Solved: installing 4.8.4 libraries on MacOS

sierdzio

Apple is not making it all easier either :) Recent releases of Xcode and changes in file structure have messed up a lot. I do not know about Qt5 on Mac, I have tested it on Linux and Windows only. You can give Qt5 RC a try. It includes a full SDK, so maybe it would be more straightforward.

What output do you get when you run:
@
which qmake
@

from terminal? Also, run
@
qmake -v
@

Maybe that would help.

mzimmers

Oho...this is interesting:

@unknownd49a20f3c0dc:64_GB_SSD mzimmers$ which qmake
/usr/bin/qmake
unknownd49a20f3c0dc:64_GB_SSD mzimmers$ qmake -v
QMake version 2.01a
Using Qt version 4.8.4 in /Library/Frameworks
unknownd49a20f3c0dc:64_GB_SSD mzimmers$
@

Yet a search in /Library/Frameworks reveals no qmake file.

sierdzio

So the /usr/bin/qmake is the binary for 4.8.4, but the libraries (dylibs/ frameworks) reside in /Library/Frameworks. That's the standard Mac mess ;) If Qt Creator still does not see qmake, add the one from /usr/bin and see what happens.

mzimmers

Well, that presents a problem of its own: Creator won't let me into the /usr directory (probably because it's invisible). I created an alias, but the Qt Versions ->Add... dialog evidently won't accept an alias.

sierdzio

:( Symlink will work perhaps?

This is bad. I'm sure there was another qmake somewhere else, but as said - can't check now, I've only got a Mac machine at work (luckily ;) ). Or we are back at compiling from source.

mzimmers

Using the link did seem to work. I modified my default kit to run with the 4.8.4 libraries and didn't get any complaints.

Thanks for the help. I do look forward for the day when the Mac OS architecture doesn't require the Qt installer to be so cumbersome.

sierdzio

Good to hear that. Per aspera ad astra, as they say :)

hmariod

Same problem, but I don't realize how do you solve.
Could you explain for me?
Thank you.

SGaist

Hi and welcome to devnet,

If you need to get qmake from /usr/bin:

Do as before (click on choose)
Go to Macintosh HD
Presss CMD + SHIFT + .

That will temporarily show hidden folders. Then you can access /usr

Hope it helps

hmariod

SGaist,
Thank you very much!!!
You are my hero.

vwcc

Hi I have the same problem here:

I followed the suggestion there and indeed find that there is /usr/bin/qmake and it is indeed "Using Qt version 4.8.5 in /Library/Frameworks"

Following the SGaist's advice I use the command+shift+. to reveal hidden files.

Now I can see both qmake under /usr/bin BUT it is greyed out and I just CANNOT select it.

Can someone help?

vwcc

Hi I have the same problem here:

I followed the suggestion there and indeed find that there is /usr/bin/qmake and it is indeed "Using Qt version 4.8.x in /Library/Frameworks"

Following the SGaist's advice I use the command+shift+. to reveal hidden files.

Now I can see both qmake under /usr/bin BUT it is greyed out and I just CANNOT select it.

Can someone help?

SGaist

What version of Qt Creator are you using ?

afifer

Not the same person, but I have the same issue with usr/bin/qmake being greyed out. I'm using Qt Creator 3.0.1.

SGaist

Are you sure that /usr/bin/qmake is not a symbolic link that points to nowhere ?

afifer

Just got it working actually, it was an ownership issue. Changing it with "sudo chown" in terminal got it fixed:

cd usr/bin
sudo chown [username] qmake

Thanks!

Edit: Wow nope, spoke too soon. Once I changed the ownership, the Qt version automatically showed up under "Manual" so I thought everything was good. I changed tabs to add the version to my kit but it wouldn't show up in the drop-down menu. I closed the Preferences window (I didn't hit "apply") and reopened it, now the Qt version is gone and it's still greyed out when I try to select it.

vwcc

I managed to finally load qmake but in a rather roundabout way.

I followed an earlier suggest and made an alias for qmake on my documents folder using Symlink.

ln -s /usr/bin/qmake Documents/qmake

But I also saw this alias qmake as greyed out.

I then reinstalled the Qt5 binary package that includes Qt Creator and Qt 5 library (I earlier uninstalled this in preparation for installing the 4.8.5 library and Creator separately).

I choose Preference>Qt Version and choose Add.

I could now see the alias qmake which I selected.

I uninstalled the QtCreator+Qt 5 combo.

I started the Qt Creator installed earlier on a separate dir. I could now see the alias qmake as not greyed out. But the actual qmake as revealed by command+shift+. was still greyed out.

Now I have successfully installed Qt 4.8.5

This is a rather round about way and I am sure I must have turned on something by accident which could have been got at by a much shorter. But nonetheless this is how I got it working.

I wish it could be a lot less painful

SGaist

Glad you succeeded but it's indeed pretty convoluted...

afifer

Thanks vwcc, I uninstalled and reinstalled everything and now it works.