Copying .dlls into target directory

VRonin

as an altrenative, in your .pro file just add to INSTALLS the libraries you want and calling make install will copy them over

mzimmers

Thank you both.

I think I prefer the solution proposed by VRonin, mainly because I understand it better. Unfortunately, I'm getting this error when I try to build:

:-1: warning: C:/Qt/5.7/mingw53_32/bin\libgcc_s_dw2-1.dll.path is not defined: install target not created

The path is definitely there, and the file exists. What am I doing wrong?

Thanks...

VRonin

Could you post the content of the pro file?

Maybe just running qmake again is enough to fix this problem

mzimmers

Hi, Vronin -

I fixed that problem by following the syntax used in the examples I posted above (with the .path and the .files).

Now I get no errors, but the file still doesn't move to the target directory (in this case, the debug directory).

.pro file:

TEMPLATE = app
CONFIG += CONSOLE
CONFIG -= qt
TARGET = storefile
SOURCES += \
	storefile_client.cpp

#win32:QMAKE_CXXFLAGS += /MD

HEADERS += \
	storefile_client.h \

win32:LIBS += "C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Kits\8.0\Lib\win8\um\x86\ws2_32.lib"

INCLUDEPATH += "../ARM/inc/"

win32 {
    libsto_copy.files += $$QMAKE_LIBDIR_QT/libgcc_s_dw2-1.dll
}
libs_to_copy.path = $$OUT_PWD/$$OUTDIR
INSTALLS += libs_to_copy
#INSTALLS += $$[QT_INSTALL_BINS]\libgcc_s_dw2-1.dll
#INSTALLS += C:\Qt\5.7\mingw53_32\bin\libgcc_s_dw2-1.dll

Thank you.

mzimmers

fixed the typo; still doesn't work:

TEMPLATE = app
CONFIG += CONSOLE
CONFIG -= qt
TARGET = storefile
SOURCES += \
	storefile_client.cpp

#win32:QMAKE_CXXFLAGS += /MD

HEADERS += \
	storefile_client.h \

win32:LIBS += "C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Kits\8.0\Lib\win8\um\x86\ws2_32.lib"

INCLUDEPATH += "../ARM/inc/"

libs_to_copy.files = $$QMAKE_LIBDIR_QT/libgcc_s_dw2-1.dll
libs_to_copy.path = $$OUT_PWD/$$OUTDIR
INSTALLS += libs_to_copy
#INSTALLS += $$[QT_INSTALL_BINS]\libgcc_s_dw2-1.dll
#INSTALLS += C:\Qt\5.7\mingw53_32\bin\libgcc_s_dw2-1.dll

Oddly enough, it's copying the .o file, but not the .dll I want.

mrjj

Hi
Im wondering if mixing

/ and  \ is ok?
 C:/Qt/5.7/mingw53_32/bin\libgcc_s_dw2-1.dll. 
                         ^

mzimmers

@mrjj said in copying .dlls into target directory:

Hi
Im wondering if mixing

/ and  \ is ok?
 C:/Qt/5.7/mingw53_32/bin\libgcc_s_dw2-1.dll. 
                         ^

Good question. In my hard-coded tests, I tried it with all "/" and all "" and get the same error, though.

Does qmake have some kind of echo function where I can output the value of variables?

Thanks.

mrjj

Ok, was just a thought.
You can outout with

message($$VAR)

mzimmers

Well, I'm still stuck on this. The problem appears to be in this area:

DESTDIR = $$(OUT_PWD)
extra_libs.files = MY_LIB_FILES
extra_libs.path = $$(DESTDIR)

## Tell qmake to add the moving of them to the 'install' target
INSTALLS += extra_libs

I get this error (warning):

:-1: warning: extra_libs.path is not defined: install target not created

OUT_PWD appears to be OK. I don't really know what I'm doing with the variable "extra_lib" as that was just yanked from an example above. I assumed the .files and .path were properties of the variable, but now I'm questioning what I'm doing.

Anyone able to shed some light onto this?

Thanks.

UPDATE:

I just clicked on the "see more replies" part of the answer I was trying to copy -- someone claims that INSTALLS doesn't work on Windows. Can anyone confirm or deny this? I don't find anything about this limitation in the docs. I tried invoking the make from the command line, and got this:

C:\Qt\Tools\mingw530_32\bin>.\mingw32-make.exe install
mingw32-make: *** No rule to make target 'install'.  Stop.

So I guess it is true...?

JKSH

Try using hard-coded paths first and see if you can get that to work. After you succeed, replace the hard-coded paths with variables.

(I haven't used INSTALLS before and don't currently have access to a computer to try it myself)

mzimmers

Now using:

C:\Qt\5.7\mingw53_32\bin

Same results.

mrjj

well I was under the impression that make install was a unix thing as doc mentioned but
then i read that mingw-make does have "install". I have however never tried it.

