Gtk+ Programming in C [Paperback]

Syd Logan (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0130142646 | ISBN-13: 978-0130142641 | Publication Date: September 6, 2001 | Edition: 1

The more popular Linux becomes, the more developers want to build graphical applications that run in Linux/Unix environments -- and Gtk+ 1.2 offers a powerful toolset for doing so. In this start-to-finish tutorial and reference, respected Linux/Unix developer Syd Logan covers everything programmers need to begin building powerful graphical applications with Gtk+ 1.2 immediately. Logan begins by reviewing the fundamentals of Linux/Unix programming with C; then walks through constructing a simple Gtk+ application. Next, he introduces each key category of Gtk+ widget, including base widgets; menu and layout widgets; range, scrollbar, and scale widgets; container widgets; and text widgets. The book also includes detailed coverage of creating and using dialogs, and writing new widgets, as well as expert introductions to GLIB and GDK.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

The ultimate guide to building graphical Linux(r)/UNIX(r) applications with Gtk+ 1.2!

• Write great graphical applications for Linux(r) and UNIX(r)!
• Leverage the full power of Gtk+ 1.2, GLIB, and GDK
• Includes comprehensive Gtk+ widget coverage: explanations, examples, and reference
• Also contains Linux/UNIX C programming quick-start/refresher

The more popular Linux becomes, the more developers want to build graphical applications that run in Linux/UNIX environments-and Gtk+ 1.2 offers a powerful toolset for doing so. In this start-to-finish tutorial and reference, respected Linux/UNIX developer Syd Logan covers everything programmers need to begin building powerful graphical applications with Gtk+ 1.2 immediately. Gtk+ Programming in C covers all this, and more:

• The fundamentals of Linux/UNIX programming with C
• A quick GTK+ startup section for novices: constructing simple applications, step by step
• Understanding GTK+'s flexible C-based, object-oriented architecture
• Working with signals, events, objects, and types
• Comprehensive widgets coverage: base, menu, layout, range, scrollbar, scale, container, text, and more
• Creating and using dialogs
• Container and Bin classes
• Expert introductions to the GLIB and GDK libraries

If you're ready to write easy-to-use applications for the world's fastest growing, most robust OS platforms, you've come to the right book: Gtk+ Programming in C, by Syd Logan.

About the Author

SYD LOGAN has been a software developer for 12 years, working almost exclusively in UNIX and C environments. He is currently a UNIX software engineer for Netscape Communications. Logan has covered the X Image Extension for Unix Review, Unix Developer, the X Journal, and the Linux Journal. Logan is author of Developing Imaging Applications with XIELib (Prentice Hall PTR).

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Product Details

• Paperback: 864 pages
• Publisher: Prentice Hall; 1 edition (September 6, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0130142646
• ISBN-13: 978-0130142641
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #808,573 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Reference for "Real World" Programming, April 21, 2003

By 

Gary L. (Carrollton, TX United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Gtk+ Programming in C (Paperback)

My first impression after I purchased this book was that it would have limited usefulness. However, after about two weeks on my first GTK+ project it became clear that it was actually the most useful of three books I had purchased. After having this book for more than a year, it is what I turn to about 85% of the time when I have a GTK+ question. If this book has a weakness it would be that it doesn't mention much about the GNOME desktop. However, for "real world" programming on a GTK+ based project that will last more than a couple of weeks or go beyond the basics, this book is a timesaver. I also have the book by Peter Wright that covers GNOME and is a fairly useful supplement to this book.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Sensible Reference for Gtk+-1.2 outside of GNOME, August 21, 2003

By 

Harcourt Fenton Mike (Andover, MA USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Gtk+ Programming in C (Paperback)

This book has a fairly clean layout. The index is a bit tepid, but Ok. So far, for content, the book is slightly better than the other two books I have seen. Donna Martin's doorstop for SAMs is pretty good, but a bit winded. Eric Harlow's book is also good, but too lean. I see a Jack Sprat pattern there.

I consider this book a good reference, not a tutorial. I like a book that does not waste too much time on the ubiquitous 'Hello World', crawling its way up to an excruciating sample application. I do not have an affinity to that style; Even for tutorials. Usually open source is replete with examples anyway.

I often judge a book by seeing if it can quickly answer a specific question, which did not immediately leap to my attention, from the standard Web docs. How do I change the text label on a button? What do the arguments really look like? Having figured it out already, I noticed this book answers the question right out of the contents page and on page 179, with an example of the proper object property arg "GtkButton::label". It is more pleasant to learn from brief working examples, than syntax diagrams and source code.

Another feature that jumped out was the "API Synopsis" sections. Fast, single sentence descriptions followed by the API call, on a class by class basis. Nice touch.

An IMPORTANT note on ergonomics, which you cannot possibly experience by clicking 'What's inside': This book is fabricated with the same lightweight, semi-gloss, low-acid paper that another one of my favorite books, Stroustrup's C++ opus, is published with. This means the book is thinner, taking up less shelve space. More importantly, the pages turn easily, indexed by finger, and when browsing the inner meat of the book, it stays open without coaxing. This means I don't have to constantly interrupt my browsing both machine and book to crack the binding. This kind of babysitting quickly vectors toward the intolerable, in particular, with the big, cheap doorstops. Good reference books need to be browseable in random fashion, right out of the shrink wrap.

A note to Logan: Nice job. On the second edition, put a bigger index in the book. It might be nice to see your "Synopsis" block style description of the most popular signals for widgets (table 4.2)and containers (table 10.1) in the signal chapter, as well as the classes. It saves flipping.

20 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great GTK reference, January 30, 2002

By 

J. Turner (Minnesota United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Gtk+ Programming in C (Paperback)

When it came time for me to make the transition from the nice and cozy world of Windows/MFC to X Windows, I started to scrounge for an X toolkit to develop applications on. As a result, I searched for decent documentation.

This book tries to be a primer and a reference, but it really only succeeds as a reference. This book covers the straight GTK code from a C perspective, and documents most of the basic widgets.

With only this book, you will find it difficult and tedious to produce usable applications.

However, armed with glade, a glade tutorial, and this book, you can be as productive in designing X GUIs as a Visual Basic programmer.

Highly recommended.