Making a Qt custom widget without Qt Creator

Panoss

I 'm trying to make a custom widget for Qt (and a plugin for the widget to be visible and active in Qt Designer) in c++.
I 'm using NetBeans, not Qt Creator (because I have a slow pc, I think Qt Creator would be too 'heavy') and trying to follow this tutorial.
My problem is I don't know:
a. where to put these files
b. how to compile the plugin

I have Qt 4.8.6 framework at C:\Qt.
Qt Designer at: C:\Qt\4.8.6\bin

NetBean 's QMake command: C:\Qt\4.8.6\bin\qmake.exe

(I see there is and a second qmake.exe at: C:\Qt\4.8.6\qmake)

Edit: how silly of me, I just installed Qt Creator, it's not heavy at all nor too big!
Looks very nice! I thought it's 1.2GB, while in fact it's only about 90MB!!!

jsulm

@Panoss You should take a look at http://doc.qt.io/qt-5/designer-creating-custom-widgets.html

Panoss

Ok, now that I've finished with Qt Creator 's installation (I hope :) ) I 'm trying to follow the tutorial you posted jsulm.
But nowhere is mentioned:
should I start a new Qt Application? Qt Console Application? or something else? in order to begin the tutorial.
Maybe New Project->Library->Qt Creator Plugin?
Or New Project->Other->Qt Custom Designer Widget?

Panoss

From what I understand, I must build the plugin with qmake? Or something like this?
I 'm lost....

SGaist

Hi,

If I may, upgrade your Qt version to Qt 5. Qt 4 has reached EOL so unless you have a very good reason to, don't start new project with it.

Panoss

Yes I have upgraded to 5 already.
And I m using Qt Creator, not NetBeans.
But still haven't managed to make any progress in widget creation...despite the tutorials I m reading...

SGaist

You should have a look at "Qt Custom Designer Widget".

Panoss

Thanks I 've looked at these a few hundrend times, didn't help.
Looking here and ther,e I conclude that I must compile (with qmake??) the plugin (which serves as a wpapper for the widget), and put it in a folder /desigenr/plugins...

Panoss

I think I 'm close.
My files are at:
C:\Documents\QtProjects\mycustomwidget:
--customwidgetplugin.pro
--analogclock.h
--analogclock.cpp
--customwidgetplugin.h
--customwidgetplugin.cpp

I open a console:
cd C:\Documents\QtProjects\mycustomwidget
qmake

And so a file named MakeFile is created. It has, at the top: Command: C:\Qt\5.8\mingw53_32\bin\qmake.exe -o Makefile customwidgetplugin.pro
I give this command in console, seems like it's doing something, and shows the message: Info: creating stash file C:\Documents\QtProjects\mycustomwidget.qmake.stash

I open Qt Designer and no new widget is added in it...:(

Isn't the procedure I follow the correct one?

mrjj

@Panoss

Hi
just a note
Unless you compile your own Creator with mingw then
its not possible to make Designer plugins with
mingw.
It has to be vs 2013/ 2015 ( for 5.8)
Since Creator is build with that compiler and the plugin is an DLL.

So it sounds good but unless you use visual studio or your own mingw Creator it
wont work.

alt text

jsulm

@Panoss To add to @mrjj : it is not enough to execute qmake - qmake is not a compiler, it does not compile your code it just generates Makefiles. After qmake you need to execute make (nmake.exe in case Visual Studio is used) and then make install.

Panoss

@mrjj said in Making a Qt custom widget without Qt Creator:

@Panoss

Hi
just a note
Unless you compile your own Creator with mingw then
its not possible to make Designer plugins with
mingw.
It has to be vs 2013/ 2015 ( for 5.8)
Since Creator is build with that compiler and the plugin is an DLL.

So it sounds good but unless you use visual studio or your own mingw Creator it

Wow!! this was quite a shock form me! :)
I 'd rather not to compile it with my MingW, I think this is a very loooong process..

So you 're saying I should Uninstall Qt Creator + Qt, and install a version:
a. either With Visual Studio
b. or a different mingW Creator version?

If so, I choose the second. But, which MingW + Qt Creator file should I download? (I don't care if it's gonna be Qt 5.8 or any other)

jsulm

@Panoss No. No need to uninstall QtCreator (why should you)? Install Qt for VC2015 and VC2015 (you can get it for free).
The thing is: you cannot mix different compilers (because of C++, not Qt fault). Since QtCreator is built using VC2015 you have to use VC2015 to write plug-ins for it.
Official QtCretor is built using VC2015, you cannot use MinGW to write plug-ins for it. As far as I know there is no official QtCreator build made with MinGW.

Panoss

@jsulm said in Making a Qt custom widget without Qt Creator:

Install Qt for VC2015 and VC2015 (you can get it for free).

I'll have to uninstall my curent Qt, right? (through on-line installer I mean)

jsulm

@Panoss No need to uninstall your current Qt - you can have as many Qt installations as you like.
Use Qt Maintenance Tool to add Qt for VC2015.

Panoss

In Qt Maintenance Tool I have these options under Qt 5.8:
WinRt arm7(MSVC2015)
WinRt x64 (MSVC2015)
WinRt x86 (MSVC2015)
Windows Phone arm (MSVC2013)
Windows Phone x86(MSVC2013)
Windows Runtime 8.1 x64 (MSVC2013)
msvc2013 32-bit
msvc2015 32-bit

I suppose I 'll have to choose the 'msvc2015 32-bit', right?

mrjj

@Panoss
yes. as long as it matches the visual studio suite you install later it should be fine.

Can I ask what goal is ?
You want to create a custom Designer plugin and use in your windows project or
what is the plan?
Or is just to test it out?

Yes compiling Creator do take some time.
I didnt use the make install thing.
I simply copied worldtimeclockplugin.dll to
M:\1_Creator\qt-creator-build-2\bin\plugins\designer
(bin\plugins\designer)
and it was visible in designer.

So if goal is to produce a real plugin for Designer, then you need visual studio.

If just for trying it out, we could cheat and i can give u the mingw Creator.
Its like 50 MB download.
But for a real project/plugin, the Visual Studio road is better.

Panoss

My goal is to create a real widget (ok plugin which wraps the widget).
The strange thing is that I managed to create Qt widgets with Python, SO MUCH easier, just two files, one the plugin and one the widget, put in the right place and immediatelly show up in Qt Designer!!!
I can't believe that with Qt Creator it's so much harder!!!
Antway...I 'm thinking of using Visual Studio Express 2015.
Is this suitable as Visual Studio?

mrjj

@Panoss
Im not sure express will work but it might nowadays.
I only heard of
https://www.visualstudio.com/vs/community/
But i can be wrong. I dont use visual studio at all. :)

The reason for it being hard in C++ than python is the way DLLS works in windows.
( and python is not compiled)
On linux its more easy as there is only gcc compiler.

Just final question.
It is easy to use custom plugins without all the plugin code using
promotion.
http://doc.qt.io/qt-5/designer-using-custom-widgets.html

That however do not provide Design time editing of its properties.

jsulm

@Panoss Use Community edition, it is free. Don't forget to select C++ during installation.