https://gitlab.com/jeang3nie/zig-gtk3

Some convenience methods to use gtk3 from Zig
https://gitlab.com/jeang3nie/zig-gtk3

gtk library zig

Last synced: 3 months ago
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Some convenience methods to use gtk3 from Zig

• Host: gitlab.com
• URL: https://gitlab.com/jeang3nie/zig-gtk3
• Owner: jeang3nie
• License: mit
• Created: 2021-06-10T23:08:03.323Z (over 3 years ago)
• Default Branch: odin
• Last Synced: 2024-07-30T21:08:52.032Z (6 months ago)
• Topics: gtk, library, zig
• Stars: 2
• Forks: 0
• Open Issues: 0
• Metadata Files:
  • Readme: README.md
  • Contributing: CONTRIBUTING.md
  • License: LICENSE.md

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README

        
# zig-gtk3

This package contains some convenience functions and wrappers around the C api

of both the Gtk+ and Vte libraries for developing Gui applications using Zig.

## Usage

We track zig-master, so you will need the current master compiler. In your

```build.zig``` file, add the package path:

```Zig

    const exe = b.addExecutable("exe-name", "path-to-source.zig");

    exe.addPackagePath("zig-gtk3", "path/to/zig-gtk3/lib.zig");

    exe.linkLibC();

    exe.linkSystemLibrary("gtk+-3.0");

```

The Gtk wrappers are namespaced to gtk, and the C functions to c.

```Zig

const GTK @import("zig-gtk3");

const c = GTK.c;

const gtk = GTK.gtk;

const std = @import("std");

const Gui = struct {

    window: gtk.Window,

    fn init(app: *c.GtkApplication) Gui {

...

```

There are a number of examples in the "examples" subdirectory which can be built

with by running `zig build` in this directory.

## Rationale

It is entirely possible to call C functions directly from Zig. However, Zig's

translate-c function, which is used to import C code into Zig, is still somewhat

immature and tends to fail with heavily macro dependent code. This happens for

certain parts of Gtk+ that make working around it quite difficult.

Additionally, the C Api to Gtk (and Vte), due to limitations of the language, can

be incredibly verbose as well as quite clumsy at times. A better Api is both

possible and desireable in a language such as Zig.