One code = many devices + larger market reach. This formula works well when we talk about cross-platform software development. Qt is one of the popular frameworks for building cross-platform mobile, desktop, web applications and programs.
Qt framework is developed with C++ and gives the advantages of this language to developers. With the use of Qt, you can create a high-quality software product that will run on various devices and platforms that your customers may use.
How is it achieved? The matter is that Qt is divided into 13 modules and each of them provides tools for a comfortable development process.
Let’s delve into the Qt modules and explore what opportunities and features they add to Qt.
- Qt Core is the only required module in the Qt framework. It consists of core classes that other modules use. Among them are I/O functionalities, a meta-object system, concurrency, threading, an event system, different plugins and containers. Besides, it provides seamless object communication.
- Qt GUI is a main GUI module that is integrated with OpenGL. It contains classes that are necessary for graphics, basic imaging, fonts, texts. It can be used internally with the Qt’s user interface techniques and directly for writing applications.
- Qt Widgets extends Qt GUI with C++ widgets and contains UI elements set for creating desktop user interfaces. Widgets allow for data displaying and receiving user inputs.
- Qt QML. This module provides the QML engine, language infrastructure, classes for QML and JavaScript languages. Qt QML contains APIs for QML and C++. In so doing, it allows for adding custom types and integrating QML code with JavaScript and C++.
- Qt Quick is a library for writing QML applications providing the main types for implementing UI designs with QML. Qt Quick also contains QML and C++ APIs.
- Qt Quick Controls. This module contains customizable QML styles for building UI designs that can run on mobile, desktop, and embedded platforms.
- Qt Quick Layouts module provides QML types for arranging items in a UI and it is especially useful for building resizable UI designs.
- Qt Network includes classes and a set of APIs for network programming and provides support for such protocols as TCP, UDP, HTTP, TLS, SSL, and SPDY.
- Qt Multimedia is a set of C++ classes and QML types for managing audio, video, camera, and radio functionality.
- Qt SQL module provides classes for SQL databases integration. It includes such layers as Driver layer, SQL API layer, and user interface layer.
- Qt WebEngine allows developers to integrate web content into applications with the use of Chromium browser.
- Qt Test contains the functionality and classes for unit testing Qt apps and graphical user interfaces.
These are the main Qt essentials, however, there are lot more of tools, add-ons, and elements that make Qt framework complete and mature.
Check out Integra Sources’ page on Qt software development services to see what’s included.
