This page was last updated around 1999
This is the main home page for my book, GTK+/Gnome Application Development. Thanks for your interest in the book.
GTK+/Gnome Application Development is an intermediate-to-advanced GTK+/Gnome programming book. You should be comfortable with programming (data structures, algorithms, etc.) and with the C programming language before you try to read it. It's also helpful to have had some introductory exposure to GTK+, via the online tutorial or Eric Harlow's book Developing Linux Applications with GTK+ and GDK (buy from Amazon). However, if you know C and are willing to jump right in you could start with my book, perhaps in conjunction with the GTK+ reference documentation.
If you don't know how to program or you don't know C, you should probably start with a different book. If you don't know the UNIX and GNU/Linux standard interfaces, you can go ahead and read my book but you might want to get some others as well.
Beginners might also be interested in my guide to working on free software.
Errata
Sadly, people have already found errors in the book. Here are some errata...
Support the author!
If you click on the amazon.com links on this page and then order the book then I get a small kickback from Amazon, which I can use to buy nicer caffeinated beverages for hacking. :-) You have to order by clicking on these links though, you can't click on this link and then later go directly to the Amazon page.Shamelessly, I've also made links to some other books of interest to Gnome programmers.
In association with 
Online Edition
I've checked the XML version of the book into the GNOME CVS server, the module is called GGAD. If you aren't a CVS kind of person, you can also look here for the HTML version.
Right now the online version isn't available in a printable format (well, other than choosing "Print" in Netscape) because I didn't have a need to write an XML-to-printable-format converter while I was writing the book. The XML-to-HTML converter is in CVS with the book itself; adding a DocBook backend is on my TODO list, but I haven't done it yet. If you want to have a go at it, please do.
Note that the online version is the final draft that I sent to the publisher; the printed copy has been edited a good bit more.
Source Code
The "GnomeHello" sample application from the book is on the Gnome CVS server under the gnome-hello module. It's also available in a tarball from ftp.gnome.org. The other source code is in the GGAD module along with the book itself.
License
This book is licensed under the Open Publication License, sans Options A and B, making it a part of the GNU Project's collection of free documentation. The GNU and GNOME projects feel that options A and B of the OPL are inappropriate for technical documentation. You can read about the importance of free documentation here.
Outline
Here's an outline of the book. As you can see, it's intended as a kind of sequel and supplement to a GTK+ tutorial or introduction. It adds a Gnome tutorial and some advanced Gtk concepts (such as the object system, and Gdk). For now GTK+/Gnome Application Development is the best source of documentation for the core GNOME libraries, GTK+ object system, GDK, and GTK+ widget system.
