OrcaSlicer/docs/superpowers/specs/2026-07-23-wx-inspectable-on-dpiaware-design.md

Move wxInspectable into DPIAware — Design Spec

Date: 2026-07-23 Branch: dev/layout-inspector

Overview

Move the wxInspector::wxInspectable base class from individual leaf classes (DPIDialog, MainFrame) into the common DPIAware<P> template. This makes every DPIAware widget automatically visible in the inspector tree without requiring each subclass to opt in.

Motivation

Currently, only DPIDialog and MainFrame explicitly inherit wxInspectable. DPIFrame (which MainFrame inherits from) does not — MainFrame adds it manually. This means:

• Any DPIAware<T> widget that isn't DPIDialog or MainFrame is invisible in the inspector tree
• DPIFrame subclasses (BaseTransparentDPIFrame, ImageDPIFrame, ModelMallDialog, MediaFileFrame, SecondaryCheckDialog, PrintErrorDialog, etc.) don't appear
• Adding a new DPIAware widget type requires remembering to also inherit wxInspectable

Moving wxInspectable to DPIAware fixes this for all current and future DPIAware widgets at once.

Design

Change 1: GUI_Utils.hpp — DPIAware<P>

Add wxInspector::wxInspectable as a second base class, and call SetupInspectorAccelerator(this) in the constructor (after this->CenterOnParent()):

// Before:
template<class P> class DPIAware : public P

// After:
template<class P> class DPIAware : public P, public wxInspector::wxInspectable

Add in the constructor body (after this->CenterOnParent() at line 110):

SetupInspectorAccelerator(this);

This gives every DPIAware<T> widget both inspectability and the Ctrl+Shift+I keyboard shortcut automatically. #include <wx/inspector/inspector.h> is already present in the file.

Change 2: GUI_Utils.hpp — DPIDialog

Remove the now-redundant wxInspector::wxInspectable and the SetupInspectorAccelerator(this) call:

// Before:
class DPIDialog : public DPIAware<wxDialog>, public wxInspector::wxInspectable
// ...
    SetupInspectorAccelerator(this);

// After:
class DPIDialog : public DPIAware<wxDialog>
// (SetupInspectorAccelerator call removed — now done in DPIAware constructor)

DPIDialog gets wxInspectable and the accelerator through DPIAware<wxDialog> now.

Change 3: MainFrame.hpp — MainFrame

Remove the now-redundant wxInspector::wxInspectable:

// Before:
class MainFrame : public DPIFrame, public wxInspector::wxInspectable

// After:
class MainFrame : public DPIFrame

MainFrame gets wxInspectable through DPIFrame → DPIAware<wxFrame>.

Change 4: MainFrame.cpp — MainFrame constructor

Remove the now-redundant SetupInspectorAccelerator(this) call (line 304). It will be called automatically by the DPIAware constructor.

Impact

Widget	Before	After
DPIDialog subclasses (~80)	✓ inspectable	✓ inspectable (transitive)
MainFrame	✓ inspectable	✓ inspectable (transitive)
DPIFrame subclasses (8 others)	✗ invisible	✓ inspectable
Future DPIAware<T>	✗ invisible	✓ inspectable

Files Modified

File	Change
src/slic3r/GUI/GUI_Utils.hpp	DPIAware<P> gains wxInspector::wxInspectable + SetupInspectorAccelerator(this) call; DPIDialog drops redundant wxInspector::wxInspectable and SetupInspectorAccelerator(this)
src/slic3r/GUI/MainFrame.hpp	MainFrame drops redundant wxInspector::wxInspectable
src/slic3r/GUI/MainFrame.cpp	Remove redundant SetupInspectorAccelerator(this) from MainFrame constructor

Non-Goals

• The DPIAwarePlugin detection logic (dynamic_cast<DPIFrame*> / dynamic_cast<DPIDialog*>) is unchanged
• No new DPI properties — this is purely about tree visibility and accelerator setup

Risk Assessment

• Multiple inheritance: DPIAware<P> already has a vtable (virtual destructor). Adding wxInspectable adds a second base but no additional data members. The wxInspector::wxInspectable class is expected to be a lightweight marker interface.
• Build: No new includes needed; <wx/inspector/inspector.h> is already included in GUI_Utils.hpp.
• Cross-platform: The change is standard C++ multiple inheritance — no platform-specific concerns.