I have this program in mind that I would like to attempt and create in c++. I am not sure what SDK I should use, Here is the idea:
Basically like Facebooks status' or twitter but strictly for your desktop. Window like AIM or MSN would allow you to view your friends and their current status, allow you to comment on it, etc. When someone changes their status, all of their friends get a little notification on the bottom right of their screen saying what their friends current status is. There would obviously be much more that sets it apart, but this is the basic idea that I'm starting from.
If you plan to release it as OpenSource, the Qt GUI Framework is very much worth considering (you can buy a commercial license too). It is crossplatform (Linux/Win/Mac) - eg. Google Maps desktop app uses it.
It will give you networking support, HTML/XML rendering if necessary, SQL and much more.
As for communication protocols, go with Greg's suggestion.
A good choice for a cross-platform GUI system is wxWidgets. For communication between users, something like XMPP would be a good option, because it is a platform-agnostic open standard with solid support for user "presence".
Qt is a good crossplatform toolkit. Take a look at that.
Related
I'm developing my first Windows desktop application and I'm trying to figure out what the best approach would be to create the program's GUI.
I know, I know... I feel stupid for asking considering the amount of data on the subject on SO. However most answers seem outdated and I'm not sure if they fit my specific project. Also tutorials for Windows 8 'metro apps' are clogging my Google search results, which is NOT what I'm looking for.
I use Visual Studio. I've followed tutorials. I have basic knowledge of C and Java and extensive experience with PHP. I'm excited to learn C++, so I'm not looking for GUIs to create a GUI (like WinForms). I also don't care about managed code and portability for now, especially since I'm trying to avoid dependencies (i.e. users having to install .NET). As long as it runs smoothly on Vista and up, I'm happy.
The application
The software will teach basic physics to kids. I'd like to create a main area and a sidebar. The main area will feature a physics animation, say a bouncing ball, along with some Q&A. Users can zoom in to the animation to measure some stuff and answer the question. Users can track their progress in the sidebar. That's pretty much it.
What I've found so far
I'm getting a bit frustrated with MSDN. Most of their examples are given in four different languages (C#, C++, etc). I can't seem to get more than a bit of Hello World code from them.
I found a GDI API on MSDN and it seems like a good start for me. However I've read quite a few answers on SO saying creating layouts in pure C++ is really hard, that we're better of using frameworks like ATL and WTL. Since I'm also going to create (somewhat interactive) animations, I've wondered whether I should use gaming-targeted APIs like Direct2D.
Since all of this is new to me, and there are a lot of options, I don't know where to start for my particular application. Any tips would be greatly appreciated!
Using the raw Win32 API (no additional downloads or third-party helpers):
Here's a good primer (introduces dialog boxes, text boxes, buttons, etc): theForger's Win32 API Tutorial
And here's where you go from there (numeric up-downs, list boxes, combo boxes, tooltips, and more): Common Controls on MSDN. Most of these require you to #include <commctrl.h>.
I also found this to be a good resource that covered what the other two didn't: Win32 Developer - Window Assets
But the Win32 API doesn't seem like it does exactly what you want. A physics app for kids should have a more visual GUI than the API can provide. Good luck, though!
If you're ok with adding additional Frameworks, I'd suggest looking at Qt.
It allows to create the GUI from code only, has a good structure, and has an Interface for 2D drawing, if required.
If you are concerned about dependencies, you only have to include the Qt DLLs to your executables; no installation is required for the user.
To get started, see my (old) tutorial "Lessons in Windows API Programming".
But you really need a good book, such as edition 5 or earlier of Charles Petzold's classic "Programming Windows".
The problem with latest edition is that it's for C# and .NET, with Charles grabbing the tail of the "new way" at just the wrong time…
Disclaimer: I haven't checked the details of edition numbers.
Using the Windows API is the simplest, but producing advanced GUIs can take a very long time. Microsoft Foundation Class is a way to make the Windows API more user friendly and OOP. Does anyone have any experience with MFC?
