qtcreator.qdoc

/*!
    \contentspage{index.html}{Qt Creator}
    \page index.html
    \nextpage creator-quick-tour.html

    \title Qt Creator Manual

    \section1 Version 1.3.0

    The goal of Qt Creator is to provide a cross-platform, complete Integrated
    Development Environment (IDE) to develop Qt projects. It is available for
    the Linux, Mac OS X and Windows platforms.

    \note Please report bugs and suggestions to the
    \l{http://bugreports.qt.nokia.com}{Qt Bug Tracker}.
    You can also join the Qt Creator mailing list. To subscribe,
    send a message with the word \e subscribe to
    \l{mailto:qt-creator-request@trolltech.com}
    {qt-creator-request@trolltech.com}. For more information on Qt mailing
    lists, visit \l{http://lists.trolltech.com}{http://lists.trolltech.com}.

    \raw HTML
    <img border="0" style="float:right;" src="images/qtcreator-screenshots.png" />
    \endraw 

    \list
       \o   \l{A Quick Tour of Qt Creator}
       \o   \l{Creating a Project in Qt Creator}
       \o   \l{The Code Editor}
       \o   \l{Project Settings}
       \o   \l{Qt Version Management}
       \o   \l{Writing a Simple Program with Qt Creator}
       \o   \l{Qt Creator and Version Control Systems}
       \o   \l{Navigating Quickly Around Your Code with Locator}
       \o   \l{Session Management in Qt Creator}
       \o   \l{Debugging with Qt Creator}
       \o   \l{CMake Support in Qt Creator}
       \o   \l{Support for Generic Projects in Qt Creator}
       \o   \l{Development of Qt for Symbian Based Applications}
       \o   \l{Handling External Libraries}
       \o   \l{Tips and Tricks}
       \o   \l{Keyboard Shortcuts}
       \o   \l{Glossary}
       \o   \l{Supported Platforms}
       \o   \l{Known Issues}
       \o   \l{Acknowledgements}
    \endlist
*/

/*!
    \contentspage index.html
    \page creator-quick-tour.html
    \nextpage creator-code-editor.html

    \title A Quick Tour of Qt Creator

    The labeled screenshot below shows some of the components of Qt Creator, in
    \gui Edit mode.

    \image qtcreator-breakdown.png

    \section1 The Mode Selectors

    When working in Qt Creator, you can be in one of six modes: \bold Welcome,
    \bold Edit, \bold Debug, \bold Projects, \bold Help, and \bold Output.

    Mode selectors allow you to quickly switch between tasks: Editing, browsing
    the Qt Creator manual, setting up the build environment, etc. You can
    activate a mode by either clicking on its mode selector, or using the
    \l{keyboard-shortcuts}{corresponding shortcut}. Certain actions also
    trigger a mode change, e.g., \gui{Debug}/\gui{Start Debugging} will switch
    to the \gui Debug mode.

    \list

    \o \gui{Welcome Mode} - Displays a welcome screen allowing you to quickly
    load recent sessions or individual projects. This is the mode you will see
    if Qt Creator is run without command line switches.

    \o \gui{Edit Mode} - Lets you edit both project and source files. A sidebar
    on the left provides different views to navigate between files.

    \o \gui{Debug Mode} - Provides various ways to inspect the state of the
    program while debugging. See \l{Debugging With Qt Creator} for a hands-on
    description of how to use this mode.

    \o \gui{Projects Mode} - Lets you configure how projects can be built and
    executed. Under the list of projects, there are tabs to configure the
    build, run, and editor settings.

    \o \gui{Help Mode} - Shows any documentation registered by Qt Assistant,
    such as the Qt library and Qt Creator documentation.

    \o \gui{Output Mode} - Lets you examine various data in detail, for example
    build issues as well as compile and application output. This information
    is also available in the output panes.

    \endlist


    \section1 The Output Panes

    The task pane in Qt Creator can display one of four different panes:
    \gui{Build Issues}, \gui{Search Results}, \gui{Application Output}, and
    \gui{Compile Output}. These panes are available in all modes.


    \section2 Build Issues

    The \gui{Build Issues} pane provides a list of issues, e.g., error messages
    or warnings that need to be fixed. It filters out irrelevant output from
    the compiler and collects them in an organized way.