1 Introduction
1.1 What is Gnome?
1.2 The Gnome Development Framework
1.2.1 Non-Gnome Libraries
glib
GTK+
ORBit
Imlib
1.2.2 Gnome Libraries
libgnome
libgnomeui
libgnorba
libzvt
libart_lgpl
1.2.3 Other Libraries
gnome-print
gnome-xml
Guile
Bonobo
1.2.4 A Word About Header Files
1.3 Structure of the Book
2 glib: Portability and Utility
2.1 Basics
2.1.1 Type Definitions
2.1.2 Frequently Used Macros
2.1.3 Debugging Macros
2.1.4 Memory
2.1.5 String Handling
2.2 Data Structures
2.2.1 Lists
2.2.2 Trees
GTree
GNode
2.2.3 Hash Tables
2.3 Other Features
3 GTK+ Basics
3.1 Whirlwind Tour of GTK+
3.1.1 A Complete Hello, World
Compiling Hello, World
3.1.2 How It Works
Initialization
Widgets
Signals
Entering the Main Loop
More on Signals and Callbacks
3.2 Containers And Widget Layout
3.2.1 Size Allocation
Requisition
Allocation
3.2.2 GtkBox
GtkBox Layout Details
Non-Homogeneous Box Packing Patterns
Homogeneous Box Packing Patterns
Box Packing Summary
3.2.3 GtkTable
GtkTable Example
Using gtk_table_attach_defaults()
3.2.4 Other Layout Widgets
3.2.5 Manually Affecting Layout
3.3 Widget Concepts
3.3.1 Widget Life Cycle
3.3.2 Realizing, Mapping, and Showing
3.3.3 Other Widget Concepts
Sensitivity
Focus
Grabs
Default
Widget States
3.4 The Main Loop
3.4.1 Main Loop Basics
3.4.2 Quit Functions
3.4.3 Timeout Functions
3.4.4 Idle Functions
3.4.5 Input Functions
4 Creating Your Source Tree
4.1 Overview of a Gnome Source Tree
4.2 Source Tree Checklist
4.3 configure.in
4.4 Makefile.am
4.5 Relevant GNU Documentation
4.6 Installing Support Files
4.6.1 Installing Datafiles: Documentation and Pixmaps
Pixmaps
Documentation
4.6.2 .desktop Entries
4.6.3 EXTRA_DIST
5 Gnome Application Basics
5.1 Initializing the Libraries
5.2 Internationalization
5.3 Argument Parsing with popt
5.3.1 Argument Parsing in GnomeHello
5.4 Saving Configuration Information
5.4.1 Reading Stored Config Data
5.4.2 Storing Data In Configuration Files
5.4.3 Config File Iterators
Iteration Example from gnome-apt
Section Iterators
Other Config File Operations
5.5 Session Management
5.5.1 Using the GnomeClient Object
6 The Main Window: GnomeApp
6.1 The GnomeApp Widget
6.2 Menus and Toolbars with GnomeUIInfo
6.2.1 Converting GnomeUIInfo to a Widget
6.2.2 GnomeHello: An Example
6.3 Adding a Status Bar
6.3.1 GnomeAppBar
6.3.2 GtkStatusbar
6.4 Online Help
6.4.1 Gnome Documentation and Help Menu Items
6.4.2 Menu Hints
6.4.3 Tooltips
6.5 Finishing Touches
6.5.1 Adapting to Screen Size
6.5.2 Setting Window Class Hints
7 User Communication: Dialogs
7.1 The GnomeDialog Widget
7.1.1 Creating a Dialog
7.1.2 Filling in the Dialog
7.1.3 Handling GnomeDialog Signals
7.1.4 Finishing Touches
7.2 Modal Dialogs
7.3 A Dialog Example
7.4 Special Dialog Types
7.4.1 GnomeAbout
7.4.2 GnomePropertyBox
7.4.3 GnomeMessageBox
7.5 Convenience Routines
8 Gnome Application Checklist
9 The GTK+ Object and Type System
9.1 Object and Class Structures
9.2 Type Checking and New Types
9.3 Initializing a New Class
9.4 GtkArg and the Type System
9.5 Object Arguments
