When and where the ui_XXX.h and ui_XXX.cpp are generated by uic tool?

user001

I am going through examples of C++ GUI Programming with Qt 4 books. I am using Qt 5.0.2. In the GoToCellDialog example, I run qmake from Qt creator but cannot find any header file or C++ files are generated.

When I created the project. Qt Creator create a main.cpp for me and its fine to run with it without any generated .h and .cpp files:

@int main(int argc, char *argv[])
{
QApplication a(argc, argv);
GoToCellDialog w;
w.show();

return a.exec&#40;&#41;;

}@

The book gave the following main which require the generated .h and .cpp file I think. So I got compile errors.

@int main(int argc, char *argv[])
{
Ui::GoToCellDialog ui;
QDialog *dialog = new QDialog;
ui.setupUi(dialog);
dialog->show();

return a.exec(&#41;;

}@

My questions are:

how to use uic tool to generate .h and .cpp files from Qt Creator? I do need them.
which main method I should use?

Adrien Leravat

Hi,

When creating a gui class through QtCreator, it is automatically added to the forms of the project. If you created the ui manually, you have to add it to your project .pro file.

@FORMS += myform.ui@

uic then compile the ui (xml) file into valid C++ that can be included.

In real application, in most situation, you create a Gui Class, that holds its own Ui (and ui pointer). So you'd use the first "main". In addition it's way safer and easier to use.

user001

[quote author="Adrien Leravat" date="1373553846"]Hi,

When creating a gui class through QtCreator, it is automatically added to the forms of the project. If you created the ui manually, you have to add it to your project .pro file.

@FORMS += myform.ui@

uic then compile the ui (xml) file into valid C++ that can be included.
[/quote]

I create the Form project via Qt 5.0.2 Creator. The .pro file is created by Creator contains the FORMS += gotocelldialog.ui:

@QT += core gui

greaterThan(QT_MAJOR_VERSION, 4): QT += widgets

TARGET = Test4
TEMPLATE = app

SOURCES += main.cpp
gotocelldialog.cpp

HEADERS += gotocelldialog.h

FORMS += gotocelldialog.ui@

When I run qmake from Creator, there is no ui_gotocelldialog.h and ui_gotocelldialog.cpp file generated. So I am confused because the doc says: If you use qmake, uic will be invoked automatically for header files.

It seems the uic is not invoked by the qmake from Creator.

Adrien Leravat

Yes I confirm, doing a simple "qmake" do not generate the Ui header file.
When compiling, uic is invoked.

@C:\Qt\Qt5.0.2\5.0.2\mingw47_32\bin\uic.exe ..\untitled1\mainwindow.ui -o ui_mainwindow.h@

This is probably a change that came with QtCreator. But nothing you'd worry about. The important point in your book, I guess, is understanding that there is qmake, which processes Qt macros from your .h/.cpp files, uic, which compiles uis, another for qrc resource files, etc.

Also note that there is no cpp ui at all, everything is contained in the .h.

user001

Got it. Thanks.