    \image qtcreator-build-issues.png


    \section2 Search Results

    The \gui{Search Results} pane displays the results for global searches such
    as searching within a current document, files on disk, or all projects. In
    the screenshot below, we searched for all occurrences of \c{textfinder}
    within the \c{"/TextFinder"} folder.

    \image qtcreator-search-pane.png


    \section2 Application Output

    The \gui{Application Output} pane displays the status of the program when
    it is executed and debug output, e.g., output from qDebug().

    \image qtcreator-application-output.png


    \section2 Compile

    The \gui{Compile Output} pane provides all the output from the compiler. In
    other words, it is a more verbose version of information displayed in the
    \gui{Build Issues}

    \image qtcreator-compile-pane.png


    \section1 Qt Help Integration

    Qt Creator comes fully integrated with all of Qt's documentation and
    examples via the Qt Help plugin. To view the documentation, you can switch
    to the \gui{Help} mode. To obtain context sensitive help, move your text
    cursor to a Qt class or function and press \key{F1}. The documentation
    will be displayed within a panel on the right, as shown in the screenshot
    below. If there is enough vertical space, it will be shown in the 
    fullscreen help mode.

    External Documentation provided by the user can be used to augment or
    replace the documentation shipped with Qt Creator and Qt.

    \image qtcreator-context-sensitive-help.png


    \section1 Qt Designer Integration

    Qt Creator is fully integrated with Qt Designer to help you design user
    interface forms just like you would with the standalone version. The Qt
    Designer integration also includes project management and code completion.
    For more information on Qt Designer, you can refer to
    \l{http://doc.trolltech.com/designer-manual.html}{The Designer Manual}.

    \image qtcreator-formedit.png


    \section1 Keyboard Navigation

    Qt Creator caters not only to developers who are used to using the mouse,
    but also to developers who are more comfortable with the keyboard. A wide
    range of \l{keyboard-shortcuts}{keyboard} and
    \l{Navigating Quickly Around Your Code with Locator}{navigation} shortcuts
    are available to help speed up the process of developing your application.
*/

/*! \contentspage index.html
    \previouspage creator-quick-tour.html
    \page creator-code-editor.html
    \nextpage creator-project-pane.html

    \title The Code Editor

    Qt Creator's code editor is designed to aid the developer to create, edit,
    and navigate code. It is fully equipped with syntax highlighting, code
    completion, context sensitive help, as well as inline error indicators
    while you are typing. The screenshots below show the various dialogs within
    which you can configure your editor.

    \table
        \row
            \i  \inlineimage qtcreator-texteditor-fonts.png
            \i  \inlineimage qtcreator-texteditor-behavior.png
        \row
            \i  \inlineimage qtcreator-texteditor-display.png
            \i  \inlineimage qtcreator-texteditor-completion.png
    \endtable

    The table below lists keyboard shortcuts supported by the code editor.

    \table
        \row
            \i  Block navigation
            \i  To navigate between blocks, e.g., from one \bold{\{} to another
                \bold{\}} , use \key{Ctrl+[} and \key{Ctrl+]}.
        \row
            \i  Block selection
            \i  To select a current block, use \key{Ctrl+U}. Pressing
                \key{Ctrl+U} again extends the selection to the parent block.
                To deselect, use \key{Ctrl+Shift+U}.
        \row
            \i  Moving lines up and down
            \i  Use \key{Ctrl+Shift+Up} and \key{Ctrl+Shift+Down}

        \row
            \i  Completion
            \i  Use \key{Ctrl+Space}

        \row
            \i  Indenting Blocks
            \i  Use \key{Ctrl+I}

        \row
            \i  Collapse
            \i  Use \key{Ctrl+\<}

        \row
            \i  Commenting or uncommenting blocks
            \i  Use \key{Ctrl+\/}

        \row
            \i  Delete a line
            \i  Use \key{Shift+Del}

        \row
            \i  Switch between header file and source file
            \i  Use \key{F4}.

        \row
            \i  Increasing and decreasing font size
            \i  Use \key{Ctrl+Scroll Wheel}

        \row
            \i  Follow symbols under the cursor
            \i  Use \key{F2} and \key{Shift+F2}. This feature works with
                namespaces, classes, methods, variables, include statements,
                and macros.