9.5.1 Setting Object Arguments
9.5.2 Reading Object Arguments
9.5.3 Using Object Arguments in Your Own GtkObject Subclass
9.5.4 Discovering the Available Object Arguments
9.6 Signals
9.6.1 Adding a New Signal
9.6.2 Using Existing Signals
9.6.3 Emitting A Signal
9.6.4 What Happens When A Signal Is Emitted
9.7 Object Finalization
9.7.1 Chaining Up
9.8 Attaching Data to Objects
10 GDK Basics
10.1 GDK and Xlib
10.2 GdkWindow
10.2.1 Gdkwindow and GtkWidget
10.2.2 GdkWindow Attributes
10.3 Visuals and Colormaps
10.3.1 GdkVisual
Types of Visual
10.3.2 Color and GdkColormap
Obtaining a Colormap
10.4 Drawables and Pixmaps
10.5 Events
10.5.1 Types of Event
10.5.2 The Event Mask
10.5.3 Receiving GDK Events in GTK+
10.5.4 Button Events
10.5.5 Keyboard Events
10.5.6 Mouse Movement Events
Keyboard Focus
10.5.7 Focus Change Events
10.5.8 Expose Events
10.5.9 Window Change Events
10.5.10 Little-used Events
Visibility Events
Property Events
Selection Events
Client Events
Drag and Drop Events
Proximity Events
10.6 The Mouse Pointer
10.6.1 Pointer Location
10.6.2 Grabbing the Pointer
10.6.3 Changing the Cursor
10.7 Fonts
10.7.1 Font Metrics
10.8 Graphics Contexts
10.9 Drawing
10.9.1 Points
10.9.2 Lines
10.9.3 Rectangles
10.9.4 Arcs
10.9.5 Polygons
10.9.6 Text
10.9.7 Pixmaps
10.9.8 RGB Buffers
10.10 GDK Resource Management
10.11 GtkStyle and Themes
11 Writing a GtkWidget
11.1 Overview
11.1.1 Kinds of Widget
11.1.2 What a Widget Does
11.2 The GtkWidget Base Class
11.2.1 The GtkWidget Instance Struct
11.2.2 The GtkWidget Class Struct
Overridable Signals
11.3 An Example: The GtkEv Widget
11.3.1 Overview
11.3.2 GtkObject Features
Creation
Destruction
11.3.3 Realization and Mapping
11.3.4 Size Negotiation
11.3.5 Drawing
11.3.6 Handling Focus
11.3.7 GtkEv's Functionality
11.4 GtkWidget In Detail
11.4.1 Destruction
11.4.2 Showing, Hiding, and Mapping
11.4.3 Realization
11.4.4 Drawing
11.4.5 Size Negotiation
11.4.6 GtkContainer
The GtkContainer Instance Struct
The GtkContainer Class Struct
11.4.7 GtkBin: Containers With One Child
Adding and Removing Children
Iterating Over Children
Child Type
Other GtkBin Functionality
11.5 GtkVBox: A Windowless Container
11.5.1 Coding a GTK_NO_WINDOW Widget
11.5.2 Size Negotiation
11.5.3 Child Arguments
11.6 GnomeAppBar: A Trivial Composite Widget
11.7 Other Examples
12 GnomeCanvas
12.1 Introduction to the Canvas
12.2 Basic Canvas Architecture
12.2.1 GnomeCanvasGroup
12.2.2 Coordinates
12.2.3 Affine Transformations
12.3 Using the Canvas
12.3.1 Preparing the GnomeCanvas Widget
Scroll Region
Zooming
12.3.2 Canvas Items
12.3.3 Canvas Items and Events
12.3.4 A Canvas Example
12.4 Standard Canvas Item Reference
Rectangle and Ellipse Items
Line Item
Polygon Item
Image Item
Text Item
Widget Item
13 Writing a GnomeCanvasItem
13.1 Overview
13.1.1 GnomeCanvasRect
13.2 Drawing Methods
13.2.1 The Update Method
Requesting Updates
13.2.2 The Render Method (Antialiased Mode)
Speed and RGB Rendering
13.2.3 The Draw Method (GDK Mode)
13.3 Other Methods
13.3.1 Events
13.3.2 Point
13.3.3 Bounds
13.3.4 Realizing and Mapping
13.3.5 GtkObject Methods
A GTK+/Gnome Object Hierarchy
A.1 Hierarchy Summary
