Qt Creator not compiling on Windows 10

AxelVienna

Dear community,
I have a complex Qt Widgets project which compiles just fine on a Linux environment. To get a Windows version, I installed Qt with MinGW from the online installer on a plain Windows 10 box. I copied the project tree, adapted .pro file source code for Windows specifics, installed all necessary libraries. I created a Windows/MinGW kit and tested if g++.exe works - it does.
When I start compiling the project, qmake and MinGW-make finish correctly.
g++, however, fails with "fatal error: no input files". This is where I get stuck. All sources and headers are in the project directory. I removed them from the .pro file and added them again with the "add existing file" function of Qt Creator in Windows. The .pro entries produced are identical to those in Linux. Most likely, I have made a stupid configuration mistake. I just can't find it. Help is highly appreciated.

Compiler output:

g++: error: WINDOWS -I../WhiteGUI -I. -I../../../Win64/include -I../
WhiteEngine -I../WhiteEngine -I../WhiteEngine -I../WhiteEngine -IC:/Qt/6.1.2/
mingw81_64/include -IC:/Qt/6.1.2/mingw81_64/include/QtQuickControls2 -IC:/Qt/
6.1.2/mingw81_64/include/QtQuick -IC:/Qt/6.1.2/mingw81_64/include/QtOpenGL -
IC:/Qt/6.1.2/mingw81_64/include/QtWidgets -IC:/Qt/6.1.2/mingw81_64/include/
QtGui -IC:/Qt/6.1.2/mingw81_64/include/QtQmlModels -IC:/Qt/6.1.2/mingw81_64/
include/QtQml -IC:/Qt/6.1.2/mingw81_64/include/QtNetwork -IC:/Qt/6.1.2/
mingw81_64/include/QtCore -Idebug -I. -IC:/VulkanSDK/1.0.51.0/Include -IC:/Qt/
6.1.2/mingw81_64/mkspecs/win32-g++  -o debug\whiteapi.o ..
\WhiteEngine\whiteapi.cpp: No such file or directory
g++: fatal error: no input files
compilation terminated.```

Here is my .pro file:
QT += core gui
QT += quickcontrols2

greaterThan(QT_MAJOR_VERSION, 4): QT += widgets

CONFIG += c++11
CONFIG += c++17

WIN64 {
       INCLUDEPATH += ../../../Win64/include
       LIBS += -L ../../../Win64/libs -lcurl
       LIBS += -L ../../../Win64/libs -lcurl
       LIBS += -L ../../../Win64/libs -ljsoncpp
       LIBS += -lstdc++fs
       LIBS += -L ../../../Win64/libs -lboost_date_time
       LIBS += -L ../../../Win64/libs -lboost_system
       LIBS += -L ../../../Win64/libs -lQXlsx
}else{

LIBS += -lcurl
LIBS += -L/usr/local/lib64 -ljsoncpp
LIBS += -lstdc++fs
LIBS += -lboost_date_time
LIBS += -lboost_system
LIBS += -L/usr/local/lib64/QXlsx -lQXlsx
INCLUDEPATH += /usr/include/glibc-2.0
INCLUDEPATH += /usr/local/include
}
# Compile defs for WhiteAPI class
DEFINES -= WHITEAPI
DEFINES += WHITEGUI

RESOURCES +=resources.qrc \
    ../../../Frontend/BreezeStyleSheets-master/breeze.qrc

# You can make your code fail to compile if it uses deprecated APIs.
# In order to do so, uncomment the following line.
#DEFINES += QT_DISABLE_DEPRECATED_BEFORE=0x060000    # disables all the APIs deprecated before Qt 6.0.0

SOURCES += \
    ../WhiteEngine/whiteapi.cpp \
    ../WhiteEngine/whitedata.cpp \
    ../WhiteEngine/whitefile.cpp \
    ../WhiteEngine/whitejson.cpp \
    ../WhiteEngine/whitelog.cpp \
    ../WhiteEngine/whiterequest.cpp \
    ../WhiteEngine/whitestatus.cpp \
    ../WhiteEngine/whitetimer.cpp \
    ../WhiteEngine/whitetools.cpp \
    ../WhiteEngine/whitetranslator.cpp \
    ../WhiteEngine/apikey.cpp \
    apiwizard.cpp \
    detailam.cpp \
    detailar.cpp \
    detailrender.cpp \
    importfile.cpp \
    main.cpp \
    models.cpp \
    notyfier.cpp \
    whitebar.cpp \
    whiteclient.cpp \
    whiteconfig.cpp \
    whitegui.cpp \
    whitelogin.cpp \
    whitetimerpopup.cpp \
    whiteview.cpp

