Book Image

Cross-Platform Development with Qt 6 and Modern C++

By : Nibedit Dey
Book Image

Cross-Platform Development with Qt 6 and Modern C++

By: Nibedit Dey

Overview of this book

Qt is a cross-platform application development framework widely used for developing applications that can run on a wide range of hardware platforms with little to no change in the underlying codebase. If you have basic knowledge of C++ and want to build desktop or mobile applications with a modern graphical user interface (GUI), Qt is the right choice for you. Cross-Platform Development with Qt 6 and Modern C++ helps you understand why Qt is one of the favorite GUI frameworks adopted by industries worldwide, covering the essentials of programming GUI apps across a multitude of platforms using the standard C++17 and Qt 6 features. Starting with the fundamentals of the Qt framework, including the features offered by Qt Creator, this practical guide will show you how to create classic user interfaces using Qt Widgets and touch-friendly user interfaces using Qt Quick. As you advance, you'll explore the Qt Creator IDE for developing applications for multiple desktops as well as for embedded and mobile platforms. You will also learn advanced concepts about signals and slots. Finally, the book takes you through debugging and testing your app with Qt Creator IDE. By the end of this book, you'll be able to build cross-platform applications with a modern GUI along with the speed and power of native apps.
Table of Contents (17 chapters)
1
Section 1: The Basics
6
Section 2: Cross-Platform Development
8
Section 3: Advanced Programming, Debugging, and Deployment

Graphics in Qt Quick

Qt Quick is designed to take advantage of hardware-accelerated rendering. It will be built by default on the low-level graphics API that is most appropriate for the target platform. On Windows, for example, it will default to Direct3D, whereas on macOS, it will default to Metal. For rendering, Qt Quick applications make use of a scene graph. The scene graph renderer can make more efficient graphics calls, which improves performance. The scene graph has an accessible API that allows you to create complex but fast graphics. The Qt Quick 2D Renderer can also be used to render Qt Quick. This raster paint engine allows Qt Quick applications to be rendered on platforms that do not support OpenGL.

Qt uses the most appropriate graphics API on the target platform by default. However, it is possible to configure Qt's rendering path to use a specific API. In many cases, selecting a specific API improves performance and allows developers to deploy on platforms that...