# Getting Started Once Slint is built, you can use it in your CMake application or library target in two steps: 1. Associate the `.slint` files that you'd like to use by calling the `slint_target_sources` CMake command. The first parameter is your application (or library) build target, and the parameters following are the names of the `.slint` files you want to include. This will compile the `.slint` files to C++ source code and included that into your built target. 2. The generated C++ source code needs the Slint run-time library. Use `target_link_libraries` to link your build target to `Slint::Slint`. A minimal CMake `CMakeLists.txt` file looks like this: ```cmake cmake_minimum_required(VERSION 3.21) project(my_application LANGUAGES CXX) # Note: Use find_package(Slint) instead of the following three commands, # if you prefer the package approach. include(FetchContent) FetchContent_Declare( Slint GIT_REPOSITORY https://github.com/slint-ui/slint.git # `release/1` will auto-upgrade to the latest Slint >= 1.0.0 and < 2.0.0 # `release/1.0` will auto-upgrade to the latest Slint >= 1.0.0 and < 1.1.0 GIT_TAG release/1 SOURCE_SUBDIR api/cpp ) FetchContent_MakeAvailable(Slint) add_executable(my_application main.cpp) slint_target_sources(my_application my_application_ui.slint) target_link_libraries(my_application PRIVATE Slint::Slint) # On Windows, copy the Slint DLL next to the application binary so that it's found. if (WIN32) add_custom_command(TARGET my_application POST_BUILD COMMAND ${CMAKE_COMMAND} -E copy $ $ COMMAND_EXPAND_LISTS) endif() ``` Suppose `my_application_ui.slint` was a "Hello World" like this: ```slint,no-preview export component HelloWorld inherits Window { width: 400px; height: 400px; // Declare an alias that exposes the label's text property to C++ in property my_label <=> label.text; label := Text { y: parent.width / 2; x: parent.x + 200px; text: "Hello, world"; color: blue; } } ``` then you can use the following code in you `main` function to show the [`Window`](../slint/src/builtins/elements.html#window) and change the text: ```cpp #include "my_application_ui.h" int main(int argc, char **argv) { auto hello_world = HelloWorld::create(); hello_world->set_my_label("Hello from C++"); // Show the window and spin the event loop until the window is closed. hello_world->run(); return 0; } ``` This works because the Slint compiler translated `my_application_ui.slint` to C++ code, in the `my_application_ui.h` header file. That generated code contains a C++ class that corresponds to the `HelloWorld` element and has API to create the UI, read or write properties, and set callbacks. You can learn more about how this API looks like in general in the [](generated_code.md) section. ## Tutorial For an in-depth walk-through, read our Slint Memory Game Tutorial. It will guide you through the `.slint` mark-up language and the C++ API by building a simple memory game. ## Template You can clone the [Template Repository](https://github.com/slint-ui/slint-cpp-template) repository with the code of a minimal C++ application using Slint. It provides a convenient starting point to a new program. Of course you can also read on: We will cover some recipes to handle common use-cases next.