path: root/doc/src/projects/creator-projects-creating.qdoc

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/*!
    \contentspage index.html
    \previouspage creator-project-managing.html
    \page creator-project-creating.html
    \nextpage creator-project-opening.html

    \title Creating Projects

    Creating a project enables you to:

    \list

        \li Group files together

        \li Add custom build steps

        \li Include forms and resource files

        \li Specify settings for running applications

    \endlist

    Setting up a new project in \QC is aided by a wizard that guides you
    step-by-step through the project creation process. The wizards prompt you
    to enter the settings needed for that particular type of project and create
    the necessary files for you. You can add your own custom wizards to
    standardize the way subprojects and classes are added to a project.

    The wizards create projects that use the Qt build tool, qmake. It is a
    cross-platform system for build automation that helps simplify the build
    process for development projects across different platforms. qmake
    automates the generation of build configurations so that only a few lines
    of information are needed to create each configuration. For more
    information about qmake, see the \l{qmake Manual}.
    You can modify the build and run settings for qmake projects in the
    \gui Projects mode.

    Alternatively, you can use the CMake build automation system and set up the
    projects manually. In addition, you can import projects as
    \e {generic projects} that do not use qmake or CMake. This enables you to
    use \QC as a code editor and to fully control the steps and commands used to
    build the project.

    You can install tools for mobile devices
    as part of an SDK. The \l{glossary-buildandrun-kit}{kits} and build and run settings for the
    installed device types are set up automatically. However, you might need to
    install and configure some additional software on the devices to be able to
    connect to them from the development PC.

    \section1 Using Project Wizards

    In the first step, you
    select a template for the project. You can filter templates (1) to view only
    those that apply to a particular device type.

    \image qtcreator-new-qt-quick-project-wizard.png

    Next, you select a location for the project and specify settings for it.

    When you have completed the steps, \QC automatically generates the project
    with required headers, source files, user interface descriptions and project
    files, as defined by the wizard.
    For example, if you choose to create a Qt Quick application, \QC generates a
    QML file that you can modify with the integrated \QMLD.

    \section1 Selecting Project Type

    You can use wizards to create following types of projects:

    \list

        \li Applications

        \list

            \li Qt Widgets Application

                Use \QD forms to design a Qt widget based user interface for the
                desktop and C++ to implement the application logic

            \li Qt Quick Application

                Create a Qt Quick application that contains both QML and C++
                code. The project includes a QDeclarativeView or a QQuickView.
                You can build the application and deploy it to desktop and
                mobile target platforms.

            \li Qt Console Application

                Use a single main.cpp file

            \li HTML5 Application

                Use a QtWebKit view to design the user interface and HTML5 and
                C++ code to implement the application logic

            \li Qt Quick UI

                Use a single QML file that contains the main view. You can
                review Qt Quick UI projects in a \l{Previewing QML Files}
                {preview tool} and you need not build
                them. You do not need to have the development environment
                installed on your computer to create and run this type of
                projects

        \endlist

        \li Libraries

        \list

            \li C++ Library

                Shared or static C++ library based on qmake

            \li Qt Quick 1 Extension Plugin

                C++ plugin that makes it possible to offer extensions that can
                be loaded dynamically into Qt Quick 1 applications by using the
                QDeclarativeEngine class

            \li Qt Quick 2 Extension Plugin

                C++ plugin that makes it possible to offer extensions that can
                be loaded dynamically into Qt Quick 2 applications by using the
                QQmlEngine class

            \li \QC Plugin


        \endlist

        \li Other Projects

        \list

            \li Qt Unit Test

                Qt unit tests for features or classes

            \li Qt Custom Designer Widgets

                Custom \QD widget or widget collection

            \li Empty Qt Project

                Empty Qt project that is based on qmake but does not use any
                default classes

            \li Subdirs Project

                Subprojects that enable you to structure your qmake projects as
                a tree hierarchy

            \li Code Snippet

                Creates a qmake project from a code snippet. When fixing bug
                reports that contain a code snippet, you can place the code
                snippet into a project to compile and check it.

        \endlist

        \li Non-Qt Projects

        \list

            \li Plain C or C++ Project

                Plain C or C++ project that uses qmake but does not use the Qt
                library

            \li Plain C or C++ Project (CMake Build)

                Plain C or C++ project that uses CMake but does not use the Qt
                library

            \li Plain C or C++ Project (Qbs Build)

                Plain C or C++ project that uses Qbs but does not use the Qt
                library. This project type is listed if the experimental Qbs
                plugin has been enabled in \gui Help > \gui {About Plugins}.

        \endlist

        \li Import Project

        \list

        \li Project from version control

            Import a project from a supported version control system. For more
            information on how version control systems are integrated in
            \QC, see \l{Using Version Control Systems}

        \li Import Existing Project

            Import an existing project that does not use any of the supported
            build systems: qmake, CMake, or Autotools. This enables you to use
            \QC as a code editor

        \endlist

    \endlist

    To create a new project, select \gui File > \gui{New File or Project} and
    select the type of your project. The contents of the wizard dialogs depend
    on the project type and the \l{glossary-buildandrun-kit}{kits} that you select in the
    \gui {Kit Selection} dialog. Follow the instructions of the wizard.

    For examples of creating different types of projects, see
    \l{Tutorials}.

