A GObject can support properties, which are used every now and them. They are quite useful for C programmers, since you don't need to do anything extra to make them available to language bindings. For gtk.Widget objects, they usually represent an internal state of some kind, for example the text of a widget, the padding of the border, etc.

There are several methods to find out what properties and signals are supported in a GObject. First of all, you have the two introspection methods, so for properties use this:

  >>> gobject.list_properties(obj)

and for signals:

  >>> gobject.signal_list_names(obj)

Where obj is an instance or a type, which has the disadvantage of not showing a description or other detailed information, but can be used by programs, like gui builders or others. A better method for programmers is the help() method.

  >>> help(obj)

Where obj also is an instance or a type, it gives you more detailed information.

If the type is in gobject, atk, pango, gdk or gtk, the reference manual is preferred, check it out here:

[www.pygtk.org]