lib-slint-expert_skill

Overview

This skill is a comprehensive Slint GUI development expert derived from the official Slint source material. It guides Rust integration, component design, layouts, styling, animations, cross-platform deployment, and performance optimization for native and embedded UIs. Use it to accelerate building maintainable, high-performance Slint applications.

How this skill works

The skill inspects Slint UI patterns and idioms and translates them into practical recipes for component architecture, data binding, and Rust interop. It explains layout systems (VerticalLayout, GridLayout, ListView), styling and theme switching, property animations, and platform-specific build configurations. It also gives concrete optimization tactics for memory, rendering, and efficient data models.

When to use it

• Starting a new Slint + Rust native GUI project or porting an existing UI
• Designing reusable Slint component libraries and app-wide themes
• Implementing data binding and Rust-side models for dynamic lists
• Optimizing rendering and memory usage for desktop, WASM, or embedded targets
• Configuring cross-platform builds and platform-specific styles

Best practices

• Keep components small, focused, and configurable via properties
• Prefer composition over inheritance and expose callbacks for interactions
• Use ModelRc/VecModel for large or dynamic lists to avoid full redraws
• Use weak references for Rust callbacks to prevent circular ownership
• Limit simultaneous animations and use clip: true for complex shapes
• Organize UI files under ui/components and keep Rust models separate

Example use cases

• Create a themed dashboard with GridLayout for metrics and ListView for activity feeds
• Build a reusable component library: PrimaryButton, Card, LoadingSpinner
• Integrate Rust-side VecModel to add/remove list items from native code
• Target web via WASM with a platform-aware build.rs and minimal CSS reset
• Deploy to embedded displays using the software renderer and an explicit repaint loop