• ImGuin examples project
  • Usage: Sample program and run
    • Prerequisites
    • Build examples
    • Available libraries
      • Frontends and Backends
    • Screen shot (examples)
      • glfw_opengl3
      • glfw_opengl3_imknobs
      • glfw_opengl3_filedialog
      • glfw_opengl3_iconfont_viewer
      • glfw_opengl3_image_load / sdl2_opengl3 / sdl3_opengl3
      • glfw_opengl3_image_save
      • glfw_opengl3_jp
      • glfw_opengl3_implot
      • glfw_opengl3_imnodes
      • glfw_opengl3_imguizmo
      • My test app movie using imguin
  • Cross compilation: Generating Windows application binary(*.exe) on Linux OS
  • Selection backend compiler
  • TODO
  • Compressing binary file
  • My tools version
  • Other link - Similar project ImGui / CImGui - SDL Game tutorial Platfromer - Other link2 - Memo
    • On Windows

ImGuin examples project

Confirmed ImGuin verion: : v1.91.6.10 (2025/01)

This project is example project to use ImGui, ImPlot, futhark and so on with Nim language.
Wrapper libraies used are here ImGuin

• Notice
  It may be better to use the mainstream project nimgl/imgui (ImGui v1.85)
  ,updated project nimgl-imgui (ImGui v1.89.9) ,sub project nim_implot and test project nimgl_test,
  or https://github.com/daniel-j/nimgl-imgui(ImGui v1.91.1)

Usage: Sample program and run

---

Prerequisites

---

• Nim-2.0.14 or later

• Windows10 or later
  MSys2/MinGW command line tools (Unix tools), make, cp, rm, git, ...etc

• Linux: Debian / Ubuntu families

  $ sudo apt install gcc g++ make git 

  $ sudo apt install xorg-dev libopengl-dev libgl1-mesa-dev
  $ sudo apt install libglfw3 libglfw3-dev libsdl2-dev

Build examples

---

1. First clone this project,

   git clone https://github.com/dinau/imguin_examples

2. Install dependencies libraries,

   cd imguin_examples
   nimble dep

3. For instance glfw_opengl3_base.nim,

   pwd
   imguin_examples/glfw_opengl3_base
   make  # or make run

   After build, run ./glfw_opengl3_base(.exe)
   Compiation options depend on ./config.nims and ./Makefile.

4. Selecting static link or dynamic link.
   If you'd like to build executables with static link (not using *.dll),
   edit ./linkControl.nim in respective example folder.
   To not depend on any other *.dll files,
   change to

     const STATIC_LINK_GLFW = true   # if true, it doesn't need glfw3.dll
     const STATIC_LINK_CC= true      # if true, it doesn't need libstd++-6.dll

Available libraries

---

	Library name
v	ImGui / CImGui	Base library
v	ImPlot / CImPlot
v	ImNodes / CImNodes
v	ImGuizmo / CImGuizmo
v	ImGui-Knobs/ CImGui-Knobs
v	ImGuiFileDialog / CImGuiFileDialog
...	...	...
x	ImGuiColorTextEdit / cimCTE	2025 ?

Screen shot (examples)

---

These screen shots are on Windows10.

glfw_opengl3

---

Basic example with icon fonts

• Build

  pwd
  glfw_opengl3
  make        # or make run

  or

  nim c glfw_opengl3.nim    # or  nim c -r glfw_opengl3.nim   or   nim r glfw_opengl3.nim 

glfw_opengl3_imknobs

---

https://github.com/altschuler/imgui-knobs

cimgui-knobs sources have been contributed from system64MC / PR (2024/12). Thank you.

• Build

  pwd
  glfw_opengl3_imknobs
  make 

  or

  nim c -d:ImKnobsEnable --warning:HoleEnumConv:off glfw_opengl3_imknobs.nim  

glfw_opengl3_filedialog

---

ImGuiFileDialog / CImGuiFileDialog

• Build

  pwd
  glfw_opengl3_filedialog
  make 

  or

  nim c -d:ImGuiFileDialogEnable  glfw_opengl3_filedialog.nim  

glfw_opengl3_iconfont_viewer

---

Icon font viewer and magnifying glass

• Build

  pwd
  iconFontViewer
  make 

  or

  nim c iconFontViewer.nim  

glfw_opengl3_image_load / sdl2_opengl3 / sdl3_opengl3

---

Image load and magnifying glass

• Build

  pwd
  glfw_opengl3_image_load
  make 

  or

  nim c glfw_opengl3_image_load.nim  

• Build sdl2 version

  pwd
  sdl2_opengl3
  make 

  or

  nim c -d:SDL sdl2_opengl3.nim  

• Build sdl3 version
  Only windows OS at this moment.

  pwd
  sdl3_opengl3
  make 

  or

  nim c -d:SDL sdl3_opengl3.nim  

sdl2_renderer / sdl3_renderer

---

SDL renderer backend.

• Build sdl2 version

  pwd
  sdl2_renderer
  make 

  or

  nim c -d:SDL sdl2_renderer.nim  

• Build sdl3 version
  Only windows OS at this moment.

  pwd
  sdl3_renderer
  make 

  or

  nim c -d:SDL sdl3_renderer.nim  

glfw_opengl3_image_save

---

Image load / save and magnifying glass
It can save a screen shot as [ jpg, bmp, png or tga ] file.

• Build

  pwd
  glfw_opengl3_image_save
  make        # or make run

  or

  nim c glfw_opengl3_image_save.nim

glfw_opengl3_jp

---

Showing UTF-8 text and input text with a local country language.

