When developing application with Graphical User Interface (GUI), you need to write two distinct components. First component is code that is responsible for GUI creation. This part tends to be quite large, since you need to manually write every part of yout GUI. Second component is code that provides functionality of your application. In this part you write functions that will respond to GUI interaction.

GUI is connected to code by signals. When part of the GUI is modified, appropriate signal is emitted. If signal is connected to a function, this function is executed.

Schematically, things can be represented like this:

Figure 1. Components of non-Glade application

To run non-Glade application, all you need to do is compile the code and run it. Everything that application needs to create GUI is compiled in.

Similarly to non-Glade application, code of Glade application can also be separated into part that creates GUI and part that provides functionality. Glade application has an additional third componet: GUI design, which is a XML file with description of your GUI.

Main difference between non-Glade application and Glade application is in the amount of code that is used to create GUI. In Glade application, GUI creation code is very short, since majority of GUI creation is done automatically by builder.

Builder is, simply put, a code that reads GUI design and creates real GUI based on that. There are two builders available: libglade and GtkBuilder. Libglade is older of the two and is distributed as a separate library. GtkBuilder is newer and is part of the GTK+ itself. Libglade is being deprecated in favor of GtkBuilder. If you are starting new project, you should use GtkBuilder.

Libglade and GtkBuilder use slightly different GUI design format. Glade can handle both of them.

Your GUI and application code are interconneceted exactly the same way as in non-Glade application.

Glade application can be schematically represented like this:

Figure 2. Components of Glade application

To run your Glade application, you need to compile your code and make sure your builder will be able to find GUI design file when running. Or to rephrase it, GUI design file needs to be present in defined location when application is running.

You can start Glade in the following ways:

When you start Glade, the following dialog is displayed.

Figure 3. Project preferences dialog

In preference dialog you can set global settings of the project.

After you set preferences of the project and close dialog, you and up with empty project.

Figure 4. Glade main window

The Glade main window contains the following elements:

When you start Glade with no initial project to be loaded, Glade will create new empty project for your and display you a preferences dialog.

To create a new project while Glade is running, choose File → New. The application displays a new blank project in the Glade window and prompts you to set project properties.

Normaly, when you select Glade project in your file manager, Glade will be started and selected project will be loaded for you.

To open an existing project whe Glade is already running, choose File → Open. The application displays the project in the Glade window.

You can save projects in the following ways:

If you have a new project that has not been saved yet and you select File → Save, File → Save As will be called for you.

You can work with the widgets in the Palette window in the following ways:

You use widget containers, or boxes, to layout and organize widgets in your project window. You can choose the following widget containers from the Palette window:

You can nest boxes to create complex layout structures. When you create horizontal and vertical boxes, Glade asks you how many rows or columns to create initially, though rows and columns can easily be added or deleted later.

When you have created all the boxes you require, you can add specific widgets like labels, buttons, and more complicated widgets into the boxes. Notice that Glade packs widgets into the layout which eliminates a lot of tedious work. The use of boxes enables windows to change size to accommodate different size labels in different languages when the application is localized.

To remove a widget from a parent and place the widget on the clipboard, select the widget then choose Edit → Cut.

To copy a widget to the clipboard, select the widget then choose Edit → Copy. The original widget remains attached to the parent.

To paste a widget that exists on the clipboard into your project, choose Edit → Paste.

All widgets must have a unique name within Glade. If you cut a widget, and then paste the widget into your project, then the widget and all of the children of the widget keep their original names. If you copy a widget, or paste the widget multiple times into your project, then Glade generates new names for the widget copies.

To delete a widget from the parent without moving the widget to the clipboard, select the widget then choose Edit → Delete.

The property editor is used to edit the properties of a selected widget. To change a property of a widget, select the widget and then enter an appropriate value in one of the Property window's property fields.