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Book of Qt 4
The Art of Building Qt Applications
by Daniel Molkentin

July 2007, 440 pp.
ISBN: 978-1-59327-147-3

This book is currently out of stock, but the ebook is still available

"The only way to truly appreciate Qt is to start using it. So, start diving into this excellent coverage of Qt by Daniel Molkentin."
—Eirik Chambe-Eng, Co-CEO and founder, Trolltech

Click here to read Chapter 9, The QtSql Module

Code examples are now available here (.zip)

Cross-platform development is a kind of holy grail, and Trolltech's Qt toolkit may well be the most promising solution yet to this development challenge. Qt is widely used for the development of GUI applications as well as console tools and servers, and it's especially appealing to programmers who need to write cross-platform applications to run on Linux/Unix, Mac, and Windows machines without having to rewrite for each platform.

The Book of Qt 4 offers an in-depth explanation of Qt 4 that goes beyond the common focus on C++ programming. Author Daniel Molkentin uses practical examples to explain features like the signal/slot concept and the event system, as he guides you through developing applications with and without Qt's graphical GUI builder, Qt Designer. And as a core KDE developer, Molkentin's head is full of real-world problems and solutions that he peppers liberally throughout The Book of Qt 4, making it a resource that you'll consult time and again.

You'll find coverage of:

  • Tools for creating dialogs
  • GUI design with the Qt Designer
  • Widget layout and dialog construction
  • Data visualization using Qt's model/view concept
  • The QtSql module and the graphics library Arthur
  • File handling, XML, processes, and network connections
  • Databases and threading
  • Event handling and using drag and drop
  • Internationalization and debugging

As well as lots of useful hints on how to use Qt's datatypes, containers, and algorithms and how to develop user-friendly applications.

Whether you're already a Qt developer or you're just considering Qt for cross-platform development, you'll find The Book of Qt 4 to be indispensable.

About the Author

Daniel "danimo" Molkentin has been a core developer with the KDE project since 2000, and he's the co-author of the PIM application Kontact, among other applications. He was actively involved in the development of Qt 4 as a beta tester, and he worked with the initial port of KDE to the new Qt version.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Basics, Tools, and First Code
Chapter 2: The Tools Needed to Create Dialogs
Chapter 3: GUI Design Using the Qt Designer
Chapter 4: Developing a GUI Application Based on a Main Window
Chapter 5: Laying Out Widgets
Chapter 6: Dialogs
Chapter 7: Events, Drag and Drop, and the Clipboard
Chapter 8: Displaying Data Using "Interview"
Chapter 9: The QtSql Module
Chapter 10: The Graphics Library "Arthur"
Chapter 11: Input/Output Interfaces
Chapter 12: Threading with QThread
Chapter 13: Handling XML with QtXml
Chapter 14: Internationalization
Appendix A: Debugging Help
Appendix B: Tulip: Containers and Algorithms

View the detailed Table of Contents (PDF).

View the Index (PDF).

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Reviews

"If you are looking for an explanation of Qt4 and how to use it, Qt4: The Art of Building Qt Applications is the book to have."
—Major Keary, Book News

"The only way to truly appreciate Qt is to start using it. So, start diving into this excellent coverage of Qt by Daniel Molkentin."
—Eirik Chambe-Eng, Co-CEO and founder, Trolltech

"If you are a Qt developer who is looking to round out your knowledge base, this book will connect all of the dots and leave you with a complete picture. If you are a C++ developer or student and have been considering GUI application development using a cross-platform solution, look no further than "The Book of QT 4". Daniel Molkentin has written a book that will satisfy you all."
—James Pyles, technical reviewer

"The Book of Qt4 is an excellent recommendation for anyone interested in using QT to build GUI applications, and for advanced computer libraries catering to programmers and designers. Chapters cover all the tools for creating dialogues, data visualization techniques, handling databases and events, and more, offering tips on developing user-friendly applications and providing black and white screen shot examples throughout. It's an excellent guide for any QT programmer, and for collections catering to them."
—The Midwest Book Review

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