        \row
            \i  Switch to an external editor
            \i  Select \gui{Open in external editor} from the
                \gui{Edit -> Advanced} menu.
    \endtable

    \section1 Code Completion

    The completion popup shows possible completions to a certain statement.
    These completions include classes, namespaces, functions, variables,
    macros and keywords. Listed below are the icons used in the completion box
    and their meaning.

    \table
        \row
            \i  \inlineimage completion/class.png
            \i  A class
        \row
            \i  \inlineimage completion/enum.png
            \i  An enum
        \row
            \i  \inlineimage completion/enumerator.png
            \i  An enumerator (value of an enum)
        \row
            \i  \inlineimage completion/func.png
            \i  A function
        \row
            \i  \inlineimage completion/func_priv.png
            \i  A private function
        \row
            \i  \inlineimage completion/func_prot.png
            \i  A protected function
        \row
            \i  \inlineimage completion/var.png
            \i  A variable
        \row
            \i  \inlineimage completion/var_priv.png
            \i  A private variable
        \row
            \i  \inlineimage completion/var_prot.png
            \i  A protected variable
        \row
            \i  \inlineimage completion/signal.png
            \i  A signal
        \row
            \i  \inlineimage completion/slot.png
            \i  A slot
        \row
            \i  \inlineimage completion/slot_priv.png
            \i  A private slot
        \row
            \i  \inlineimage completion/slot_prot.png
            \i  A protected slot
        \row
            \i  \inlineimage completion/keyword.png
            \i  A keyword
        \row
            \i  \inlineimage completion/macro.png
            \i  A macro
        \row
            \i  \inlineimage completion/namespace.png
            \i  A namespace
    \endtable
*/


/*!
    \contentspage index.html
    \previouspage creator-code-editor.html
    \page creator-project-pane.html
    \nextpage creator-version-management.html

    \title Project Settings

    \table
        \row
            \i  \note This page describes Qt Creator's support for \c qmake.
                For information on CMake support, see
                \l{CMake Support in Qt Creator}.
    \endtable

    To modify the project settings of your project, switch to the \gui{Projects}
    mode using the mouse or \key{Ctrl+4}.

    \image qtcreator-projectpane.png

    The project pane is divided into two areas. At the top the currently active
    settings are shown. The active build or run configuration for all projects
    can be changed there. The bottom area allows you to quickly get an overview
    of the build, run and editor settings as well as the dependencies between your
    projects. It also allows you to edit those settings.

    \section1 Build Settings

    Build configurations allow you to quickly switch between different build
    settings. By default Qt Creator Qt Creator creates a \bold{debug} and
    \bold{release} build configuration. Both these configurations use the
    \l{glossary-default-qt}{Default Qt Version}. Action items to create, clone,
    or delete build configurations can be found at the top. You can have as
    many build configurations as needed. To edit settings click on the
    \gui{Show Details} button. Here you can specify which
    \l{glossary-project-qt}{Qt version} to use to build your project, or whether
    to \l{glossary-shadow-build}{shadow build} the project, for instance.

    \image qtcreator-ppbuildsettings.png

    The build system of Qt Creator is built on top of \c qmake and \c make. The
    settings for \c qmake and \c make can be changed. Qt Creator will run the
    make command using the correct Qt version.

    In the \bold{Build Environment} section you can specify the environment used
    for building. By default the environment in which Qt Creator was started
    is used and modified to include the Qt version. Depending on the selected
    Qt version, Qt Creator will automatically set the necessary environment
    variables.

    \section1 Run Settings

    \image qtcreator-pprunsettings.png
    Qt Creator automatically creates run configurations for your project.
    These run configurations derive their executable
    from the parsed .pro files. You can also create \bold{custom executable}
    run configurations where you can freely set the executable to be run.

    \section1 Dependencies

    If you have multiple projects loaded in your session, you can configure
    dependencies between them. This will affect the build order of your
    projects. To do this, go the the \bold{Dependencies} section after selecting
    the project for which you want to configure the dependencies, and then use
    the checkboxes to check which of the other projects is a dependency.
    \note This is unrelated to the dependencies inside a qmake project.
*/


/*!
    \contentspage index.html
    \previouspage creator-project-pane.html
    \page creator-version-management.html
    \nextpage creator-creating-project.html

    \title Qt Version Management

    Qt Creator allows you to use multiple versions of Qt installed on your hard
    disk and switch between them easily.

