Widget toolkit

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In computer programming, widget toolkits (or GUI toolkits) are sets of basic building elements for graphical user interfaces. They are often implemented as a library, or application framework.

See the article on widgets for a list of widgets.

1 Popular widget toolkits
2 External links

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Popular widget toolkits

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Low-level widget toolkits

Integrated in the operating system:
- The Mac OS toolbox, or Macintosh APIs, formerly located in ROM, but in "new world" Macs, on disk. A cleaned up version for Mac OS X is called Carbon.
- The Windows API used in Microsoft Windows.
As a separate layer on top of the operating system:
- The X Window System contains primitive building blocks, but they are almost always accessed using Motif, [[GTK+]] or Qt.
- The Amiga OS Intuition was formerly present into Amiga Kickstart ROM and integrated itself with medium-high level widget library which invoke Workbench Amiga native GUI. Since Amiga OS 2.0, Intuition.library become disk based and object oriented. Also Workbench.library and Icon.library become disk based, and suitable to be changed with similar third party solutions.

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High-level widget toolkits

On Macintosh:
- Cocoa - used in Mac OS X (see also Aqua).
- MacApp Macintosh framework.
- MacZoop Macintosh C++ framework.
- PowerPlant Macintosh framework.
On Microsoft Windows:
- The Microsoft Foundation Classes (MFC), used by most developers on the Microsoft Windows platform. This framework is a wrapper for the Windows API (Win32API), and not an independent toolkit.
- The Object Windows Library is sort of Borland's alternative to MFC. This framework is a wrapper for the Windows API (Win32API), and not an independent toolkit.
- The Visual Component Library (VCL) is Borland's toolkit used in its C++ Builder and Delphi products. This framework is a wrapper for the Windows API (Win32API), and not an independent toolkit.
- The Windows Forms is .NET's set of classes that handle GUI controls. In the Microsoft implementation, this framework is a wrapper for the Windows API (Win32API), and not an independent toolkit. In the cross-platform Mono implementation, it is an independent toolkit, implemented entirely in managed code.
On Unix, under the X Window System:
- Xaw, the Project Athena widget set for the X Window System.
- Motif used in the Common Desktop Environment.
- Lesstif, an open source (LGPL) version of Motif.
- InterViews, a toolkit written in [[C++]].
Cross-platform, based on SVG:
- airWRX is an application framework that runs from a USB flash drive, and turns its PC host and other nearby PCs into a multi-screen, web-like digital workspace.
Cross-platform, based on the Java programming language:
- The Abstract Windowing Toolkit is used in Java applications. It typically uses another toolkit on the selected platform in turn.
- Swing is Sun Microsystems's replacement for AWT in newer Java versions.
- The Standard Widget Toolkit is a native widget toolkit for Java that was invented as part of the Eclipse project. SWT will use the running platforms widget toolkit (such as Windows API or GTK+) underneath.
Cross-platform, based on the programming languages C or C++, often with bindings to other languages:
- YAAF, open source (YAAF Open Source License), designed to facilitate creating cross-platform applications.
- Tk, a widget set accessed from Tcl and other high-level script languages (interfaced in Python as Tkinter).
- [[GTK+]], open source (LGPL), primarily for the X Window System, ported to and emulated under other platforms; used in the GNOME and XFCE desktop environments.
- Qt, open source (GPL) available under Unix/Linux (with X Window), MS Windows, Mac OS X and embedded systems; also available in commercial versions under these platforms; used in KDE.
- CLX (Component Library for Cross-platform), used with Borland's Delphi, [[C++ Builder]], and Kylix, for producing cross-platform applications. It is based on Qt, wrapped in such a way that its programming interface is similar to that of the VCL toolkit.
- wxWidgets (formerly wxWindows), open source (relaxed LGPL), abstracts toolkits across several platforms for C++, Python and Perl.
- FOX toolkit, open source (LGPL), genuinely cross-platform.
- FLTK, open source (LGPL), cross-platform toolkit designed to be small and fast.
- The Visual Component Framework (VCF) is an open source (BSD license) C++ framework project.
- Ultimate++ (open source, most parts BSD license) has its own platform-independent widgets [1]. It comes with cross-platform rapid application development suite, a set of libraries ( SQL, XML, NTL, etc..), an integrated development environment TheIDE (similar to Code::Blocks, Dev-C++, etc with easy GUI switching between compilers (like Gcc, free MS Visual C++ Toolkit 2003 [2], etc.) and their configurations (release, debug etc)), own interpreter (called Esc), forms and icons designer.
- Lgi (LGPL), Ports for Windows, Linux (xlib) and BeOS with a MacOSX port in progress. Cross platform & native widgets (inc HTML engine), graphical designer, translatable apps, IDE, and small binaries.
Engine under Lazarus (for Delphi via Free Pascal):
- LCL as classes toolkit over GTK+ 1.2, Gtk+ 2.x and Windows API (Carbon, Windows CE and Qt4 in development).
On Amiga OS:
- BOOPSI (Basic Object Oriented Programming System for Intuition) was introduced with OS 2.0 and enhanced Intuition with a system of classes in which every class individuate a single widget or describes an interface event. This leaded an evolution in which third parties developers realized each own his personal system of classes. It can be used to program Object Oriented into Amiga at any level.
- Magic User Interface (MUI): system of Amiga Widget Classes. An open source implementation exists as part of the AROS Project.
- ClassAct: another system of Amiga Widget Classes which evolved in AmigaOS 3.9 and 4.0 into Reaction based GUI's.
- ReAction: Evolution of ClassACT system.
Cross-platform, built into the language Pascal.
- IP Pascal uses graphics library built ontop of standard language constructs. Also unusual for being a procedural toolkit that is cross platform (no callbacks or other tricks), and is completely upward compatible with standard serial input and output paradigms. Completely standard programs with serial output can be run and extended with graphical constructs.