iZo

iZo is a small C++17 library that exposes common operating-system services through one consistent API on Windows and Linux.

Features

• Native open, save, folder, message, input, and color dialogs
• Command-line flags, values, integers, and positional arguments
• UTF-8 text, file-list, and RGBA image clipboard access
• Native desktop notifications
• Standard application, user, temporary, and executable paths
• Managed and blocking processes with pipes, timeouts, and output capture
• Move-only dynamic library handles with automatic cleanup
• Environment variables and basic system information
• Monotonic timing and sleeping
• Recursive or non-recursive directory watching
• Crash callbacks, debugger detection, debug breaks, and debug output
• Opening paths and revealing files in the platform file manager
• Battery status, sleep inhibition, shutdown, and restart controls

Linux dialogs discover zenity or kdialog at runtime. Linux clipboard access discovers wl-clipboard or xclip; notifications use notify-send; sleep inhibition uses systemd-inhibit. No GUI toolkit is linked into applications.

Shutdown and Restart request immediate system power actions and generally require elevated operating-system privileges.

Build

cmake -S . -B build -DIZO_BUILD_EXAMPLE=ON -DIZO_BUILD_TESTS=ON
cmake --build build
ctest --test-dir build

The unit test suite targets Linux and runs automatically on Gitea Actions using an ubuntu-latest runner.

To consume an installed copy:

find_package(iZo CONFIG REQUIRED)
target_link_libraries(your_target PRIVATE iZo::izo)

Usage

Include individual feature headers or the complete API:

#include <izo/iZo.hpp>

izo::CommandLine args(argc, argv);
if (args.Has("--verbose")) {
    // Enable verbose logging.
}
const auto configPath = args.Get("--config");
const int threads = args.GetInt("--threads", 4);

izo::ShowNotification("Build complete", "iZo finished compiling");

izo::ClipboardImage image{2, 1, {
    255, 0, 0, 255,
    0, 0, 255, 255,
}};
izo::SetClipboardImage(image);

if (izo::PreventSleep()) {
    // Run a render job, then release the operating-system sleep inhibitor.
    izo::AllowSleep();
}

izo::DialogOptions options;
options.title = "Choose an image";
options.filters = {{"Images", {"*.png", "*.jpg"}}};

if (auto selection = izo::OpenFile(options)) {
    izo::RevealInFileManager(selection.paths.front());
}

if (izo::ShowQuestionBox("Delete file?", "This cannot be undone.") ==
    izo::MessageResponse::Yes) {
    // Delete it.
}

if (auto name = izo::ShowInputBox({"Profile", "Display name:"})) {
    // name.value contains the submitted UTF-8 text.
}

if (auto color = izo::PickColor({"Accent color", {32, 128, 255}})) {
    // color.color contains the selected RGB channels.
}

auto config = izo::GetKnownPath(izo::KnownPath::Config);

izo::ProcessOptions process;
process.executable = "tool";
process.arguments = {"--input", "asset.png"};
process.captureOutput = true;
process.timeoutMs = 5000;
const auto completed = izo::RunProcess(process);
if (completed.exitCode == 0) {
    // completed.stdoutText contains the tool output.
}

process.pipeStdin = true;
if (auto running = izo::StartProcess(process)) {
    running.WriteStdin("input");
    running.CloseStdin();
    running.Wait();
}

Resource-owning APIs are move-only and clean themselves up:

std::string error;
auto library = izo::LoadDynamicLibrary("plugin.dll", &error);
if (library) {
    void* entry = library.Symbol("initialize_plugin", &error);
}

auto watcher = izo::WatchDirectory(
    {{"assets"}, true},
    [](const izo::FileEvent& event) {
        // Handle added, removed, modified, or renamed files.
        // Rename events provide the old path in event.previousPath.
    },
    &error);

Dialog calls block until dismissed. Directory callbacks run on the watcher's worker thread and must not destroy their own watcher.