Debug. App Dir: how to correct work with files

sitesv

Hi!
Trying to release a multilanguage app like this:
link text

But the next part of code is not working for me:

m_langPath = QApplication::applicationDirPath();
m_langPath.append("/languages");
QDir dir(m_langPath);
QStringList fileNames = dir.entryList(QStringList("TranslationExample_*.qm"));

applicationDirPath returns: absolute_path_to_my_project/debug
But folder language lays just in absolute_path_to_my_project folder.

How to debug/release the app and write the universal code for working with the files?

Thank you!

J.Hilk

@sitesv
couple of options you have here.

Add your translation files to the QtRessource system, that way they will be part of the binary, but you're still able to normally access them / load them
Copy the files once to your build folder, as long as you do not delete the folder, those files will stay there
Or, write a post link macro that will copy the files for you (automatically)

since this is something I do, here's example code:

//*.pro file

defineTest(copyToDestDir) {
    files = $$1
    dir = $$2
    # replace slashes in destination path for Windows
    win32:dir ~= s,/,\\,g

    for(file, files) {
        # replace slashes in source path for Windows
        win32:file ~= s,/,\\,g

        QMAKE_POST_LINK += $$QMAKE_COPY_DIR $$shell_quote($$file) $$shell_quote($$dir) $$escape_expand(\\n\\t)
    }

    export(QMAKE_POST_LINK)
}

copyToDestDir($$PWD/translations, $$DESTDIR/translations)

sitesv

@J-Hilk In fact new resource files may be added without rebuilding binary.
In this case, I need to work without a qt resource system.
Language files and doc's link - just an example of my problem.

Pablo J. Rogina

@sitesv said in Debug. App Dir: how to correct work with files:

applicationDirPath returns: absolute_path_to_my_project/debug

If you're running your app from Qt Creator, check the settings for your debug session (under Project) so to set a specific working folder

sitesv

@Pablo-J-Rogina Do you mean a shadow build? Usually, I disable this mode.

Pablo J. Rogina

@sitesv I mean Working directory under Run Settings in Qt Creator (see screenshot there).

sitesv

@Pablo-J-Rogina Working directory is correct. But qt creates 'debug'/'release' folder and puts binary there. And when you start binary, applicationDirPath returns path to binary as-is: ...absoluth_path_to_project/debug/my_binary.exe.

J.Hilk

@sitesv maybe you didn't read my post completely, as you apparently stoped after the first suggestion.

So I added bullet points

Bonnie

@sitesv
Do you mean you want my_binary.exe to be created without a debug folder?
set DESTDIR in your .pro, something like

DESTDIR = $$OUT_PWD

sitesv

I fould solution:

CONFIG -= debug_and_release

sitesv

@J-Hilk said in Debug. App Dir: how to correct work with files:

@sitesv maybe you didn't read my post completely, as you apparently stoped after the first suggestion.

No-no. I think you wrote not exactly what I need.

J.Hilk

@sitesv

A word of caution!
With no shadow build folder set, you're doing in source builds and are now you are mixing debug and release builds as well!

I would highly recommend to not do this, you'll (eventually) end up with apparently incomprehensible compile errors!

sitesv

@J-Hilk said in Debug. App Dir: how to correct work with files:

A word of caution!
With no shadow build folder set, you're doing in source builds and are now you are mixing debug and release builds as well!

I thought that shadow build needs for building projects by various compiler types only. Could you please explain, what could be damaged without shadow build?

J.Hilk

@sitesv
first of, without a shadow build folder, the makefile, the .qmake.stash all compiler/qmake generated files (moc files, obj files, ui files, resource files etc.) will be in your source directory, and make it highly unreadable, auto generated source files should always be kept separately. If any thing ever fails (happens often enough) and the clean option of QtCreator does not clean everything needed you can simply delete the build folder and your done.

secondly, switching from debug to release can already cause problems, not just changing to a completely different compiler

sitesv

@J-Hilk Thank you!

J.Hilk

@sitesv
I'm still not sure, what exactly is your case here, but if you only want to go up one folder and down into an other one you can do the following as well, without modifying the pro file:

/*
m_langPath = QApplication::applicationDirPath();
m_langPath.append("/languages");
QDir dir(m_langPath);
QStringList fileNames = dir.entryList(QStringList("TranslationExample_*.qm"));
*/

m_langPath = QApplication::applicationDirPath();
QDir dir(m_langPath);
dir.cdUp();
dir.cd("languages")
QStringList fileNames = dir.entryList(QStringList("TranslationExample_*.qm"));

sitesv

@J-Hilk said in Debug. App Dir: how to correct work with files:

//*.pro file

defineTest(copyToDestDir) {
files = $$1
dir = $$2
# replace slashes in destination path for Windows
win32:dir ~= s,/,\,g
for(file, files) {
    # replace slashes in source path for Windows
    win32:file ~= s,/,\\,g

    QMAKE_POST_LINK += $$QMAKE_COPY_DIR $$shell_quote($$file) $$shell_quote($$dir) $$escape_expand(\\n\\t)
}

export(QMAKE_POST_LINK)
}

copyToDestDir($$PWD/translations, $$DESTDIR/translations)

This code is not working.

sitesv

@J-Hilk
Just added couple of string:

message($$files)
message($$dir)

There is the next output:

Project MESSAGE: C:/Users/z/Documents/language/translations
Project MESSAGE: \translations

I think $$DESTDIR should be different.

J.Hilk

@sitesv well, for once, you can tell DESTDIR what is shall be!

For example, my DESTDIR looks like this:

CONFIG(release, debug|release) {
    DESTDIR     = $$PWD/../Deployment/release
}

CONFIG(debug, debug|release) {
    DESTDIR     = $$PWD/../Deployment/debug
}

This results in a new folder outside my shadow build folder, that has the name Deployment. In that, there will be 2 additional folders, Release and Debug. In those, the compiled exe will be copied(and executed when started from QtCreator) and the previous function will copy my specified folders to there as well.

In case of the translation files, (from the example line I posted) it would look like this for a release build:
..../Deployment/Release/translations

sitesv

@J-Hilk I'm done what you advise. But it is still not working... Files are not copied.
Please, check a project in attach.
link text