and height respectively.

It contains both a butspacetype and spacetype members that contains an indicator of the type of editor, from eSpace_Type. These two are used in slightly different ways that are not entirely apparent to this writer (Harley). butspacetype_subtype contains the "subtype" for editors that have alternate views.

Editor Source Files

The source files for each editor are kept together in a folder with a name like source/blender/editors/space_xxx where "xxx" is the name of the editor. The main file is one named like "space_xxx.cc". ED_spacetypes_init calls a function like "ED_spacetype_xxx" that defines all the editors regions, sizes, handlers, and callbacks, etc.

API

For more specific information, look at these files:

source/blender/makesdna/DNA_screen_types.h
source/blender/editors/include/ED_space_api.hh
source/blender/editors/include/ED_screen.hh
source/blender/editors/screen/screen_intern.h
source/blender/editors/space_api/spacetypes.cc
source/blender/editors/screen\area.cc
source/blender/editors/screen/screen_ops.cc