Development/Tutorials: Difference between revisions

    From KDE TechBase
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    Let your application show up in the K menu and in application menus. Based on the Icons Tutorial.
    Let your application show up in the K menu and in application menus. Based on the Icons Tutorial.
    ;[[Development/Tutorials/Building_An_Existing_Application|Building an Existing KDE Application]] If you want to improve an existing application, you can usually build and install it easily. This tutorial shows how to build an application in a way that doesn't interfere with your system. If you do not need to modify kdelibs this may be the easiest way to get started with development.
    ;[[Development/Tutorials/Building_An_Existing_Application|Building an Existing KDE Application]]
    If you want to improve an existing application, you can usually build and install it easily. This tutorial shows how to build an application in a way that doesn't interfere with your system. If you do not need to modify kdelibs this may be the easiest way to get started with development.


    == Testing And Debugging == <!--T:35-->
    == Testing And Debugging == <!--T:35-->

    Revision as of 22:32, 8 May 2012


    Development/Tutorials


    Tutorials are the fastest way of finding out what KDE will do for you, and how to do it. Here is a list of currently available tutorials for KDE4. Material for KDE3 and KDE2 is available on the bottom of this page.

    Basics of KDE 4 Programming

    Are you interested in writing applications with KDE 4? This tutorial series is aimed at those completely new to KDE programming.

    Hello World
    An introduction to the very basics of KDE4 programming
    Creating the Main Window
    This tutorial shows you the magic of an application's most important thing: The main window.
    Using KActions
    How to add actions to the menus and toolbars. Based on the MainWindow tutorial.
    Physical Simulation
    How to perform a physical simulation: animation and diagram
    Saving and Loading
    Introduces the KIO library while adding loading and saving support to our application.
    Using SqLite databases and QtSql
    Integrated databases without the need for a database server
    Command line arguments
    Adds the ability to specify which file to open from the command line to our text editor.
    Introduction to CMake
    How to use the CMake build system used by KDE4.
    Common Programming Mistakes
    Various common mistakes made while developing Qt and KDE applications and how to avoid them.
    Debugging Linker Errors
    How to understand and debug errors from the linker, at compile time.
    Using Qt Creator to develop your KDE program
    How to use Qt Creator as an IDE to develop KDE programs
    Creating Libraries to share code
    How to add the library to the buildsystem and how to prepare the source code.
    Session Management
    Make your application aware of X sessions
    Icons
    Deliver your application with icons that are automatically installed to the right places. Based on the Kaction Tutorial.
    Desktop File
    Let your application show up in the K menu and in application menus. Based on the Icons Tutorial.
    Building an Existing KDE Application

    If you want to improve an existing application, you can usually build and install it easily. This tutorial shows how to build an application in a way that doesn't interfere with your system. If you do not need to modify kdelibs this may be the easiest way to get started with development.

    Testing And Debugging

    Debugging your application
    Tips, tools and techniques to apply when debugging your KDE application
    Writing Unittests for Qt4 and KDE4 with QTestLib (Original link)
    Tutorial by Brad Hards that describes how to write unit tests using the QTestLib framework. It is presented as an example based tutorial, and is still under development.
    Semi-automatic ways to detect code errors
    Techniques you can use to detect errors in KDE code

    Managing Configuration Data With KConfig

    Introduction To KConfig
    An overview of the KConfig classes and how to use them in your application code
    Using KConfig XT
    Tutorial on how to efficiently use the KConfig XT framework.
    Updating KConfig Files
    Tutorial on how to write an update script to keep changes in your application's config file format in sync with the user's already existing config file

    Services: Applications and Plugins

    Introduction to the Services Framework
    An overview of the services framework in KDE and what it provides the application developer. Covers the system configuration cache (SyCoCa), the source data files and what the indexed information can be used for.
    Finding Services Using Trader Queries
    How to find services, such as plugins or mimetypes, that are indexed in the SyCoCa using Trader Query Syntax
    Creating and Loading Plugins Using KService
    Learn how to define custom plugin types, find installed plugins (including 3rd party plugins) and load them in an easy and portable fashion using KService.

    Localization

    See also Localization portal.

