Copying .dlls into target directory

Buckwheat

@mzimmers ... Your solution for copying looks pretty good. I am going to remember it. You mentioned modifying DESTDIR. I actually prefer doing that as well as setting the MOC_DIR and OBJECTS_DIR to make the build where I know things are located. It also makes it clean. When doing this, I turn off the shadow build into that horrendously long path. My structure is typically as follows (only release config):

<root>
   bin
      plugins
      ,,,
   build
      <subproject>
         release
            moc
            obj
      ...
      <main app>
         release
            moc
            obj
   lib
      release

As you can see it is relatively clean and you know where things are built. I use MSYS2 for development because I can get 32 and 64 bit development. QtCreator 4.1.x for IDE.

I copy my 3rd party DLLs (except MSYS) into bin for testing. Typically I have only needed a few MSYS dlls so it is not too hateful.

[edit: code tags added: mrjj]

Buckwheat

@Buckwheat I wish I knew how to make indents in the forum ;D

mrjj

@Buckwheat
use the code tag ``` ( before and after)
and it wont eat indentation :)

Buckwheat

@mrjj Thanks!

kshegunov

@mzimmers said in Copying .dlls into target directory:

That gives me this error:
:-1: warning: libs_to_copy.path is not defined: install target not created

Sorry, I might've mislead you. Try with:

libs_to_copy.path = $$OUT_PWD

Notice the lack of parenthesis. It's a bit cumbersome like this, but I don't have a windows machine on hand to test. If you continue to get an error run qmake with -d and attach the output, e.g.

qmake -d myproject.pro

mzimmers

@kshegunov said in Copying .dlls into target directory:

Notice the lack of parenthesis. It's a bit cumbersome like this, but I don't have a windows machine on hand to test. If you continue to get an error run qmake with -d and attach the output, e.g.
qmake -d myproject.pro

Here's the output:

link text

LOTS of stuff there, and I don't understand most of it.

kshegunov

@mzimmers said in Copying .dlls into target directory:

and I don't understand most of it.

No one does, perhaps with the exception of the qmake's developers. ;)
Anyway, there seems to be a problem with the paths:

DEBUG 1: C:/Users/mzimmers/Wideband/Peninsula/storefile_client/storefile_client.pro:17: libs_to_copy.files := /libgcc_s_dw2-1.dll
DEBUG 1: C:/Users/mzimmers/Wideband/Peninsula/storefile_client/storefile_client.pro:19: libs_to_copy.path := C:/Users/mzimmers/Wideband/Peninsula/build-storefile_client-Desktop_Qt_5_7_0_MinGW_32bit-Debug
...
DEBUG 1: Dependency Directories: ..\storefile_client :: . :: ..\ARM\inc :: C:\Qt\5.7\mingw53_32\mkspecs\win32-g++
DEBUG 1: c:\Users\qt\work\qt\qtbase/qmake/generators/makefile.cpp:321 Failure to find /libgcc_s_dw2-1.dll in vpath ()
DEBUG 1: no definition for install libs_to_copy: install target not created

See that the dll file's path is truncated for some reason.

mzimmers

Well, look at that...it sure is.

I don't know what to make of that (so to speak). Is it possible we've uncovered a bug?

VRonin

It's probably one of those lovely windows gotchas, I think it does not like the dot in 5.7, try adding quotes

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

and make sure you rerun qmake!

mzimmers

Hi, Vronin -

This is somewhat embarrassing. I tried your suggestion, and it worked. I looked at the compiler output and actually saw the xcopy command, and the file did copy.

Unfortunately, it was copying to:

C:\Users\mzimmers\build-storefile_client-Desktop_Qt_5_7_0_MinGW_32bit-Debug

instead of to:

C:\Users\mzimmers\build-storefile_client-Desktop_Qt_5_7_0_MinGW_32bit-Debug\debug

So, I went in and fiddled with it, to no avail. I tried to put it back so it would at least re-copy, and...I can't make it work again!!

