The Qt toolkit is widely used for the development of GUI applications, console tools, and servers. Qt is most notably used in KDE, the Opera web browser, Skype, and Google Earth. In The Book of Qt 4, author and KDE developer, Daniel Molkentin guides the reader through developing applications both with and without Qt's graphical GUI builder "Qt Designer." Molkentin uses practical examples to explain Qt characteristics like the signal slot concept and its event system. Topics covered include: tools needed to create dialog boxes; steps to follow when developing a GUI-based application; layout; how to visualize data using Qt's "model-view concept"; the QtSql model; the graphics library; as well as how to work with XML, databases, threads, and debugging.

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