**Course Title:** Qt 6 Application Development with C++ **Section Title:** Building Responsive and Dynamic UIs **Topic:** Building a dynamic, multi-view application using tabs and splitters.(Lab topic) **Introduction** In the previous topics, we explored how to build responsive desktop applications using Qt 6. We learned about designing dynamic UIs that respond to window resizing, using QStackedWidget and QSplitter for dynamic layouts, and utilizing QTabWidget for multi-view interfaces. In this lab topic, we will combine these concepts to build a dynamic, multi-view application using tabs and splitters. By the end of this topic, you will be able to create a responsive application with multiple views, each with its own set of widgets and layouts. **Aim of the Lab** The aim of this lab is to build a dynamic, multi-view application that showcases the use of tabs and splitters. We will create a simple "Settings" application with multiple views, each representing a different category of settings. **Step 1: Create a new project in Qt Creator** To begin, create a new project in Qt Creator: 1. Open Qt Creator. 2. Go to "File" > "New File or Project..." 3. Select "Application" under the "Qt Widgets" section. 4. Choose a project name (e.g., "SettingsApp") and select a location for the project files. 5. Click "Next" and select the desired Qt version (Qt 6.x). 6. Click "Finish" to create the project. **Step 2: Design the UI** Open the "mainwindow.ui" file in Qt Designer and create the UI: 1. Drag and drop a `QTabWidget` onto the main window. 2. Set the tab positions to left (or any other desired position). 3. Create three `QWidget` instances for each tab. 4. Add widgets (e.g., `QLabel`, `QPushButton`, `QLineEdit`) to each tab. Here's an example of what the UI might look like: | **Tab 1: General** | | --- | | QLabel ("General Settings") | | QPushButton ("Apply") | | QPushButton ("Cancel") | | **Tab 2: Advanced** | | --- | | QLabel ("Advanced Settings") | | QComboBox (populated with options) | | QSpinBox | | **Tab 3: Network** | | --- | | QLabel ("Network Settings") | | QLineEdit (for IP address input) | | QPushButton ("Connect") | **Step 3: Implement the logic** Open the "mainwindow.cpp" file and implement the necessary logic: 1. Connect the `QTabWidget`'s `currentChanged` signal to a custom slot. 2. In the custom slot, get the currently selected tab and toggle the visibility of other widgets accordingly. 3. Implement the logic for each widget on each tab. Here's an example implementation: ```cpp #include "mainwindow.h" #include "ui_mainwindow.h" MainWindow::MainWindow(QWidget *parent) : QMainWindow(parent), ui(new Ui::MainWindow) { ui->setupUi(this); // Connect the QTabWidget's currentChanged signal to a custom slot connect(ui->tabWidget, &QTabWidget::currentChanged, this, &MainWindow::onTabChanged); } void MainWindow::onTabChanged(int index) { // Toggle the visibility of other widgets based on the currently selected tab if (index == 0) { ui->generalSettings->setVisible(true); ui->advancedSettings->setVisible(false); ui->networkSettings->setVisible(false); } else if (index == 1) { ui->generalSettings->setVisible(false); ui->advancedSettings->setVisible(true); ui->networkSettings->setVisible(false); } else if (index == 2) { ui->generalSettings->setVisible(false); ui->advancedSettings->setVisible(false); ui->networkSettings->setVisible(true); } } ``` **Step 4: Use QSplitter for dynamic layout** Add a `QSplitter` to each tab to create dynamic layouts: 1. Drag and drop a `QSplitter` onto each tab. 2. Add widgets to the `QSplitter` to create dynamic layouts. **Result** After completing this lab, you should have a dynamic, multi-view application that showcases the use of tabs and splitters. You can test the application by running it and switching between tabs to see the different views. **Conclusion** In this lab topic, we built a dynamic, multi-view application using tabs and splitters. We combined the concepts learned in previous topics to create a responsive application with multiple views, each with its own set of widgets and layouts. This lab has prepared you for more complex UI designs using Qt 6. **What's next** In the next topic, we will explore the Model-View-Controller (MVC) pattern in Qt. [MVC Architecture in Qt documentation](https://doc.qt.io/qt-6/model-view-programming.html). **Need help?** If you have any questions or need help with this lab, feel free to ask in the comments below. **Complete Code** The complete code for this lab is available on GitHub. [SettingsApp repository](https://example.com/settings-app). We hope you learned something new in this lab topic. Have fun experimenting with Qt 6!