Best Languages for GUI

After developing graphical operating systems, we stopped using the command line and switched to using the GUI as the main interface for all computers. And today, a program's effectiveness is evaluated by its simple and user-friendly user interface.

The term "graphical user interface" (GUI) refers to a user interface that enables people to communicate with computers visually using objects like windows, menus, and icons. It is superior to the Command Line Interface (CLI), which is more challenging than GUI and mandates that users only write commands into computers using the keyboard.

Therefore, we must carefully select a programming language to develop a user-friendly application. We will learn about the top programming languages for GUI development in this article.

Top Programming Languages for GUI Development

Python

Python is frequently used for creating and testing program prototypes due to its speedy testing and development capabilities. Consequently, it is the greatest option for GUI creation. Because of its GUI library, Python is the preferred GUI development tool for most novice developers.

Imperative, functional, procedural, and object-oriented programming paradigms are just a few of Python's programming styles. Building a GUI with Python will be challenging because it is an interpreted language and all code, but the extensive GUI library makes it straightforward. The GUI library is a pre-built template or program that new developers can use to create their apps. On more than 30 platforms, it has widgets and frameworks.

The following are a few of the well-known languages:

1. Tkinter

It is a tool that displays and executes GUI versions of Python scripts. Many Unix platforms, including Windows and macOS, are compatible with it. Tkinter is the name of Python's built-in GUI library. GUI application development is rapid and easy, thanks to Python and Tkinter. Tkinter offers an efficient object-oriented interface for the Tk GUI toolkit. It provides several controls, such as the text boxes, labels, and buttons required for GUI programs. These controls are frequently referred to as widgets.

The Python language's built-in Tkinter library is used to create GUI applications. It is one of the most often used Python modules for constructing GUI apps since it is simple and easy to use. Users can interact with your software using dialogue boxes and windows built with Tkinter. These can be used to show data, collect feedback, or provide the user options.

Making a GUI for a desktop application: Tkinter can be used to create a desktop application's interface, which consists of buttons, menus, and other interactive elements. A command-line application can have a GUI added to it using Tkinter, which makes it simpler for users to interact with the program and enter arguments.

Tkinter allows you to build custom widgets in addition to a wide range of built-in widgets like buttons, labels, and text boxes.

2. Flexx

It is a 100% pure Python toolkit for building graphical user interfaces (GUIs), and it renders these GUIs using web technologies. Apps are only developed in Python; on-the-fly JavaScript generation is done by the PScript transpiler.

Creating (cross-platform) desktop programs, web applications, and apps that can be exported to standalone HTML documents can all be done with Flexx. Additionally, the Jupyter notebook supports it.

Flexx is a 100% pure Python toolkit for building graphical user interfaces (GUIs), and it renders these GUIs using web technologies. Apps are only written in Python, and Flexx's transpiler automatically creates the required JavaScript. Flexx allows you to build cross-platform desktop programs, online applications, and?with the right design?apps that can be exported as standalone HTML documents.

3. Dabo GUI

Dabo is an open-source, multi-platform, database application development framework for creating desktop applications with a simple and intuitive user interface. It is written in Python and uses the wxPython library for the graphical user interface.

One of the key features of Dabo is its ability to abstract away the complexities of working with databases, making it easy for developers to create powerful and feature-rich applications without needing to know the intricacies of SQL or other database languages. Developers may concentrate on the logic of their application rather than the specifics of database management because of Dabo's high-level, object-oriented interface for working with databases.

Dabo also has a built-in data grid control that allows developers to display and edit data in a tabular format easily. The control supports various features such as sorting, filtering, and editing and can be customized to meet the application's needs. The Dabo framework also provides tools for generating forms and reports that can be used to display and print data from the application.

Dabo also provides built-in support for various database management systems such as MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQLite, and many more. It also supports various popular python ORM libraries like SQL Alchemy, Peewee, and Pony ORM, which makes it easy for developers to switch between different databases.

One of the main advantages of Dabo is that it allows developers to create cross-platform applications that can run on Windows, Mac, and Linux with minimal changes to the code. This makes it an ideal choice for developers who want to create applications that can be used by a wide range of users regardless of their operating system.

