Gtk.org website needs more references

Community
#1

I’ve been using gtk for quite sometime, but I didn’t know much about the existence of gtk [dot] org website. First I came to know about it in GNOME discourse, while browsing topics 6+ months back. Again the same today. I was looking if a “topic” was already reported, and I ended with topics with “gtk [dot] org” in the search results. So, I visited it again after 6 months.

I search for gtk api calls frequently in Google ( i use devhelp too ). Still never encountered any reference to gtk [dot] org website, at-least in a way a normal user would notice in Google search results.

While it is true that gtk [dot] org is the first search result in google, when searched for “gtk”, should that be the only way for anyone to know about gtk [dot] org website ?

Thanks !

#2

The GTK website is meant to be the first point of entry for people who are learning about the existence, scope, and features of GTK; learning how to use GTK is deferred to topics on the developer.gnome.org developers portal, and to Discourse. In other words: GTK.org is a marketing and outreach tool, while developer.gnome.org is a development tool.

#3

I am aware of the responsibilities of developer.gnome.org and gtk.org portals, as you have rightly pointed out. I am just saying that gtk.org portal should be promoted in more ways, than expecting the users to find it, out of their own will, by searching for “gtk” in a search engine.

In other words, I could be using gtk based apps and really like their UI, and use them for a long time, and still don’t know anything about a word called “gtk” ( and by inference the gtk.org portal ).

Thanks !

#4

The gtk.org website is not “a portal”: it’s a project website. Its role is to:

  • explain what GTK is
  • explain what GTK does

Once you know what GTK is and what it does, the task of the GTK website is complete, and it will direct you towards:

If you’re already on any of those resources, going back to the GTK website is kind of pointless.

As for “we should promote the GTK website more”, I’m sure the Engagement team will be happy to hear your ideas.

1 Like
#5

I wander if one is not part of the gnome team could/can post some documentation/tutorials🧐?

I have an YouTube Channel with almost everything a beginner needs to become a good GTK programmer.

2 Likes
#6

Excellent work !

270+ videos on GTK

Few points:

  1. Keep the tutorials short and upto the point, whenever possible. New users wouldn’t have the patience to listen to 10 videos of 10 mins length each, to learn about GtkScale.

  2. Use meaningful descriptions for the videos, rather than “GtkScale - part 1”, “GtkScale - part 2”. It doesn’t help someone looking for specific functionality of GtkScale.

  3. What IDE is being used in the videos ? Why not use gnome-builder, which is specifically designed for gnome / gtk development ?

https://wiki.gnome.org/Apps/Builder

Thanks !

#7

Well as you already noticed there are like 270 videos, if I’ll stop to only 10 minutes videos ( is some cases) there will be 1000 videos there ( boring) .

About the description you are right.
But the thing is, that I was never interested in Tutorials.
My goal was and still is to create a Video Documentation of the GTK Reference Manual ( this is a different thing).

I am using CodeBlocks 20.03
I do not have enough skills for that, but I am going ( I hope) to do it with GTK4 ( not planed already).

Now I have a Question for you:
How much Time (minutes) does one need to READ, UNDERSTAND and TEST all those function like in the example case (GtkScale)you was pointing?

1 Like
#8

I actually meant the opposite. What I meant was:

"Ten 10-minute GtkScale videos is already too much of content for GtkScale, which is a simpler widget compared to others

May I know why you are doing a Video Documentation and who are the target audience for this ?

Question is not clear. Can you re-phrase it ?

#9

That’s a good Question :smiley:

First, this Topic goes wrongly in off topic :expressionless:
Second if you mind that for GtkScale 10 minutes are already too much, then I’m out of discussion :smiley:

#10

Michael, Thank you for the video tutorial/Gtk Reference, I am learning pygtk. And your tutorials on different widgets, helped me learn pygtk with Gtk C. thank you.

Please make some Tutorials with practical use of these widget by creating applications with basic , simple versions of the existing software. This is for understanding the programming concepts, like:

  1. text editor (gedit)
  2. image viewer ( eog)
  3. html browser (gnome-web/epiphany)
  4. calculator (gnome-calculator)
  5. audio player (gnome-music like)
  6. video player (like gnome-mpv)
  7. dictionary (gnome-dictionary like gtkentry + html url query to dictd server)
  8. sound recorder (gnome-sound-recorder)

This way we all get to learn gtk better. Thank you!

1 Like
#11

There was never my intention for something like that.
It is/was just to give an introduction of those widgets and an “in use” explaination for what those functions ( belonging to widgets ) are for.

The reference manual is hard to be understand if one does concentrate itself on just one particular widget.

Now if you take a random Widget you will notice fast, that more other widgets/objects/interfaces are involved and the things are getting complicated at the beginning.

Now the history learned us that the copy/paste system does not bring us to far and one will never have positive future success doing it.

I am almost 100% sure that I provided more than a newly GTK programmer needs to start with.
Of course that those information’s which I provide there are information’s based on my own understanding and mistakes could take place anytime.

The GTK system is quite simple, you put “something” inside “something” and manipulate them for your needs, but if you do not understand that “something”, then probably happens because you did not followed the references at all ( like I said copy/paste) and you can not see/understand the whole picture.

There are a lot of projects out there from where one could learn a lot, but the Question remains the same:

  1. are you sure that you know what your goal is?
  2. do you understand what are you trying/doing there?
  3. do you understand your own Questions?
  4. do you understand the Answers you get?

Feel free to ask as many Question you want to about your projects and what exactly are your misunderstandings and I am 100 % positive that someone will bring you to the right track.

#12

I don’t think you understand the complexity of what you’re asking. You basically want somebody to reimplement 8 different (existing) applications to explain them; this amount of work is barely affordable to a team of documentation writers and developers, and you’re asking a volunteer to perform it.

All those applications you listed are free and open source software: you already have their code. They are even under proper source revision control: clone their repository, and go through the history of the code, to understand how they were put together. If you want to learn how they work, and then re-implement them, you already have the necessary tools to do so.

1 Like
#13

I understand, Sure, Thank you!

#14

Yes, you’re right, I asked for too much. Which is not reasonable.

#15

This topic was automatically closed 14 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.