Programming with Qt, 2/e (Paperback)

The popular open source KDE desktop environment for Unix was built with Qt, a C++ class library for writing GUI applications that run on Unix, Linux, Windows 95/98, Windows 2000, and Windows NT platforms. Qt emulates the look and feel of Motif, but is much easier to use. Best of all, after you have written an application with Qt, all you have to do is recompile it to have a version that works on Windows. Qt also emulates the look and feel of Windows, so your users get native-looking interfaces.

Platform independence is not the only benefit. Qt is flexible and highly optimized. You'll find that you need to write very little, if any, platform-dependent code because Qt already has what you need. And Qt is free for open source and Linux development.

Although programming with Qt is straightforward and feels natural once you get the hang of it, the learning curve can be steep. Qt comes with excellent reference documentation, but beginners often find the included tutorial is not enough to really get started with Qt. That's where
Programming with Qt steps in. You'll learn how to program in Qt as the book guides you through the steps of writing a simple paint application. Exercises with fully worked out answers help you deepen your understanding of the topics. The book presents all of the GUI elements in Qt, along with advice about when and how to use them, so you can make full use of the toolkit. For seasoned Qt programmers, there's also lots of information on advanced 2D transformations, drag-and-drop, writing custom image file filters, networking with the new Qt Network Extension, XML processing, Unicode handling, and more.

Programming with Qt helps you get the most out of this powerful, easy-to-use, cross-platform toolkit. It's been completely updated for Qt Version 3.0 and includes entirely new information on rich text, Unicode/double byte characters, internationalization, and network programming.

Table of Contents

Preface

Chapter 1. Introduction

Chapter 2. First Steps in Qt Programming

Chapter 3. Learning More About Qt

Chapter 4. A Guided Tour Through the Simple Widgets

Chapter 5. A Guided Tour Through the Qt Dialog Boxes

Chapter 6. Using Layout Managers

Chapter 7. Some Thoughts on GUI Design

Chapter 8. Container Classes

Chapter 9. Graphics

Chapter 10. Text Processing

Chapter 11. Working with Files and Directories

Chapter 12. Interapplication Communication

Chapter 13. Interfacing with the Operating System

Chapter 14. Writing Your Own Widgets

Chapter 15. Focus Handling

Chapter 16. Advanced Event Handling

Chapter 17. Advanced Signals and Slots

Chapter 18. Providing Help

Chapter 19. Accessing Databases

Chapter 20. Multithreading

Chapter 21. Debugging

Chapter 22. Portability

Chapter 23. Qt Network Programming

Chapter 24. Interfacing Qt with Other Languages and\ Libraries

Chapter 25. Using the Visual C++ IDE for Qt Programs

Chapter 26. Visual Design with Qt Designer

Appendix A. Answers to Exercises

Glossary

Index