Why not use some 2D C++ game engine, like HGE: http://hge.relishgames.com/overview.html.
I'm looking for some advice and insight on how people approach creating Object-level GUI automation. Technically the type of functionality I am trying to achieve is easily described by Squish software. I want to be able to simulate Key-Press and Mouse Click events without relying on Platform-specific pixel displays, and screen sizes. I've tried to use tools like Sikuli, but unfortunately my application varies too from platform to platform to make reliably re-repeatable tests.
Basically what I am looking for is some advice as to where to look at how 3rd Part (EXTERNAL) programs hook into properties of QT Widgets and other objects. I know a long time ago there was something call QtObjectInspector, but this software required you making Source-Level changes to your Qt code to be compatible on top of being unavailable.
If companies like Squish can do it, how are they doing it? Where do you start? I doubt they are looking at very low level memory interactions, sniffing for "Traffic" that looks like QT on each different system, but I may be wrong.
I'm sorry for such a vague question, but I've been researching for over a day and all I can find now is articles about how amazing Squish is.
Thanks!
EDIT:
I looked into QtTestLib, however this doesn't have the "From the outside" kind of access that I am looking for.
I'm just starting out with my Marmalade career with 6.1.
I'm aware they discontinued their UI builder in favor of 3rd party solutions. However, "Marmalade Ui Builder" in google brings up nothing in the first 3 pages (past 3 pages is always too far).
Are there such 3rd party tools? Or are people actually using notepad and writing ui's by hand?
I've seen an XML UI Builder that simply parses XML in to the .ui style. However, I don't see how that's any easier than typing everything out manually.
It also is ambiguous as to whether IwUI is actually the proper way to go about it anymore.
Some insight would be wonderful.
IwUI is old system replaced with IwNUI. N states for Native.
IwNUI uses native controls for each platform.
I have not used Iw*UI for games it is more simpler to write interface in GL myself.
Basic Screens/Buttons manager is coded in few hours.
It is simpler to write such thing your self then learn that is has something you can't change.
If you develop business apps then Marmalade added PhoneGap support. I believe PhoneGap to be a better way for business cross-platform apps. Especially because most mobile platforms share WebKit engine. What is more important Marmalade Team them selves do not believe in Iw*UI and that is why they are forcing PhoneGap on Marmalade.
In other words do not use Iw*UI if do not know why you actually need it.
There is 3rd party 2D game engine IwGame.
I do not use it but it has its own Interface Builder that defines interface in XML.
There is some libraries that lets you run C++. So, it is it possible to run a game that uses directx full mode screen?
Google is developing a tool to allow this kind of thing via Chrome. It is called Chrome Native Client, or NACL for short. http://blog.chromium.org/2010/05/sneak-peek-at-native-client-sdk.html
In general, no. Most online games are written with Javascript, Flash, the newly hatchedd HTML5 and similar technologies. Perhaps C++ integration is possible on some level, but you definitely cannot write a browser-hosted game purely and entirely in C++.
it could also be done with an ActiveX control. ActiveX only works in IE. there are Netscape plugins that work in other browsers. so make a solution that contains both. you need a book on ActiveX/COM/OLE. Better yet, take a class if you can find one, you will learn far more, because COM is not an easy subject to just read about and then really do - versioning is a big problem.
nope, not supported in firefox. but read this: http://www.google.com/chrome/intl/en/webmasters-faq.html#activex
some people may have activex controls disabled. if this is the case, your game will not run. you will have to tell the user that they will need to change their security settings in IE. you can get feedback from the object element in javascript as to whether or not the activex loaded. there is code out there for that.
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/7sw4ddf8%28v=vs.85%29.aspx
examples are all over the internet.
Is Qt an interesting platform for business apps development, outside of Nokia phones ?
Why ? Strong points ?
