How to get started with GUI programming
From ArticleWorld
Nowadays, there is a good world for both GUI-enabled applications and command-line applications. However, with the development of graphical environments, chances are you will eventually need to do some GUI programming.
However, this requires learning a few new concepts and somewhat changing the way you look at your programs. Outlined below are a few steps you should take at first.
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How to...
- Pick a language and an operating system. Actually, pick those to which you are most familiar. Nevertheless, since the concept of GUI is very close to that of object oriented programming, knowing at least some basic principles like encapsulation or method calling is very helpful.
- Get a GUI widget set (also known as a GUI toolkit). With one or two notable exceptions, operating systems offer only a very low-level set of drawing routines which are difficult to master and often tedious to work with. A widget set abstracts these to more common concepts, like buttons, scrollbars and so on. On Linux, Qt and GTK are good starting points. On Windows, wxWindows or WindowsForms in .NET can prove equally good.
- Read guidelines. Most operating systems and desktop environments have some guidelines regarding how interfaces should look and behave. These are important to know, because they will give the user the sense of consistency and will make it easier for him to get started using your tools.
- Learn not to mix up the GUI (the "view") with the inner workings of the program (the "model"). You never know how you will have to modify the GUI in time. You should therefore be able to use as much of the underlying code as possible.
- Read usability-related and UI design documentation. UI design deals with the process of designing user interfaces so that they are as usable and ergonomic as possible. These will help you to make your interfaces more intuitive. Develop a critic eye: the world is full of GUI applications, and some have glitches. Learn how to spot and avoid them.