But the plugandpaint example has

target.path = $$[QT_INSTALL_EXAMPLES]/widgets/tools/plugandpaint
INSTALLS += target
which maps to
C:/Qt/Examples/Qt-5.7/widgets/tools/plugandpaint
But nothing is copied there so Im not sure it does work.

kshegunov

@mrjj said in copying .dlls into target directory:

well I was under the impression that make install was a unix thing as doc mentioned but

No, it's a make thing. Any self-respecting make implementation (including MS's nmake) should provide the install target out of the box. :)

But the plugandpaint example has

Well, how did you install? Did you call make install (or equivalent) from the Qt source's base path? If not, you've erred, because there's a chain of pro files (and mkspecs and other goodies that get included and ultimately the QT_INSTALL_EXAMPLES is set for you). But anyway, that's another matter altogether.

@mzimmers

I suggest you run qmake manually with -d or -d -d to get some debug info back. It is possible that the qmake's makefile generator doesn't respect the INSTALLS variable (although I see no reason it shouldn't).

Kind regards.

mzimmers

@kshegunov - thank you for the suggestion. I tried this and got ~6700 error messages; I'm not sure I did it correctly.

I do have another question: my build steps are to run make first, then qmake. If qmake is a "meta-make" tool, shouldn't the order be 1) qmake and 2) make?

Thank you.

jsulm

@mzimmers Yes qmake should be the first one

mzimmers

Well, somehow they got switched (I probably fat-fingered it). I put them in the correct order (qmake, make, make install) and still it doesn't copy the files. Here's the compiler output:

08:42:17: Running steps for project storefile_client...
08:42:17: Configuration unchanged, skipping qmake step.
08:42:17: Starting: "C:\Qt\Tools\mingw530_32\bin\mingw32-make.exe" 
C:/Qt/Tools/mingw530_32/bin/mingw32-make -f Makefile.Debug
mingw32-make[1]: Entering directory 'C:/Users/mzimmers/Wideband/Peninsula/build-storefile_client-Desktop_Qt_5_7_0_MinGW_32bit-Debug'
g++ -c -pipe -fno-keep-inline-dllexport -g -std=gnu++11 -frtti -Wall -Wextra -fexceptions -mthreads -DUNICODE -DQT_QML_DEBUG -I..\storefile_client -I. -I..\ARM\inc -IC:\Qt\5.7\mingw53_32\mkspecs\win32-g++  -o debug\storefile_client.o ..\storefile_client\storefile_client.cpp
g++ -Wl,-subsystem,console -mthreads -o debug\storefile.exe debug/storefile_client.o  "C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Kits\8.0\Lib\win8\um\x86\ws2_32.lib" 
mingw32-make[1]: Leaving directory 'C:/Users/mzimmers/Wideband/Peninsula/build-storefile_client-Desktop_Qt_5_7_0_MinGW_32bit-Debug'
08:42:18: The process "C:\Qt\Tools\mingw530_32\bin\mingw32-make.exe" exited normally.
08:42:18: Starting: "C:\Qt\Tools\mingw530_32\bin\mingw32-make.exe" install
C:/Qt/Tools/mingw530_32/bin/mingw32-make -f Makefile.Debug install
mingw32-make[1]: Entering directory 'C:/Users/mzimmers/Wideband/Peninsula/build-storefile_client-Desktop_Qt_5_7_0_MinGW_32bit-Debug'
**mingw32-make[1]: Nothing to be done for 'install'.**
mingw32-make[1]: Leaving directory 'C:/Users/mzimmers/Wideband/Peninsula/build-storefile_client-Desktop_Qt_5_7_0_MinGW_32bit-Debug'
08:42:19: The process "C:\Qt\Tools\mingw530_32\bin\mingw32-make.exe" exited normally.
08:42:19: Elapsed time: 00:02.

To my layman eyes, it's looking more like the make that comes with mingw doesn't honor installs?

kshegunov

Honestly, I have no idea. Could you attach the make file and the pro you're currently using?

mzimmers

@kshegunov : I don't know how to attach files, so I uploaded them to here.

You should be able to view and/or download from there. If not, please let me know.

Thanks...

kshegunov

I don't know how to attach files

That's what I meant - upload and post the link.

From what I can see in the makefile your install target is empty (FORCE goes to the end):

install:  FORCE

And there's something suspicious about the .pro, you've commented INSTALLS += libs_to_copy and used INSTALLS += C:\Qt\5.7\mingw53_32\bin\libgcc_s_dw2-1.dll instead.

I suggest setting a hard path (not through a var) for the libs_to_copy contents and trying with INSTALLS += libs_to_copy. After modifying the file, don't forget to run qmake and then make, make install.

mzimmers

I tried this:

libs_to_copy = "C:/Qt/5.7/mingw53_32/bin/libgcc_s_dw2-1.dll"
INSTALLS += libs_to_copy

and I get this error:

:-1: warning: libs_to_copy.path is not defined: install target not created

When I do this:
libs_to_copy.files = $$(QMAKE_LIBDIR_QT)/libgcc_s_dw2-1.dll
libs_to_copy.path = $$(OUT_PWD)/$$(OUTDIR)
INSTALLS += libs_to_copy

I don't get the error, but the file doesn't copy.