The Only Official Best-Practice Guide to Qt 4.1 Programming

Using Trolltech's Qt you can build industrial-strength C++ applications that run natively on Windows, Linux/Unix, Mac OS X, and embedded Linux--without making source code changes. With this book Trolltech insiders have written a start-to-finish guide to getting great results with the most powerful version of Qt ever created: Qt 4.1.

Using C++ GUI Programming with Qt 4 you'll discover the most effective Qt 4 programming patterns and techniques as you master key technologies ranging from Qt's model/view architecture to Qt's powerful new 2D paint engine. The authors provide readers with unparalleled insight into Qt's event model and layout system. Then, using realistic examples, they introduce superior techniques for everything from basic GUI development to advanced database and XML integration.

• Includes new chapters on Qt 4's model/view architecture and Qt's new plugin support, along with a brief introduction to Qtopia embedded programming

• Covers all Qt fundamentals, from dialogs and windows to implementing application functionality

• Introduces best practices for layout management and event processing

• Shows how to make the most of Qt 4's new APIs, including the powerful new 2D paint engine and the new easy-to-use container classes

• Contains completely updated material in every chapter

• Presents advanced Qt 4 techniques covered in no other book, from creating both Qt and application plugins to interfacing with native APIs

• Contains an in-depth appendix on C++/Qt programming for experienced Java developers

The accompanying CD-ROM includes the open source edition of Qt 4.1.1 for Windows, Mac, Linux, and many Unixes, as well as MinGW, a set of freely available development tools that can be used to build Qt applications on Windows, and also the source code for the book's examples.

Amazon.com® Reader Reviews (Ranked by Helpfulness)

Average Amazon.com® Rating:  Based on 13 Ratings

Qt book really helps get you started. - 2007-09-22
Reviewer Rating:
I've recently started GUI programming again after about 12 years doing other things, and I've never used Qt. I needed a book to get me started, and this one really worked well. It provides many examples and pieces of template code that help bootstrap whatever it is that you need to do. The major pieces of functionality are all covered, and the explanations are precise and understandable.

My one complaint for this book is that it doesn't cover everything in Qt. For more esoteric things you'll have to switch over to the Qt on-line documentation available at trolltech.com. I've read other reviewers' complaints that the information in this book is all available at the Qt web site. That may be true, but if you're just learning, this book presents things in a logical and subsetted way. Also, since it has an index, it's easier to look up a specific area of interest.

Overall, I highly recommend this book if you're just starting out with Qt and/or GUI programming in general.

This book is mediocre, hard to read, etc... - 2008-08-27
Reviewer Rating:
The UK based magazine, Linux Format 109, gives it a poor grade: 4/10
And says "As easy to read as a Croatian trains time table".

I would certainly agree with Linux Format: this book was quickly (hastely?) written.
In its current form, it is not good at all: I do regret my purchase (made only because Trolltech somewhere recommends it).

I have been browsing: "The Book of Qt 4: The Art of Building Qt Applications" by Daniel Molkentin.

My first impression of "The Book of Qt 4: The Art of Building Qt Applications" is a lot more positive, and I will probably purchase it.

Note: My previous posting, also negative (never derogative though) just disappeared.
I am wondering if Amazon delete negative evaluations.
This would not be so wise: trust here is of some value.

A warning about the Kindle edition - 2008-08-22
Reviewer Rating:
Just a note of caution if you decide to buy the Kindle version: of course the CD-ROM is not included, and I have not been able to locate any alternative source for the example code (although the Qt software is readily available for download). I assumed this would be a minor issue, but some of their examples are cumulative, so having the source would give one the option of skipping topics that are not of immediate interest. In addition, I encountered an apparent ambiguity or omission in a description of constructing a dialog in the designer tool; having the source would clear this up, but it is difficult to resolve without it. Interestingly, the latest hardback edition does not have this problem -- the same section has a slightly different description that makes sense. So perhaps the Kindle edition is an earlier version.

Excellent Book - 2008-01-06
Reviewer Rating:
This book is well written and covers everything needed to get up and running. I bought the book and used it to learn Qt for my CS masters research. I went through it cover to cover, and was programming professional quality, rock solid, GUIs in a month and a half. Using just the Trolltech supplied on-line documentation, that would have been impossible.

Well structured and nice examples. - 2007-07-14
Reviewer Rating:
What impressed me the most, was how simple was to build a drawing icon widget and a spreadsheet with qt 4. I believe that this is a must have.

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