README.md

June 16, 2026 · View on GitHub

Caution: Due to certain reasons, this repository will be renamed to imguinz2 in a few days.
- ImGuinz2

Caution: Due to certain reasons, this repository will be renamed to imguinz2 in a few days.

After the repository is renamed to imguinz2, navigate to your dear_bindings_build project folder in the terminal or command prompt and run the following command once:

git remote set-url origin https://github.com/dinau/imguinz2.git

Alternatively, you can simply perform a fresh clone of the new URL:

https://github.com/dinau/imguinz2.git

ImGuinz2

This project aims to simply and easily build Dear ImGui examples with C and Zig using Dear_Bindings as first step. And one can use many other libaries and examples with less external dependencies (Except Raylib library).

DearBindings: dear_bindings_v0.18_ImGui_v1.92.8-docking
Dear ImGui: 1.92.8 dock (2026/06)

Zig fetch

Use zig-0.16.0

Zig fetch imguinz2

mkdir myapp
cd myapp
zig init

zig fetch --save git+https://github.com/dinau/imguinz2

Add dependencies to build.zig
Please insert the following lines above b.installArtifact(exe);.

const imguinz2 = b.dependency("imguinz2", .{});
const dependencies = .{
    "appimgui",      // Simple app framework
    "imspinner",     // ImSpinner
    "imknobs",       // ImKnobs
    "imtoggle",      // ImToggle
 // "another_lib",
};
inline for (dependencies) |dep_name| {
    const dep = imguinz2.builder.dependency(dep_name, .{
        .target = target, 
        .optimize = optimize, 
    });
    exe.root_module.addImport(dep_name, dep.module(dep_name));
}
exe.subsystem = .Windows; // Hide console window

You can set dependencies (additional libraries), see imguinz2/build.zig.zon

"appimgui"     <- Simple app framework for GLFW and OpenGL backend
"imspinner"    <- ImSpinner
"imguizmo"     <- ImGuizmo
"imknobs"      <- ImKnobs 
"imnodes"      <- ImNodes
"implot"       <- ImPlots
"implot3d"     <- ImPlot3D
"imtoggle"     <- ImToggle
"rlimgui"      <- rlImgui
... snip  ...

Edit src/main.zig

const app = @import("appimgui");
const ig = app.ig;
const spinner = @import("imspinner"); // ImSpinner
const knobs = @import("imknobs"); // ImKnobs
const tgl = @import("imtoggle"); // ImToggle

// gui_main()
pub fn gui_main(window: *app.Window) void {
    var col: f32 = 1.0;
    var fspd: bool = false;
    var speed: f32 = 2.0;
    var spn_col: spinner.ImColor = .{ .Value = .{ .x = col, .y = 1.0, .z = 1.0, .w = 1.0 } };
    while (!window.shouldClose()) { // main loop
        window.pollEvents();
        window.frame(); // Start ImGui frame

        ig.ImGui_ShowDemoWindow(null); // Show ImGui demo window

        ig.ImGui_SetNextWindowSize(.{ .x = 0.0, .y = 0.0 }, 0); // Fit window size depending on the size of the widgets
        _ = ig.ImGui_Begin("Demo", null, 0); // Show demo window
        spinner.SpinnerAtomEx("atom", 16, 2, spn_col, speed, 3);
        ig.ImGui_SameLine();
        _ = tgl.Toggle("Speed", &fspd, .{ .x = 0.0, .y = 0.0 });
        if (fspd) speed = 6.0 else speed = 2.0;
        if (knobs.IgKnobFloat("Color", &col, 0.0, 1.0, 0.05, "%.2f", knobs.IgKnobVariant_Stepped, 0, 0, 10, -1, -1)) {
            spn_col.Value.x = col;
        }
        ig.ImGui_End();

        window.render(); // render
    } // end while loop
}

pub fn main() !void {
    var window = try app.Window.createImGui(1024, 900, "ImGui window in Zig");
    defer window.destroyImGui();

    _ = app.setTheme(.dark); // Theme: dark, classic, light, microsoft

    gui_main(&window); // GUI main proc
}

Build and run

pwd
myapp

zig build run     # or zig build --release=fast

Try Wasm demo in your browser

Click link for live demo: Click here
alt

Frontends and Backends

Frontends	Backends
GLFW3	OpenGL3
SDL3	OpenGL3, SDL3GPU
Win32	DirectX 11(D3D11)

Prerequisites

Zig Compiler
- zig-0.16.0
  Windows: zig-x86_64-windows-0.16.0.zip
  Linux: zig-x86_64-linux-0.16.0.tar.xz
- zig-0.17.0-dev.864¹ (2026/06/16)
- ~~zig-0.15.2~~ Deprecated
Windows11
- Optional: MSys2/MinGW basic commands (make, rm, cp ...)
```
pacman -S make 
```