In addition to its core features, Dabo also provides several additional tools and libraries that can be used to extend the framework's functionality. For example, it has built-in support for internationalization and localization, allowing developers to create applications that can be used in multiple languages.

Dabo also has an active community of developers and users who help each other with questions and bugs. This community also provides many libraries and modules, making developers' jobs much easier and more efficient.

Dabo is a robust and user-friendly framework for creating desktop programs with a graphical user interface. It provides a high-level, object-oriented interface for working with databases, a built-in data grid control, and various tools for generating forms and reports. The ability to create cross-platform applications and the active community support makes it a great choice for developers who want to create powerful and feature-rich applications.

4. Java

Java has a built-in set of classes for creating graphical user interfaces (GUIs) by the Abstract Window Toolkit (AWT) and the Swing toolkit. The AWT provides a set of basic GUI components, such as buttons and labels, while Swing is an extension of AWT that provides a more extensive set of components and an improved look and feel.

The next programming language on our list is JavaScript, which is similarly object-oriented and built on classes. Additionally, as Java focuses more on cross-platform compatibility, devices with Java support are more likely to include GUI packages. Additionally, Java offers a library of visual functions that can render 2D and 3D graphics.

The speed at which Java code can be used to create a GUI is a drawback. And for that reason, Java isn't used to construct many 3D interfaces or games. For instance, Java was used to construct Minecraft, and you can tell that low- or mid-range processors struggle to run it well.

To create a simple GUI in Java, you can use the following steps:

Create a new class that extends the JFrame class, the top-level container for a GUI. This class will be responsible for creating and displaying the GUI.

Within the class, create an instance of the JPanel class, which is used to hold other GUI components.

• Add components to the JPanel, such as JButtons, labels, and JTextFields.
• Add the JPanel to the JFrame using the add () method.

Set the size and visibility of the JFrame using the setSize() and setVisible() methods.

It is also possible to use layout managers to control the placement of components within a container, such as a JPanel. Java's most used layout managers are BorderLayout, FlowLayout, and GridLayout.

BorderLayout arranges components in five regions: north, south, east, west, and center. Each component can be added to one of these regions using the add () method and specifying the region as an argument.

The default layout manager for a JPanel, FlowLayout, places components top-down and left-to-right.

Components are organized using a grid layout with a predetermined number of rows and columns. In addition to the built-in GUI components, it is possible to create custom components by extending existing classes or implementing the appropriate interfaces.

Event handling is an important aspect of GUI programming in Java. Events are generated by user actions, such as clicking a button and can be handled using event listeners. To handle an event, you can create an instance of the appropriate listener class and attach it to the component that generates the event using the addXXXListener() method.

For example, to handle a button click event, you can create an instance of the ActionListener class and attach it to a JButton using the addActionListener() method. The actionPerformed() method of the ActionListener class will be called when the button clicks.

Java also provides a model-view-controller (MVC) architecture for building GUI applications. In the MVC architecture, the model represents the data and the application's business logic, and the view represents the GUI. The controller handles user input and updates the view and model.

To create a GUI application using the MVC architecture, you can create separate classes for the model, view, and controller. The view class should extend JFrame and create the GUI, the controller class should handle user input and update the model and view, and the model class should contain the data and business logic.

Java GUI programming can also be done using JavaFX, a set of graphics and media packages that allows developers to create and deploy rich client applications. JavaFX provides a more modern and flexible approach to GUI programming than AWT and Swing. It also provides a rich set of UI controls, CSS-based styling, and graphics and animation capabilities.

The Java Swing notion is a component of the GUI. Java's Swing is a straightforward GUI toolkit with a wide variety of widgets for building effective window-based applications. It belongs to the JFC (Java Foundation Classes). It is written in Java and built upon the AWT API. In contrast to AWT, it is platform-independent and contains lightweight components. Since there are already GUI components like buttons, checkboxes, etc., creating applications is made simpler. We do not have to start from scratch, which is advantageous.

In conclusion, Java provides a robust set of tools for creating graphical user interfaces with the Abstract Window Toolkit (AWT) and the Swing toolkit.