Pedro M. de Echanove Pasquin
806dee5167
Length::dp no longer collapses to absolute pixels at construction: the design value travels in a new LengthBase::Dp variant and the density multiplication happens when the length is resolved. Previously dp( n ) baked in whatever density() returned at view-build time, so correctness across output changes depended on the view being rebuilt after set_density and in that order; now a density change is picked up by the very next paint with no reconstruction. Length::resolve keeps its signature (process density), and the new Length::resolve_with_density takes an explicit factor. dp becomes const in the bargain. Density also becomes overridable per canvas, the first step towards surface-local responsive state. SoftwareCanvas and GlesCanvas carry a density: Option<f32> analogous to the layout_viewport introduced for sub-canvas fluid resolution: None means "use the process global", Canvas::set_density pins a local factor, and sub-canvases inherit it. All canvas-routed resolution honours it — geom_px / font_px for stock-widget design pixels, and the new Canvas::resolve_geom / resolve_font for explicit Length values, which every widget now uses in place of the raw l.resolve( canvas.viewport_layout(), EM ) pattern (row, column, wrap_grid, spacer, container, separator, button, text, rich_text, text_edit, list_item, vslider, image, and the container draw path). Overlay sizing keeps resolving against the main surface with the global density, which is what it describes. New tests cover explicit-density resolution, resolution-time application, the local-over-global override and sub-canvas inheritance. The GLES image texture cache is now bounded. It was content-keyed but unbounded and never evicted, so a stream of distinct buffers — a photo carousel, video thumbnails — grew GPU memory for the lifetime of the canvas. The cache now tracks an estimated byte total (RGBA8, w × h × 4) against a 32 MiB budget and evicts least-recently-drawn textures on insert; the most recent entry is never evicted, so a single texture larger than the whole budget still draws and simply owns the cache until replaced. Drop-time cleanup is unchanged: drain deletes whatever the map holds. CI gains a Clippy step (workspace, all targets, test-support, -D warnings) sharing the build cache of the test job, with make clippy mirroring the invocation locally and CONTRIBUTING listing it. Run make clippy locally before pushing the first time — the gate has not seen the tree yet and pre-existing lints will fail CI until addressed. docs/backends.md formalises the software/GLES capability matrix that was previously scattered across per-method rustdoc: parity set (fills, strokes, text, images, paths, path clips), graceful degradations on software (flat-fill gradients, no shadows, no backdrop blur, hard bottom edge), GPU-only features (external textures), the shared Oklab-fallback limitation, and the cross-backend blit panic. Linked from README, onboarding and architecture's known-gaps list, which now states the parity gaps explicitly. The dp/density prose in architecture.md, lib.rs and the Length rustdoc is updated for resolution-time semantics and the per-canvas override.
423 lines
15 KiB
Markdown
423 lines
15 KiB
Markdown
# ltk
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`ltk` is a public Rust UI toolkit for Wayland applications.
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It is developed by Liberux as part of the Eydos stack, where it powers
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shell and application surfaces, but it is published as a reusable library for
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third-party developers building their own Wayland software.
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Being written in Rust is also part of the project's value proposition:
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- memory safety without a garbage collector
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- predictable resource lifetimes through ownership and borrowing
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- good control over allocations and data movement in rendering-heavy code
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- a strong fit for low-level UI, graphics, and system-integration work
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For a Wayland toolkit, that combination is useful in practice: it reduces an
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entire class of memory-management bugs common in lower-level UI stacks while
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still allowing tight control over performance-sensitive paths.
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## What It Is
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`ltk` is a lightweight, declarative toolkit with an Elm-shaped model:
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- implement `App`
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- return an `Element<Msg>` tree from `view()`
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- update your state in `update()`
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- run the event loop with `ltk::run(app)`
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The runtime handles layout, drawing, input dispatch, focus, overlays, and
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backend selection between GLES and software rendering.
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## What It Is Not
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`ltk` is not:
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- a browser UI toolkit
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- a cross-platform desktop toolkit
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- a general-purpose web-style framework
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Today it is specifically a Wayland toolkit. If you are building native Wayland
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applications, panels, launchers, lock screens, or other shell-adjacent
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surfaces, it is in scope. If you need Windows, macOS, or browser targets, it
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is not.
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## Project Status
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`ltk` is a public library intended for third-party use, but it is still shaped
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by real production needs inside the Liberux / Eydos ecosystem.
