Developing lightweight (no runtime) Windows based GUI applications using free tools [closed]

Answer 1

Delphi is definitely a good way to go. There is a free version called Turbo Delphi. The version available is a couple of years old, so it's a shame they haven't release Turbo versions of the new stuff.

There are also trials available of the full fledged RAD Studio, but I don't think that's what you're looking for.

Answer 2

Perhaps not an option given your statement regarding C++, but if you are developing an open source / free application then Qt is a very nice GUI toolkit with designer.

Also, wxWidgets is a very functional toolkit that will allow you to deploy a single exe, although the best GUI designers are not free.

Answer 3

Check out Microsoft's Express editions of their developer tools.

Answer 4

Visual C++ Express + WTL. Both are free. WTL is a relatively good(1) windowing library. No wizards, though, and you have to have good understanding of the Win32 windowing system.

You can also use Visual C# Express along with Mono to build WinForms app. While the end result is not technically a standalone executable and requires a framework, Mono dlls can be distributed along your exe (2), so you can just have a single folder for xcopy deployment. (And I think on Windows with .Net installed, your exe will be run on .Net automatically)

• (1) I am spoiled by WPF. :-)
• (2) Read on the intertubes. I have not personally tried it, though.

Answer 5

If you're doing very simple applications, AutoIt might be an option as it requires no runtime files and its executables will even run on WinPE. It's a bit primitive though and not exactly object-oriented. It works a bit like the old VB. It is, however, free and easy to learn and apart from something like NSIS (NullSoft Install System) there aren't many free, standalone GUI creators.

Answer 6

For quick prototyping, Autoit is a viable option (but it is a scripting language though).

Combined with Scite as an Editor, and autoit to exe capability (AutoIt3.exe in Scite and Autoit3Wrapper.exe to actually produce exe), you have a full GUI development environment.

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AutohotKey is an alternative, but based on old AutoitV2.

Still, you can execute AutohotKey scripts from Autoit ;)

Run("c:\Program Files\Autohotkey\Autohotkey.exe c:\scripts\devicesset.ahk")

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While interactive debugging is not natively supported, they are (2008, but in 2014: was?) several debugging tools to facilitate the debug process. (from this ticket)

Update 2014: the "AutoEditDebugger" might not be supported:

EDIT October 2009: NB This script has not been maintained since some time in 2008. Due to some problem with the editor it crashes in Vista.