[pygtk] window.invalidate_rect speed

[Nathaniel Smith]

On Sun, Dec 09, 2007 at 05:05:19PM +0200, Donn wrote:
>  I have a timeout calling a function that handles my animation. 
> Within that I have a call to _draw():
> 
> def _draw():
>  self.alloc = self.get_allocation()
>  rect = gtk.gdk.Rectangle(self.alloc.x, self.alloc.y, self.alloc.width,  
> self.alloc.height) 
>  self.window.invalidate_rect(rect, True)
> 
> This function forces an expose event which happens *at GTK's leisure*.
> (I'm open to alternate versions :) This one is monkey-copy, monkey-paste)
> 
> So:
> def _timer():
>  doStuff()
>  _draw()
>  return True # spawn another timeout
> 
> What I want to ask is, is there a chance on slow computers that the expose 
> event will take so long to actually run that it may happen out of synch? I
> need it to happen *and* finish *before* the timer loop returns.

What do you mean by "out of synch"?  Why is it so urgent that the
redraw happen quickly?

> Should I putting in code like:
> 
> def _timer():
>   doStuff()
>   _draw()
>   while exposing:
>     pass
>   return True
> 
> And then I set exposing to True (at the end of the actual expose handler)?

No -- invalidate_rect will generally *not* trigger the expose event
until after you return to the main loop, i.e., after your _timer
callback finishes.  If you do a busy-loop like this, then not only
will you be living in a state of sin (busy-loops are bad!), but you
will never receive the expose event at all.

What are you trying to do?

-- Nathaniel