Getting Started with Qt 5: Introduction to programming Qt 5 for cross-platform application development

Building a desktop interface means more than placing controls on a screen: an application also needs to organize those controls, respond to events, and handle its data. Getting Started with Qt 5 introduces those building blocks with short, example-led explanations, taking readers from a first Qt program toward connected, data-aware GUI applications.

Start with a working Qt application

Benjamin Baka begins with Qt installation across Linux, macOS, and Windows, then introduces the structure and compilation of a simple program. This practical start gives readers a foundation for following the interface and application examples that come next.

Shape interfaces with widgets and layouts

The book explores Qt widgets and the layouts used to arrange them, including grid, form, horizontal, and vertical layouts. Rather than treating interface elements in isolation, these chapters show how components fit together into a usable window.

Make the interface respond

Signals and slots are central to Qt programming, and Baka explains how they connect actions to responses—including cases where one signal triggers multiple slots or several signals connect to one slot. Later chapters extend this event-driven approach with event handlers, drag-and-drop, and custom signals.

Move from windows to data

Readers also encounter custom windows, menus, toolbars, and dialog boxes before reaching Qt’s database tools. The final chapter covers database connections and operations for listing, inserting, deleting, and updating records, as well as presenting data through a model.

A practical introduction for C++ programmers

This book is intended for people starting to develop GUI applications with Qt 5. It assumes working knowledge of C++ and object-oriented programming, but not prior experience with another GUI toolkit. Its self-contained chapter examples make it possible to focus on a particular topic when that is more useful than reading straight through.

If you want a grounded first look at Qt’s interface, event, and database fundamentals, Baka’s example-driven introduction offers a clear place to begin.