Reference
The following topics contain reference information about using Qt Creator and the integrated tools.
Options for starting Qt Creator from the command line. | |
Wizard types and JSON wizard format. | |
Answers to some frequently asked questions about Qt Creator. | |
Qt Creator terms and concepts. | |
Default keyboard shortcuts. | |
Known issues in Qt Creator version 19.0.0-beta1. | |
Licenses and third-party components in Qt Creator. | |
Configure CMake and set up compilers, debuggers, devices, Qt versions, and kits from the command line. | |
Qt support sites and other useful sites. | |
Version control systems that you can use from Qt Creator. |
Analyzers
Use integrated code analysis tools to improve your C++ or QML code.
Reference topics
Visualize Chrome trace events generated in Chrome Trace Format (CTF). | |
Detect memory leaks with Heob. | |
Run static checks on the QML and JavaScript code in your project to find common problems. | |
Analyze the CPU and memory usage of an application on Linux desktop and embedded devices. | |
Improve the performance of QML applications. |
Build Systems
When you create projects, you can choose the build system to use for building the project: CMake, qmake, Meson, or Qbs. qmake is installed and configured when you install Qt. To use one of the other supported build systems, you need to set it up.
Reference topics
With Autotools, you can create a portable, complete, and self-contained GNU Build System from simple instructions. | |
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. | |
CMake is an alternative to qmake for automating the generation of build systems. | |
The experimental Conan plugin integrates the Conan package manager. | |
IncrediBuild decreases the time it takes to build C++ code. | |
Use Meson to build native desktop applications. | |
The Nimble package manager uses the Nim compiler to generate Nim application executables for the desktop platforms. | |
Qbs is an all-in-one build tool that generates a build graph from a high-level project description (like qmake or CMake do) and executes the commands in the low-level build graph (like make does). | |
The experimental vcpkg plugin integrates the vcpkg C/C++ package manager. |
Build Configurations
Build configurations have everything you need to compile the sources into binaries. Build configurations use the tools and settings defined in their corresponding kit.
Reference topics
Settings for building applications with CMake. | |
Settings for building applications with qmake. | |
Examples of supported CMake presets. | |
Summary of CMake Qt vendor presets. | |
Settings for building applications with the Conan package manager. | |
Build and clean steps for Incredibuild. | |
Settings for building applications with Meson. | |
Settings for building applications with Qbs. |
Debuggers
Set up and use debuggers to debug executable binary files, as well as QML, Java, and Python source code.
Reference topics
Inspect the state of your application while it is running. | |
Load, customize, and add debugging helpers. | |
Debug JavaScript functions, execute JavaScript expressions to get information about the state of the UI, and inspect QML properties and JavaScript variables, as well as change their values temporarily at runtime. | |
Summary of supported debugger versions. | |
Solve problems that you might encounter while debugging. |
Debugger Views
Inspect the state of your application while debugging in the Debug mode.
Reference topics
Inspect the state of your application while debugging. | |
Troubleshoot the debugger. | |
Compute values of arithmetic expressions or function calls. | |
Inspect local variables and function parameters. | |
View the current state of peripheral devices, such as a mouse, keyboard, display, printer, or USB drive. | |
Set breakpoints to interrupt the application. | |
View disassembled code for the current function. | |
View information about the modules included in a debugged application. | |
View source files included in a debugged project. | |
View the threads currently active in a multi-threaded application. | |
View the current state of general-purpose and special-purpose CPU registers. | |
View the nested function calls leading to the current position as a call stack trace. |
Devices
Connect devices to the computer to run, debug, and analyze applications built for them from Qt Creator. When you install Qt for a target platform, such as Android or QNX, the build, deploy, and run configurations for the development targets might be set up automatically in Qt Creator.
Reference topics
Use Qt for WebAssembly to build your applications in WebAssembly format and deploy and run them on the local web browser. | |
Set up the toolchain for building applications for Android devices. | |
Create kits to use Bare Metal toolchains installed on the computer to build applications for and run and debug them on connected Bare Metal devices. | |
Connect Boot to Qt devices to the computer to run, debug, and analyze applications built for them from Qt Creator. | |
Create Docker devices from Docker images and use them to build, run, and debug applications. | |
Connect MCU devices to the computer to run and debug applications on them. | |
Run, debug, and analyze applications on QNX Neutrino devices. | |
Use Qt for VxWorks to develop Qt applications for VxWorks embedded systems. | |
Connect iOS devices to your local machine with a USB cable to run applications on them. | |
Connect generic Linux devices to the computer to run, debug, and analyze applications built for them from Qt Creator. | |
Develop applications using the components and tools of the Windows App SDK. |
Deploy Configurations
Deploy configurations handle the packaging of the application as an executable and copying it to a location you want to run the executable at. The files can be copied to a location in the file system of the computer or a device.
