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.

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.

Build with CMake

CMake controls the software compilation process by using simple configuration files, called CMakeLists.txt files.

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.

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.

Debug

Use debuggers to inspect the state of your application while it is running.

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.

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.

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.

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.

VxWorks

Build Qt for VxWorks, and create VxWorks build and run kits.

Create kits for VxWorks 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.

Configure Editors

Configure the code and text editor to suit your specific needs by changing the fonts, colors, highlighting, and indentation.

Manage Language Servers

Configure language servers that Qt Creator adds by default or add more of them.

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.

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.

Manage Projects

Create projects for developing applications and libraries. Then configure the projects for building and running the applications on target platforms.

Create Projects

Use preset wizards to create projects or add custom wizards. You can also import projects from version control systems.

Add Files

Add files to projects.

Configure Projects

Change the default configurations that installation programs and project wizards create.

Read Documentation

Qt Creator integrates the reference documentation for the Qt versions that you install. You can add documentation from other sources.

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.

Use Qt Creator

Use basic Qt Creator features and preinstalled plugins. Install more plugins and configure external tools for use.

Use the UI

Navigate the UI or change its appearance and behavior.

Tutorials Reference

Copyright © The Qt Company Ltd. and other contributors. Documentation contributions included herein are the copyrights of their respective owners. The documentation provided herein is licensed under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License version 1.3 as published by the Free Software Foundation. Qt and respective logos are trademarks of The Qt Company Ltd in Finland and/or other countries worldwide. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.