“From today on, study hard and make progress every day”

Repetition is the best method for memory; spend one minute each day to remember the basics of C language.

“Mastering C Language GUI Programming and Game Development Series”“

Mastering C Language: Writing Your First Cross-Platform GUI Application in Just a Few Lines!

What is a C Language GUI?

Many of you may be familiar with the command-line interface of C language, but how can we write GUI applications in C?

First, it is essential to understand: any GUI software must run on top of an operating system and relies on the operating system or third-party graphics libraries.

So, can we write a GUI in C without any libraries? The answer is yes; you can think of the operating system as a massive C language GUI program. However, it is too low-level and difficult to use directly, which is why operating systems provide us with libraries to simplify graphical programming, making it easier to write GUI applications.

Characteristics:

• • Based on visual elements like windows and buttons
• • Requires support from graphics libraries
• • More user-friendly experience
• • Higher resource consumption

Common C Language GUI Libraries:

1. 1. Operating system built-in APIs (Windows/Linux/MacOS, etc.)
2. 2. GTK (Cross-platform, C language)
3. 3. Qt (Primarily C++, but has C interfaces)
4. 4. SDL (Mainly for game development)
5. 5. RayLib (A graphics engine developed in C language)

Which C Language Graphics Library to Choose?

Here is how I choose:

• • It must be pure C language, not C++ or wrapped versions, otherwise the learning curve will steepen significantly;
• • It must support cross-platform, including Mac and Linux, not just Windows; many students are now using MacOS and Linux;
• • It must be lightweight, requiring only a header file or library file, otherwise it will be hard for beginners to understand;
• • It must allow for quick setup of the runtime environment, without needing to install virtual machines or toolchains, or be cumbersome to install;
• • It must be open-source and currently active, continuously updated, and not rely on outdated graphics libraries and frameworks from over a decade ago;
• • Given these criteria, the only library that meets all requirements is Raylib.

Minimal Entry Code

Raylib is a simple and easy-to-use cross-platform game development library focused on education and prototyping. It was developed and maintained by Ramon Santamaria (Ray) and is written in C language but supports bindings for multiple languages.

#include "raylib.h"

int main(void) {
    InitWindow(800, 450, "C Language Learning Notes Public Account: Simple Example of Raylib GUI Programming");
    
    SetTargetFPS(60);
    
    while (!WindowShouldClose()) {
        BeginDrawing();
            ClearBackground(RAYWHITE);
            DrawText("Hello, C and Raylib!", 10, 50, 70, BLUE);
        EndDrawing();
    }
    
    CloseWindow();
    return 0;
}

Running Effect

I plan to write a series titled “Mastering C Language: C Language GUI Programming and Game Development”. Friends who are interested can follow the public account: C Language Learning Notes!

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[Special Statement: All articles in this public account are original or authorized by the author. Some content and images are sourced from the internet and AI. Please feel free to use them; the views are for learning reference only~~]

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