QT multiple forms, dynamic layout - c++

Question

I am doing my first larger project using the QT framework and as my menu begins to scale more I feel like I need either the ability to swap out multiple central widgets, or have a new form all together but without opening another window. I cannot seem to figure out how to go about this.
Essentially I would want the user to click say the "settings" button, and for all the widgets to either hide themselves, and for the new ones to show themselves, without opening another window and sticking to just 1 window. Here is the cat output to my .ui file
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<ui version="4.0">
<class>MainWindow</class>
<widget class="QMainWindow" name="MainWindow">
<property name="geometry">
<rect>
<x>0</x>
<y>0</y>
<width>800</width>
<height>600</height>
</rect>
</property>
<property name="sizePolicy">
<sizepolicy hsizetype="Minimum" vsizetype="Minimum">
<horstretch>0</horstretch>
<verstretch>0</verstretch>
</sizepolicy>
</property>
<property name="windowTitle">
<string>MainWindow</string>
</property>
<property name="autoFillBackground">
<bool>false</bool>
</property>
<widget class="QWidget" name="centralWidget">
<widget class="QWidget" name="horizontalLayoutWidget">
<property name="geometry">
<rect>
<x>10</x>
<y>520</y>
<width>781</width>
<height>71</height>
</rect>
</property>
<layout class="QHBoxLayout" name="horizontalLayout">
<property name="spacing">
<number>0</number>
</property>
<item>
<widget class="QPushButton" name="joinGamePushButton">
<property name="sizePolicy">
<sizepolicy hsizetype="Minimum" vsizetype="Minimum">
<horstretch>0</horstretch>
<verstretch>0</verstretch>
</sizepolicy>
</property>
<property name="cursor">
<cursorShape>PointingHandCursor</cursorShape>
</property>
<property name="text">
<string>Join Game</string>
</property>
</widget>
</item>
<item>
<widget class="QPushButton" name="settingsPushButton">
<property name="sizePolicy">
<sizepolicy hsizetype="Minimum" vsizetype="Minimum">
<horstretch>0</horstretch>
<verstretch>0</verstretch>
</sizepolicy>
</property>
<property name="cursor">
<cursorShape>PointingHandCursor</cursorShape>
</property>
<property name="text">
<string>Settings</string>
</property>
</widget>
</item>
<item>
<widget class="QPushButton" name="aboutPushButton">
<property name="sizePolicy">
<sizepolicy hsizetype="Minimum" vsizetype="Minimum">
<horstretch>0</horstretch>
<verstretch>0</verstretch>
</sizepolicy>
</property>
<property name="cursor">
<cursorShape>PointingHandCursor</cursorShape>
</property>
<property name="text">
<string>About DMUX</string>
</property>
</widget>
</item>
<item>
<widget class="QPushButton" name="exitPushButton">
<property name="sizePolicy">
<sizepolicy hsizetype="Minimum" vsizetype="Minimum">
<horstretch>0</horstretch>
<verstretch>0</verstretch>
</sizepolicy>
</property>
<property name="cursor">
<cursorShape>PointingHandCursor</cursorShape>
</property>
<property name="text">
<string>Exit</string>
</property>
</widget>
</item>
</layout>
</widget>
</widget>
</widget>
<layoutdefault spacing="6" margin="11"/>
<resources/>
<connections>
<connection>
<sender>exitPushButton</sender>
<signal>clicked()</signal>
<receiver>MainWindow</receiver>
<slot>close()</slot>
<hints>
<hint type="sourcelabel">
<x>692</x>
<y>555</y>
</hint>
<hint type="destinationlabel">
<x>399</x>
<y>299</y>
</hint>
</hints>
</connection>
</connections>
</ui>
What exactly is the best approach here? Should I use several central widgets and somehow drop them in as needed, or use multiple formed and load them when a button is clicked? I am using QT Creator for this project at the moment, so it would be preferred that I use it's generation of code instead of writing a solution myself.

Answer 1

I am doing my first larger project using the QT framework and as my
menu begins to scale more I feel like I need either the ability to
swap out multiple central widgets, or have a new form all together but
without opening another window. I cannot seem to figure out how to go
about this.
Either QMainWindow::setCentralWidget for inserting new widget as 'central' or make a permanent 'central' QStackedWidget for just flipping between stacked widgets.
Which one is better? Both would require to refactor your template and separate widgets you would like to embed depending on user selection as separate .ui pieces or maybe just fully programmatically created ones.
setCentralWidget would need you to take care of disposing previous widget when inserting new one (simpler) or using some type of container to keep already created 'detached' widgets in there (more complex: prone to bugs).
QStackedWidget as selector-viewport would need you to precreate widgets or possibly create and stack new ones on demand.