• ImGuin examples project
  • Usage: Sample program and run
    • Prerequisites
    • Build examples
    • Available libraries
    • Screenshot (examples)
      • glfw_opengl3
      • glfw_opengl3_imknobs
      • glfw_opengl3_filedialog
      • glfw_opengl3_imgui_toggle
      • glfw_opengl3_imguiTextSelect
      • glfw_opengl3_imspinner
      • rlimgui_basic (Naylib / Raylib / rlImgui)
      • glfw_opengl3_iconfont_viewer
      • glfw_opengl3_image_load / sdl2_opengl3
      • sdl2_renderer / sdl3_renderer / sdl3_opengl3 / sdl3_sdlgpu3
      • glfw_opengl3_image_save
      • glfw_opengl3_jp
      • glfw_opengl3_implot
      • glfw_opengl3_implot3d
      • glfw_opengl3_imnodes
      • glfw_opengl3_imguizmo
      • glfw_opengl3_imColorTextEdit
      • glfw_opengl3_imgui_markdown
      • 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

ImGuin examples project

Confirmed ImGuin verion: v1.92.4.0 (Dear ImGui/CImGui version: 1.92.4) (2025/11)

This is example project to use Dear ImGui, ImPlot and so on in Nim language.
Wrapper libraies used are here ImGuin ¹

Usage: Sample program and run

---

Prerequisites

---

• Nim-2.2.6 or later

• Windows11 MSys2/MinGW installed: Command line tools: make, cp, rm, git, ...etc

  pacman -S mingw-w64-x86_64-{gcc,glfw,SDL2,sdl3} make

• Linux: Debian13 / Ubuntu families

  $ sudo apt install gcc g++ make 
  $ sudo apt install lib{opengl-dev,gl1-mesa-dev,glfw3,glfw3-dev,xcursor-dev,xinerama-dev,xi-dev,sdl2-dev} git 

  • If you have Debian13 Trixie

    $ sudo apt install libsdl3-dev

Build examples

---

1. First clone this project,

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

2. Install dependencies libraries,

   cd imguin_examples
   nimble refresh
   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)
   Compilation 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 ²

   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 / C lang wrapper

• ImGui / CImGui
• ImPlot / CImPlot
• ImNodes / CImNodes
• ImGuizmo / CImGuizmo
• ImGui-Knobs / CImGui-Knobs
• ImGuiFileDialog / CImGuiFileDialog
• ImGui_Toggle / CimGui_Toggle
• ImPlot3d / CImPlot3d
• ImSpinner / CImSpinner
• ImGuiColorTextEdit / cimCTE (2025/03)
• ImGuiTextSelect / CImGuiTextSelect (2025/09)
• ImGui_Markdown / CImGui_Markdown WIP

Additional examples

• Naylib(Raylib) , rlImGui (2025/10)

Screenshot (examples)

---

These screenshots are on Windows10.

glfw_opengl3

---

Basic example with icon fonts

• Build

  pwd
  glfw_opengl3
  make        # or   nim c 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.

pwd
glfw_opengl3_imknobs
make     # or  nim c -d:ImKnobs glfw_opengl3_imknobs.nim  

glfw_opengl3_filedialog

---

ImGuiFileDialog / CImGuiFileDialog

pwd
glfw_opengl3_filedialog
make    # or   nim c -d:ImGuiFileDialog glfw_opengl3_filedialog.nim  

glfw_opengl3_imgui_toggle

---

pwd
glfw_opengl3_imgui_toggle
make    # or   nim c -d:ImGuiToggle glfw_opengl3_imgui_toggle.nim  

glfw_opengl3_imguiTextSelect

---

pwd
glfw_opengl3_imguiTextSelect
make    # or    nim c -d:ImGuiTextSelect  glfw_opengl3_imguiTextSelect.nim  

glfw_opengl3_imspinner

---

pwd
glfw_opengl3_imspinner
make    # or    nim c -d:ImSpinner glfw_opengl3_imspinner.nim  

rlimgui_basic (Naylib / Raylib / rlImgui)

---

pwd
rlimgui_basic
make    # or    nim c rlimgui_basic.nim  

glfw_opengl3_iconfont_viewer

---

Icon font viewer.

• Magnifying glass
• Incremantal search

pwd
iconFontViewer
make       # or    nim c iconFontViewer.nim  

glfw_opengl3_image_load / sdl2_opengl3

---

• Image loading
• Magnifying glass

pwd
glfw_opengl3_image_load
make     # or    nim c glfw_opengl3_image_load.nim  

• sdl2 version

  pwd
  sdl2_opengl3
  make     # or    nim c -d:SDL sdl2_opengl3.nim  

sdl2_renderer / sdl3_renderer / sdl3_opengl3 / sdl3_sdlgpu3

---

SDL renderer backend.

