GConfClient (and GConfBridge) API conversion

Most people use GConf via the high-level GConfClient API. The corresponding API is the GSettings object. While not every GConfClient function has a direct GSettings equivalent, many do:

Table 3. 

GConfClient GSettings
gconf_client_get_default() no direct equivalent, instead you call g_settings_new() for the schemas you use
gconf_client_set() g_settings_set()
gconf_client_get() g_settings_get()
gconf_client_get_bool() g_settings_get_boolean()
gconf_client_set_bool() g_settings_set_boolean()
gconf_client_get_int() g_settings_get_int()
gconf_client_set_int() g_settings_set_int()
gconf_client_get_float() g_settings_get_double()
gconf_client_set_float() g_settings_set_double()
gconf_client_get_string() g_settings_get_string()
gconf_client_set_string() g_settings_set_string()
gconf_client_get_list() for string lists, see g_settings_get_strv(), else see g_settings_get_value() and GVariant API
gconf_client_set_list() for string lists, see g_settings_set_strv(), else see g_settings_set_value() and GVariant API
gconf_entry_get_is_writable() g_settings_is_writable()
gconf_client_notify_add() not required, the “changed” signal is emitted automatically
gconf_client_add_dir() not required, each GSettings instance automatically watches all keys in its path
GConfChangeSet g_settings_delay(), g_settings_apply()
gconf_client_get_default_from_schema() no equivalent, applications are expected to know their schema
gconf_client_all_entries() no equivalent, applications are expected to know their schema, and GSettings does not allow schema-less entries
gconf_client_get_without_default() no equivalent
gconf_bridge_bind_property() g_settings_bind()
gconf_bridge_bind_property_full() g_settings_bind_with_mapping()


GConfBridge was a third-party library that used GConf to bind an object property to a particular configuration key. GSettings offers this service itself.

There is a pattern that is sometimes used for GConf, where a setting can have explicit 'value A', explicit 'value B' or 'use the system default'. With GConf, 'use the system default' is sometimes implemented by unsetting the user value.

This is not possible in GSettings, since it does not have API to determine if a value is the default and does not let you unset values. The recommended way (and much clearer) way in which this can be implemented in GSettings is to have a separate 'use-system-default' boolean setting.