Last updated: 10/2008

Get Up-to-Speed
with PHP-GTK2!

If you're experienced with PHP
you can pick up PHP-GTK2 in
less than 24 hours!

Start Develop Desktop Applications
Using PHP today!

From: kksou

Date: April 1, 2008

Dear PHP Friends,

Why Limit to Web?
You have made your money building websites and web applications.

You have also accumulated an extremely valuable set of PHP libraries, functions, classes and utilities.

Why limit yourself to just web applications? Why not leverage on your PHP skills and knowledge to develop desktop GUI applications using the PHP that you are so familiar with?

Endless Possibilities
With PHP-GTK2, you can create desktop GUI applications that interface seamlessly with your existing web-based intranets or back-ends.

Examples of commercial desktop GUI applications include Point-of-Sales (POS) system, kiosk applications, applications that interface to barcode readers, MIDI, and many other hardware control or reading devices, etc.

On the B2C level, your imagination is the limit:

MP3 player
MP3 organizer
Photo album and organizer
Instant messenger
Desktop file search
Text editor
PHP/HTML editor
Web browser
FTP client
Financial calculators
Sudoku player
DVD/CD catalog
File synchronizer
...

And the best part is PHP-GTK2 is true cross-platform. Your script can run without any changes on linux, windows and Mac (assuming you didn't use any platform specific libraries such as win32std.dll).

The Challenge
The great thing about PHP-GTK2 is that it's very easy to get started.

However, the challenge comes when you start to develop serious application for business or commercial use.

Unless you have some prior knowledge of GTK+ (on which PHP-GTK2 is built on), you will find it a challenge doing "supposedly" simple stuff such as:

Having a button of exact size 120 x 36 pixels.

Changing font, font size and color of a button and its label.

Setting up a table with alternate row colors.

Getting the value of radio buttons

Does This Ring Any Bells?
You go to the official PHP-GTK2 documentation only to find that the particular method you're interested on a widget has little or no explanation on the usage and parameters. Not to mention any sample code.

You happily found some sample codes, only to find that it's for PHP-GTK1 not PHP-GTK2.

You managed to find out some pointers from newsgroups and forums, but they are just pointers. Not sample codes. It takes you another one or two days to figure out how to do it.

So What's the Solution?
I have spent countless hours digging out whatever I can find on the Internet on PHP-GTK2, and going through numerous trial and errors.

You DO NOT need to go through all these.

I've already done all these for you — the tedious, tiring and frustrating part.

Your precious time is better spent with your loved ones and on more value-added stuff.

Just pick up this ebook, and you can start developing PHP-GTK2 applications rightaway!

Here's What You will Learn
in "GTK2 Demystified"
Start developing PHP-GTK2 right away, starting from the very first chapter.

Clearly explains the three most important concepts in PHP-GTK2:
size and positioning of widgets
signal handling, and
object-oriented framework

Each unit focuses on one important concept, key point or idea, complete with sample code and explanations.

Numerous tips and techniques sprinkled throughout the 60 examples given in the book.

Not only shows you the "how's", but explains the "why's". With the knowledge you pick up from this book, you will be able to understand the rest of the 300+ recipes available from this web site.

Uniquely designed sample code that clearly shows you the "keys" to getting a particular feature or widget to work in PHP-GTK2.

Show you the various different ways you can tap onto the power of object-oriented framework of PHP-GTK2. No where else can you find documentation on this OOP aspect of PHP-GTK2 on the internet.

Explain how you could create your own widgets. The "fun" really begins when you have learned how to create your own widgets!