What is gtk?

GTK (formerly GTK+) is a free and open-source cross-platform widget toolkit for creating graphical user interfaces (GUIs). It is licensed under the GNU Lesser General Public License, making it suitable for both free and proprietary software.

• Purpose and Usage: GTK is primarily used for developing applications with a graphical user interface. It provides a set of widgets, such as buttons, labels, text boxes, and menus, that developers can use to build their applications. It's commonly used with languages like C, C++, Python (through PyGObject), and others.

• Key Features:

  • Cross-Platform: Runs on various operating systems, including Linux, Windows, macOS, and others.
  • Widget Set: Provides a rich set of pre-built GUI elements (widgets).
  • Theming: Supports customizable themes to change the look and feel of applications.
  • Accessibility: Includes features to improve accessibility for users with disabilities.
  • Internationalization (i18n): Supports the creation of applications that can be localized for different languages and regions.
  • Object-Oriented: Implemented using object-oriented principles, allowing for code reuse and maintainability. Uses GObject type system.
  • Signal/Slot Mechanism: Employs a signal/slot mechanism for handling events and user interactions.

• Architecture: GTK is built upon the GObject object system, which provides a base class for creating objects and managing their properties. It also relies on the GDK (GIMP Drawing Kit) for low-level graphics operations and platform-specific functionality.

• Bindings: While primarily written in C, GTK offers bindings for numerous programming languages, making it accessible to a wider range of developers.

• GTK Versions: GTK has evolved through several major versions (GTK 2, GTK 3, GTK 4). GTK 4 is the latest major version and includes significant improvements in performance, rendering, and API design.

• GNOME Desktop Environment: GTK is the primary toolkit used to build the GNOME desktop environment.