    Qt Creator automatically detects if \c qmake is in the environment variable
    \c PATH. This \l{glossary-system-qt}{version of Qt} is referred to as
    \bold{Qt in PATH}. If you intend to use only one version of Qt - it is
    already in your path and correctly set up for command line usage - you do
    not need to manually configure your Qt version.

    Otherwise, you can add your Qt version in
    \gui{Tools -> Options... -> Qt Versions} on Windows and Linux or
    in \gui{Qt Creator -> Preferences... -> Qt Versions} on Mac OS X.
    
    The detailed settings depend on your Operating system and on the targeted
    tool chain
    
        \table
        \row
            \i \image qtcreator-qt4-qtversions.png
               On Linux and Mac OS X, simply set the \gui{Path to QMake}
               to the \c qmake binary of the Qt installation. If a Qt is
               found in the \c PATH environment variable, it will show up
	       automatically as \gui{Qt in PATH}.
               
               On both platforms, the platforms Gnu Compiler Collection (GCC)
               is used to compile Qt. On Mac OS, the GCC compiler is part of XCode.
               On Linux, the Intel Compiler (ICC) is supported as a drop-in replacement
               for GCC.
               
        \row
            \i \image qtcreator-qt4-qtversions-win-mingw.png
               If you are on the Windows platform and used MinGW 
               to compile Qt, you need to additionally tell Qt Creator
               where MinGW is installed.  This is done by setting the 
               \gui{MinGW Directory}.
        \row
            \i \image qtcreator-qt4-qtversions-win-msvc.png
               If your Qt version is compiled with Microsoft Visual C++'s
               compiler, Qt Creator will automatically set the correct 
               environment variables for compilation. The \gui{MSVC}
               dropdown box indicates the internal Version Number of the 
               installed Microsoft Visual C++ tool chains:
               
               \list
                   \o  \bold{7.1}: Visual Studio 2003
                   \o  \bold{8.0}: Visual Studio 2005
                   \o  \bold{9.0}: Visual Studio 2008
               \endlist
               
               If you are using the \c{Windows SDK for Windows Server 2008}
               instead of Visual Studio, it will identify as version 9.0.
        \row
            \i \image qtcreator-qt4-qtversions-win-symbian.png
               If you are using Qt for Symbian and your S60 SDK is registered
               with \c devices.exe, Qt Creator will detect the Qt version
	       automatically. These are shown in the \bold{Auto-detected}
	       section in the options dialog.
	       You can also manually add Qt for Symbian versions. In this case
	       you need to tell Qt Creator the path to the S60 SDK
	       it is supposed to use with these Qt installations.
               Add the path to your Carbide C++ install, version 2.0
	       or later, if you want to build for the emulator
	       (\c WINSCW tool chain).
	       If you want to use \c GCCE to build for your device,
	       you might need to add the path to the
	       \c{CSL Arm Toolchain} directory (\gui{CSL/GCCE Directory}),
	       if the compiler is not found in the \c PATH environment
	       variable.
        \endtable
    
    \note By default projects are compiled with the
    \l{glossary-default-qt}{default Qt version}. You can override this in the
    \gui{Build Configuration}.
*/


/*!
    \contentspage index.html
    \previouspage creator-version-management.html
    \page creator-creating-project.html
    \nextpage creator-writing-program.html

    \title Creating a Project in Qt Creator

    \table
        \row
            \i \inlineimage qtcreator-new-project.png
            \i \bold{Creating a New Project}

        To create a new project, select \gui{New Project} from the \gui{File} menu.
        You can create one of the following three projects:

        \list
            \o Qt4 Console Application
            \o Qt4 Gui Application
            \o C++ Library
        \endlist

        In this example, we select a \e{Qt4 Gui Application} and click \gui{OK}.

        \row
            \i \inlineimage qtcreator-intro-and-location.png
            \i \bold{Setting the Project name and location}

        Next, we set the project's name and its path. Click on the \gui{...}
        button to browse and select your path.

        Ideally, the path should not contain spaces or special characters.

