How To
The following topics describe how to use Qt Creator to perform a particular task.
Analyze
Use integrated code analysis tools to detect memory leaks, profile function execution, analyze CPU use, and eliminate unnecessary complexity of code. Other integrated tools provide code coverage and visualize trace events.
- Analyze CPU usage
- Analyze code with Clang-Tidy and Clazy
- Check code coverage
- Check code syntax
- Configure Clang diagnostics
- Create compiler explorer sessions
- Detect errors in C++ code with Cppcheck
- Detect memory leaks with Heob
- Detect memory leaks with Memcheck
- Explore compiler code
- Prevent code erosion
- Profile CMake code
- Profile QML applications
- Profile function execution
- Run Valgrind tools on external applications
- Specify Valgrind settings for a project
Build and Run
Use integrated cross-platform systems for build automation to compile your source code for different target platforms or with different compilers, debuggers, or Qt versions. Deploy applications to the target platforms and run them there.
- Activate custom output parsers
- Add custom output parsers
- Build for many platforms
- Configure projects for building
- Customize the build process
- Edit Qbs profiles
- Edit vcpkg manifest files
- Enable debugging
- Use compilation databases
Build with CMake
CMake controls the software compilation process by using simple configuration files, called CMakeLists.txt files.
- Add CMake tools
- Add libraries to CMake projects
- Complete CMake code
- Debug CMake project files
- Edit CMake configuration files
- Format CMake files
- Manage files in CMake projects
- Override CMake settings for a project
- Profile CMake code
- Read CMake documentation
- View CMake project contents
Build with qmake
qmake automates the generation of Makefiles based on the information in a project file that has the extension .pro.
Run applications
Run applications on local and remote desktop systems, as well as on embedded and mobile devices that you connect to the computer.
- Configure projects for running
- Run Python applications
- Run in Qt Application Manager
- Run on many platforms
- Specify a custom executable to run
Create Models and Diagrams
Create Universal Modeling Language (UML) style models with structured and behavioral diagrams that offer different views to your system. Or, use a file wizard to create State Chart XML (SCXML) files with boilerplate code and edit them with an SCXML editor.
- Create UML-style models
- Create class diagrams
- Create component diagrams
- Create package diagrams
- Create state charts
Debug
Use debuggers to inspect the state of your application while it is running.
- Add breakpoints
- Attach the debugger to running applications
- Attach the debugger to starting processes
- Debug CMake project files
- Debug crashed processes on Windows
- Debug remotely with CDB
- Debug remotely with GDB
- Examine complex values in Debug views
- Inspect basic Qt objects
- Load core files to the debugger
- Manage breakpoints
- Set data breakpoints
- Show tooltips for simple values
- Start and debug an external application
- Start debugging
- Start debugging from the command line
- Step through code
Design UIs
Design UIs with either Qt Quick or Qt Widgets. Qt Creator integrates a visual editor, Qt Widgets Designer, for designing widget-based UIs in the Design mode. For Qt Quick UIs, use a separate visual editor, Qt Design Studio, or the Edit mode.
- Create pixmaps from SVG images
- Preview Qt Quick UIs on devices
- Preview UI prototypes in browsers
- Preview a QML file on desktop
- Run QML files
- View images
Develop for Devices
Install the toolchain for building applications for the targeted embedded or mobile platform on the computer, and use Qt Online Installer to install Qt libraries that are built for the platform. Then add a kit with the toolchain and the Qt version for the device's architecture. When possible, Qt Online Installer creates suitable kits for you. Connect the devices to the computer to run, debug, and analyze applications on them.
Android
Install Qt for Android and Android tools, and connect Android devices to the computer.
- Create an Android Virtual Device (AVD)
- Debug on Android devices
- Manage AVDs
- Manage Android NDK packages
- Manage Android SDK packages
- Set up Android development environment
Bare Metal
Run and debug applications on small Linux devices that are not supported by the remote Linux device plugin by using GDB or a hardware debugger.
- Add Bare Metal devices
- Set up EBlink
- Set up J-Link
- Set up OpenOCD
- Set up St-Link
- Set up the uVision IDE
Boot to Qt
Run, debug, and analyze applications on Boot to Qt devices.
Docker
Create Docker devices from Docker images and use them to build, run, and debug applications.
iOS
Install Qt for iOS and Xcode, and connect iOS devices to the computer.
MCUs
Install Qt for MCUs, and connect microcontrollers to the computer.
QNX Neutrino
Install Qt for QNX, and connect QNX Neutrino devices to the computer.
Remote Linux
Add kits for toolchains for building applications for generic Linux devices, and connect the devices to the computer.
- Add remote Linux devices
- Configure SSH connections
- Connect remote Linux devices
- Generate SSH keys
- Manage device processes
- Run on remote Linux devices
WebAssembly
Install Qt for WebAssembly to build applications for the web and run them in a web browser.
Edit Code
The code editor offers useful features for editing C++ and QML code, such as semantic highlighting, checking code syntax, code completion, and quick fixes. Some of these features are also for other programming languages, such as Python, for which a language server is available that provides information about the code to IDEs.