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That means:
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- the API is usable for external applications today
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- the project is optimized first for native Wayland workloads
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- some advanced APIs are still more shell-oriented than app-oriented
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- public documentation and examples are present, but the project is not trying
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to present itself as a cross-platform beginner toolkit
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If you are evaluating `ltk` for a third-party application, the right mental
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model is "public Wayland toolkit with production consumers" rather than
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"experimental demo crate".
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## Why Third Parties Might Use It
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`ltk` is designed around a few practical goals:
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- low idle wakeups and event-driven redraws
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- partial redraws and damage tracking
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- a simple declarative tree instead of retained widgets
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- direct support for normal windows, layer-shell, and ext-session-lock surfaces
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- a runtime-free core (`ltk::core::UiSurface`) for embedding layout and drawing
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without `ltk::run()`
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This makes it especially relevant for:
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- Wayland applications
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- mobile-first Linux shells
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- launchers and dashboards
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- greeters and lock screens
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- compositor-side or embedded UI surfaces
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## Quick Start
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Add `ltk` to your `Cargo.toml`:
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```toml
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[dependencies]
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ltk = { path = "../ltk" }
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```
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If you consume `ltk` from outside this workspace, replace the `path` dependency with a versioned one.
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Minimal app:
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```rust
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use ltk::{ App, Element, button, column, spacer, text };
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#[derive(Clone)]
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enum Msg
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{
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Increment,
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}
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struct CounterApp
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{
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value: u32,
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}
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impl App for CounterApp
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{
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type Message = Msg;
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fn view( &self ) -> Element<Msg>
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{
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column::<Msg>()
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.padding( 32.0 )
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.spacing( 16.0 )
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.center_y( true )
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.push( text( "Hello from ltk" ).size( 28.0 ) )
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.push( text( format!( "Count: {}", self.value ) ).size( 18.0 ) )
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.push( spacer() )
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.push( button( "Increment" ).on_press( Msg::Increment ) )
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.into()
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}
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fn update( &mut self, msg: Msg )
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{
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match msg
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{
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Msg::Increment => self.value += 1,
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}
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}
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}
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fn main()
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{
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ltk::run( CounterApp { value: 0 } );
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}
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```
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## Requirements
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`ltk` currently assumes:
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- **Rust 1.85** or newer (the toolchain shipped with Debian stable; declared
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as `rust-version` in `Cargo.toml`).
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- A running **Wayland** session — there is no X11 backend.
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- System headers for `libwayland`, `libegl` and `libxkbcommon` at compile
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time. On Debian / Ubuntu:
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```bash
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sudo apt-get install libwayland-dev libegl-dev libxkbcommon-dev pkg-config
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```
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- A usable system font (`fonts-sora`, `fonts-liberation`, `fonts-dejavu`,
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…). If none is installed `ltk` falls back to an embedded Sora Regular
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build with a stderr warning.
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- A theme named `default`, installed system-wide (the
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`ltk-theme-default` Debian package drops it under
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`/usr/share/ltk/themes/default/`) or exposed through
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`LTK_THEMES_DIR` for development.
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Rendering backend selection is automatic:
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- **GLES** when EGL is available (every modern Wayland compositor).
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- **Software** fallback otherwise.
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- Set `LTK_FORCE_SOFTWARE=1` to force the software path even when EGL is
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available — useful for headless test runs and for diagnosing
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driver-specific bugs.
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For development inside this repository:
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```bash
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export LTK_THEMES_DIR="$PWD/themes"
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cargo run --example showcase
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```
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## Examples
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Useful entry points in this repository:
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- `cargo run --example showcase`
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- `cargo run --example responsive`
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- `cargo run --example widgets`
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- `cargo run --example inputs`
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- `cargo run --example scroll`
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- `cargo run --example combo`
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- `cargo run --example dialog`
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- `cargo run --example sliders`
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- `cargo run --example pickers`
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- `cargo run --example carousel`
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- `cargo run --example clip_path`
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- `cargo run --example mini_shell`
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In general:
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- start with `showcase` for a regular app window
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- use `responsive` to see the fluid vs physical modes on stock widgets
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- use `widgets` to see the core controls
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- use `mini_shell` if you need overlays, theme switching, or shell-style
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composition
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## Public API Overview
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Most applications should start with this subset:
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- `App`
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- `Element<Msg>`
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- widgets such as `button`, `text`, `text_edit`, `img_widget`
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- layouts such as `column`, `row`, `stack`, `grid`, `spacer`
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- `Color`
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- `run`
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More advanced APIs are available when needed:
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- `overlays()`
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- `shell_mode()` and layer-shell controls
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- `set_channel_sender()` and `poll_external()`
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- gesture hooks such as `on_swipe_*`
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- `core::UiSurface`
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- runtime theme APIs
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## Responsive Design
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`ltk` offers **two** first-class ways to make an interface adapt to the
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display, chosen per value or per process:
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- **Fluid** — sizes are a fraction of the surface, tracking the short side
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(width in portrait, height in landscape). Best for full-screen system
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surfaces. Written with `Length::vmin` / `orient` / `fluid` and bounded with
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`.clamp`.