        \row
            \i \inlineimage qtcreator-select-modules.png
            \i \bold{Selecting The Necessary Qt Modules}

        Click on the check boxes of each Qt Module you would like to include in
        your project.

        Since we started a Qt4 Gui Application, the Core and Gui modules are
        set, but you are free to add more.

        \row
            \i \inlineimage qtcreator-class-info.png
            \i \bold{Specifying Class Information}

        Specify the name of the class you would like to create. The
        \e{Header file}, \e{Source file} and \e{Form file} fields will update
        automatically according to your choice of class name.

        You also have to select the base class for your class, either a
        QWidget, QDialog or QMainWindow,  from the drop down box.

        \row
            \i \inlineimage qtcreator-new-project-summary.png
            \i \bold{Creating the Project}

        Finally, review the files that will be created for you. Click
        \gui{Done} and your project will be generated.

    \endtable

*/


/*!
    \contentspage index.html
    \previouspage creator-creating-project.html
    \page creator-writing-program.html
    \nextpage creator-version-control.html

    \title Writing a Simple Program with Qt Creator

    \table
        \row
        \o \note This tutorial assumes that the user has experience writing
           basic Qt applications, designing user interfaces with Qt Designer
           and using the Qt Resource System.
    \endtable


    In this example, we will describe the steps involve in using Qt Creator
    to create a small Qt program, Text Finder. Inspired by the QtUiTools'
    \l{http://doc.trolltech.com/uitools-textfinder.html}{Text Finder}
    example, we will write a similar but simplified version of it, as shown
    below.

    \image qtcreator-textfinder-screenshot.png

    \section1 Setting Up Your Environment

    Once you have installed Qt Creator, it will automatically detect if Qt's
    location is in your \c PATH variable. If Qt's location is not in your
    \c PATH, you can set it in one of the following ways, depending on your
    platform:

    \list
         \o On Windows and Linux: in the \gui{Tools} menu, under \gui{Options}.
         \o On Mac OS X: in \gui{Preferences}, under \gui{Qt4}.
    \endlist

    \note If you use Visual Studio to compile Qt, all environment variables set
    in Visual Studio will be set for Qt Creator as well.

    \section1 Setting Up The Project

    We begin with a Qt4 Gui Application project generated by Qt Creator. The
    \l{Creating a Project in Qt Creator} document describes this process in
    detail. Remember to select QWidget as the Text Finder's base class. If
    your project is not yet loaded, you can load it by selecting \gui{Open}
    from the \gui{File} menu.

    In your project you will have the following files:

    \list
        \o \c{textfinder.h}
        \o \c{textfinder.cpp}
        \o \c{main.cpp}
        \o \c{textfinder.ui}
        \o \c{textfinder.pro}
    \endlist

    The \c{.h} and \c{.cpp} files come with the necessary boiler plate code;
    the \c{.pro} file is also complete.

    \section1 Filling In The Missing Pieces

    We will begin by designing the user interface and then move on to filling
    in the missing code. Finally, we will add the find functionality.

    \section2 Designing the User Interface

    To begin designing the user interface, double-click on the
    \c{textfinder.ui} file in your \gui{Project Explorer}. This will launch the
    integrated Qt Designer.

    \image qtcreator-textfinder-ui.png

    Design the form above using a \l{http://doc.trolltech.com/qlabel.html}
    {QLabel}, \l{http://doc.trolltech.com/qlinedit.html}{QLineEdit} 
    (named lineEdit), \l{http://doc.trolltech.com/qpushbutton.html}{QPushButton}
    (named findButton), and a
    \l{http://doc.trolltech.com/qtextedit.html}{QTextEdit} (named textEdit).
    We recommend that
    you use a QGridLayout to lay out the
    \l{http://doc.trolltech.com/qlabel.html}{QLabel},
    \l{http://doc.trolltech.com/qlinedit.html}{QLineEdit} and
    \l{http://doc.trolltech.com/qpushbutton.html}{QPushButton}. The
    \l{http://doc.trolltech.com/qtextedit.html}{QTextEdit} can then be added to
    a \l{http://doc.trolltech.com/qvboxlayout.html}{QVBoxLayout}, along with
    the \l{http://doc.trolltech.com/qgridlayout.html}{QGridLayout}. If you are
    new to designing forms with \QD, you can take a look at the
    \l{http://doc.trolltech.com/designer-manual.html}{Designer Manual}.