- Apply quick fixes
- Automatically format QML/JS files
- Bookmark code
- Compare files
- Complete code
- Document code
- Download highlight definitions
- Edit Markdown files
- Edit properties of QML types
- Enclose code in brackets or quotes
- Highlight code blocks
- Indent text or code
- Insert multiple cursors
- Inspect the code model
- Locate files using the keyboard
- Move between files
- Move in QML code
- Move to symbols
- Parse files
- Paste and fetch code snippets
- Paste text from clipboard history
- Perform calculations
- Record text editing macros
- Select the current code block
- Split the editor view
- Switch to Edit mode
- Use GitHub Copilot
- Write down notes
Configure Editors
Configure the code and text editor to suit your specific needs by changing the fonts, colors, highlighting, and indentation.
- Add code snippets to the auto-complete menu
- Beautify source code
- Change editor colors
- Change text encoding
- Configure C++ code model
- Edit MIME types
- Edit like in Vim
- Select line ending style
- Specify code style
Manage Language Servers
Configure language servers that Qt Creator adds by default or add more of them.
- Add a Java language server
- Add generic language servers
- Configure Python language servers
- Configure QML Language Server
- Configure language server workspace
- Inspect language clients
Search
Use the incremental and advanced search to search in currently open projects or files on the file system or use the locator to browse through projects, files, classes, functions, documentation, and file systems.
- Find symbols
- Navigate with locator
- Rename symbols
- Search and replace using a regular expression
- Search in current file
- Search in projects or file systems
- Turn on Silver Searcher
Manage Kits
Qt Creator groups build and run specific settings as kits to make cross-platform development easier. Each kit consists of a set of values that define one environment, such as a device, toolchain, Qt version, and debugger command to use.
- Activate kits for a project
- Add Bare Metal devices
- Add CMake tools
- Add Nim compilers
- Add Qt versions
- Add compilers
- Add custom compilers
- Add debuggers
- Add kits
- Manage MCU Kits
- Open projects
Manage Projects
Create projects for developing applications and libraries. Then configure the projects for building and running the applications on target platforms.
- Add libraries to CMake projects
- Configure projects for building
- Configure projects for running
- Create vcpkg manifest files
- Develop Qt for Python applications
- Edit environment settings
- Enable debugging
- Import an existing project
- Open projects
- Run Python applications
- Specify the environment for projects
- Use Qt Creator variables
Create Projects
Use preset wizards to create projects or add custom wizards. You can also import projects from version control systems.
- Add libraries to qmake projects
- Add subprojects to projects
- Add wizards
- Create Nimble projects
- Create Qt Quick Applications
- Create Qt Quick UI Prototypes
- Create VCS repositories for new projects
- Select the build system
- Use project wizards
Add Files
Add files to projects.
- Add a license header template for C++ code
- Add translation files
- Add wizards
- Create C++ classes
- Create OpenGL fragment and vertex shaders
- Create files
- Create resource files
- Set C++ file naming preferences
Configure Projects
Change the default configurations that installation programs and project wizards create.
- Activate kits for a project
- Apply filters before scanning for tests
- Configure C++ code model
- Configure language server workspace
- Create VCS repositories for new projects
- Exclude files from to-do lists
- Link projects to Axivion dashboards
- Link projects with GitLab
- Open projects
- Override CMake settings for a project
- Share project settings
- Specify Clang tools settings
- Specify clangd settings
- Specify dependencies
- Specify editor settings
- Specify project contents
- Specify settings for quick fixes
Read Documentation
Qt Creator integrates the reference documentation for the Qt versions that you install. You can add documentation from other sources.
- Add bookmarks to help pages
- Add external documentation
- Detach the help window
- Filter documentation
- Find information in Qt documentation
- Get help
- Read CMake documentation
- Search from documentation
- Select the help start page
Test
Create and run code based tests and build system based tests. Code based testing offers special handling for particular testing frameworks that strongly ties to the underlying code models or specialized parsers. Build system based testing is independent from any testing frameworks. It retrieves information directly from the underlying build system and uses it or even the build system as such to execute the respective tests.
- Add tests to existing test projects
- Apply filters before scanning for tests
- Build and run tests
- Connect to Squish Server
- Create Boost tests
- Create CTest Based Tests
- Create Catch2 tests
- Create Google tests
- Create Qt Quick tests
- Create Qt tests
- Create Squish test suites
- Manage Squish test suites and cases
- Select Squish AUTs
Use Qt Creator
Use basic Qt Creator features and preinstalled plugins. Install more plugins and configure external tools for use.
- Collect usage statistics
- Contact Qt
- Enable and disable plugins
- Inspect internal logs
- Install plugins
- Load extensions
- Manage data collection
- Manage sessions
- Record screens
- Reset Qt Creator settings
- Run Qt Creator from the command line
- Set up version control systems
- Use Qt Linguist
- Use common VCS functions
- Use external text editors
- Use external tools
Use the UI
Navigate the UI or change its appearance and behavior.
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