HEADERS += \
    ../WhiteEngine/WhiteDefs.h \
    ../WhiteEngine/WhiteIncludes.h \
    ../WhiteEngine/apikey.h \
    ../WhiteEngine/whiteapi.h \
    ../WhiteEngine/whitedata.h \
    ../WhiteEngine/whitefile.h \
    ../WhiteEngine/whitejson.h \
    ../WhiteEngine/whitelog.h \
    ../WhiteEngine/whiterequest.h \
    ../WhiteEngine/whitestatus.h \
    ../WhiteEngine/whitetimer.h \
    ../WhiteEngine/whitetools.h \
    ../WhiteEngine/whitetranslator.h \
    apiwizard.h \
    detailam.h \
    detailar.h \
    detailrender.h \
    importfile.h \
    models.h \
    notyfier.h \
    whitebar.h \
    whiteclient.h \
    whiteconfig.h \
    whitegui.h \
    whitelogin.h \
    whitetimerpopup.h \
    whiteview.h

FORMS += \
    apiwizard.ui \
    detailam.ui \
    detailar.ui \
    detailrender.ui \
    importfile.ui \
    models.ui \
    whiteconfig.ui \
    whitegui.ui \
    whitelogin.ui \
    whitetimerpopup.ui \
    whiteview.ui

INCLUDEPATH += ../WhiteEngine

# Default rules for deployment.
qnx: target.path = /tmp/$${TARGET}/bin
else: unix:!android: target.path = /opt/$${TARGET}/bin
!isEmpty(target.path): INSTALLS += target


FORMS += \
    APIKeyGUI.ui

INCLUDEPATH += ../WhiteEngine

# Default rules for deployment.
qnx: target.path = /tmp/$${TARGET}/bin
else: unix:!android: target.path = /opt/$${TARGET}/bin
!isEmpty(target.path): INSTALLS += target

DISTFILES +=


FORMS += \
    APIKeyGUI.ui \
    models.ui

INCLUDEPATH += ../WhiteEngine

# Default rules for deployment.
qnx: target.path = /tmp/$${TARGET}/bin
else: unix:!android: target.path = /opt/$${TARGET}/bin
!isEmpty(target.path): INSTALLS += target


FORMS += \
    APIKeyGUI.ui

INCLUDEPATH += ../WhiteEngine

# Default rules for deployment.
qnx: target.path = /tmp/$${TARGET}/bin
else: unix:!android: target.path = /opt/$${TARGET}/bin
!isEmpty(target.path): INSTALLS += target

DISTFILES +=

Christian Ehrlicher

@AxelVienna said in Qt Creator not compiling on Windows 10:

It is set in the project settings for the compile kit under “additional commands”.

Why? Why do you think when you enter something there QtCreator magically knows that it should be a define and be prefixed with '-DWINDOWS'?
No need for such a define at all - WIN32 is defined by default with every windows compiler.

jsulm

@AxelVienna The title is misleading: you're not compiling QtCreator, you're compiling inside QtCreator.

The actual error is: \WhiteEngine\whiteapi.cpp: No such file or directory
So, does WhiteEngine folder exist one level up relative to the pro file?

AxelVienna

Hi Jsulm,
thanks for your swift reply -> yes it is.

axel@jupiter:~> cd WhiteDolphin/WhiteDolphinV2/WhiteDolphin/WhiteGUI/
axel@jupiter:~/WhiteDolphin/WhiteDolphinV2/WhiteDolphin/WhiteGUI> ll ../WhiteEngine/whiteapi.cpp
-rw-r--r-- 1 axel users 16140 17. Jul 07:26 ../WhiteEngine/whiteapi.cpp
axel@jupiter:~/WhiteDolphin/WhiteDolphinV2/WhiteDolphin/WhiteGUI>

Actually, all the files exist and my assumption is that the error message should lead me to another problem.

Christian Ehrlicher

Your error is from Windows, your ls from Linux.

AxelVienna

You are right, Christian.
Here is Windows:

W:\>cd WhiteDolphin\WhiteDolphinV2\WhiteDolphin\WhiteGUI

W:\WhiteDolphin\WhiteDolphinV2\WhiteDolphin\WhiteGUI>dir ..\WhiteEngine\whiteapi.cpp
 Datenträger in Laufwerk W: ist userhomes
 Volumeseriennummer: E7CE-5580

 Verzeichnis von W:\WhiteDolphin\WhiteDolphinV2\WhiteDolphin\WhiteEngine

17.07.2021  07:26            16.140 whiteapi.cpp
               1 Datei(en),         16.140 Bytes
               0 Verzeichnis(se), 11.005.326.700.544 Bytes frei

W:\WhiteDolphin\WhiteDolphinV2\WhiteDolphin\WhiteGUI>

Christian Ehrlicher

And from where do you call make? Since your build dir is not your source dir I would guess it's wrong.
Use absolute paths, use your code into the current dir or create a separate library with a separate pro file but don't use relative paths for sources.

AxelVienna

Thanks Christian - good idea, done.
I have just copied the entire tree into a new directory and put all external sources (the ones with relative paths) into the project directory. I have removed the SOURCES and HEADERS section from the .pro file and added every file manually through the "add existing file" function.
The SOUCRES section reads as follows (HEADER section is identical except for .h instead of .cpp).

