Thread: Best widget toolkit?

  1. #1
    Algorithm engineer
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    Best widget toolkit?

    I'm going to create a user interface, for controlling a robot in a project we have at the university. It has to be able to do some basic graph displaying, and it's going to contain buttons, text fields, and maybe some menus. And it has to be able to take key presses; maybe we're going to supply the program with an analog video game controller as well. I'm wondering about which widget toolkit to use, and if there is any major advantage/disadvantage with any of them? It better has to be cross platform, since it has to support both Linux and Windows, ans maybe Mac. I've only used GTK+ before, but it was quite a long time ago, and I don't remember very much of it. I've also bumped into wxWidgets and Qt, but I've never used any of them.

    Would you recommend any, or discourage from using any special widget toolkit (it doesn't have to bee one of these three I mentioned)? Or do you have any favourite one? Now I'm not going to make a program with such an advanced GUI, ans I guess most of the widget toolkits are pretty equal to each other, but it would be fun to know a little bit more about them anyway and to hear you opinion.

    Thanks in advance!
    Come on, you can do it! b( ~_')

  2. #2
    "Why use dynamic memory?"
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    Microsoft WinAPI32

    learn to be a real MSDN slave
    "C makes it easy to shoot yourself in the foot; C++ makes it harder, but when you do, it blows away your whole leg."-Bjarne Stroustrup
    Nearing the end of finishing my 2D card game! I have to work on its 'manifesto' though <_<

  3. #3
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    wxWidgets is nice.

  4. #4
    spurious conceit MK27's Avatar
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    If you want it to run on linux and windows and you are working in C++, I think your choices are:

    gtkmm
    wxwidgets
    Qt

    Wxwidgets might be the best because it uses the native interface (gtk on linux, winapi on windows) whereas gtk apparently looks ugly on windows and Qt leaves much to be desired on many or most linux systems.
    C programming resources:
    GNU C Function and Macro Index -- glibc reference manual
    The C Book -- nice online learner guide
    Current ISO draft standard
    CCAN -- new CPAN like open source library repository
    3 (different) GNU debugger tutorials: #1 -- #2 -- #3
    cpwiki -- our wiki on sourceforge

  5. #5
    Registered User jeffcobb's Avatar
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    wxWidgets seconded. I have used it professionally on 3 platforms and a mobile platform. Good stuff once you learn your way around...
    C/C++ Environment: GNU CC/Emacs
    Make system: CMake
    Debuggers: Valgrind/GDB

  6. #6
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    You could try CEGUI for interface and OIS for key and mouse listening. But that maybe a bit of an overkill.

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