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wxWidgets

By Arch Brooks on July 17, 2026 in Programming

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wxWidgets is a mature, open-source C++ GUI framework for building native desktop applications on Windows, Linux, and macOS from a single codebase.

Features

Native look and feel (uses the platform's native widgets)
Cross-platform
Written in C++
Event-driven architecture
Large collection of controls
OpenGL support
Printing support
Networking classes
XML support
SQLite support (through libraries)
Unicode support
Internationalization (i18n)

Common Controls

wxFrame
wxDialog
wxPanel
wxButton
wxTextCtrl
wxListCtrl
wxTreeCtrl
wxNotebook
wxGrid
wxDataViewCtrl
wxMenuBar
wxToolBar
wxStatusBar
wxSplitterWindow
wxAuiNotebook

Simple Example

#include <wx/wx.h>

class MyFrame : public wxFrame
{
public:
    MyFrame()
        : wxFrame(nullptr, wxID_ANY, "Hello wxWidgets",
                  wxDefaultPosition, wxSize(500, 300))
    {
        new wxButton(this, wxID_ANY, "Click Me",
                     wxPoint(20, 20), wxSize(100, 30));
    }
};

class MyApp : public wxApp
{
public:
    bool OnInit() override
    {
        MyFrame* frame = new MyFrame();
        frame->Show(true);
        return true;
    }
};

wxIMPLEMENT_APP(MyApp);

Compile

Linux

g++ main.cpp `wx-config --cxxflags --libs` -o myapp

g++ main.cpp $(wx-config --cxxflags --libs) -O2 -std=c++20 -o myapp

CMake

cmake_minimum_required(VERSION 3.20)

project(MyApp)

find_package(wxWidgets REQUIRED COMPONENTS core base)

include(${wxWidgets_USE_FILE})

add_executable(MyApp main.cpp)

target_link_libraries(MyApp ${wxWidgets_LIBRARIES})

Layout Managers (Sizers)

Instead of absolute positioning, use sizers:

wxBoxSizer* sizer = new wxBoxSizer(wxVERTICAL);

sizer->Add(new wxButton(this, wxID_ANY, "One"), 0, wxALL, 5);
sizer->Add(new wxButton(this, wxID_ANY, "Two"), 0, wxALL, 5);

SetSizer(sizer);

Common Classes

Purpose	Class
Main Window	`wxFrame`
Dialog	`wxDialog`
Text Box	`wxTextCtrl`
List	`wxListCtrl`
Tree	`wxTreeCtrl`
Table	`wxGrid`
Menus	`wxMenuBar`
Toolbar	`wxToolBar`
Status Bar	`wxStatusBar`
Images	`wxBitmap`, `wxImage`
Timers	`wxTimer`
Threads	`wxThread`
Networking	`wxSocket`, `wxWebRequest`
File Dialog	`wxFileDialog`

Advantages

Excellent C++ API
Very stable (25+ years)
Native widgets rather than custom-drawn controls
Commercial-friendly license
Good documentation
Large collection of samples
Works well with CMake

Best Uses

Database front ends
Business applications
CAD utilities
IDEs
File managers
Scientific applications
Administrative tools
Industrial control software

For someone with a C++ background, wxWidgets is one of the strongest choices for desktop application development because it provides native performance, a familiar object-oriented API, and broad cross-platform support without requiring a separate runtime.

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