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- **Physical** — sizes stay a constant real-world size across displays (the
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mainstream HiDPI `dp` model). Best for conventional windowed apps. Written
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with `Length::dp` plus `set_density`.
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Stock widgets follow the process-wide mode (`set_widget_scaling`, fluid by
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default); an explicit `Length` on a widget always overrides it. The full
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mechanics live in [`docs/architecture.md`](docs/architecture.md#responsive-sizing),
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a walkthrough in [`docs/onboarding.md`](docs/onboarding.md), and the per-item
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reference in the `Length` / `WidgetScaling` rustdoc.
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## Windows and Shell Surfaces
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By default, `ltk` creates a regular `xdg-shell` window.
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That is the right starting point for:
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- normal applications
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- internal tools
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- prototypes
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Switch to layer-shell only when you are building shell surfaces such as:
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- top bars
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- docks
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- homescreens
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- notifications
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- greeters
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- lock screens
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For a screen locker, use `ShellMode::SessionLock` instead of layer-shell: it
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presents an `ext-session-lock-v1` surface that the compositor keeps on top of
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everything until the app returns `true` from `requested_exit()`, which makes
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the runtime call `unlock` and lift the lock.
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## Performance Notes
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`ltk` is designed to sleep when idle and redraw only on real work.
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The main rules for downstream applications are:
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- keep `view()` pure and cheap
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- do not perform I/O inside `view()`
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- use `poll_interval()` sparingly
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- return `true` from `is_animating()` only while something is actually moving — note that on the software backend animation redraws are capped at ~30 Hz by default (override with `App::cap_software_animation`)
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- cache decoded images and expensive derived state in your app
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Set `LTK_PERF_WARN=1` during development for opt-in diagnostics: it warns about stuck animations, sustained software-render animation, and low `poll_interval` values.
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The library already provides:
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- event-driven redraw scheduling
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- per-surface invalidation
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- partial redraws for interaction-only changes
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- GPU and software backends behind the same widget API
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## Backend Differences
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The public API is the same across backends, but visual parity is not perfect
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yet. The widget tree, layout, hit-testing, text, images, fills, strokes and
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single-rect / path clipping all paint identically on both paths. The gaps are in
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gradients, the shadow / backdrop pipeline, and multi-rect clipping: the GLES
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backend installs the bounding-box union of the rects as its `glScissor` — a
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coarse clip that does not cull pixels between disjoint rects — while the
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software backend clips each rect exactly.
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Effects that currently render only on the **GLES** backend, and degrade on the
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**Software** backend:
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- **Gradients** (linear and radial, via `Canvas::fill_paint_rect`) — rendered with
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dedicated shaders on GLES; on software they collapse to a flat fill from the
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first stop (tiny-skia can render gradients natively, but that is not wired up
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yet).
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- **Outer drop shadows** (`Canvas::fill_shadow_outer`) — themed surfaces that
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declare a `Shadow` slot show the soft halo on GLES and a flat fill on
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software.
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- **Inner / inset shadows** (`Canvas::fill_shadow_inset`) — `InsetShadow`
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slots paint nothing on software.
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- **Inset shadow blend modes** — `PlusLighter`, `Multiply`, `Screen` and
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`Overlay` are GLES-only; the GLES `Overlay` path snapshots the framebuffer
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and computes the CSS Overlay formula in-shader, which has no software
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equivalent today.
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Calls to these APIs are safe on both backends — they simply produce a flatter
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appearance under software. No widget panics, returns an error, or skips
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unrelated drawing.
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If your application leans heavily on shadows or inset effects, validate both
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rendering paths before shipping. Force the software path with:
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```bash
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LTK_FORCE_SOFTWARE=1 cargo run --example showcase
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```
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Closing this gap (porting the shadow / inset-shadow pipeline to tiny-skia) is
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on the roadmap.