Thanks
I like Qt because:
Very well-designed framework, e.g. signal-slot, model-view, graphics view/scene/item/proxy, painter/paint device/paint engine..., too many to be listed here!
Excellent documentation!
Cross platform language/API, as well as tools like UI designer, creator, and so on.
Rich features, e.g. graphics framework, network library, database engine, and so on.
Active community, and active development.
There should be more. If you have ever used it, you'll find it's easy to build your framework upon Qt.
I didn't have any complain to Qt. If I have to say at least one disadvantage here, "convention". You must adopt the convention of Qt, e.g. You have to use moc to make the meta object of your objects, and it's easier for developers to use Qt's vector, list, auto_ptr than STL, tr1. But I never found any issue caused by that. On the contrary, it works very well.
In my opinion, Qt is the state-of-the-art C++ framework in this modern world!
P.S. There are a lot of commercial applications built on Qt. You can find it under Qt's official website. But I'd like add one more here: Perforce, one of the top commercial source code management tools, built its client tool on Qt for Windows/Linux/Mac.
yes it is .. just look at kde apps :)
or see more applications made by qt
and it has alot of bindings in many languages
Documentation
cross-Platform IDE
further reading
may be this is not so related to the question ... but my first deal with qt was just great starting from their well organized Documentation to their great widgets
the GraphicsView is just ammazing ! :)
It's about the only current/modern C++ gui library on Windows.
MFC is so old you have to write comments in Latin
WTL would be nice if they had finished it before abandoning it.
Winforms/WPF + managed C++/CLR - all the fun of several incompatible new technologies at once.
Bad points:
To fit on lots of platforms they have invented their own solutions to things that are now in the STL/Boost
The signal/slot mechanism - tricky to debug and silently fails (with no error) with simple typos.
Although everything is possible it's sometimes a lot of effort to do simple things (they do love MVC) compared to Winforms.
Qt is simple
Qt is powerful
Qt is NATIVELY-CROSS-PLATFORM
Qt is REALLY-CROSS-PLATFORM
Qt is comprehensive (but the Media side of it still needs to grow)
Qt doesn't require Garbage Collection, but it embeds a GREAT model of memory management that makes you forget about memory deallocation
Qt is solid
Qt is modern
Qt proposes some new paradigm of programming that are really good (Signals-Slots)
Qt runs a lot of VERY successful software: (Skype, Google Earth...)
Are those points strong enough?
Maybe you have heard about Google Earth which happens to be programmed in Qt too.
That aside, I like Qt for my in-house development because it
is very well supported and documented,
allows me to write simple and decent-looking apps that are
works cross-platform for Windows and Linux with little effort, and
contains nice to have components for database access, regexps, guis, xml, ...
I also use the Qwt widgets for easy real-time plotting on top of Qt.
I really dont understand whats the point in underestimating tools/frameworks which makes things easy for programmers. Qt is too good for GUI development, I would say its much better than any current existing crossplatform app development suite.
So many advantages, I have been using it for more than three years now for a product to be deployed in Linux/Win environments. The app is thread intensive and initially we had a tough time using pthreads and its conterpart for windows. Then we switched to Qt(and QThreads eventually) and things were a breeze...
Backed by active development, a highly helpful and supportive community along with excellent documentation, training, certification programs, videos, forums... its easy, fast and effective to develop in Qt. You should see the video which they create a web browser in just five mins!
Its really 'cross platform', and it doesnt have a software wrapper(like Java does) to enable this which makes it faster. Cmon, we all know java apps have buttons which takes a second to respond to even a simple 'click'.
I hope Qt will someday do a take on Java. :D
after all, 350000 developers cant be wrong when they chose Qt.
Pixar uses Qt (or at least, used, as of 2005) internally for certain parts of their tool suite (called "Marionette" in the marketing) collectively called Menv, ("men-vee" for Modelling ENVironment)---at least for their lighting sub-tool Lumos.