fyne

Cross platform GUI toolkit in Go inspired by Material Design

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Quick Overview

Fyne is an open-source cross-platform GUI toolkit for Go, designed to create native, fast, and scalable applications. It provides a simple and consistent API for building graphical user interfaces that can run on desktop, mobile, and web platforms.

Pros

Cross-platform compatibility (Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, and web browsers)
Simple and intuitive API for rapid development
Native look and feel on each platform
Built-in support for themes and dark mode

Cons

Limited set of widgets compared to more mature GUI frameworks
Performance can be slower for complex applications
Documentation could be more comprehensive
Steeper learning curve for developers new to Go

Code Examples

Creating a basic window with a label:

package main

import (
    "fyne.io/fyne/v2"
    "fyne.io/fyne/v2/app"
    "fyne.io/fyne/v2/widget"
)

func main() {
    myApp := app.New()
    myWindow := myApp.NewWindow("Hello")

    hello := widget.NewLabel("Hello Fyne!")
    myWindow.SetContent(hello)

    myWindow.ShowAndRun()
}

Creating a button with an action:

package main

import (
    "fyne.io/fyne/v2/app"
    "fyne.io/fyne/v2/widget"
)

func main() {
    myApp := app.New()
    myWindow := myApp.NewWindow("Button Example")

    button := widget.NewButton("Click me!", func() {
        widget.ShowPopUp(widget.NewLabel("You clicked the button!"), myWindow.Canvas())
    })

    myWindow.SetContent(button)
    myWindow.ShowAndRun()
}

Creating a form with input fields:

package main

import (
    "fyne.io/fyne/v2/app"
    "fyne.io/fyne/v2/container"
    "fyne.io/fyne/v2/widget"
)

func main() {
    myApp := app.New()
    myWindow := myApp.NewWindow("Form Example")

    nameEntry := widget.NewEntry()
    nameEntry.SetPlaceHolder("Enter your name")

    emailEntry := widget.NewEntry()
    emailEntry.SetPlaceHolder("Enter your email")

    form := &widget.Form{
        Items: []*widget.FormItem{
            {Text: "Name", Widget: nameEntry},
            {Text: "Email", Widget: emailEntry},
        },
        OnSubmit: func() {
            widget.ShowPopUp(widget.NewLabel("Form submitted!"), myWindow.Canvas())
        },
    }

    myWindow.SetContent(form)
    myWindow.ShowAndRun()
}

Getting Started

Install Go (version 1.16 or later)
Install Fyne:
```
go get fyne.io/fyne/v2
```
For Windows users, install gcc:
```
winget install mingw
```
Create a new Go file (e.g., main.go) and add your Fyne code
Run your application:
```
go run main.go
```

For more detailed instructions and advanced usage, refer to the official Fyne documentation at https://developer.fyne.io/

Competitor Comparisons

go-flutter

5,852

Flutter on Windows, MacOS and Linux - based on Flutter Embedding, Go and GLFW.

Pros of go-flutter

Leverages Flutter's rich UI framework and ecosystem
Supports hot reload for faster development
Allows code sharing between mobile and desktop platforms

Cons of go-flutter

Requires knowledge of both Dart and Go
May have performance overhead due to the Flutter engine
Limited to Flutter's widget set and design principles

Code Comparison

go-flutter:

import 'package:flutter/material.dart';

void main() {
  runApp(MyApp());
}

class MyApp extends StatelessWidget {
  @override
  Widget build(BuildContext context) {
    return MaterialApp(
      home: Scaffold(
        appBar: AppBar(title: Text('Hello, World!')),
        body: Center(child: Text('Welcome to Flutter')),
      ),
    );
  }
}

Fyne:

package main

import (
    "fyne.io/fyne/v2/app"
    "fyne.io/fyne/v2/widget"
)

func main() {
    myApp := app.New()
    myWindow := myApp.NewWindow("Hello")
    myWindow.SetContent(widget.NewLabel("Welcome to Fyne!"))
    myWindow.ShowAndRun()
}

The go-flutter code uses Flutter's widget-based approach, while Fyne uses a more traditional Go-style API. go-flutter requires separate Dart code for the UI, whereas Fyne integrates UI creation directly in Go.

qt

10,376

Qt binding for Go (Golang) with support for Windows / macOS / Linux / FreeBSD / Android / iOS / Sailfish OS / Raspberry Pi / AsteroidOS / Ubuntu Touch / JavaScript / WebAssembly