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## Documentation
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| File | When to read it |
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| --- | --- |
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| [`docs/onboarding.md`](docs/onboarding.md) | First hour with the library — environment, first app, what to ignore at first. |
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| [`docs/architecture.md`](docs/architecture.md) | Runtime model, overlays, animation, theming, performance and where the cost of a frame lives. |
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| [`docs/widgets.md`](docs/widgets.md) | Per-widget catalogue: what each one is, when to use it, minimal example, see-also. |
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| [`docs/theming.md`](docs/theming.md) | JSON theme schema, slot conventions, runtime APIs. |
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| [`docs/backends.md`](docs/backends.md) | Software/GLES capability matrix — what renders identically, what degrades, what is GPU-only. |
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| [`docs/cookbook.md`](docs/cookbook.md) | Concrete recipes — slide-in panels, password fields, runtime theme toggle, channel-driven state, embedding without `ltk::run`. |
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| `cargo doc --open` | Per-item rustdoc for the public API. |
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| [`CHANGELOG.md`](CHANGELOG.md) | What changed in each release, and what is pending unreleased. |
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| [`code_style_guide.md`](code_style_guide.md) | The Modified Allman style rules the codebase follows. |
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| [`SECURITY.md`](SECURITY.md) | How to report a vulnerability and what is in / out of scope. |
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| [`CONTRIBUTING.md`](CONTRIBUTING.md) | Build, test, code style, patch shape. |
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Recommended reading order for a new contributor:
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1. run `examples/showcase.rs`
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2. read `docs/onboarding.md`
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3. browse `docs/widgets.md` for the catalogue
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4. dip into `docs/cookbook.md` when you hit a specific shape
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5. open `docs/architecture.md` once you need overlays, animations, or
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runtime theming.
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## Relationship to Liberux and Eydos
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Liberux is the promoter and primary maintainer of `ltk`.
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The project exists because Eydos needs a native Wayland toolkit for its
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own shell and application stack, but `ltk` is intentionally published as a
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public library rather than kept as a private internal component. Third-party
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developers are part of the intended audience.
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That origin matters because it explains the current priorities:
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- strong Wayland focus
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- support for layer-shell and shell-style overlays
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- attention to mobile power usage
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- theming and runtime surfaces that fit an operating system environment
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## License
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This project is licensed under `LGPL-2.1-only`.
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That means third parties can use `ltk` in their own applications, including
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proprietary ones, subject to the obligations of the GNU Lesser General Public
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License v2.1. If you are planning a commercial or closed-source product, read
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the license text carefully and make sure your distribution model complies with
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it.
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See [LICENSE](./LICENSE).
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## Third-party assets
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`ltk`'s default theme bundles two third-party asset sets that travel under
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their own licences. Anyone redistributing the toolkit (or a binary that
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embeds the default theme) must propagate the attributions below.
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- **Symbolic icons** under `themes/default/icons/catalogue/` come from
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Streamline's *Core Line Free* set, distributed under
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[Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
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(CC BY 4.0). © Streamline. Some files have been modified for the
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symbolic-tinting pipeline; details in
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[`themes/default/icons/catalogue/LICENSE.md`](./themes/default/icons/catalogue/LICENSE.md).
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Upstream: <https://www.streamlinehq.com/icons/core-line-free>.
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- **Sora Regular** (`src/theme/fallback/Sora-Regular.otf`) is the
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embedded font fallback, distributed under
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[SIL Open Font Licence 1.1](https://scripts.sil.org/OFL).
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© 2019-2020 The Sora Project Authors, Jonathan Barnbrook, Julián Moncada.
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Upstream: <https://github.com/sora-xor/sora-font>.
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The remaining artwork in the default theme — wallpapers, lockscreens,
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launcher logo, brand-mark variants and per-application icons — is
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original to Liberux Labs and travels under the toolkit's own
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`LGPL-2.1-only` licence.
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The full Debian-style declaration of every asset and its licence lives
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in [`debian/copyright`](./debian/copyright); that is the file the `.deb`
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ships under `/usr/share/doc/libltk*/copyright`.
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## Contributing
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Patches and bug reports are welcome. Read
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[`CONTRIBUTING.md`](CONTRIBUTING.md) for the practical mechanics: build
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prerequisites, how to run tests, the project's Modified Allman code
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style, and what shape a pull request should take.
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For security-sensitive issues see [`SECURITY.md`](SECURITY.md) — please
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do not file those through the public issue tracker.
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If you are evaluating `ltk` for a third-party product and are unsure
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whether your use case is in scope, open a discussion before writing
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code. That is especially useful when you are:
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- missing an app-facing example,
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- blocked by a shell-oriented assumption in the API,
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- trying to understand whether a given platform target is realistic.
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