GtkScrolledWindow is a container that makes its child scrollable.

It does so using either internally added scrollbars or externally associated adjustments, and optionally draws a frame around the child.

Widgets with native scrolling support, i.e. those whose classes implement the GtkScrollable interface, are added directly. For other types of widget, the class GtkViewport acts as an adaptor, giving scrollability to other widgets. gtk_scrolled_window_set_child() intelligently accounts for whether or not the added child is a GtkScrollable. If it isn’t, then it wraps the child in a GtkViewport. Therefore, you can just add any child widget and not worry about the details.

If gtk_scrolled_window_set_child() has added a GtkViewport for you, you can remove both your added child widget from the GtkViewport, and the GtkViewport from the GtkScrolledWindow, like this:

GtkWidget *scrolled_window = gtk_scrolled_window_new ();
GtkWidget *child_widget = gtk_button_new ();

// GtkButton is not a GtkScrollable, so GtkScrolledWindow will automatically
// add a GtkViewport.
gtk_box_append (GTK_BOX (scrolled_window), child_widget);

// Either of these will result in child_widget being unparented:
gtk_box_remove (GTK_BOX (scrolled_window), child_widget);
// or
gtk_box_remove (GTK_BOX (scrolled_window),
                      gtk_bin_get_child (GTK_BIN (scrolled_window)));

Unless GtkScrolledWindow:hscrollbar-policy and GtkScrolledWindow:vscrollbar-policy are GTK_POLICY_NEVER or GTK_POLICY_EXTERNAL, GtkScrolledWindow adds internal GtkScrollbar widgets around its child. The scroll position of the child, and if applicable the scrollbars, is controlled by the GtkScrolledWindow:hadjustment and GtkScrolledWindow:vadjustment that are associated with the GtkScrolledWindow. See the docs on GtkScrollbar for the details, but note that the “step_increment” and “page_increment” fields are only effective if the policy causes scrollbars to be present.

If a GtkScrolledWindow doesn’t behave quite as you would like, or doesn’t have exactly the right layout, it’s very possible to set up your own scrolling with GtkScrollbar and for example a GtkGrid.

Touch support

GtkScrolledWindow has built-in support for touch devices. When a touchscreen is used, swiping will move the scrolled window, and will expose ‘kinetic’ behavior. This can be turned off with the GtkScrolledWindow:kinetic-scrolling property if it is undesired.

GtkScrolledWindow also displays visual ‘overshoot’ indication when the content is pulled beyond the end, and this situation can be captured with the GtkScrolledWindow::edge-overshot signal.

If no mouse device is present, the scrollbars will overlaid as narrow, auto-hiding indicators over the content. If traditional scrollbars are desired although no mouse is present, this behaviour can be turned off with the GtkScrolledWindow:overlay-scrolling property.

CSS nodes

GtkScrolledWindow has a main CSS node with name scrolledwindow. It gets a .frame style class added when GtkScrolledWindow:has-frame is TRUE.

It uses subnodes with names overshoot and undershoot to draw the overflow and underflow indications. These nodes get the .left, .right, .top or .bottom style class added depending on where the indication is drawn.

GtkScrolledWindow also sets the positional style classes (.left, .right, .top, .bottom) and style classes related to overlay scrolling (.overlay-indicator, .dragging, .hovering) on its scrollbars.

If both scrollbars are visible, the area where they meet is drawn with a subnode named junction.

Accessibility

GtkScrolledWindow uses the GTK_ACCESSIBLE_ROLE_GROUP role.