A.2 GtkObject
A.2.1 GtkObject
Library
Header File
Description
A.3 Widgets
A.3.1 GtkWidget
A.3.2 GtkContainer
A.3.3 GtkBin
A.3.4 GtkWindow
A.3.5 GnomeDialog
A.3.6 GnomeAbout
A.3.7 GnomeMessageBox
A.3.8 GnomePropertyBox
A.3.9 GnomeScores
A.3.10 GnomeApp
A.3.11 GtkDialog
A.3.12 GnomeFontSelector
A.3.13 GtkInputDialog
A.3.14 GtkColorSelectionDialog
A.3.15 GtkFileSelection
A.3.16 GtkFontSelectionDialog
A.3.17 GtkPlug
A.3.18 GtkButton
A.3.19 GnomeColorPicker
A.3.20 GnomeFontPicker
A.3.21 GnomeHRef
A.3.22 GtkToggleButton
A.3.23 GtkCheckButton
A.3.24 GtkRadioButton
A.3.25 GtkOptionMenu
A.3.26 GnomeDockItem
A.3.27 GtkAlignment
A.3.28 GtkFrame
A.3.29 GtkAspectFrame
A.3.30 GtkItem
A.3.31 GtkMenuItem
A.3.32 GtkCheckMenuItem
A.3.33 GtkRadioMenuItem
A.3.34 GtkPixmapMenuItem
A.3.35 GtkTearoffMenuItem
A.3.36 GtkListItem
A.3.37 GtkTreeItem
A.3.38 GtkEventBox
A.3.39 GtkHandleBox
A.3.40 GtkScrolledWindow
A.3.41 GtkViewport
A.3.42 GtkBox
A.3.43 GtkHBox
A.3.44 GnomeAppBar
A.3.45 GnomeDateEdit
A.3.46 GtkCombo
A.3.47 GnomeEntry
A.3.48 GnomeFileEntry
A.3.49 GnomeNumberEntry
A.3.50 GnomeProcBar
A.3.51 GtkStatusbar
A.3.52 GtkVBox
A.3.53 GnomeCalculator
A.3.54 GnomeGuru
A.3.55 GnomeIconEntry
A.3.56 GnomeIconSelection
A.3.57 GnomeLess
A.3.58 GnomePaperSelector
A.3.59 GnomePixmapEntry
A.3.60 GnomeSpell
A.3.61 GtkColorSelection
A.3.62 GtkGammaCurve
A.3.63 GtkButtonBox
A.3.64 GtkHButtonBox
A.3.65 GtkVButtonBox
A.3.66 GtkLayout
A.3.67 GnomeCanvas
A.3.68 GnomeIconList
A.3.69 GnomeDockBand
A.3.70 GnomeDock
A.3.71 GtkCList
A.3.72 GtkCTree
A.3.73 GtkFixed
A.3.74 GtkNotebook
A.3.75 GtkFontSelection
A.3.76 GtkPaned
A.3.77 GtkHPaned
A.3.78 GtkVPaned
A.3.79 GtkList
A.3.80 GtkMenuShell
A.3.81 GtkMenuBar
A.3.82 GtkMenu
A.3.83 GtkPacker
A.3.84 GtkSocket
A.3.85 GtkTable
A.3.86 GtkTed
A.3.87 GtkToolbar
A.3.88 GtkTree
A.3.89 GnomeAnimator
A.3.90 GnomePixmap
A.3.91 GnomeStock
A.3.92 GtkMisc
A.3.93 GtkLabel
A.3.94 GtkAccelLabel
A.3.95 GtkClock
A.3.96 GtkTipsQuery
A.3.97 GtkArrow
A.3.98 GtkImage
A.3.99 GtkPixmap
A.3.100 GtkCalendar
A.3.101 GtkDrawingArea
A.3.102 GtkCurve
A.3.103 GtkDial
A.3.104 GtkEditable
A.3.105 GtkEntry
A.3.106 GtkSpinButton
A.3.107 GtkText
A.3.108 GtkRuler
A.3.109 GtkHRuler
A.3.110 GtkVRuler
A.3.111 GtkRange
A.3.112 GtkScale
A.3.113 GtkHScale
A.3.1A GtkVScale
A.3.115 GtkScrollbar
A.3.116 GtkHScrollbar
A.3.117 GtkVScrollbar
A.3.118 GtkSeparator
A.3.119 GtkHSeparator
A.3.120 GtkVSeparator
A.3.121 GtkPreview
A.3.122 GtkProgress
A.3.123 GtkProgressBar
A.3.124 ZvtTerm
A.4 Canvas Items
A.4.1 GnomeCanvasItem
A.4.2 GnomeCanvasRE
A.4.3 GnomeCanvasEllipse
A.4.4 GnomeCanvasRect
A.4.5 GnomeCanvasGroup
A.4.6 GnomeCanvasImage
A.4.7 GnomeCanvasLine
A.4.8 GnomeCanvasPolygon
A.4.9 GnomeCanvasText
A.4.10 GnomeCanvasWidget
A.4.11 GnomeCanvasTextItem
A.5 Miscellaneous Objects
A.5.1 GnomeClient
A.5.2 GnomeDEntryEdit
A.5.3 GnomeDockLayout
A.5.4 GnomeMDIChild
A.5.5 GnomeMDIGenericChild
A.5.6 GnomeMDI
A.5.7 GtkData
A.5.8 GtkAdjustment
A.5.9 GtkTooltips
A.5.10 GtkItemFactory
B Table of Header Files
C Frequently Asked Questions
C.1 Index of Questions
C.2 Questions, with Answers
C.2.1 How do I make my application beep?