    \section2 The Header File

    The \c{textfinder.h} file already has the necessary includes, a
    constructor, a destructor, and the \c{Ui} object. We need to add a private
    slot, \c{on_findButton_clicked()}, to carry out our find operation. We
    also need a private function, \c{loadTextFile()}, to read and display the
    contents of our input text file in the
    \l{http://doc.trolltech.com/qtextedit.html}{QTextEdit}. This is done with
    the following code:

    \snippet examples/textfinder/textfinder.h 0

    \note The \c{Ui::TextFinder} object is already provided.

    \section2 The Source File

    Now that our header file is complete we move on to our source file,
    \c{textfinder.cpp}.  We begin by filling in the functionality to load a
    text file. The code snippet below describes this:

    \snippet examples/textfinder/textfinder.cpp 0

    Basically, we load a text file using
    \l{http://doc.trolltech.com/qfile.html}{QFile}, read it with
    \l{http://doc.trolltech.com/qtextstream.html}{QTextStream}, and
    then display it on \c{textEdit} with
    \l{http://doc.trolltech.com/qtextedit.html#plainText-prop}{setPlainText()}
    which requires adding the following additional #includes to textfinder.cpp:

    \snippet examples/textfinder/textfinder.cpp 1

    For the \c{on_findButton_clicked()} slot, we extract the search string and
    use the \l{http://doc.trolltech.com/qtextedit.html#find}{find()} function
    to look for the search string within the text file. The code snippet below
    further describes it:

    \snippet examples/textfinder/textfinder.cpp 2

    Once we have both these functions complete, we call \c{loadTextFile()} in
    our constructor.

    \snippet examples/textfinder/textfinder.cpp 3

    The \c{on_findButton_clicked()} slot will be called automatically due to
    this line of code:

    \code
    QMetaObject::connectSlotsByName(TextFinder);
    \endcode

    in the uic generated \c{ui_textfinder.h} file.

    \section2 The Resource File

    We require a resource file (\c{.qrc}) within which we will embed the input
    text file. This can be any \c{.txt} file with a paragraph of text. To add
    a resource file, right click on \gui{Resource Files} in the
    \gui{Project Explorer} and select \gui{Add New File...}. You will see the
    wizard dialog displayed below.

    \image qtcreator-add-resource-wizard.png

    Enter "textfinder" in the \gui{Name} field and use the given \gui{Path}.
    Then, click \gui{Continue}.

    \image qtcreator-add-resource-wizard2.png

    On this page you can choose to which project you want to add the new file.
    Make sure that \gui{Add to Project} is checked and
    "TextFinder" is selected as the \gui{Project}, and click
    \gui{Done}.

    Your resource file will now be displayed with the Resource Editor. Click
    on the \gui{Add} drop down box and select \gui{Add Prefix}. The prefix we
    require is just a slash (\c{/}). Click \gui{Add} again but this time,
    select \gui{Add File}. Locate the text file you are going to use, we use
    \c{input.txt}.

    \image qtcreator-add-resource.png

    The screenshot above shows what you can expect to see once you have added
    the resource file successfully.

    \section1 Compiling and Running Your Program

    Now that you have all the necessary files, you can compile your program by
    clicking on the
    \inlineimage qtcreator-run.png
    button.

*/

/*!
    \contentspage index.html
    \previouspage creator-writing-program.html
    \page creator-version-control.html
    \nextpage creator-navigation.html

    \title Qt Creator and Version Control Systems

    \table
        \caption    Version control systems supported by Qt Creator
        \row
            \i  \bold{git}
            \i  \l{http://git-scm.com/}
            \i
        \row
            \i  \bold{Subversion}
            \i  \l{http://subversion.tigris.org/}
            \i
        \row
            \i  \bold{Perforce}
            \i  \l{http://www.perforce.com}
            \i  Server version 2006.1 and later
        \row
            \i  \bold{CVS}
            \i  \l{http://www.cvshome.org}
            \i
    \endtable


    \section1 Setup

    Qt Creator uses the version control system's command line clients to
    access your repositories. To set it up, you must ensure that these command
    line clients can be located via the \c{PATH} environment variable. You can
    specify the path to the command line client's executable in the settings
    pages that can be found under \gui{Options...} in the \gui{Tools} menu.


