changing a widget's color at runtime

[Patrick Schweiger <pks timing com>]

Once again a gtk-- questions on gtk-list ...

My question was anserwed last time and nobody complained about the fact
that it was gtk--, please tell me to go away (and preferably where to go)
if gtk-- questions bug you.


I'm changing a widget's (label in particular) color at run time and am
using the following code to do so:

void some_cute_class_name::set_status_lbl_color(const Gdk_Color &color) {

  Gtk::Style *cur_style = status_lbl_1->get_style();

  cur_style = cur_style->copy();             
  cur_style->set_fg(GTK_STATE_NORMAL, color);

  status_lbl_1->set_style(*cur_style);
  status_lbl_2->set_style(*cur_style);

}

This works, but it leaves me with these questions:

1)
Calling set_style() when leaving out the call to copy() doesn't update the
appearance, is this because set_style() comparse the style's address, as
opposed to members to determine if anything has changed?

2)
When learning how to make runtime color changes possible I ran into a
function called ensure_style() (before I discovered that a call to copy()
makes it behave as expected I had something like this:

lbl->get_style()->set_fg(GTK_STATE_NORMAL, color);
lbl->ensure_style();

which didn't produce the desired results ... am I misinterpreting the
function name?

3)
am I introducing a memory leak by making a copy of the style and never
disposing of the original?

4)
should I make two copies of the style beacuse I'm calling set_style() for
two different widgets?


thank you for answers to any of these questions!