C.2.2 When do I need to destroy my widgets?
C.2.3 When I turn on memory profiling in glib, my application becomes unstable. What
gives?
C.2.4 To create a custom display, I want to place widgets in arbitrary locations
or move them around rapidly, or draw to them directly. How?
C.2.5 Why does my memory debugging tool show memory leaks in glib?
C.2.6 I get a bunch of "assertion failed" warnings from GTK+. What causes these?
C.2.7 Why are some things in Gnome rather than GTK+?
C.2.8 How can I center a window on the screen?
C.2.9 Is there a widget that does printing?
C.2.10 When I fork(), I get a bunch of warnings and my program crashes. What's going
on?
C.2.11 When do I need to call gtk_widget_realize() vs. gtk_widget_show()?
C.2.12 When creating a pixmap, I get the warning: Creating pixmap from xpm with NULL
window and colormap. What's wrong?
C.2.13 How can I separate the GUI from the rest of my application?
C.2.14 I don't like the default appearance of [some widget]. How do I change its
appearance?
C.2.15 Thanks for the lecture, but I have a really good reason to change the
appearance of a widget. How do I override the theme?
C.2.16 Why are signals specified as strings rather than integers or some sort of..
C.2.17 Why is GTK+ written in C?
C.2.18 My motion event handler is only invoked once; why is that?
C.2.19 Can I move the mouse pointer myself?
C.2.20 How do I read the pixels out of a GdkPixmap?
C.2.21 I'm drawing a lot of points to the screen with
gdk_draw_point(), and it's unbelievably slow. What's wrong? How
can I render image data to the screen?
C.2.22 I'm trying to set the background of a GtkLabel, and it doesn't work.
C.2.23 In the GTK+ and Gnome source code, many functions have two variants: one call
gtk_whatever_foo(), and another called gtk_whatever_real_foo(). What's the difference?
C.2.24 How do I "gray out" a widget, so the user can't select it?
C.2.25 I'm connecting to "button_press_event" or some other event signal, but the
callback
is never invoked.
C.2.26 I want to use the arrow keys as a control in my application, but GTK+ keeps
stealing
the key press events to move the focus around.
C.2.27 Does GTK+ have multiple inheritance?
C.2.28 I'm getting error messages from GDK. How can I determine the cause of
these?
C.2.29 How do I update the GUI without returning control to the main loop?
C.2.30 How should I format code to be included in GTK+ or Gnome?
C.2.31 Is there a GUI builder for GTK+ and Gnome?
C.2.32 How well do GTK+ and Gnome support internationalization?
D Online Resources
D.1 Obtaining and Compiling the Libraries
D.2 Web sites
D.3 Mailing Lists
D.4 Internet Relay Chat
D.5 This Book
E Code Listings
E.1 The GnomeHello Application
E.1.1 hello.c
E.1.2 app.h
E.1.3 app.c
E.1.4 menus.h
E.1.5 menus.c
E.2 The GtkEv Widget
E.2.1 gtkev.h
E.2.2 gtkev.