    \section1 Usage

    You can find the version control menu entries in a sub-menu of the
    \gui{Tools} menu. The version control system displayed here is the system
    that manages the current project.

    Each version control system adds a pane to the \gui{Application Output}
    panes within which it will log the commands it executes, prepended by a
    timestamp and the relevant output.

    \image qtcreator-vcs-pane.png


    \section2 Addings Files

    When you create a new file or a new project, the wizards will display page
    requesting whether the files should be added to a version control system.
    This depends on whether the parent directory or the project is already
    under version control and the system supports the concept of adding files,
    e.g., \bold{Perforce} and \bold{Subversion}. Alternatively, you can also
    add files later on using the version control tool menus.

    With \bold{git}, there is no concept of adding files. Instead, all modified
    files must be \e{staged} for a commit.


    \section2 Viewing Diff Output

    All version control systems provide menu options to \e{diff} the current
    file or project - comparing with the latest version stored in the
    repository and displaying the differences. In Qt Creator, a diff is
    displayed in a read-only editor. If the file is accessible, you can double
    -click on a selected diff chunk and Qt Creator will open an editor
    displaying the file, scrolled to the line in question.

    \image qtcreator-vcs-diff.png


    \section2 Viewing Versioning History and Change Details

    The versioning history of a file can be displayed by selecting the
    \gui{Log} (for \bold{git}) or \gui{Filelog} (for \bold{Perforce} and
    \bold{Subversion}) option. Typically, the log output will contain the
    date, the commit message, and a change or revision identifier. If you
    click on the identifier, a description of the change including the diff
    will be displayed.

    \image qtcreator-vcs-log.png
    \image qtcreator-vcs-describe.png


    \section2 Annotating Files

    Annotation views are obtained by selecting \gui{Annotate} or \gui{Blame}.
    This will display the lines of the file prepended by the change identifier
    they originate from. Clicking on the change identifier shows a detailed
    description of the file.


    \section2 Committing Changes

    Once you have finished making changes, you can submit them to the version
    control system by choosing \gui{Commit} or \gui{Submit}. Qt Creator will
    display a commit page containing a text editor, where you can enter your
    commit message, and a checkable list of modified files to be included.
    When you are done, click \gui{Commit} to start committing. In addition,
    there is a \gui{Diff selected} button that brings up a diff view of the
    files selected in the file list. Since the commit page is just another
    editor, you can go back to it by closing the diff view. Alternatively, you
    can view it from the editor combo box showing the \gui{Opened files}.

    \image qtcreator-vcs-commit.png


    \section2 Menu Entries Specific to git

    The git sub-menu contains additional entries:

    \table
        \row
            \i  \gui{Stash}
            \i  Stash local changes prior to executing a \bold{pull}.
        \row
            \i  \gui{Pull}
            \i  Pull changes from the remote repository. If there are locally
                modified files, you will be prompted to stash those changes.
        \row
            \i  \gui{Branches...}
            \i  Displays the branch dialog showing the local branches at the
                top and remote branches at the bottom. To switch to the local
                branch, simply double-click on it. Double-clicking on a remote
                branch will first create a local branch with the same name that
                tracks the remote branch, and then switch to it.

                \image qtcreator-vcs-gitbranch.png
    \endtable

    \section2 Common options

    The \gui{Version Control/Common} settings page features common settings for
    version control systems, such as commit message line wrapping and checking
    options.

    \gui{Submit message checking script} is a script or program that can be
    used to perform checks on the submit message before submitting. The submit
    message is passed in as the script's first parameter. If there is an error,
    the script should output a message on standard error and return a non-zero
    exit code.

    \gui{User/alias configuration file} takes a file in mailmap format that
    lists user names and aliases. For example:

    \code
    Jon Doe <Jon.Doe@company.com>
    Hans Mustermann <Hans.Mustermann@company.com> hm <info@company.com>
    \endcode

    Notice that the second line specifies the alias \e{hm} and the
    corresponding email address for \e{Hans Mustermann}. If the user/alias
    configuration file is present, the submit editor will display a context
    menu with \gui{Insert name...} that will pop up a dialog letting the user
    select a name.

