What libraries can I use to create a GUI with Erlang?

Question

What libraries can I use to create a GUI for an Erlang application? Choose one answer option.

Answer 1

Most people do not code the actual GUI in Erlang. A more general approach is to write a GUI layer in Java or C #, and then talk to your Erlang application through a socket or pipe.

With this in mind, you probably want to explore the various libraries for performing RPC between Java or .NET applications and Erlang:

http://weblogs.asp.net/nleghari/archive/2008/01/08/integrating-net-and-erlang-using-otp-net.aspx

http://www.theserverside.com/tt/articles/article.tss?l=IntegratingJavaandErlang

EDIT If you really tuned in to coding the interface in erlang, you might consider creating a web GUI that will be used through Yaws, the erlang web server: http://yaws.hyber.org/appmods.yaws

Answer 2

For a GUI application in Erlang, you must use wxErlang, which is included in the r13b release. The beta version has been around for some time, but now, starting with r13a, is included in the main release of OTP.

Answer 3

I will violate the request "one option per message" - sorry, but which tool to use really depends on your priorities.

One pretty stable gtkNode library. It uses a simple but powerful way to map all GTK widgets to Erlang and should remain stable across versions. He also works well with the Glade GUI developer. He is actively supported by guru Erlang Mats Kronkvist, but he is, of course, the best.

WxWidgets is very promising and will hopefully become the main graphics library for Erlang, but it is still in beta testing and the interface is not stable yet and promises backward compatibility.

So, if you want to be a little on the verge of bleeding, WxWidgets may be your business. Otherwise, gtkNode should provide you with a beautiful graphical interface with relative ease and security.

The only officially supported graphics library for Erlang is GS , part of the OTP release and guaranteed work with upcoming releases. So, if it is more important than the look and the modern look, this may be an option.

Answer 4

To write your own GUIs for Erlang, wxErlang seems to be the most mature library today (also at SourceForge ).

Answer 5

Am I a little perplexed that someone wants to write a GUI for the Erlang program in something other than Erlang? The Erlang concurrency model makes it a great language for writing GUIs. UI elements and events perfectly display Erlang processes and messages.

Answer 6

I posted the wxErlang tutorial at http://wxerlang.dougedmunds.com

Answer 7

I'm not sure there are ... but I found Erlbol on the Internet and the X11 GUI , which sounds interesting, and GTK2 (pdf link)

Answer 8

Theres an upstream Scenic web interface library. This looks promising with an erlang-specific approach.