Reference topics
Create packages to deploy to devices or to submit to the Google Play store, or create libraries for Android app modules. | |
Copy application files to Boot to Qt devices. | |
Copy application files to QNX Neutrino devices. | |
Copy application files to generic remote Linux devices or create a tarball. |
Run Configurations
Run configurations start the application in the location where the deploy configuration copied it. By default, when you select Run, Qt Creator builds the project, deploys it to the device defined in the kit, and runs it there. If you did not make changes to the project since you last built and deployed it, Qt Creator simply runs it again.
Reference topics
Settings for running applications on Android devices. | |
Settings for running applications on Boot to Qt devices. | |
Settings for running applications on desktop device types. | |
Settings for running Qt for Python applications. | |
Settings for running applications on Linux-based devices. | |
Settings for running Qt Quick UI Prototype projects (<@op>.</@op>qmlproject). | |
Settings for running applications on Linux-based devices. |
Editors
When you open files, Qt Creator chooses a suitable editor according to the file type.
Reference topics
Summary of quick fixes for C++ code. | |
Offers code editing services for C++. | |
Edit state chart (.scxml) files. | |
Create Universal Modeling Language (UML) style models with structured and behavioral diagrams. | |
Edit and navigate code and other resources in your projects. | |
Supported Vim modes and emulated commands. | |
Get code completion, highlighting of the symbol under cursor, and jumping to the symbol definition in the editor for other programming languages besides C++, as well as diagnostics. | |
Summary of quick fixes for QML code. |
Platforms
You can install and run Qt Creator on several operating systems to create applications for multiple desktop, embedded, and mobile device platforms.
Reference topics
Requirements for operating systems that you can install and run Qt Creator on. | |
Guidelines for developing usable applications for mobile devices. | |
Summary of development and target platforms. |
Preferences
You can set preferences that apply globally to all projects and override them for particular projects.
Reference topics
Create a connection to an Axivion dashboard server. | |
Format source code with Artistic Style, ClangFormat, or Uncrustify. | |
Set indentation for Vim-style editing and map vim commands to Qt Creator functions. | |
Add and change locator filters. | |
Set Nim code style and paths to tools. | |
Set preferences for Qbs and Qbs profiles. | |
Set preferences for recording screens with FFmpeg. | |
Customize the handling of tests, test frameworks, and test tools. | |
Add keywords for listing to-do entries. |
Analyzer
Preferences for code analysis tools.
Reference topics
Set preferences for Clang-Tidy and Clazy. | |
Set preferences for Valgrind Callgrind. | |
Set preferences for Valgrind Memcheck. |
C++
Preferences for editing C++ code.
Reference topics
Set global code style for C++ files. | |
Sets global preferences for the clangd code model. | |
Sets global preferences for the C++ code model. | |
Set global preferences for C++ quick fixes. |
Debugger
Preferences for debugging.
Reference topics
Kits
Preferences for build and run kits.
Reference topics
Lists the registered compilers. You can add custom compilers to the list. |
Text Editor
Preferences for the behavior and appearance of text and code editors.
Reference topics
Set preferences for indentation, typing, and file encoding in the text editor. | |
Set preferences for code completion and inserting matching characters in the text editor. | |
Add, change, and remove snippets in the snippet editor. |
UI Design
You can use 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.
Reference topics
Adding widgets to Qt Widgets Designer by creating plugins that extend Qt applications. | |
Converting a project that has a .qmlproject file to one that has a .pro file. | |
A visual editor for QML files (.qml) and Qt Design Studio UI files (.ui.qml). | |
A visual editor for Qt Widgets. | |
Limitations of Qt Design Studio UI files (.ui.qml). | |
Using C++ plugins to expose custom components to Qt Quick applications. |
Views
When you switch modes or trigger actions, Qt Creator opens views for viewing output and organizing project contents.
Output Views
You can view output from several sources, such as a list of errors and warnings encountered during a build, detailed output from the compiler, status of a program when it is executed, debug output, or search results.
Reference topics
Displays the status of a program when you execute it, and the debug output. | |
Shows all output from the compiler. | |
Lists issues from different sources. | |
Search through projects, files on a file system or the currently open files and view search results. | |
View Squish test, runner, and server logs. | |
Opens a terminal. | |
View test results. | |
Lists to-do keywords from project files. |
Sidebar Views
In some modes, you can use a left and right sidebar to organize different views into project contents. Only views that are relevant to the mode you are working in are available in it.
Reference topics
Shows information about incoming and outgoing function calls from a language server. | |
Shows the class hierarchy of the currently open projects. | |
Shows all the files in the current directory. | |
Shows the files that the current file includes and those that include the current file. | |
Shows currently open files. | |
Shows an overview of defined types and other symbols, as well as their properties and hierarchy in a source file. | |
Shows a list of projects in a project tree. | |
Shows the base classes and derived classes of a class. |
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