SOURCES += \
    whiteapi.cpp \
    whitedata.cpp \
    whitefile.cpp \
    whitejson.cpp \
    whitelog.cpp \
    whiterequest.cpp \
    whitestatus.cpp \
    whitetimer.cpp \
    whitetools.cpp \
    whitetranslator.cpp \
    apikey.cpp \
    apiwizard.cpp \
    detailam.cpp \
    detailar.cpp \
    detailrender.cpp \
    importfile.cpp \
    main.cpp \
    models.cpp \
    notyfier.cpp \
    whitebar.cpp \
    whiteclient.cpp \
    whiteconfig.cpp \
    whitegui.cpp \
    whitelogin.cpp \
    whitetimerpopup.cpp \
    whiteview.cpp

Error message stays the same, save for absolute paths being used now.

g++: error: WINDOWS -IC:/Users/User/Documents/WhiteGUI -I. -I../../../Win64/include -I../WhiteEngine -I../WhiteEngine -I../WhiteEngine -I../WhiteEngine -IC:/Qt/6.1.2/mingw81_64/include -IC:/Qt/6.1.2/mingw81_64/include/QtQuickControls2 -IC:/Qt/6.1.2/mingw81_64/include/QtQuick -IC:/Qt/6.1.2/mingw81_64/include/QtOpenGL -IC:/Qt/6.1.2/mingw81_64/include/QtWidgets -IC:/Qt/6.1.2/mingw81_64/include/QtGui -IC:/Qt/6.1.2/mingw81_64/include/QtQmlModels -IC:/Qt/6.1.2/mingw81_64/include/QtQml -IC:/Qt/6.1.2/mingw81_64/include/QtNetwork -IC:/Qt/6.1.2/mingw81_64/include/QtCore -Idebug -I. -IC:/VulkanSDK/1.0.51.0/Include -IC:/Qt/6.1.2/mingw81_64/mkspecs/win32-g++  -o debug\whiteapi.o C:\Users\User\Documents\WhiteGUI\whiteapi.cpp: No such file or directory
g++: fatal error: no input files
compilation terminated.

The message clearly seems misleading as the file claimed to be missing is actually existing:

C:\Users\User\Documents\WhiteGUI>dir whiteapi.cpp
 Datenträger in Laufwerk C: ist Windows
 Volumeseriennummer: B2A1-AA19

 Verzeichnis von C:\Users\User\Documents\WhiteGUI

17.07.2021  07:26            16.140 whiteapi.cpp
               1 Datei(en),         16.140 Bytes
               0 Verzeichnis(se), 160.223.092.736 Bytes frei

C:\Users\User\Documents\WhiteGUI>

JonB

@AxelVienna
I could be wrong, but I am not 100% convinced that error message is saying quite what you think it is, from the way it is written. (It actually looks to me as though the whole long command line is being passed/treated as naming one file...?)

Your error message starts:

g++: error: WINDOWS -IC:/Users/User/Documents/WhiteGUI ...

Where is that plain word WINDOWS at the beginning coming from?

P.S.
If you open a Command Prompt and try, say,

gcc "WINDOWS -IC:/Users/User/Documents/WhiteGUI -o debug\whiteapi.o C:\Users\User\Documents\WhiteGUI\whiteapi.cpp"

Note the quoting I have put in. How does the error message read for this? (Interested to see whether it echoes this whole line back with : No such file or directory at the end?)

AxelVienna

WINDOWS results from a define in the build target.

DEFINES+=WINDOWS

JonB

@AxelVienna
I don't know how that causes gcc WINDOWS ..., which does not look right to me....

In any case, I put in a P.S. for you to try, to see whether my suspicion is correct or mistaken?

Christian Ehrlicher

@AxelVienna said in Qt Creator not compiling on Windows 10:

DEFINES+=WINDOWS

This is not in your pro file you posted above

@JonB : good catch

AxelVienna

You are right, it is not in the .pro file. It is set in the project settings for the compile kit under “additional commands”. I use that excessively to trigger conditional code for different targets.
As your suggested command line input delivers the same error, I will give it a try and eliminate it.

KroMignon

@AxelVienna said in Qt Creator not compiling on Windows 10:

WINDOWS results from a define in the build target.
DEFINES+=WINDOWS

I can not find this in the project file from your first post.
But in this project, you have included 3 times APIKeyGUI.ui in FORMS and added 4 times ../WhiteEngine in INCLUDEPATH.

Perhaps you should first cleanup the pro file and remove redundant informations?

Christian Ehrlicher

@AxelVienna said in Qt Creator not compiling on Windows 10:

It is set in the project settings for the compile kit under “additional commands”.

Why? Why do you think when you enter something there QtCreator magically knows that it should be a define and be prefixed with '-DWINDOWS'?
No need for such a define at all - WIN32 is defined by default with every windows compiler.

AxelVienna

Well, as I said in the very beginning: Most likely, I have made a stupid configuration mistake.
Thanks to all for pointing me to the right spot.