writing GUI in C++

[mast2as]

Hi everyone

I know this not necessarily the best newsgroup to ask that sort of
question but please be nice ;-) as I am not too sure where to start
with this problem. I use c++ for my work but always write applications
that didn't need GUI. And know there's a project for which I'd need to
have one. I looked around on the net and it's really incredible to see
that there's nothing really clearly written about the subject.

The OS that I use is Linux and i already know that I can use things
like Qt, gtk to quickly develop GUI. The problem is that I need the
interface to have a certain look (for those who know those app like
Shake or Softimage... or some other fancy graphic app like Mojo World
.... )

I just try to find a good document somewhere (webpage, book) that
explains me how to do that. I am really confused as exactly what motif
is & x-windows... So hopefully i am not stupid and just need to read
somewhere how it works and eventually how I can develop my own widgets
(basically I'd be happy if I could only open a window with a button in
it ;-)

Thanks a lot everyone for reading and for your help

Mark

 

[Arne Schmitz]

The OS that I use is Linux and i already know that I can use things
like Qt, gtk to quickly develop GUI. The problem is that I need the
interface to have a certain look (for those who know those app like
Shake or Softimage... or some other fancy graphic app like Mojo World
... )

As you said, this is somewhat OT. That aside: I would recommend using Qt, if
you program in C++. Note that with Qt you can only write GPL applications,
or else you have to buy a license. Qith Qt you can implement new so
called "styles" that easily mimic the looks of Softimage or other graphics
apps. Qt comes with some tutorials and there are good mailing lists
available for support. Check those out.

I just try to find a good document somewhere (webpage, book) that
explains me how to do that. I am really confused as exactly what motif
is & x-windows... So hopefully i am not stupid and just need to read
somewhere how it works and eventually how I can develop my own widgets
(basically I'd be happy if I could only open a window with a button in
it ;-)

Well, if you use Linux and don't know what the X-Window system is, that is a
bad thing. Read it up on Wikipedia or something.

Arne

 

[mast2as]

Hi Arne

Thanks for your help. Actually i am really a software person and hate
everything that concerns hardware (i usually call system when anything
goes wrong on the computer ;-) and used openGL/GLUT anytime I had to
display something on the screen.

okay I found this link

http://linuxgazette.net/issue78/tougher.html which is a good start for
me.

It seems that the basic lib to build something on top of is Xlib. I
will look a little more into Qt though.

Thanks again -

 

[Stuart Moore]

The OS that I use is Linux and i already know that I can use things
like Qt, gtk to quickly develop GUI. The problem is that I need the
interface to have a certain look (for those who know those app like
Shake or Softimage... or some other fancy graphic app like Mojo World
... )

You may find wxWidgets, http://www.wxwidgets.org/ useful - it's cross
platform and (I think) skinnable (although I'm not certain about that).
It should look like a native program, if that's what you're after.

Stuart

 

[Sgt. York]

...
Well, if you use Linux and don't know what the X-Window system is, that is a
bad thing. Read it up on Wikipedia or something.

Arne

I'll second this. Knowing X is essential to any GUI work on a platform
that uses it.

I invested in the O'Reilly xlib reference books and even though I use
toolkits like Qt, knowing what's going on underneath is a lifesaver.

-York

 

[Pedro Sousa]

Hi Arne

Thanks for your help. Actually i am really a software person and hate
everything that concerns hardware (i usually call system when anything
goes wrong on the computer ;-) and used openGL/GLUT anytime I had to
display something on the screen.

okay I found this link

http://linuxgazette.net/issue78/tougher.html which is a good start for
me.

I use the FLTK library to interect with the user.

This library is fantastic because is small, is easy to program with,
support OpenGl and is virtually implemented in any operating system

Regards
Pedro Sousa

 

[mast2as]

Thanks everyone for your answers. I posted the same request to a few
groups whenever I thought it could be relevant.
The result is that Qt seems to be the way to go. And i guess it's okay
;-)

Although I am really astonished that the GUI topic doesn't take more
importance in the programming community. Most of what we do with a
computer when we use it, has to deal somehow with the user interface !
Why is that (it seems to me at least) the most painful thing to do from
a programing point of view ?

Why can it be decided of a library for example that would implement
common functions like "createWindow" "createButton", etc... and let
Microsoft or Apple do the bridge between that library and their own
operating system (so a window as Windows look if you compile under
Windows, and a Aqua look if you compile it under Mac). The coder would
be very happy and I don't see why Windows or Apple would see that as a
threat... ? (or would they).

I am really just an amateur compared to what a lot of you know about
computers, operating system and software development but still don't
understand why that the whole community is not crying out loud that
this just ridiculous... (how painful it is to deal with GUI
programing)...

Am I just really stupid/naive or is there something big that i am
missing. Again I am not complaining or saying that I know better. I
would like to understand why such a crucial thing doesn't have more
attention paid to it ...

Thanks again everyone -Mark

 

[mast2as]

Thanks everyone for your answers. I posted the same request to a few
groups whenever I thought it could be relevant.
The result is that Qt seems to be the way to go. And i guess it's okay
;-)

Although I am really astonished that the GUI topic doesn't take more
importance in the programming community. Most of what we do with a
computer when we use it, has to deal somehow with the user interface !
Why is that (it seems to me at least) the most painful thing to do from
a programing point of view ?

Why can it be decided of a library for example that would implement
common functions like "createWindow" "createButton", etc... and let
Microsoft or Apple do the bridge between that library and their own
operating system (so a window as Windows look if you compile under
Windows, and a Aqua look if you compile it under Mac). The coder would
be very happy and I don't see why Windows or Apple would see that as a
threat... ? (or would they).

I am really just an amateur compared to what a lot of you know about
computers, operating system and software development but still don't
understand why that the whole community is not crying out loud that
this just ridiculous... (how painful it is to deal with GUI
programing)...

Am I just really stupid/naive or is there something big that i am
missing. Again I am not complaining or saying that I know better. I
would like to understand why such a crucial thing doesn't have more
attention paid to it ...

Thanks again everyone -Mark