    Introduction To Unicode
    An introduction to what Unicode is as well as how to handle Unicode data in KDE applications.
    Writing Applications With Localization In Mind
    This tutorial covers what localization is, why it's important and how to ensure your application is ready to be localized. A must read for all application developers.
    Avoiding Common Localization Pitfalls
    There are several common mistakes that prevent applications from being properly localized. Find out what they are and how to easily avoid them in this tutorial.
    Building KDE's Localization Module
    Building and installing language support from KDE's localization (l10n) module is a good idea for those working on applications in the main KDE repository. Doing so will allow you to test your application in another language and spot problem areas. Learn how to do just that in this tutorial.
    Incorporating i18n Into the Build System
    Once your application is ready to be localized, the next step is to ensure that translation files are built automatically and kept up to date. This tutorial covers the necessary CMakeFiles.txt additions as well the process of distributing the resulting message catalogs with your application.
    Common i18n Challenges and Solutions
    This tutorial covers challenges that you may eventually run into such as translating handbooks and other data that exists outside of the source code, merging and handling obsolete .po files, dealing with freezes, coding in languages other than English and creating independent releases of or moving applications between KDE modules.
    Semantic Markup of Messages
    To ensure consistent presentation and more meaningful representations of messages in applications, semantic markup can be applied to messages marked for translation using the KUIT system. This tutorial describes how this system works.
    Automated i18n Code Checking
    The Krazy code checker scans KDE's code and reports common i18n mistakes.

    Documentation

    API Documentation
    This tutorial explains how to document your APIs properly.
    Man Pages
    Writing and Generating Reference Manual Pages.
    Source Code
    http://quickgit.kde.org
    http://websvn.kde.org

    Accessibility

    Accessibility Overview
    A list of accessibility tutorials and general information.
    Accessibility Checklist
    What to look for in your application to make it accessible for as many people as possible.
    Screen Reader
    This tutorial will explain some details about using screen readers with KDE applications.
    Text-To-Speech
    How to utilize Jovie text-to-speech service in your application.

    Application Automation and Scripting

    D-Bus

    Introduction to D-Bus
    A straight-forward introduction to the core concepts in D-Bus from an application developer's perspective, this tutorial covers what D-Bus is and how it can be used by applications.
    Accessing D-Bus Interfaces
    A step-by-step guide to calling D-Bus methods and connecting to D-Bus signals using QtDBus.
    Intermediate D-Bus
    Tips to make use of QtDBus when faced with problematic real-world interfaces.
    Creating D-Bus Interfaces
    Learn how to expose functionality in your application by creating and using custom D-Bus interfaces. Covers generating the XML descriptions, instantiating interfaces at run time and setting up the build system with CMake.
    Using Custom Types with D-Bus
    Learn how to use your own types in classes exported on D-Bus. Covers marhaling and unmarshaling of objects, the integration of custom types into XML descriptions and registering the custom types with the Qt Meta Object system.
    D-Bus Autostart Services
    Turn your application into a D-Bus autostart service with this tutorial. This D-Bus feature, also known as "D-Bus service activation", will ensure that even when your application isn't running that D-Bus calls made to it will work by relying on the D-Bus daemon itself to start your app if and when needed.
    Porting from DCOP to D-Bus
    Port your applications from DCOP to D-Bus with this handy guide.

    Konqueror

    Creating Konqueror Service Menus
    This tutorial shows you how to create mimetype-specific actions in Konqueror's context menu (aka "servicemenus").

    Kross

    Introduction to Kross
    An introduction to the Kross Scripting Framework.
    Hello World
    A first application with working kross code.
    Calling Functions in Kross
    Simple demonstration of calling scripting functions
    Connecting Signals and Slots in Kross
    Simple demonstration of connecting object signals with script slots
    Scripts as Plugins with Kross
    This tutorial provides a step-by-step introduction how to integrate scripts as plugins into a KDE application.
    Placing script actions in your application menus
    Simple demonstration on how to extend you application menus to execute script files.
    How to use an ActionCollection
    A small Tutorial on How to use Kross::ActionCollections.

    Calligra Plugin Tutorials

    Calligra Overview
    This document shows an overview of the different Calligra plugin types and tells you what each of their purpose and strengths are. If you are new with Calligra plugins, this is the place to start.
    Calligra Plugin Creation
    This gives a technical overview of what it means to write a Calligra plugin.
    Creating Calligra Flake Plugins
    This tutorial shows you how you can build a plugin for Calligra applications to allow you embed content in ODF documents using Flake.
    Calligra Words Scripting
    This tutorial shows how to script Calligra Words with Python, or JavaScript using Kross.
    Calligra Sheets Scripting
    This tutorial shows how to script Calligra Sheets with Python, or JavaScript using Kross.


    SuperKaramba

    SuperKaramba Tutorial
    This tutorial provides an overview of SuperKaramba, theme files and scripting with Python, Ruby and JavaScript.