• Build sdl2 renderer backend

  pwd
  sdl2_renderer
  make     # or    nim c -d:SDL sdl2_renderer.nim  

• Build sdl3 backend
  See SDL3 installation on Linux OS

  pwd
  sdl3_opengl3
  make     # or    nim c -d:SDL sdl3_opengl3.nim  

• Build sdl3 renderer backend

  pwd
  sdl3_renderer
  make     # or    nim c -d:SDL sdl3_renderer.nim  

• Build sdl3 GPU backend

  pwd
  sdl3_sdlgpu3
  make     # or    nim c -d:SDL sdl3_sdlgpu3.nim  

glfw_opengl3_image_save

---

• Image loading / saving
  It can save a screenshot as [ jpg, bmp, png or tga ] file.
• Magnifying glass

pwd
glfw_opengl3_image_save
make        # or   nim c glfw_opengl3_image_save.nim

glfw_opengl3_jp

---

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

pwd
glfw_opengl3_jp
make        # or    nim c glfw_opengl3_jp.nim

If you are on Debian13 in WSL2 on Windows OS,

sudo apt install fonts-ipafont

glfw_opengl3_implot

---

Showing ImGui demo with ImPlot demo.

pwd
glfw_opengl3_implot
make        # or    nim c -d:ImPlot glfw_opengl3_implot.nim

glfw_opengl3_implot3d

---

Showing ImPlot3D demo. WIP

pwd
glfw_opengl3_implot3d
make       # or   nim c -d:ImPlot3D glfw_opengl3_implot3d.nim

glfw_opengl3_imnodes

---

pwd
glfw_opengl3_imnodes
make        # or    nim c -d:ImNodes glfw_opengl3_imnodes.nim

glfw_opengl3_imguizmo

---

pwd
glfw_opengl3_imguizmo
make        # or    nim c -d:ImGuizmo glfw_opengl3_imguizmo.nim

glfw_opengl3_imColorTextEdit

---

pwd
glfw_opengl3_imColorTextEdit
make        # or    nim c -d:ImColorTextEdit glfw_opengl3_imColorTextEdit.nim

glfw_opengl3_imgui_markdown

---

WIP at this moment.

pwd
glfw_opengl3_imgui_markdown
make        # or     nim c -d:ImGuiMarkdown glfw_opengl3_imgui_markdown.nim

My test app movie using imguin

---

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

---

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

2. Download GLFW3 Windows pre-compiled binaries form here.

3. Extracts glfw-3.4.bin.WIN64.zip

4. cp glfw-3.4.bin.WIN64/lib-mingw-w64/{glfw3.dll,libglfw3dll.a} imguin_examples/glfw_opengl3/

5. Rename lib name

   pwd
   imguin_examples/glfw_opengl3
   mv libglfw3dll.a libglfw3.dll.a

6. Edit Makefile
   Add the following line to imguin_examples/glfw_opengl3/Makefile

   OPT += -d:release
   OPT += --passL:"-L ."    # <----- added line
   
   include ../makefile.common.mk
   

7. Run make to build example

   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.

TODO

---

• Can it compile with zig cc ? Done. But Zig lang. is very unstable at this time.
• Whether can it use cimgui.dll ? (Now it can only be static link) Closed. Only be static link.
• Easier compilation for SDL2 app. (2024/09) Done.
• Added: ImNodes/CImNodes (2023/10) Done
• Unfortunately Dear ImGui - 1.89.7 dosn't work well at this moment.(2023/07) Done. (2023/08)
• Whether can it do nimble install imguin ? Done (2023/09) (#Issue 13)
• Add Font Awesome (Icon Font) demo. Done (2023/04).
• Can it compile with MSVC (--cc:vcc) ? Done. Except SDL2 demo. (2023/03), TODO (2024/09)
• Can it compile with Clang (--cc:clang) ? Done. (2023/03)
• Add SDL2 example. Done. sdl2_opengl3 (2023/03)
• First step has been 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 2.2.4
• GCC (Rev1, Built by MSYS2 project) 15.2.0
• Clang version 21.1.4
• Visual Studio C++/C 2022
• git version 2.46.0.windows.1
• Make: GNU Make 4.4.1
• MSys2/MinGW tools

Linux OS: Debain 13

• Nim Compiler Version 2.2.4
• gcc 14.2.0
• make: GNU Make 4.4.1
• git version 2.47.3

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
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, C lang.	Compiler	Dear_Bindings_Build
Zig	Compiler	ImGuinZ

SDL Game tutorial Platfromer

---

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

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

Notes:

• Using ImPlot3D / ImPlot with Nim
• Nim + ImGui + ImPlot3D / ImPlot demo
• Build with ImPlot3D / ImPlot
• ImPlot3D integration example
• This project builds and runs Dear ImGui + ImPlot3D / ImPlotusing Nim.
• ImPlot3D is compiled from source (implot3d.h / implot3d.cpp)
• ImPlot is compiled from source (implot.h / implot.cpp)

Footnotes

1. 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) ↩

2. STATIC_LINK_GLFW = false can only be set at Dear ImGui 1.92.0 or later ↩