- Qt 6.8
- Calqlatr
- Qt 6.8.0 Reference Documentation

# Calqlatr

A Qt Quick app designed for landscape and portrait devices that uses custom components, responsive layouts, and JavaScript for the application logic.

Calqlatr demonstrates various QML and Qt Quick features, such as displaying custom components and using responsive layouts. The application logic is implemented in JavaScript and the UI is implemented in QML.

#### Running the Example

To run the example from Qt Creator, open the Welcome mode and select the example from Examples. For more information, visit Building and Running an Example.

#### Displaying Custom Components

In the Calqlatr application, custom types are used. These are defined in their own separate .qml file:

- BackspaceButton.qml
- CalculatorButton.qml
- Display.qml
- NumberPad.qml

To use these custom types in `Main.qml`, add an import statement for the `content` folder where the types are located:

     import "content"

For example, the `NumberPad` type is used in `Main.qml` to create the number pad of the calculator. This is nested within an Item type, the base type for all visual items in Qt Quick:

             NumberPad {
                 id: numberPad;
                 Layout.margins: root.margin
             }

Custom components are QML types that can be defined in any QML file, they behave the same as the components that are defined in their own .qml file, like `NumberPad.qml`. In `NumberPad.qml` the `DigitButton` component and the `OperatorButton` component are defined. New properties can be added or exsisting properties can be modified in these components. Here the `onReleased` handler is overwritten for both of the custom components.

         component DigitButton: CalculatorButton {
             onReleased: {
                 root.digitPressed(text)
                 updateDimmed()
             }
         }

         component OperatorButton: CalculatorButton {
             onReleased: {
                 root.operatorPressed(text)
                 updateDimmed()
             }
             textColor: controller.qtGreenColor
             implicitWidth: 48
             dimmable: true
         }

In addition, use the `CalculatorButton` type for the different buttons on `NumberPad`. `CalculatorButton.qml` defines basic properties of a button, which you modify for each instance in `NumberPad.qml`. For the digit and operator buttons, a few extra properties are added, such as the `text`, `width`, and `dimmable` properties. Use `dimmable` to visually disable (dimmed) buttons whenever the calculator engine does not accept input from that button.

                     DigitButton {
                         text: "e"
                         dimmable: true
                         implicitWidth: 48
                     }

There is another file in the `content` directory called `BackSpaceButton.qml`, this is a special case of the `CalculatorButton` where we would like to render an image onto the button, rather than use text. This button is the same as an `OperatorButton`, but includes an `icon` rather than `text`:

         icon.source: getIcon()
         icon.width: 38
         icon.height: 38
         icon.color: getIconColor()
         // include this text property as the calculator engine
         // differentiates buttons through text. The text is never drawn.
         text: "bs"

         property bool dimmable: true
         property bool dimmed: false
         readonly property color backgroundColor: "#222222"
         readonly property color borderColor: "#A9A9A9"
         readonly property color backspaceRedColor: "#DE2C2C"
         readonly property int buttonRadius: 8

         function getBackgroundColor() {
             if (button.dimmable && button.dimmed)
                 return backgroundColor
             if (button.pressed)
                 return backspaceRedColor
             return backgroundColor

#### Responsive Layouts

In this example, responsive layouts arrange the different UI components for both portrait and landscape modes. It also lets you toggle between these two modes. You can notice this in `Main.qml`, which defines a `ColumnLayout` for portrait mode, and `RowLayout` for landscape.

             ColumnLayout {
                 id: portraitMode
                 anchors.fill: parent
                 visible: true

                 LayoutItemProxy {
                     target: display
                     Layout.minimumHeight: display.minHeight
                 }
                 LayoutItemProxy {
                     target: numberPad
                     Layout.alignment: Qt.AlignHCenter
                 }
             }

             RowLayout {
                 id: landscapeMode
                 anchors.fill: parent
                 visible: false

                 LayoutItemProxy {
                     target: display
                 }
                 LayoutItemProxy {
                     target: numberPad
                     Layout.alignment: Qt.AlignVCenter
                 }
             }

The `ColumnLayout`, represents the portrait layout for the application, and the `RowLayout` represents the landscape layout. The `visible` property handles which layout is used at a given time. The `id` property of the `NumberPad` and `Display` components are used to set the `target` property of the `LayoutItemProxy` types. This allows both layouts to use the same content items. In addition, properties can be forwarded within the `LayoutItemProxy` item to the `target` itself. For example, when the `NumberPad` is instantiated, both layouts require a different `Layout.alignment`.

Toggling between the two layouts is done in the signal handler for the `isPortraitMode` property, by setting their visibilities:

             onIsPortraitModeChanged: {
                 if (isPortraitMode) {
                     portraitMode.visible = true
                     landscapeMode.visible = false
                 } else {
                     portraitMode.visible = false
                     landscapeMode.visible = true
                 }
             }

This is possible because QML creates signal handlers for all self-declared properties, in this case the `on<Property>Changed` handler, where <property> is the `isPortraitMode` property.

