Home > Article > Backend Development > Introduction to PHP-GTK_PHP Tutorial
What is PHP-GTK? PHP-GTK was developed to prove that PHP is an effective tool far beyond web applications. Using PHP-GTK you can build independent GUI (graphical user interface) applications, such as mp3 players, text editors, database backends, etc. PHP-GTK is an extension for PHP and can be downloaded from http://gtk.php.net. PHP-GTK is based on GTK+, which was first used by Andrei Zmievski. What is GTK+? GTK+ (GIMP Toolkit) was developed for the GNU Image Manipulation Program (GIMP for short). GTK+ has developed rapidly and has now become an integral part of the GNU desktop environment project (Gnome). In fact, GTK+ is a set of C language libraries: GTK, GDK and Glib. The ease of building cross-platform applications is an important reason for PHP-GTK's popularity. If you are a Windows programmer, don't worry, because GTK (and PHP-GTK) for Windows platforms are also available. Basically, GTK+ and PHP-GTK are tools for building graphical user interface (GUI) applications using widgets; GUI is a set of widgets that supplement the application with user interaction, whether it is buttons, text boxes, etc. They are all components of the GUI; a widget is a separate object that makes up the GUI. Generally speaking, widgets are scroll bars, text boxes, buttons, and menus. In fact, the window itself is the object of the widget. Application examples: There are many database applications that use PHP-GTK, and the most famous one may be AgataReport (http://agata.codigolivre.org.br/). Some games like "phpgtklife" and "cow puzzle" are still in development. Everything from mp3 players to mature IRC clients can be developed using PHP-GTK. The examples are endless and can be developed across platforms.