I'm still encouraged, because it shows that the INSTALLS part of MinGW make does work. It's just a matter of getting the syntax in the .pro file correct.

I'm trying to understand the libs_to_copy construct that I copied from somewhere else. This doesn't seem to be an ordinary qmake variable, and I can't get it to display using message(). Can you possibly point me to an explanation of it?

Thanks a lot...I do think we're getting close.

mzimmers

Found it!

The problem was the trailing backslash in the definition of:

libs_to_copy.path = "C:\Users\mzimmers\Wideband\Peninsula\build-storefile_client-Desktop_Qt_5_7_0_MinGW_32bit-Debug\"

This occurs whether or not I enclose the path in double quotes. Seems like a bug to me...anyone disagree?

There's also the issue of why this line:

libs_to_copy.path = $$(OUT_PWD)

results in an error message ":-1: warning: libs_to_copy.path is not defined: install target not created."

But, at least I've solved the problem that prompted me to start this thread.

THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO PARTICIPATED IN THIS.

kshegunov

@mzimmers said in Copying .dlls into target directory:

$$(OUT_PWD)

It's not defined. Try $$OUT_PWD instead.

mzimmers

@kshegunov : yes, that was it. Thank you. I guess I'm still not clear on the rules of parsing variables.

I do have one remaining glitch: one of the three files I want to copy produces an error:

copy /y C:\Qt\5.7\mingw53_32\bin\libgcc_s_dw2-1.dll C:\Users\mzimmers\Wideband\Peninsula\build-storefile_client-Desktop_Qt_5_7_0_MinGW_32bit-Debug\debug
        1 file(s) copied.
copy /y C:\Qt\5.7\mingw53_32\bin\libwinpthread-1.dll C:\Users\mzimmers\Wideband\Peninsula\build-storefile_client-Desktop_Qt_5_7_0_MinGW_32bit-Debug\debug
        1 file(s) copied.
copy /y C:\Qt\5.7\mingw53_32\bin\libstdc++-6.dll C:\Users\mzimmers\Wideband\Peninsula\build-storefile_client-Desktop_Qt_5_7_0_MinGW_32bit-Debug\debug
The system cannot find the file specified.

This file fails to copy whether it's the first, second or last file in the list. It also occurs whether I form libs_to_copy.files with three assignments, or one (multi-line).
Somehow I suspect it's the "+" in the filename. I made a copy of this dll without the "+" characters, and it worked. Is there some way to escape them in the string?"

Found this: it's a known problem. Not sure what to make of it...

VRonin

This is due to a bug in Qt: https://bugreports.qt.io/browse/QTBUG-16372 but the solution is not easy to implement, see https://codereview.qt-project.org/#/c/85161/
This was the reason I first started using CMake as a build tool instead of qmake and now I wouldn't go back.

KDE is using Cmake.

An alternative (but I never tried it) is Qt Build system: http://doc.qt.io/qbs/

kshegunov

@mzimmers said in Copying .dlls into target directory:

I guess I'm still not clear on the rules of parsing variables.

$(XXX) is the environment variable XXX, while $XXX is the qmake variable XXX.

mzimmers

@kshegunov : thank you. So, what exactly is the libs_to_copy construct that I'm using? I can't find any documentation on that.

kshegunov

@mzimmers
It's just a variable as far as I know. You can name it however you like and you (should) be able to use more than one as well. E.g.:

mingw_installs.files = "C:/Qt/5.7/mingw53_32/bin/libgcc_s_dw2-1.dll" "C:/Qt/5.7/mingw53_32/bin/stdc++6.dll" 
mingw_installs.path = $$OUT_PWD

myown_installs.files = "C:/AdditionalDepDir/somefileIneed.txt"
myown_installs.path = $$OUT_PWD

INSTALLS += mingw_installs myown_installs

(do take my qmake knowledge with a grain of salt, though, I'm by no means an expert)