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\nextpage creator-quick-tour.html
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://qt.nokia.com/developer/task-tracker}{Qt task 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}.
Qt Creator includes a wide range of useful features. Among them are:
\o \bold{Smart Code Editor}: The code editor provides syntax
highlighting as well as code completion.
\o \bold{Qt4 Project Generating Wizard}: This wizard allows the user
to generate a project for a console application, a GUI application,
or a C++ library.
\o \bold{Qt Help Integration}: Qt's entire documentation can be
accessed easily by clicking on the \gui{Help} button.
\o \bold{Qt Designer Integration}: User interface forms can be designed
within Qt Creator. Simply double-click on a \c{.ui} file within the
\gui{Project Explorer} to launch the integration.
\o \bold{Locator}: A powerful navigation tool that lets the user locate
files and classes using minimal keystrokes.
\o \bold{Support for qmake's .pro file format}: The project's \c{.pro}
file is used as a project description file.
\o \bold{Debugging Interface}: Applications can be debugged
debugger (GDB) and the Microsoft Console Debugger (CDB).
\endlist
To learn more about the Qt Creator, click on one of the links below:
\raw HTML
<img border="0" style="float:right;" src="images/qtcreator-screenshots.png" />
\endraw

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\o \l{A Quick Tour of Qt Creator}
\o \l{Creating a Project in Qt Creator}
\o \l{The Code Editor}
\o \l{Build 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}

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\o \l{Session Management in Qt Creator}

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\o \l{Debugging with Qt Creator}

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\o \l{CMake Support in Qt Creator}
\o \l{Support for Generic Projects in Qt Creator}
\o \l{Handling External Libraries}

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\o \l{Tips and Tricks}
\o \l{Keyboard Shortcuts}
\o \l{Glossary}
\o \l{Supported Platforms}

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\o \l{Acknowledgements}
\endlist
*/
/*!
\contentspage index.html
\page creator-quick-tour.html
\nextpage creator-code-editor.html

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

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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.
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.

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\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

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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.

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

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\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}
\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.
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.

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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

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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.

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

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\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.

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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

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\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+\/}

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

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\row
\i Switch between header file and source file
\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

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\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

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*/
\previouspage creator-code-editor.html
\nextpage creator-version-management.html

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

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To modify the build settings of your project, switch to the \gui{Projects}
mode using the mouse or with \key{Ctrl+4}.
Action items to create, clone, or delete build configurations can be found
at the bottom of the dialog. You can have as many build configurations as

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needed. By default Qt Creator creates a \bold{debug} and \bold{release}
build configuration. Both these configurations use the
\l{glossary-default-qt}{Default Qt Version}.
In the tree on the left, a list of build configurations and their settings
are displayed. The screenshot above shows the \bold{debug} and
\bold{release} configurations and their corresponding settings:
\bold{Build Environment} and \bold{Build Steps}.
When you select a build configuration in the tree, a configuration page for
general build settings will be displayed. Here you can specify which
\l{glossary-project-qt}{Qt version} to use to build your project, whether

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to \l{glossary-shadow-build}{shadow build} the project, for instance.
\image qtcreator-buildenvironment.png
In the \bold{Build Environment} page 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

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Qt version, Qt Creator will automatically set the necessary environment
variables.
\image qtcreator-buildsteps.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 in the
\bold{Build Settings} page. Qt Creator will run the make command using the
correct Qt version.
\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} tab 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.

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*/

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

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\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{Auto-detected Qt}. 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}. If you are on the Windows
platform and use MinGW to compile Qt, you need to tell Qt Creator where
MinGW is installed. This is done by setting the \gui{MinGW Directory}
under \gui{Tools -> Options... -> Qt4 -> Qt Versions -> MinGw Directory}.
If your Qt version is compiled with Microsoft Visual C++'s compiler, Qt
Creator will automatically set the correct environment variables for
compilation.
\note By default projects are compiled with the
\l{glossary-default-qt}{default Qt version}. You can override this in the
\gui{Build Configuration}.
*/
\previouspage creator-version-management.html
\page creator-creating-project.html
\nextpage creator-writing-program.html
\title Creating a Project in Qt Creator
\table
\row

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

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\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}.

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\i \inlineimage qtcreator-intro-and-location.png

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\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

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\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

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\i \inlineimage qtcreator-class-info.png
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

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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

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\i \inlineimage qtcreator-new-project-summary.png
\i \bold{Creating the Project}
Finally, review the files that will be created for you. Click

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/*!
\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
\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

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\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

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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.

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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

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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

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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:

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\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:

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\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:

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\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:

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\snippet examples/textfinder/textfinder.cpp 2
Once we have both these functions complete, we call \c{loadTextFile()} in
our constructor.

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\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

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clicking on the

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*/
/*!
\contentspage index.html
\previouspage creator-writing-program.html

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\page creator-version-control.html
\nextpage creator-navigation.html

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\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/}

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\row
\i \bold{Subversion}
\i \l{http://subversion.tigris.org/}

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\row
\i \bold{Perforce}
\i \l{http://www.perforce.com}

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\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

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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
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\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
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\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
\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}, type in the file name and then press
\key Return. The file will be opened in the editor. You can also type

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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.
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\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} 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

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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

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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
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\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
\o Go to a file in the current project
\o Ctrl+K, p, Space, and the function name.
\o \image qtcreator-locator-current-project.png
\row
\o Go to a class definition
\o Ctrl+K, c, Space, and the class name.
\o \image qtcreator-locator-classes.png
\row
\o Go to a method definition
\o Ctrl+K, m, Space, and the class name.
\o \image qtcreator-locator-methods.png
\endtable
\note By default, if you press \key{Ctrl+K} and do not use a prefix to
specify a filter, three filters will be enabled: \c{o}, \c{l}, and \c{a}.
*/

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/*!
\contentspage index.html
\previouspage creator-navigation.html
\page creator-session.html
\nextpage creator-debugging.html
\title Session Management in Qt Creator
In Qt Creator, a session is a collection of:
\list
\o open projects together with their dependencies,
\o open editors,
\o breakpoints and watches, as well as
\o bookmarks
\endlist
When you run Qt Creator, you have a default session. You can create a new
session using the \gui{Session Manager...} option, available in the
\gui{File -> Session} menu.