Pros of Qt

More mature and feature-rich framework with extensive documentation
Wider range of UI components and advanced graphics capabilities
Better performance for complex applications and large-scale projects

Cons of Qt

Steeper learning curve due to its complexity and size
Larger application size and resource usage
Licensing can be more restrictive, especially for commercial use

Code Comparison

Qt:

#include <QApplication>
#include <QPushButton>

int main(int argc, char *argv[]) {
    QApplication app(argc, argv);
    QPushButton button("Hello World");
    button.show();
    return app.exec();
}

Fyne:

package main

import (
    "fyne.io/fyne/v2/app"
    "fyne.io/fyne/v2/widget"
)

func main() {
    myApp := app.New()
    myWindow := myApp.NewWindow("Hello")
    myWindow.SetContent(widget.NewLabel("Hello World!"))
    myWindow.ShowAndRun()
}

The Qt example uses C++ and requires more setup code, while the Fyne example is more concise and uses Go. Qt offers more control over the application lifecycle, while Fyne abstracts away some of the complexity. Both frameworks provide simple ways to create and display UI elements, but Qt's approach is more verbose and offers finer-grained control.

ui

8,335

Platform-native GUI library for Go.

Pros of ui

Lightweight and minimal, focusing on native UI elements
Closer to system-level APIs, potentially offering better performance
Simpler API for basic UI tasks

Cons of ui

Less actively maintained, with fewer recent updates
Limited cross-platform support compared to Fyne
Smaller community and fewer resources available

Code Comparison

ui:

window := ui.NewWindow("Hello", 200, 100, false)
button := ui.NewButton("Click Me")
window.SetChild(button)
window.OnClosing(func(*ui.Window) bool {
    ui.Quit()
    return true
})

Fyne:

w := app.NewWindow("Hello")
content := widget.NewButton("Click Me", func() {
    fmt.Println("Tapped")
})
w.SetContent(content)
w.Resize(fyne.NewSize(200, 100))

Both examples create a window with a button, but Fyne's API is more declarative and object-oriented. ui's approach is more procedural and closer to traditional GUI programming. Fyne offers more built-in widgets and layout options out of the box, while ui focuses on providing a thin wrapper around native UI elements.

lorca

7,997

Build cross-platform modern desktop apps in Go + HTML5

Pros of Lorca

Utilizes existing web technologies, allowing developers to use HTML, CSS, and JavaScript
Smaller footprint and faster startup time
Easier integration with existing web-based applications

Cons of Lorca

Limited to Chrome/Chromium as the rendering engine
Requires Chrome/Chromium to be installed on the user's system
Less control over the application's look and feel compared to native GUI frameworks

Code Comparison

Lorca:

ui, _ := lorca.New("", "", 480, 320)
defer ui.Close()
ui.Bind("add", func(a, b int) int { return a + b })
ui.Load("data:text/html,<html><body><h1>Hello World</h1></body></html>")
<-ui.Done()

Fyne:

app := app.New()
w := app.NewWindow("Hello")
w.SetContent(widget.NewLabel("Hello World"))
w.ShowAndRun()

Summary

Lorca is ideal for developers who prefer web technologies and want to quickly create desktop applications from existing web apps. It offers a smaller footprint and faster startup times but is limited to Chrome/Chromium.

Fyne, on the other hand, provides a native look and feel with better control over the application's appearance. It doesn't require external dependencies but may have a steeper learning curve for those unfamiliar with Go GUI development.

Choose Lorca for web-based projects and quick prototypes, while Fyne is better suited for native-looking, cross-platform applications with consistent UI across different operating systems.

go-astilectron

4,903

Build cross platform GUI apps with GO and HTML/JS/CSS (powered by Electron)

Pros of go-astilectron

Leverages Electron, allowing use of web technologies for UI development
Provides access to a rich ecosystem of JavaScript libraries and frameworks
Easier for developers with web development background to get started

Cons of go-astilectron

Larger application size due to bundling of Electron runtime
Higher memory usage compared to native GUI frameworks
Potential performance overhead from running in a browser environment

Code Comparison

go-astilectron:

window, _ := a.NewWindow("Hello")
window.Create()
window.HTML(`
    <body>
        <h1>Hello, World!</h1>
    </body>
`)

Fyne:

w := a.NewWindow("Hello")
w.SetContent(widget.NewLabel("Hello, World!"))
w.ShowAndRun()

Summary

go-astilectron offers the advantage of using web technologies for UI development, making it accessible to developers with web backgrounds. However, it comes with larger application sizes and potentially higher resource usage. Fyne, on the other hand, provides a more native and lightweight approach but may have a steeper learning curve for those unfamiliar with Go GUI development. The choice between the two depends on the specific project requirements and developer preferences.