    System Activity

    Writing script actions for the process's context menu
    This tutorial shows how to add a context menu action to show custom information about a process.

    KWin

    KWin Scripting Tutorial
    This tutorial shows how to write a useful script for KWin.

    Plugins and KParts

    Using KParts
    A kPart is a plugin that you can just load into your application. For example, it is easy to integrate an editor (the katePart) or a console (the konsolePart) into your application's window.
    Writing kontact plugins
    Kontact plugins are KParts. This tutorial describes how you can write one.
    Writing Qt Designer Plugins
    Add your widgets to Qt Designer and thus make them usable in UI files.
    KCM HowTo
    KCM are plugins which are loaded by System Settings to display configuration elements. They can also be used within an application.

    Search and Metadata

    Strigi

    Writing file analyzers
    File analyzers extract data from files to display in the file dialogs and file managers. The data gathered this way is also used to search for files. KDE4 allows the use of multiple analyzers per file type. This tutorial describes how you can write new analyzers.

    Nepomuk

    See Nepomuk tutorials.


    Hardware Awareness (Solid)

    Introduction to Solid
    An introduction to the Solid effort in general and it library in particular.
    Listing Devices
    How to use the Solid core library to discover the hardware and interact with the system.
    Accessing Network Information
    How to use the Solid system to get information about the network
    Creating a Device Action
    When your application is interested in registering actions with the system for removable hardware

    Authorization and Privilege escalation (KAuth)

    KAuth Basics
    An overview of concepts and basic knowledge required to understand and use KAuth effectively
    Using KAuth actions in your application
    How to execute KAuth actions in your application, and how to integrate them tightly into your UI
    Creating a KAuth helper to perform a privileged action
    You will learn how to use KAuth's helpers and escalation facilities, and how to seamlessly make a privileged and non privileged portion of your application interact
    Creating a KCM requiring authorization upon saving
    Learn how to use the high level KCModule API to create KCModules handling authorization, and its UI integration, on their own

    Multimedia (Phonon)

    Phonon
    The ;Introduction to Phonon tells how to compile and run the code. If you like to work in Python, try this version of the same tutorial
    Writing Backends
    How to start creating a new backend for the multimedia API
    Resources
    Please have a look at the online documentation for information on the Phonon API. If you prefer using Qt Assistant or Qt Creator you can also use our offline documentation.

    Plasma

    See Plasma tutorials.

    Personal Information Management (Akonadi)

    Using Akonadi in Applications
    Displaying and modifying data provided by Akonadi
    Developing Akonadi Resources
    Akonadi Resources are agent programs which transport PIM data between Akonadi and a backend (files, servers, etc)
    Using custom data types with Akonadi
    Akonadi can handle arbitrary data as item payloads through the use of a plugin based serialization framework
    Porting Applications which use KResource API
    Applications using KDE's now deprecated KResource APIs, e.g. KABC or KCal, need to be ported to use their Akonadi equivalents

    Kate / Kwrite

    Getting started with KTextEditor plugins
    Creating your first KTextEditor plugin
    Developing a plugin with configuration dialog
    Adding a configuration dialog to the Time & Date example
    A small Editor
    Create a small application using KTextEditor

    KDevelop

    KDevelop-PG-Qt Introduction
    Information on the KDevelop parser generator, useful for language plugins.

    Printing

    KDE mostly uses the Qt Printing infrastructure.

    Hello World
    Introduction to the KDE printing system

    kioslaves

    Collaboration

    Open Collaboration Services (libattica)

    Introduction to Attica
    In this tutorial a simple widget showing information about a Person on the server is created.

    Get Hot New Stuff

    Get Hot New Stuff 3 - Download
    How to use KHotNewStuff3 in your application.
    Get Hot New Stuff 3 - Checking for Updates
    How to check whether updates for installed stuff are available without showing the dialog/widget.
    Get Hot New Stuff 3 - Upload
    How to add an upload dialog to your application.

    Old links for KNS2 and KNS1 content:

    Introduction to Get Hot New Stuff 2
    A short tutorial about how to use KHotNewStuff2 in your application. Deprecated, use version 3
    Introduction to Get Hot New Stuff
    An introduction to the developer-friendly network update system that allows KDE applications to fetch new application data at runtime in a user friendly manner.
    KNewStuff Secure (Original Link)
    Tutorial showing how to share resources in a secured way (KDE 3.4 and later). By András Mantia <[email protected]>.

