Workbench

Learn and prototype with GNOME technologies

Workbench lets you experiment with GNOME technologies, no matter if tinkering for the first time or building and testing a GTK user interface.

Among other things, Workbench comes with

Live GTK/CSS preview
Library of 100+ examples

JavaScript, Rust, Python and Vala support
Declarative user interface syntax
Autosave, sessions and projects
Code diagnostics, completion and formatter
Terminal output

ℹ️ Workbench is made possible by Flatpak. Only Flathub Workbench is supported.

Testimonials

“ It is an essential tool for those who develop applications with GTK ” • “ as someone who is learning GTK, Workbench is definitely a must have! ” • “ created a simple mockup using the amazing Workbench app ” • “ It used to be hard but Workbench helps me learn GTK. ” • “ I recommend it even to those who are new to GTK ” • “ This tool has simplified my life by saving my time drastically. ” • “ Gone too wild playing with Workbench ”

Language support

	Formatter	Linter	Library demos[1]
JavaScript	✅	✅	99
Python	✅	✅	95
Vala	✅	✅	91
Rust	✅	✅	52
Blueprint	✅	✅
CSS	✅	✅

[1] As of 2024-06-16

Tips and tricks

Disable code formatting

JavaScript

CSS

Turn a prototype made in Workbench into an application

Use GNOME Builder to start a new project using the appropriate GNOME Application template and copy paste your Workbench code.

Code of conduct

Workbench follows the GNOME Code of Conduct.

Be friendly. Use welcoming and inclusive language.
Be empathetic. Be respectful of differing viewpoints and experiences.
Be respectful. When we disagree, we do so in a polite and constructive manner.
Be considerate. Remember that decisions are often a difficult choice between competing priorities.
Be patient and generous. If someone asks for help it is because they need it.
Try to be concise. Read the discussion before commenting.

Credits

Workbench is made of many components.

Thank you Flatpak, GTK, GLib, GtkSourceView, libadwaita, VTE, GJS, Blueprint, icon-development-kit, Vala, GTKCssLanguageServer, gtk-rs, PyGObject

and the GNOME community 🖤

Copyright

License

GPLv3. Please see COPYING file.

Except for everything under src/Library/demos which is in the public domain under the terms of CC0 1.0.

Testimonials

From Mirko Brombin creator of Bottles

My favorite tool is definitely Workbench, an application that allows me to compose GTK interfaces with XML/Blueprint, JavaScript, and CSS, seeing the results in real-time. This tool has simplified my life by reducing my time drastically. It is an essential tool for those who develop applications with GTK and I recommend it even to those who are new to GTK.

https://console.substack.com/p/console-112

From Marco Melorio creator of Telgrand

GSoC coding period started on Monday, so this is a good time to blog about what I’ve started working on and what’s my milestone to finish the project. First off, I’ve created a simple mockup using Sonny Piers’ amazing Workbench app. This is the first step in knowing how we want the UI to look like, at least in the first iteration.