Listen

Connect an event to some particular handling code by giving an event handler (method reference) for a particular Event instance.
When the event is raised (or fired) the method (event handler) is invoked with the args given to raise the event.

An event is specified as a name typed to a sig (signature/delegate).
Any method given as an eventhandler/listener must conform to the same sig.

For disconnecting an event from its handling code see Ignore.
For firing an event see Raise.

Grammar

listen <event>, <method-reference>

Examples

use System.Windows.Forms

...
        button = Button(parent=p, autoSize=true, text='One', tag=1)
        listen button.click, ref .clickHandler
...
def clickHandler(source as Object, args as EventArgs)
    pass

Full example showing sig and event declaration and method to raise the event.

# delegate for ActionEvent  <eventName>EventHandler
sig ActionEventHandler(sender as Object, args as EventArgs)

class Generator
    # event declaration for an event called Action
    # event <eventName>Event as <sigName> (<eventName>EventHandler)    
    event actionEvent as ActionEventHandler

    # (protected) method to raise/fire the event for this class 
    # {on,fire}<eventName>Event
    def _onActionEvent(args as EventArgs)      # fireActionEvent
        raise .actionEvent, args

class Listener
    # the event handler method do<eventName>
    def doAction(source as Object, args as EventArgs)
        print 'Event received from [source]'

...
    def driver
        g = Generator()
        l = Listener()
        
        #tie the generator event to the Listener method
        listen g.actionEvent, ref l.doAction

# The event handler method can also be declared using a closure if that's desirable
        listen g.actionEvent, do(source as Object, args as EventArgs)
                    print 'Event received from [source]'

# Heres an example wrt GTK# declaring an eventhandler for an Application exit button
# the indented code on the lines following the do( is the closure code
listen button.clicked, do(sender, args as EventArgs)
    print 'Quitting'
    Application.quit

Notes

The event handler method must be a reference to a method not a method invocation.
In practice this means that most listen statements will have their second argument as a method name prefixed with ref.
You need the ref keyword to specify a reference to a named method so that it is not invoked.
A closure (using do) is itself referring to code (rather than invoking it) so you never need both ref and do at the same time.

See Also

• Ignore
• Raise
• AllStatements
• LanguageTopics