AbstractUI IS-A BaseUI IS-A EventLoop
IS-A sigc::trackable
If we have sent a call_slot() request to an EventLoop that has not executed
when the object involved in the call_slot() functor is destroyed, we need to
ensure that the request is invalidated.
To do this, We register "notify" callbacks with the sigc::trackable that is a
base class of the object involved in the functor given to
call_slot(). sigc::trackable will call these "notify" callbacks from its
destructor.
So when the call_slot() functor's relevant object dies, and its sigc::trackable
base class is destroyed, it will invoke all of its the "notify" callbacks, which will
in turn call EventLoop::invalidate_request() and this hopefully marks all the
queued call_slot() functors as "do not call".
However, invalidate_request() requires a lock, and access to the lock is
granted via a pure virtual, EventLoop::slot_invalidation_lock(). In the
heirarchy cited above, this is implemented by AbstractUI.
When we destroy an AbstractUI, ~AbstractUI() is called first, and this destroys
the lock and changes the VTT so that ::slot_invalidation_lock() becomes a pure
virtual again.
Eventually we will call ~trackable() which in turns runs all the "notify"
callbacks, and then removes them. But when these callbacks end up in
EventLoop::invalidate_request(), we try to call ::slot_invalidation_lock() and
C++ will abort because of its (now) pure virtual status.
Therefore, we must invoke the "notify" callbacks before the
::slot_invalidation_lock() becomes pure, and that means inside ~AbstractUI, as
an explicit call to trackable::notify_callbacks().
This has not appeared before (remarkably), but became an issue when the
Launchpad Pro support code's main object (derived from MIDISurface and hence
from AbstractUI) "failed" to use sub-objects for its various methods. So when
it connects to, for example, the Session::RouteAddedOrRemoved signal, it is
connecting itself (derived from a sigc::trackable). When the Launchpad Pro
object is destroyed, it tries to invalidate all the call_slot() requests, but
this requires access to an event loop lock - owned by the Launchpad Pro event
loop, which is already destroyed!
Other surfaces have generally avoided this by using other objects to provide
methods of dealing with signals from libardour objects.
we allow use of/dependency on sigc::trackable there, so this is
both legal but also sensible.
Leave the macro definition of invalidator(x) in gtkmm2ext/gui_thread.h
because it doesn't hurt and makes some sense for it to be there. No
reason for a source module that needs invalidator(x) to load EventLoop
decl.
When we add a region to a slot, we create a new Trigger, set its region,
then arrange for an "atomic" swap with the existing Trigger. This
means that the property change signal is emitted on a Trigger that
does not yet exist inside a TriggerBox, and so cannot be found using
row/col or x,y coordinates. Pass a raw pointer instead (lifetime
management is not an issue ... or is it.
