Qt's model/view framework was one of the big additions to Qt 4 in 2005, replacing the previous item-based list, table, and tree widgets with a more general abstraction. QAbstractItemModel sits at the heart of this framework, and provides a virtual interface that allows implementers to make data available to the UI components. QAbstractItemModel is part of the Qt Core module, and it is also the interface through which Qt Quick's item views read and write data.