gtk.scrolled_window.ScrolledWindow 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 gtk.scrollable.Scrollable interface, are added directly. For other types of widget, the class gtk.viewport.Viewport acts as an adaptor, giving scrollability to other widgets. gtk.scrolled_window.ScrolledWindow.setChild intelligently accounts for whether or not the added child is a gtk.scrollable.Scrollable. If it isn’t, then it wraps the child in a gtk.viewport.Viewport. Therefore, you can just add any child widget and not worry about the details.

If gtk.scrolled_window.ScrolledWindow.setChild has added a gtk.viewport.Viewport for you, it will be automatically removed when you unset the child. Unless property@Gtk.ScrolledWindow:hscrollbar-policy and property@Gtk.ScrolledWindow:vscrollbar-policy are gtk.types.PolicyType.Never or gtk.types.PolicyType.External, gtk.scrolled_window.ScrolledWindow adds internal gtk.scrollbar.Scrollbar widgets around its child. The scroll position of the child, and if applicable the scrollbars, is controlled by the gtk.scrolled_window.ScrolledWindow.Adjustment and gtk.scrolled_window.ScrolledWindow.Adjustment that are associated with the gtk.scrolled_window.ScrolledWindow. See the docs on gtk.scrollbar.Scrollbar 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 gtk.scrolled_window.ScrolledWindow 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 gtk.scrollbar.Scrollbar and for example a gtk.grid.Grid.

Touch support

gtk.scrolled_window.ScrolledWindow 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 property@Gtk.ScrolledWindow:kinetic-scrolling property if it is undesired.

gtk.scrolled_window.ScrolledWindow also displays visual 'overshoot' indication when the content is pulled beyond the end, and this situation can be captured with the signal@Gtk.ScrolledWindow::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 property@Gtk.ScrolledWindow:overlay-scrolling property.

CSS nodes

gtk.scrolled_window.ScrolledWindow has a main CSS node with name scrolledwindow. It gets a .frame style class added when property@Gtk.ScrolledWindow: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.

gtk.scrolled_window.ScrolledWindow 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

Until GTK 4.10, gtk.scrolled_window.ScrolledWindow used the gtk.types.AccessibleRole.Group role.

Starting from GTK 4.12, gtk.scrolled_window.ScrolledWindow uses the gtk.types.AccessibleRole.Generic role.