    For more information about creating Qt Quick projects, see
    \l {Creating Qt Quick Projects}.

    To change the location of the project directory, and to specify settings
    for building and running projects, select \gui{Tools} > \gui{Options} >
    \gui{Build & Run} > \gui{General}.

    To specify build and run settings for different target platforms,
    select \gui Projects.

    \section1 Adding Files to Projects

    You can use wizards also to add individual files to your projects.
    You can create the following types of files:

    \list

        \li C++

            C++ class, source, or header files that you can use to write the
            application logic in both Qt Quick projects and
            Qt widget based projects

        \li Qt

        \list

            \li \QD forms and \QD form classes, which specify parts of user
                interfaces in Qt widget based projects

        \li Qt resource files, which allow you to store binary files in the
            application executable

        \li QML files, which specify items in Qt Quick projects.
            \gui {Qt Quick 1} creates a QML file that imports Qt Quick 1.1 and
            \gui {Qt Quick 2} creates a QML file that imports Qt Quick 2.0.
            Select \gui {Qt Quick 1} to add files to a Qt Quick 1 application
            and \gui {Qt Quick 2} to add files to a Qt Quick 2 application.

        \li JavaScript files that you can use to write the application logic in
            Qt Quick projects

        \endlist

        \li GLSL

            GLSL files that define fragment and vertex shaders in both Qt Quick
            projects and Qt widget based projects

        \li General

        \list

            \li Text files

            \li Scratch buffers that use temporary files. You can create this
                type of files for temporarily storing information that you do
                not intend to save

        \endlist

        \li Python

            Python class and source files that you can use to create Python
            classes and scripts with UTF-8 encoding.

    \endlist

    \section2 Creating C++ Classes

    The \gui {C++ Class Wizard} allows you to create a C++ header and source
    file for a new class that you can add to a C++ project. Specify the class
    name, base class, and header and source files for the class.

    The  wizard supports namespaces. To use a namespace, enter a qualified
    class name in the \gui {Class name} field. For example:
    MyNamespace::MySubNamespace::MyClass.

    \image qtcreator-cpp-class-wizard.png "Enter Class Name dialog"

    The names of the header and source file are based on the class name. To
    change the default suffix of a file, select \gui Tools > \gui Options >
    \gui {C++} > \gui {File Naming}.

    You can create your own project and class wizards. For more information,
    see \l{Adding New Custom Wizards}.

    \section2 Creating OpenGL Fragment and Vertex Shaders

    Qt provides support for integration with OpenGL implementations on all
    platforms, which allows you to display hardware accelerated 3D graphics
    alongside a more conventional user interface. For more information, see
    \l{Qt Gui#opengl-and-opengl-es-integration}{OpenGL and OpenGL ES integration}.

    You can use the QOpenGLShader class to compile OpenGL shaders written in the
    OpenGL Shading Language (GLSL) and in the OpenGL/ES Shading Language
    (GLSL/ES). QOpenGLShader and QOpenGLShaderProgram shelter you from the
    details of
    compiling and linking vertex and fragment shaders.

    You can use \QC code editor to write fragment and vertex shaders
    in GLSL or GLSL/ES. The code editor provides syntax highlighting and code
    completion for the files.

    \image qtcreator-new-opengl-file.png "New OpenGL file wizard"

    \section2 Displaying Additional File Types in Projects Pane

    \QC determines whether to display files from the project folder
    in the \gui Projects pane depending on the file type (.pro, .pri, .cpp,
    .h, .qrc, and so on). To display other types of files, edit the
    project file. Add filenames as values of the \c {OTHER_FILES} variable.
    You can also use wildcards.

    For example, the following code specifies that text files are displayed
    in the \gui Projects pane:

    \code

    OTHER_FILES += *.txt

    \endcode

    This also makes the files available in the \gui Locator.

    \section1 Adding Subprojects to Projects

    In addition to Qt libraries, you can link your application to other
    libraries, such as system libraries or your own libraries. Further, your
    own libraries might link to other libraries. To be able to compile your
    project, you must add the libraries to your project. This also enables
    code completion and syntax highlighting for the libraries.
    The procedure of adding a library to a project depends on the build
    system that you use.

    When you create a new project, you can add it to another project as a
    subproject in the \gui{Project Management} dialog. However, the root project
    must specify that qmake uses the \c subdirs template to build the project.

    To create a root project, select \gui {File > New File or Project >
    Other Project > Subdirs Project > Choose}.

    On the \gui Summary page, select \gui {Finish & Add Subproject} to create
    the root project and to add another project, such as a C++ library.

    The wizard creates a project file (.pro) that defines a \c subdirs template
    and the subproject that you add as a value of the \l{Variables#subdirs}
    {SUBDIRS variable}. It also adds all the necessary files for the subproject.

    To add more subprojects, right-click the project name in the \gui Projects
    pane, and select \gui {New Subproject} in the context menu.

    To remove subprojects, right-click the project name in the \gui Projects
    pane, and select \gui {Remove Subproject} in the context menu.

    To specify dependencies, use the \gui{Add Library} wizard. For more
    information, see \l{Adding Libraries to Projects}.

    \section1 Related Topics

    \list
        \li  \l{Opening Projects}
        \li  \l{Adding Libraries to Projects}
        \li  \l{Adding New Custom Wizards}
        \li  \l{Using Other Build Systems}
    \endlist

*/