    \gui{User field configuration file} is a simple text file consisting of
    lines specifying submit message fields that take user names, for example:

    \code
    Reviewed-by:
    Signed-off-by:
    \endcode

    These fields will appear below the submit message. They provide completion
    for the aliases/public user names specified in the
    \e{User/alias configuration file} as well as a button that opens the
    aforementioned user name dialog.

*/


/*!
    \contentspage index.html
    \previouspage creator-version-control.html
    \page creator-navigation.html
    \nextpage creator-debugging.html

    \title Navigating Quickly Around Your Code with Locator

    With Qt Creator, navigating to different locations in your project or on
    your disk, e.g., files, classes, methods, etc., is trivial using
    \gui Locator -- a smart line edit at the bottom left of Qt Creator's
    window.

    \image qtcreator-locator.png

    Suppose you would like to open your project's \c{main.cpp} file, click on
    \gui Locator or use \key{Ctrl+K} (Mac OS X: \key{Cmd+K}), type in the file 
    name and then press \key Return. The file will be opened in the editor.
    You can also type part of a file name and use the wildcard characters
    \c{*} and \c{?} to match \e{any} number of \e{any} characters. A list 
    of all files matching  your criteria will be displayed.

    \gui Locator not only allows you to navigate files on disk but also other
    "locations", which are organized with \bold{Filters}. Currently there are
    filters for:

    \list
        \o  files anywhere on your hard disk (browsing through the file system),
        \o  files from a subdirectory structure defined by you,
        \o  files mentioned in your \c{.pro} files, such as source, header,
            resource, and \c{.ui} files,
        \o  any open document,
        \o  class and method definitions in your project or anywhere referenced
            from your project,
        \o  help topics, including Qt's documentation, and,
        \o  a specific line in the document displayed on your editor,
    \endlist


    Some of these filters require you to activate them by typing an assigned
    \e prefix. This prefix is usually a single character followed by
    \key{Space}. For example, to jump to the definition of the class
    \l{http://doc.trolltech.com/qdatastream.html}{QDataStream}, type:
    \key{Ctrl+K} (Mac OS X: \key{Cmd+K}) to activate \gui Locator. 
    Then type colon (\key{:}) followed by \key{Space} and the class name.


    Below is a full list of \l{http://doc.trolltech.com/qdatastream.html}
    {QDataStream} related output:

    \image qtcreator-navigate-popup.png


    Filters can be added to provide quick navigation around files in a
    subdirectory structure defined by you. This way, you can acccess files you
    need, that are not directly mentioned in your project. Click on
    \image qtcreator-locator-magnify.png
     and choose \gui{Configure...} from the menu displayed.

    \image qtcreator-locator-customize.png

    This displays the \gui Preferences dialog (\gui Options on Mac Os X) for
    navigation filters. Click \gui Add to create a new filter. In the
    \gui{Filter Configuration} dialog below, give your filter a name, select
    your preferred directories, set file patterns with a comma separated list,
    and specify a prefix string.

    \image qtcreator-navigate-customfilter.png

    After closing this dialog, \gui Locator will search the directories you
    selected for files matching your file patterns, and the information will be
    cached. Click \gui Refresh from the menu above to update the cached
    information.

    The following table lists the filters currently available:

    \table
        \header
            \o  Function
            \o  Key Combination
            \o  Screenshot
        \row
            \o  Go to a line in the current document
            \o  Ctrl+K, l, Space, and the line number
            \o  \image qtcreator-locator-line.png
        \row
            \o  Go to a symbol definition
            \o  Ctrl+K, :, Space, and the function name
            \o  \image qtcreator-locator-symbols.png
        \row
            \o  Go to a help topic
            \o  Ctrl+K, ?, Space, and the topic
            \o  \image qtcreator-locator-help.png
        \row
            \o  Go to an opened document
            \o  Ctrl+K, o, Space, and the document name.
            \o  \image qtcreator-locator-opendocs.png
        \row
            \o  Go to a file in the file system (browse the file system)
            \o  Ctrl+K, f, Space, and the file name.
            \o  \image qtcreator-locator-filesystem.png
        \row
            \o  Go to a file in any project currently loaded
            \o  Ctrl+K, a, Space, and the function name.
            \o  \image qtcreator-locator-files.png
        \row