Project: pthom/imgui_bundle

This project provides a comprehensive, cross-platform toolkit for rapidly developing graphical user interfaces (GUIs) using C++ and Python. It bundles Dear ImGui with numerous extensions and utilities, offering a unified development experience across desktop, mobile, and web platforms. The primary benefit is significantly accelerated GUI development, allowing users to create sophisticated interfaces with minimal code, leveraging pre-built components and automatic Python binding generation.

How It Works

imgui_bundle builds upon the immediate mode GUI paradigm of Dear ImGui, integrating a curated collection of popular ImGui extensions. It offers auto-generated Python bindings for C++ libraries, enabling developers to use the same codebase or logic across both languages. For web deployment, it supports C++ via Emscripten and Python via Pyodide. The project emphasizes ease of use, providing a "starter pack" that simplifies setup and development, abstracting away much of the underlying complexity of GUI frameworks and cross-platform builds.

Quick Start & Requirements

• Python Installation:

  pip install imgui-bundle
  pip install opencv-python # For ImmVision module
  pip install pyGLM        # For demos
  

  Binary wheels are available for Windows, macOS, and Linux. Compilation from source may take up to 5 minutes and requires an internet connection.
• C++ Installation:

  git clone https://github.com/pthom/imgui_bundle.git
  cd imgui_bundle
  git submodule update --init --recursive # May take several minutes
  mkdir build && cd build
  cmake ..
  make
  

  Requires CMake and a C++17 compiler. MSVC redistributable may be needed on Windows. Xcode is recommended for macOS source builds. OpenCV is optional for the ImmVision module.
• Demos & Docs:
  • Interactive Manual/Demo: https://traineq.org/ImGuiBundle/emscripten/bin/demo_imgui_bundle.html
  • Online Python Playground: https://traineq.org/imgui_bundle_online/projects/imgui_bundle_playground/
  • Official Docs: https://pthom.github.io/imgui_bundle
  • C++ Template: https://github.com/pthom/imgui_bundle_template

Highlighted Details

• Extensive Widget Library: Includes Dear ImGui core, plus ImPlot, ImGuizmo, ImGuiColorTextEdit, imgui-node-editor, imgui_md, ImmVision, NanoVG, ImGuiTestEngine, ImFileDialog, portable-file-dialogs, imgui-knobs, imspinner, imgui_toggle, ImCoolBar, imgui-command-palette, and more.
• Cross-Platform & Web: Supports Windows, Linux, macOS, iOS, Android, and WebAssembly (via Emscripten/Pyodide).
• Automatic Bindings: Python bindings are auto-generated from the C++ API, ensuring consistency and ease of use.
• Interactive Demos: Numerous demos and an interactive manual allow users to explore features and copy code directly.
• ImGui Test Engine Integration: Built-in support for automating and testing GUI applications.

Maintenance & Community

The project appears to be primarily maintained by pthom. While specific community channels (like Discord/Slack) or major corporate sponsorships are not detailed in the provided text, the project is actively developed.

Licensing & Compatibility

• License: MIT License.
• Compatibility: The permissive MIT license allows for use in commercial, closed-source projects.

Limitations & Caveats

• Building from source can be time-consuming (up to 5 minutes) and requires an internet connection.
• Some bundled libraries (e.g., ImFileDialog) have noted limitations or recommended alternatives (portable-file-dialogs).
• Pure Python backends (SDL2, SDL3, GLFW) are experimental and may lack some of HelloImGui's advanced features like high-DPI support.
• The project's reliance on a single primary author may present a bus factor risk.