    Goya

    Introduction to Goya usage
    An introduction for the Goya subsystem usage, which allows you to easily add widgets to your itemviews and connect their signals to your code, as they were real widgets.
    Introduction to Goya usage (part 2)
    The second part of the tutorial, with a slightly more complex example than the first part.

    Other programming languages

    Python

    An Introduction to PyQt
    Starting off
    PyQt by Example
    Another introduction to PyQt
    PyKDE WebKit Tutorial
    A simple web browser application in PyKDE
    101 Introduction to signals and slots
    A simple introduction to Qt's signal and slot architecture.
    PyKDE DBus Tutorial
    An introduction to DBus communication using PyKDE
    PyKDE KNotify Tutorial
    An introduction to Knotify (Notifications and KJobs) using PyKDE

    Ruby

    KDE Ruby Korundum tutorial
    A ruby version of Antonio Larrosa Jiménez's KDE tutorial by Richard Dale. See the Ruby Developers Corner for Qt tutorials and other info.
    Qt4 Ruby Tutorial
    Nokia's fabulous introductory tutorial to Qt, translated to Ruby.
    Creating a Plasma Widget in Ruby
    Tutorial that shows how to create your first Plasma Applet using the Ruby language.
    Developing Qt4 Applications using Qt Designer and Ruby on Kubuntu
    Tutorial that shows how to design a simple User Interface in Qt Designer and then use the resulting widget in a Qt Ruby application we build from scratch.
    Ruby-Qt/KDE Book
    There is also an approach to create an Ruby-Qt/KDE Book under a free license. The content will be created in this wiki.

    Shell

    Shell Scripting with KDE dialogs (Original Link)
    Tutorial by Brad Hards that describes how to use KDE dialogs in shell scripts with kdialog. It is presented as an example based tutorial.

    Graphics Programming

    QPainter Perfomance
    Hints on avoiding common mistakes leading to poor performance when using QPainter

    Using the KDE Games Libraries

    KStandardGameAction
    Using libkdegames to make your game fit the kdegames standard
    Highscores
    Implementing a simple highscore table into your game
    Theme Selector
    Using the libkdegames theme selection dialog
    Palapeli Slicers
    Creating a slicer plugin for Palapeli

    KGLEngine

    Installation and your first KGLItem
    start your first kglengine application
    kglpong
    Now use our knowledge to make a pong

    Using the KDE PIM Libraries

    iCalendar functionality
    Using kcal to manage iCalendar files

    Other tutorials

    2D Plotting (KPlotWidget)

    Using the KDE data-plotting widget
    This tutorial introduces KPlotWidget, which is used for 2-D data plotting. It includes information on simple usage of the widget (including adding and modifying data sets, and customizing the plot axes and labels), and advanced customization (including extending the widget through sub-classing).

    Spelling and Grammar Checking (Sonnet)

    Adding spell-checking or grammar-checking to KDE applications
    This tutorial introduces Sonnet and how one may use it to add language correction to your KDE application. Sonnet's auxiliary features shall be described in a separate tutorial.

    Pixmap cache (KPixmapCache)

    Using the KDE pixmap cache
    This tutorial shows how to use KPixmapCache to cache e.g. pixmaps generated from SVGs or some data.

    Using MarbleWidget (Marble)

    Using MarbleWidget
    This short tutorial describes how to use the MarbleWidget in your project

    Using local SCM for KDE development

    Using Git to develop for KDE
    Here you find how to use Git to develop for KDE

    Kwin effect tutorial (blog)

    blog by Martin Graesslin
    This tutorial guides you through the development of a simple KWin effect

    Implementing KSysGuard sensors and adding them

    Sensors Tutorial
    This tutorial shows how to write and KSysGuard sensor and connect it to the systray.

    Runners

    Porting an application from KSystemTrayIcon to KStatusNotifierItem

    Porting from KSystemTrayIcon to KStatusNotifierItem
    This tutorials shows how to port an application using KSystemTrayIcon to KStatusNotifierItem

    Using the KDE Wallet API for safe storage

    KWallet
    "Brief introduction to the KWallet API which can be used for storing all kinds of sensitive information."

    How to edit a wiki with Libmediawiki

    Libmediawiki
    This tutorial present how to edit a wiki with Libmediawiki.

    KDE2 and KDE3 Materials

    KWallet
    Porting Your Application from KDE 3 to KDE 4
    These tutorials cover topics related to the migration from KDE 3 to KDE 4.
    KDE3 Tutorials
    These tutorials cover topics related to KDE3.
    KDE2 Tutorials
    These tutorials cover topics related to KDE2.