Programming Language Support & Language Bindings

The Qt API is implemented in C++, and provides additional features for easier cross-platform development. QML – introduced with Qt Quick is a CSS and JavaScript-like declarative, language designed to describe the user interface of a program: both what it looks like, and how it behaves. Bindings to Qt exist for several other languages, including Ada, Pascal, Perl, PHP, Ruby, Python and Java™.

C++ Development with Qt

Qt provides an intuitive C++ class library with a rich set of application build blocks for C++ development. Qt goes beyond C++ in the areas of inter-object communication and flexibility for advanced GUI development. Qt adds the following features to C++:

• Powerful mechanism for inter-object communication called signals and slots [doc.qt.nokia.com]
• Queryable and designable object properties [doc.qt.nokia.com]
• Powerful events and events filters [doc.qt.nokia.com]
• Contextual string translation for internationalization [doc.qt.nokia.com]
• Sophisticated interval driven timers [doc.qt.nokia.com] that make it possible to elegantly integrate many tasks in an event-driven GUI
• Hierarchical and queryable object trees [doc.qt.nokia.com] that organize object ownership in a natural way
• Guarded pointers [doc.qt.nokia.com] that are automatically set to 0 when the referenced object is destroyed, unlike normal C++ pointers which become dangling pointers when their objects are destroyed
• A dynamic cast [doc.qt.nokia.com] works across library boundaries.

QML Development with Qt Quick

QML is a declarative, JavaScript-based language designed to describe the user interface of a program: both what it looks like, and how it behaves. In QML, a user interface is specified as a tree of objects with properties.

• JavaScript, HTML and CSS skills can be used to code complete apps
• Optimized for touch-based, animated mobile UIs
• Includes a set of graphical and behavioral building blocks: QML Elements [doc.qt.nokia.com]
• No C++ knowledge required for UI creation, but can be extended with C++

Find out more about Qt Quick [doc.qt.nokia.com]

These are third party language bindings for Qt

PySide: Python for Qt [pyside.org] (LGPL)

• Wiki
• Documentation (tutorials, examples, API reference)
• Downloads
• Mailing list [lists.pyside.org]
• Bugzilla [bugs.pyside.org]
• Source code [qt.gitorious.org]

PyQt [riverbankcomputing.com] (GPL/commercial)

• Tutorials [diotavelli.net]
• API Documentation [riverbankcomputing.com]
• Reference Guide [riverbankcomputing.com]
• Book [qtrac.eu]
• Whitepaper [riverbankcomputing.com]

Qt for Java [qt.gitorious.org] (QtJambi, Windows/Mac/Linux)

Qt Jambi – Qt bindings to the Java programming language – has been discontinued in order to focus resources on the Qt cross platform application and UI framework. Qt Jambi is available for download under the LGPL v2.1 license at http://qt.nokia.com/downloads. [qtsoftware.com]

• Jambi Community [qt-jambi.org]
• Old tutorial [doc.trolltech.com]
• Old API Javadoc [doc.trolltech.com]

Qt for Ruby [techbase.kde.org] (QtRuby)

The project provides complete bindings to both the KDE API and the Qt APIs. The Korundum package includes both a QtRuby Qt-only binding along with the full combined Qt/KDE one. The QtRuby package contains just Qt bindings with no dependencies on KDE.

• Tutorial [darshancomputing.com]
• Book [pragmaticprogrammer.com] (for Qt 3)

Qt for BASIC [kbasic.com] (KBasic)

KBasic uses Qt as its toolkit to provide cross-platform abilities. KBasic is a further BASIC dialect and is related to VB.NET™, Visual Basic®, Visual Basic for Application® and Java™. It combines several features and includes built-in backward support for QBasic®.

Qt for Ada 2005 [qtada.com] (QtAda)

QtAda is an Ada2005 language prividing bindings to the Qt libraries and a set of useful tools. QtAda supports Qt version 4.6 and later.

Qt for Perl [opendesktop.org] (Perl Qt4)

The goal of this project is to maintain a Perl Object Oriented interface to the Qt GUI Toolkit. Last project update was in 2003.

Qt for Perl [search.cpan.org]

A Qt Perl binding, last update in 2011.

Qt for C# [techbase.kde.org] (Qyoto) Qyoto makes it possible to develop Qt and KDE applications using C#, or any other .NET language. Qyoto uses SMOKE, and offers access to almost all Qt and KDE classes.

Qt for D [dsource.org] (QtD)

QtD is a binding of the Qt framework to the D programming language version 2. [digitalmars.com]

Qt for Pascal [wiki.lazarus.freepascal.org] (FPC Qt4 Binding)

The Free Pascal Qt4 binding allows Free Pascal to interface with the C++ Library Qt. This binding does not cover the whole Qt4 framework but only the classes needed by the Cross Platform Lazarus IDE to use Qt as a Widget set. More info [users.telenet.be]

Qt for Lua [nongnu.org] (QtLua)

The QtLua library are trying to make Qt4 applications scriptable using the Lua scripting language as an alternative to the QtScript module.

Qt for Haskell [qthaskell.berlios.de] (qtHaskell)

The qtHaskell project provides a set of Haskell bindings for Qt. Haskell programmers can access the “Signals and Slots” interface logic, design interfaces using Qt Designer and write scripted applications using the Qt ECMA/Javascript engine.

Qt for PHP [sourceforge.net] (PHP-Qt)

Qt for Chicken Scheme [wiki.call-cc.org] (Qt 4 egg)

An incomplete binding which supports loading UI files, binding to GUIs thus instantiated, and networking and dbus functionality.

References

• Wikipedia has a comprehensive list of language bindings for Qt [en.wikipedia.org])#Bindings

Categories:

• LanguageBindings
  • PySide