A responsive layout is also used in `NumberPad.qml` when defining the portrait and landscape layout for the `NumberPad` itself.

             RowLayout {
                 spacing: controller.spacing

                 GridLayout {
                     id: scientificGrid
                     columns: 3
                     columnSpacing: controller.spacing
                     rowSpacing: controller.spacing
                     visible: !isPortraitMode

                     OperatorButton { text: "x²" }
                     OperatorButton { text: "⅟x" }
                     OperatorButton { text: "√" }
                     OperatorButton { text: "x³" }
                     OperatorButton { text: "sin" }
                     OperatorButton { text: "|x|" }
                     OperatorButton { text: "log" }
                     OperatorButton { text: "cos" }
                     DigitButton {
                         text: "e"
                         dimmable: true
                         implicitWidth: 48
                     }
                     OperatorButton { text: "ln" }
                     OperatorButton { text: "tan" }
                     DigitButton {
                         text: "π"
                         dimmable: true
                         implicitWidth: 48
                     }
                 }

                 GridLayout {
                     id: mainGrid
                     columns: 5
                     columnSpacing: controller.spacing
                     rowSpacing: controller.spacing

                     BackspaceButton {}
                     DigitButton { text: "7" }
                     DigitButton { text: "8" }
                     DigitButton { text: "9" }
                     OperatorButton {
                         text: "÷"
                         implicitWidth: 38
                     }

                     OperatorButton {
                         text: "AC"
                         textColor: controller.backspaceRedColor
                         accentColor: controller.backspaceRedColor
                     }
                     DigitButton { text: "4" }
                     DigitButton { text: "5" }
                     DigitButton { text: "6" }
                     OperatorButton {
                         text: "×"
                         implicitWidth: 38
                     }

                     OperatorButton {
                         text: "="
                         implicitHeight: 81
                         Layout.rowSpan: 2
                     }
                     DigitButton { text: "1" }
                     DigitButton { text: "2" }
                     DigitButton { text: "3" }
                     OperatorButton {
                         text: "−"
                         implicitWidth: 38
                     }

                     OperatorButton {
                         text: "±"
                         implicitWidth: 38
                     }
                     DigitButton { text: "0" }
                     DigitButton {
                         text: "."
                         dimmable: true
                     }
                     OperatorButton {
                         text: "+"
                         implicitWidth: 38
                     }
                 }
             } // RowLayout

In this case, two `LayoutItemProxy` items are created. Their `target` properties are set to `scientificGrid`, a `Grid` type, containing all the scientific buttons, and the `mainGrid`, another `Grid` type, containing all the standard buttons.

In `CalculatorButton.qml`, the text colors of the number pad buttons are also animated.

             ...
             color: getBackgroundColor()
             border.color: getBorderColor()
         }

         contentItem: Text {
             text: button.text
             font.pixelSize: button.fontSize
             horizontalAlignment: Text.AlignHCenter
             verticalAlignment: Text.AlignVCenter
             color: getTextColor()
             Behavior on color {
                 ColorAnimation {
                     duration: 120
                     easing.type: Easing.OutElastic
                 }

The color changes are animated by defining a `Behavior` on the `color` property. When a button is set to `dimmed = true`, the button appears darker. When a button is pressed, it lights up green. In order to dynamically change the `dimmed` property of all the buttons on the `NumberPad`, the `buttonPressed` signal calls the `NumberPad`'s `updateDimmed()` function.

         function updateDimmed(){
             for (let i = 0; i < mainGrid.children.length; i++){
                 mainGrid.children[i].dimmed = root.isButtonDisabled(mainGrid.children[i].text)
             }
             for (let j = 0; j < scientificGrid.children.length; j++){
                 scientificGrid.children[j].dimmed = root.isButtonDisabled(scientificGrid.children[j].text)
             }
         }

#### Performing Calculations

The calculator.js file defines the calculator's engine. It contains variables to store the calculator's state, and functions that are called when the user presses the digit and operator buttons. To use the engine, import calculator.js into the `Main.qml` file using the alias `CalcEngine`:

     import "content/calculator.js" as CalcEngine

By default, importing a JavaScript file from QML creates a new instance of it, and any state it contains is unique to that instance. The use of `.pragma library` allows the state to be shared amongst all users of the script.

     .pragma library

When users press a digit, the text from the digit appears on the display. When they press an operator, the appropriate calculation is performed, and the result can be displayed using the equals (=) operator. The all-clear (AC) operator resets the calculator engine.

#### List of Files

Example project @ code.qt.io

See also QML Applications.