Resource Compiler (rcc)#

The rcc tool is used to embed resources into a Qt application during the build process. It works by generating a C++ source file containing data specified in a Qt resource (.qrc) file.

Usage:

rcc [options] <inputs>

RCC accepts the following command line options:

Option

Argument

Description

-o

file

Write output to file rather than to stdout.

-g, --generator

<cpp|python|python2>

Select generator.

-name

name

Create an external initialization function with name.

-threshold

level

Specifies a threshold level (as a percentage) to use when deciding whether to compress a file. If the reduction in the file size is greater than the threshold level, it is compressed; otherwise, the uncompressed data is stored instead. The default threshold level is 70%, meaning that compressed files which are 30% or less of their original size are stored as compressed data.

-compress-algo

algorithm

The algorithm to compress files with. Supported algorithms are zstd, zlib, and none, which respectively mean to compress the content using the Zstandard library, zlib library, and no compression. The default is zstd if that library was found at compile time, zlib if not.

-compress

level

Compress input files to the given compression level, which is algorithm-dependent. If the algorithm is zstd, the valid levels are 1 to 19, with the special values of 0 and -1 meaning libzstd's and rcc's default compressions. If the algorithm is zlib, the level is an integer in the range 1 to 9. For both algorithms, level 1 does the least compression but is fastest. Levels 9 or 19 do the most compression but are slowest. To turn off compression, use -no-compress. The default value for level is -1.

-root

path

Prefix the resource access path with path. The default is no prefix.

-no-compress

Disable compression.

--pass

<number>

Pass number for big resources

-binary

Output a binary file for use as a dynamic resource.

-version

Display version information.

-help

Display usage information.

-t, --temp <file>

Use temporary <file> for big resources.

--namespace

Turn off namespace macros.

--verbose

Enable verbose mode.

--list

Only list .qrc file entries, do not generate code.

--list-mapping

Only output a mapping of resource paths to file system paths defined in the .qrc file, do not generate code.

-d, --depfile

<file>

Write a depfile with the .qrc dependencies to <file>.

-project

Output a resource file containing all files from the current directory.

--format-version

<number>

The RCC format version to write.

Option	Argument	Description
`-o`	`file`	Write output to `file` rather than to stdout.
`-g, --generator`	`<cpp\|python\|python2>`	Select generator.
`-name`	`name`	Create an external initialization function with `name`.
`-threshold`	`level`	Specifies a threshold `level` (as a percentage) to use when deciding whether to compress a file. If the reduction in the file size is greater than the threshold `level`, it is compressed; otherwise, the uncompressed data is stored instead. The default threshold level is 70%, meaning that compressed files which are 30% or less of their original size are stored as compressed data.
`-compress-algo`	`algorithm`	The algorithm to compress files with. Supported algorithms are `zstd`, `zlib`, and `none`, which respectively mean to compress the content using the Zstandard library, zlib library, and no compression. The default is `zstd` if that library was found at compile time, `zlib` if not.
`-compress`	`level`	Compress input files to the given compression `level`, which is algorithm-dependent. If the algorithm is `zstd`, the valid levels are 1 to 19, with the special values of 0 and -1 meaning `libzstd`'s and `rcc`'s default compressions. If the algorithm is `zlib`, the level is an integer in the range 1 to 9. For both algorithms, level 1 does the least compression but is fastest. Levels 9 or 19 do the most compression but are slowest. To turn off compression, use `-no-compress`. The default value for `level` is -1.
`-root`	`path`	Prefix the resource access path with `path`. The default is no prefix.
`-no-compress`		Disable compression.
`--pass`	`<number>`	Pass number for big resources
`-binary`		Output a binary file for use as a dynamic resource.
`-version`		Display version information.
`-help`		Display usage information.
`-t, --temp <file>`		Use temporary <file> for big resources.
`--namespace`		Turn off namespace macros.
`--verbose`		Enable verbose mode.
`--list`		Only list .qrc file entries, do not generate code.
`--list-mapping`		Only output a mapping of resource paths to file system paths defined in the .qrc file, do not generate code.
`-d, --depfile`	`<file>`	Write a depfile with the .qrc dependencies to <file>.
`-project`		Output a resource file containing all files from the current directory.
`--format-version`	`<number>`	The RCC format version to write.

See also The Qt Resource System for more information about embedding resources in Qt applications.