Qt build folder has sub folders for debug and release

SPlatten · 5 May 2020, 07:58

The project I'm working on has an odd folder structure, the build directory is set as follows:

C:\Users\u49100\Documents\build-PSU-Desktop_Qt_5_8_0_MSVC2013_32bit-Debug

Inside this folder there are also sub-folders:

debug
release

I'm not sure how or why its been done this way on other projects these are not present and the objects and executable is built in the root of the build folder.

jsulm · wrote on 5 May 2020, 08:02

@SPlatten Yes, this is on Windows. I'm not sure why, but it's "normal"

jsulm · wrote on 5 May 2020, 07:58

@SPlatten This is actually default behaviour on Windows.
The reason for "debug" and "release" subfolders is simple: to not to mix debug and release build artefacts.

SPlatten · 5 May 2020, 08:02

But there are already separate build folders for each:

    C:\Users\u49100\Documents\build-PSU-Desktop_Qt_5_8_0_MSVC2013_32bit-Debug
    C:\Users\u49100\Documents\build-PSU-Desktop_Qt_5_8_0_MSVC2013_32bit-Release

Each of these has sub-folders called debug and release.

jsulm · wrote on 5 May 2020, 08:02

@SPlatten Yes, this is on Windows. I'm not sure why, but it's "normal"

SPlatten · wrote on 5 May 2020, 08:03

Seems very odd.

SGaist · wrote on 5 May 2020, 09:32

Hi,

That comes from how Visual Studio works. Qt Creator handles out of source builds on all platform the same because the toolchains usually works from within the folder you call them in.

What you see here is Visual Studio doing the same, except that its own behaviour is to create separate build/release folder for the reasons @jsulm wrote and continue the process in the one corresponding to the build type going on.

aha_1980 · wrote on 5 May 2020, 13:03

@SPlatten In addition to what @jsulm and @SGaist said, you can turn that "feature" off with CONFIG-=debug_and_release. In that case you have to make sure to not mix debug and release artifacts, which is perfectly done by shadow-build folders.

Regards

SPlatten · wrote on 5 May 2020, 13:05

Thats exactly what I was looking for, thank you!

giao · wrote on 15 Feb 2025, 04:53

I still don't understand Why does qt creater have Debug and release folders in the Debug\ folder?
I have tried vs2022 Debug and release folders in the X64.
The working directory of a c program is actually on the upper level of the exe directory, too strange!

you can tryFILE* file = fopen("test.txt", "r");,test.txt
you will found that test.txt should be placed under Debug\, not Debug\Debug\

SGaist · wrote on 15 Feb 2025, 13:23

Hi and welcome to devnet,

I think the comment I posted above is still valid.