C++ GUI Programming with Qt 4 [Paperback]

Jasmin Blanchette (Author), Mark Summerfield (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 26, 2006

Qt 4 is radically different from earlier versions of Qt, with lots of new features and many small changes everywhere in the API. For customers porting applications from Qt 3 to Qt 4, this is bad news; but for us, this is good news, because it means that owners of the Qt 3 book will want to buy this one as well. Those who buy this book will: [1] Learn how to program Qt the right way, i.e. with the grain of the tool. [2] Learn standard patterns of Qt programming, from basic tasks like creating a file menu with a recently used files list to more complex tasks such as presenting data to the user through the user interface, and providing the user with the ability to interact with their data. [3] Learn how to extend Qt to meet their needs, for example, through subclassing and by composition. [4] Gain insight into programming in general and into graphical user interface programming in particular.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

The Only Official Best-Practice Guide to Qt 4.1 Programming

Using Trolltech's Qt you can build industrial-strength C++ applications that run natively on Windows, Linux/Unix, Mac OS X, and embedded Linux--without making source code changes. With this book Trolltech insiders have written a start-to-finish guide to getting great results with the most powerful version of Qt ever created: Qt 4.1.

Using C++ GUI Programming with Qt 4 you'll discover the most effective Qt 4 programming patterns and techniques as you master key technologies ranging from Qt's model/view architecture to Qt's powerful new 2D paint engine. The authors provide readers with unparalleled insight into Qt's event model and layout system. Then, using realistic examples, they introduce superior techniques for everything from basic GUI development to advanced database and XML integration.

• Includes new chapters on Qt 4's model/view architecture and Qt's new plugin support, along with a brief introduction to Qtopia embedded programming

• Covers all Qt fundamentals, from dialogs and windows to implementing application functionality

• Introduces best practices for layout management and event processing

• Shows how to make the most of Qt 4's new APIs, including the powerful new 2D paint engine and the new easy-to-use container classes

• Contains completely updated material in every chapter

• Presents advanced Qt 4 techniques covered in no other book, from creating both Qt and application plugins to interfacing with native APIs

• Contains an in-depth appendix on C++/Qt programming for experienced Java developers

The accompanying CD-ROM includes the open source edition of Qt 4.1.1 for Windows, Mac, Linux, and many Unixes, as well as MinGW, a set of freely available development tools that can be used to build Qt applications on Windows, and also the source code for the book's examples.

About the Author

Jasmin Blanchette, Trolltech's documentation manager and a senior developer, has worked at Trolltech since 2001. He is editor of Qt Quarterly, Trolltech's technical newsletter, and coauthored C++ GUI Programming with Qt 3.

Mark Summerfield works as an independent trainer and consultant specializing in C++, Qt, and Python. He was Trolltech's documentation manager for almost three years and coauthored C++ GUI Programming with Qt 3.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 560 pages
• Publisher: Prentice Hall PTR (June 26, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0131872494
• ISBN-13: 978-0131872493
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.9 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #853,382 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing real-world reference, March 12, 2007

By 

Rolf Ernst (Frisco, TX USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: C++ GUI Programming with Qt 4 (Paperback)

This book is one of the best reference materials I have read. The author is clearly not regurgitating Trolltech's documentation but elegantly cranks out a series of real life applications.

I read this quite differently than other 'introductions to'. In fact, I initially ignored it. But when it came time to build my own code, I kept running into questions as to how a particular programming problem was approached 'the right way'. A reference manual only shows you what you can do and there is an abundance of literature out there which will show you all the minutiae of endless variations of function calls - theory.

This book showed me how to properly put together FTP sessions, build a graphical directory tree of my own and much else. I am less interested in 'what does the framework offer?' but 'how do I best accomplish this task?'. This only an author with real-world programming experience can answer. This book's teaching by example will get you started quicker in Qt than anything else I have seen.

The other book 'Introduction to design patterns in C++ with Qt4' is also recommended but fairly high-level. The two together make a great combination.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If you want to learn QT4, this is your book!, March 9, 2007

By 

R. CORREA SALGADO "robertux" (Zamora, SPAIN) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: C++ GUI Programming with Qt 4 (Paperback)

I think that is a good book to learn QT4 for different reasons. One of those is that is a book plenty of examples. You can learn to program with QT4, without previously experience in QT.
Touch all the main aspects of QT (from beginning to advanced programming) in a good way.
The sequence of the chapters are adequate.
The examples in the book are clear and the code is self-explained, and It helps a lot to understand the main concepts explained in the book.

Definitively, It's a learner's book, not a reference's book.

A recommended book to learn QT programming.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Qt book really helps get you started., September 22, 2007

By 

Mark Bales (Fremont, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: C++ GUI Programming with Qt 4 (Paperback)

I've recently started GUI programming again after about 12 years doing other things, and I've never used Qt. I needed a book to get me started, and this one really worked well. It provides many examples and pieces of template code that help bootstrap whatever it is that you need to do. The major pieces of functionality are all covered, and the explanations are precise and understandable.

My one complaint for this book is that it doesn't cover everything in Qt. For more esoteric things you'll have to switch over to the Qt on-line documentation available at trolltech.com. I've read other reviewers' complaints that the information in this book is all available at the Qt web site. That may be true, but if you're just learning, this book presents things in a logical and subsetted way. Also, since it has an index, it's easier to look up a specific area of interest.

Overall, I highly recommend this book if you're just starting out with Qt and/or GUI programming in general.