Linux OS: Debian13 Trixie / Ubuntu families

sudo apt install make gcc lib{opengl-dev,gl1-mesa-dev,glfw3,glfw3-dev}

SDL3
Install SDL3 library

Available libraries list at this moment

	Library	C Wrapper	Date
YES	Dear ImGui	Dear_Bindings	2024/06
YES	ImGui-Knobs	CImGui-Knobs	2025/07
YES	ImGuiFileDialog	CImGuiFileDialog	2025/07
YES	ImGui_Toggle	CimGui_Toggle	2025/07
YES	ImSpinner	CImSpinner	2025/07
YES	ImGuiColorTextEdit	cimCTE	2025/08
YES	ImGuizmo	CImGuizmo	2025/08
YES	ImNodes	CImNodes	2025/08
YES	ImPlot	CImPlot	2025/08
YES	ImPlot3d	CImPlot3d	2025/08
YES	imgui_zoomable_image	cimgui_zoomable_image	2026/04
WIP	ImGui_Markdown	CImGui_MarkDown	-
YES	STB	-
YES	Font-Awesome	-

Additional examples

Raylib, raylib-zig, rlImGui (2025/11)

Build and run

git clone https://github.com/dinau/imguinz2

cd imguinz2/examples/zig_glfw_opengl3       # for example
zig build run --release=fast                # or make run

Examples screen shots

zig_imknobs

alt

zig_imtoggle

alt

zig_imspinner

alt

Raylib example

First fetch raylib,

zig fetch --save git+https://github.com/raysan5/raylib

raylib_basic

alt

raylib_cjk: Showing multi byte(CJK) fonts

alt

Raylib + ImGui + rlImGui

First fetch raylib,

zig fetch --save git+https://github.com/raysan5/raylib

main.zig

alt

zig_imfiledialog

alt

zig_imgui_markdown

Work in progress

zig_imgui_markdown

alt

zig_iconfontviewer

Incremantal search
Magnifing glass

alt

zig_imcolortextedit

alt

zig_imguizmo

alt

zig_imnodes

alt

zig_implot / zig_implot3d

zig_imPlotDemo written in Zig.

alt
alt

Image load / save (OpenGL, SDL3, SDL3GPU)

Language	GLFW	Magnifing glass	Image load /save	Note
C	glfw_opengl3_image_load	-	Y
C	glfw_opengl3_image_save	-	Y
Zig	zig_glfw_opengl3_image_load	Y	Y
Zig	zig_sdl3_sdlgup3 / zig_sdl3_opengl3	-	load	Download SDL3.dll on Windows

Image file captured will be saved in current folder.
Image format can be selected from JPEG / PNG / BMP / TGA.

alt

zig_glfw_opengl3

Basic example

Language	GLFW	SDL3
C	glfw_opengl3, glfw_opengl3_jp	sdl3_opengl3
Zig	zig_glfw_opengl3	zig_sdl3_opengl3

alt alt

zig_imgui_zoomable_image

Try Wasm live demo in your browser
Click link for live demo: Click here

alt

Hiding console window

Zig examples
Open build.zig in each example folder and enable the option line as follows,
```
... snip ...
exe.subsystem = .Windows;  // Hide console window
... snip ...
```
and execute make.
C examples
Open Makefile in each example folder and change the option line as follows,
```
... snip ...
HIDE_CONSOLE_WINDOW = true
... snip ...
```
and execute make.

SDL libraries

https://github.com/libsdl-org/SDL
https://github.com/libsdl-org/SDL/releases

My tools version

make: GNU Make 4.4.1
Python 3.14.3

Similar project ImGui / CImGui

Language		Project
Lua	Script	LuaJITImGui
NeLua	Compiler	NeLuaImGui / NeLuaImGui2
Nim	Compiler	ImGuin, Nimgl_test, Nim_implot
Python	Script	DearPyGui for 32bit WindowsOS Binary
Ruby	Script	igRuby_Examples
Zig	Compiler	ImGuinZ with CImGui
Zig, C	Compiler	ImGuinZ2 with Dear Binindings

SDL game tutorial Platfromer

ald

Language		SDL	Project
LuaJIT	Script	SDL2	LuaJIT-Platformer
Nelua	Compiler	SDL2	NeLua-Platformer
Nim	Compiler	SDL3 / SDL2	Nim-Platformer-sdl2/ Nim-Platformer-sdl3
Ruby	Script	SDL3	Ruby-Platformer
Zig	Compiler	SDL3 / SDL2	Zig-Platformer

Except Raylib and win32_dx11 examples ↩