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README

About

Fyne is an easy-to-use UI toolkit and app API written in Go. It is designed to build applications that run on desktop and mobile devices with a single codebase.

Prerequisites

To develop apps using Fyne you will need Go version 1.17 or later, a C compiler and your system's development tools. If you're not sure if that's all installed or you don't know how then check out our Getting Started document.

Using the standard go tools you can install Fyne's core library using:

go get fyne.io/fyne/v2@latest

After importing a new module, run the following command before compiling the code for the first time. Avoid running it before writing code that uses the module to prevent accidental removal of dependencies:

go mod tidy

Widget demo

To run a showcase of the features of Fyne execute the following:

go install fyne.io/fyne/v2/cmd/fyne_demo@latest
fyne_demo

And you should see something like this (after you click a few buttons):

Fyne Demo Dark Theme

Or if you are using the light theme:

Fyne Demo Light Theme

And even running on a mobile device:

Fyne Demo Mobile Light Theme

Getting Started

Fyne is designed to be really easy to code with. If you have followed the prerequisite steps above then all you need is a Go IDE (or a text editor).

Open a new file and you're ready to write your first app!

package main

import (
	"fyne.io/fyne/v2/app"
	"fyne.io/fyne/v2/container"
	"fyne.io/fyne/v2/widget"
)

func main() {
	a := app.New()
	w := a.NewWindow("Hello")

	hello := widget.NewLabel("Hello Fyne!")
	w.SetContent(container.NewVBox(
		hello,
		widget.NewButton("Hi!", func() {
			hello.SetText("Welcome :)")
		}),
	))

	w.ShowAndRun()
}

And you can run that simply as:

go run main.go

[!NOTE]
The first compilation of Fyne on Windows can take up to 10 minutes, depending on your hardware. Subsequent builds will be fast.

It should look like this:

Run in mobile simulation

There is a helpful mobile simulation mode that gives a hint of how your app would work on a mobile device:

go run -tags mobile main.go

Another option is to use fyne command, see Packaging for mobile.

Installing

Using go install will copy the executable into your go bin dir. To install the application with icons etc into your operating system's standard application location you can use the fyne utility and the "install" subcommand.

go install fyne.io/fyne/v2/cmd/fyne@latest
fyne install

Packaging for mobile

To run on a mobile device it is necessary to package up the application. To do this we can use the fyne utility "package" subcommand. You will need to add appropriate parameters as prompted, but the basic command is shown below. Once packaged you can install using the platform development tools or the fyne "install" subcommand.

fyne package -os android -appID my.domain.appname
fyne install -os android

The built Android application can run either in a real device or an Android emulator. However, building for iOS is slightly different. If the "-os" argument is "ios", it is build only for a real iOS device. Specify "-os" to "iossimulator" allows the application be able to run in an iOS simulator:

fyne package -os ios -appID my.domain.appname
fyne package -os iossimulator -appID my.domain.appname

Preparing a release

Using the fyne utility "release" subcommand you can package up your app for release to app stores and market places. Make sure you have the standard build tools installed and have followed the platform documentation for setting up accounts and signing. Then you can execute something like the following, notice the -os ios parameter allows building an iOS app from macOS computer. Other combinations work as well :)

$ fyne release -os ios -certificate "Apple Distribution" -profile "My App Distribution" -appID "com.example.myapp"

The above command will create a '.ipa' file that can then be uploaded to the iOS App Store.

Documentation

More documentation is available at the Fyne developer website or on pkg.go.dev.

Examples

You can find many example applications in the examples repository. Alternatively a list of applications using fyne can be found at our website.

Shipping the Fyne Toolkit

All Fyne apps will work without pre-installed libraries, this is one reason the apps are so portable. However, if looking to support Fyne in a bigger way on your operating system then you can install some utilities that help to make a more complete experience.

Additional apps

It is recommended that you install the following additional apps:

app	go install	description
fyne_settings	`fyne.io/fyne/v2/cmd/fyne_settings`	A GUI for managing your global Fyne settings like theme and scaling
apps	`github.com/fyne-io/apps`	A graphical installer for the Fyne apps listed at https://apps.fyne.io

These are optional applications but can help to create a more complete desktop experience.

FyneDesk (Linux / BSD)

To go all the way with Fyne on your desktop / laptop computer you could install FyneDesk as well :)

FyneDesk screenshopt in dark mode

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