“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 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 complicated 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• • It must be open-source and currently active, continuously updated, and not rely on outdated graphics libraries and frameworks from over a decade ago;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 the requirements is Raylib.

Minimal Entry Code

Raylib is a simple and easy-to-use cross-platform game development library, focusing 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, and some content and images are sourced from the internet and AI. Please feel free to consume, and the views are for learning reference only~~]

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