• Build

  pwd
  glfw_opengl3_jp
  make        # or make run

  or

  nim c glfw_opengl3_jp.nim

glfw_opengl3_implot

---

Showing ImGui demo with ImPlot demo.

• Build

  pwd
  glfw_opengl3_implot
  make        # or make run

  or

  nim c -d:ImPlotEnable glfw_opengl3_implot.nim

glfw_opengl3_imnodes

---

• Build

  pwd
  glfw_opengl3_imnodes
  make        # or make run

  or

  nim c -d:ImNodesEnable glfw_opengl3_imnodes.nim

glfw_opengl3_imguizmo

---

• Build

  pwd
  glfw_opengl3_imguizmo
  make        # or make run

  or

  nim c -d:ImGuizmoEnable glfw_opengl3_imguizmo.nim

My test app movie using imguin

---

Cross compilation: Generating Windows application binary(*.exe) on Linux OS

---

See:
Cross compilation to Windows, linker error (unrecognized option '-z'
https://nim-lang.org/docs/nimc.html#crossminuscompilation-for-windows

For example on Linux Mint 22 and so on,

pwd
examples
cd glfw_opengl3

make win  

or

nim c -d:mingw glfw_opengl3

or

nim c --os:windows glfw_opengl3

glfw_opengl3.exe will be generated in the current folder.

Selection backend compiler

---

You might be able to use another C/C++ compiler,
Clang, vcc(Visual Studio C/C++) , zig cc
by changing variable TC in config.nims.common.

TODO

---

1. Whether can it use cimgui.dll ? (Now it can only be static link) Closed. Only be static link.
2. Easier compilation for SDL2 app. (2024/09) Done.
3. Added: ImNodes/CImNodes (2023/10) Done
4. Unfortunately ImGui 1.89.7 dosn't work well at this moment.(2023/07) Done. (2023/08)
5. Whether can it do nimble install imguin ? Done (2023/09) (#Issue 13)
6. Add Font Awesome (Icon Font) demo. Done (2023/04).
7. Can it compile with MSVC (--cc:vcc) ? Done. Except SDL2 demo. (2023/03), TODO (2024/09)
8. Can it compile with Clang (--cc:clang) ? Done. (2023/03)
9. Add SDL2 example. Done. sdl2_opengl3 (2023/03)

• First step is done. (2023/03)

Compressing binary file

---

Install UPX with MSys console on WindowsOS,

pacman -S mingw-w64-x86_64-upx

For compression exe file,

pwd
examples
cd glfw_opengl3_implot
make upx

                       Ultimate Packer for eXecutables
                          Copyright (C) 1996 - 2024
UPX 4.2.4       Markus Oberhumer, Laszlo Molnar & John Reiser    May 9th 2024

        File size         Ratio      Format      Name
   --------------------   ------   -----------   -----------
   7117824 ->   1217024   17.10%    win64/pe     glfw_opengl3_implot.exe      

Decompressing,

make dupx

Result in,

	GCC + UPX : GCC	Clang + UPX : Clang	MSVC(vcc) + UPX : MSVC
glfw_opengl3.exe	804 KB : 2360 KB	720 KB : 2200 KB	742 KB : 2070 KB
glfw_opengl3_implot.exe	1220 KB : 7120 KB	940KB : 4200 KB	945 KB : 3810 KB

GCC: v14.2.0, Clang: v18.1.8, MSVC: 2022

My tools version

---

Windows11 (main)

• Nim Compiler Version 2.2.0

• GCC (Rev1, Built by MSYS2 project) 14.2.0

  pacman -S mingw-w64-ucrt-x86_64-gcc

• Clang version 19.1.6

  pacman -S mingw-w64-ucrt-x86_64-clang

• Visual Studio C++/C 2022

• git version 2.46.0.windows.1

• SDL2.dll: 2.30.7

• Make: GNU Make 4.4.1

• MSys2/MinGW tools

Linux Mint 22

• Nim Compiler Version 2.2.0
• gcc 13.2.0
• SDL2: 2.30.0
• make: GNU Make 4.3
• git version 2.43.0

Other link

---

• File Dialog

  • Cross Platform File Dialog for Dear-ImGui
  • ImGui File Dialogs - CLI and Client Library
  • A Dear ImGui based File Dialog without any extra dependencies

• Other

  • Node Editor built using Dear ImGui

• GUI

  • nuklear-nim (Public archived)

• Graphical

  • Immediate Mode Plotting

Similar project ImGui / CImGui

---

Language		Project
Nim	Compiler	ImGuin, Nimgl_test, Nim_implot
Lua	Script	LuaJITImGui
Zig, C lang.	Compiler	Dear_Bindings_Build
Zig	Compiler	ImGuinZ
NeLua	Compiler	NeLuaImGui
Python	Script	DearPyGui for 32bit WindowsOS Binary

SDL Game tutorial Platfromer

---

Language		Project
Nim	Compiler	Nim-Platformer/ sdl3_nim
LuaJIT	Script	LuaJIT-Platformer
Nelua	Compiler	NeLua-Platformer
Zig	Compiler	Zig-Platformer

Other link2

---

• https://github.com/SpartanJ/SOIL2
  SOIL2 is a tiny C library used primarily for uploading textures into OpenGL.

Memo

---

error: assignment to 'char **' from incompatible pointer type 'const char * const*' [-Wincompatible-pointer-types]

type ConstCstring {.importc: const char *.} = cstring

On Windows

---