Copying .dlls into target directory

mzimmers

Hi, all -

I'm sure this must be a dupe, but I've searched the forum and haven't found anything. The answers on Stack Exchange don't work for me, so I figured I'd better ask the experts.

I'm building a small app using Creator and MinGW. There are a handful of .dlls that the app needs, and I'd like to copy them to the target directory (for ease of making an installation package). Can someone please tell me how this is done?

Using Creator 4.1 with the included MinGW package, on Windows 7.

Thanks...

JKSH

Hi,

Some clarifications first:

Do you mean Qt DLLs, or 3rd-party DLLs, or both?
Which answers from Stack Exchange have you tried? (So that you don't get answers telling you to do something you've already done)
Are you able to run your app properly from within Qt Creator?

Anyway, as a starting point, have a look at windeployqt: http://doc.qt.io/qt-5/windows-deployment.html

mzimmers

Hi, JKSH -

I mean third-party libraries. These are to be found in the MinGW directory tree.
here are a few answers:
other answers
the first suggestion is more complicated than I want to try, and the second answer doesn't work because it says that the extra_libs.path path isn't defined. (Do I need to define DESTDIR myself? I thought it was a built-in variable.
yes.

Thank you.

JKSH

The answers in your link were complicated because the asker wanted everything done automatically. This is not strictly necessary (but it does save you a minute or so each time you want to deploy)

From the Windows command line, do this:

Navigate to the folder which contains your Qt DLLs
Add the MinGW directory to your PATH
Run the deployment tool, tell it where to find your built executable (see http://doc.qt.io/qt-5/windows-deployment.html)

Example: (Assumes that you installed Qt into C:\Qt, that you're using Qt 5.6.2,, and that you have compiled your app into D:\Projects\MyApp\build-MyApp-Desktop_Qt_5_6_2_MinGW_32bit-Release\release)

> cd C:\Qt\5.6\mingw49_32\bin
> set path=%path%;C:\Qt\Tools\mingw492_32\bin
> windeployqt.exe D:\Projects\MyApp\build-MyApp-Desktop_Qt_5_6_2_MinGW_32bit-Release\release

VRonin

as an altrenative, in your .pro file just add to INSTALLS the libraries you want and calling make install will copy them over

mzimmers

Thank you both.

I think I prefer the solution proposed by VRonin, mainly because I understand it better. Unfortunately, I'm getting this error when I try to build:

:-1: warning: C:/Qt/5.7/mingw53_32/bin\libgcc_s_dw2-1.dll.path is not defined: install target not created

The path is definitely there, and the file exists. What am I doing wrong?

Thanks...

VRonin

Could you post the content of the pro file?

Maybe just running qmake again is enough to fix this problem

mzimmers

Hi, Vronin -

I fixed that problem by following the syntax used in the examples I posted above (with the .path and the .files).

Now I get no errors, but the file still doesn't move to the target directory (in this case, the debug directory).

.pro file:

TEMPLATE = app
CONFIG += CONSOLE
CONFIG -= qt
TARGET = storefile
SOURCES += \
	storefile_client.cpp

#win32:QMAKE_CXXFLAGS += /MD

HEADERS += \
	storefile_client.h \

win32:LIBS += "C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Kits\8.0\Lib\win8\um\x86\ws2_32.lib"

INCLUDEPATH += "../ARM/inc/"

win32 {
    libsto_copy.files += $$QMAKE_LIBDIR_QT/libgcc_s_dw2-1.dll
}
libs_to_copy.path = $$OUT_PWD/$$OUTDIR
INSTALLS += libs_to_copy
#INSTALLS += $$[QT_INSTALL_BINS]\libgcc_s_dw2-1.dll
#INSTALLS += C:\Qt\5.7\mingw53_32\bin\libgcc_s_dw2-1.dll

Thank you.

mzimmers

fixed the typo; still doesn't work:

TEMPLATE = app
CONFIG += CONSOLE
CONFIG -= qt
TARGET = storefile
SOURCES += \
	storefile_client.cpp

#win32:QMAKE_CXXFLAGS += /MD

HEADERS += \
	storefile_client.h \

win32:LIBS += "C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Kits\8.0\Lib\win8\um\x86\ws2_32.lib"

INCLUDEPATH += "../ARM/inc/"

libs_to_copy.files = $$QMAKE_LIBDIR_QT/libgcc_s_dw2-1.dll
libs_to_copy.path = $$OUT_PWD/$$OUTDIR
INSTALLS += libs_to_copy
#INSTALLS += $$[QT_INSTALL_BINS]\libgcc_s_dw2-1.dll
#INSTALLS += C:\Qt\5.7\mingw53_32\bin\libgcc_s_dw2-1.dll

Oddly enough, it's copying the .o file, but not the .dll I want.

mrjj

Hi
Im wondering if mixing

/ and  \ is ok?
 C:/Qt/5.7/mingw53_32/bin\libgcc_s_dw2-1.dll. 
                         ^

mzimmers

@mrjj said in copying .dlls into target directory:

Hi
Im wondering if mixing

/ and  \ is ok?
 C:/Qt/5.7/mingw53_32/bin\libgcc_s_dw2-1.dll. 
                         ^

Good question. In my hard-coded tests, I tried it with all "/" and all "" and get the same error, though.

Does qmake have some kind of echo function where I can output the value of variables?

Thanks.

mrjj

Ok, was just a thought.
You can outout with

message($$VAR)

mzimmers

Well, I'm still stuck on this. The problem appears to be in this area:

DESTDIR = $$(OUT_PWD)
extra_libs.files = MY_LIB_FILES
extra_libs.path = $$(DESTDIR)

## Tell qmake to add the moving of them to the 'install' target
INSTALLS += extra_libs

I get this error (warning):

:-1: warning: extra_libs.path is not defined: install target not created

OUT_PWD appears to be OK. I don't really know what I'm doing with the variable "extra_lib" as that was just yanked from an example above. I assumed the .files and .path were properties of the variable, but now I'm questioning what I'm doing.

Anyone able to shed some light onto this?

Thanks.

UPDATE:

I just clicked on the "see more replies" part of the answer I was trying to copy -- someone claims that INSTALLS doesn't work on Windows. Can anyone confirm or deny this? I don't find anything about this limitation in the docs. I tried invoking the make from the command line, and got this:

C:\Qt\Tools\mingw530_32\bin>.\mingw32-make.exe install
mingw32-make: *** No rule to make target 'install'.  Stop.

So I guess it is true...?

JKSH

Try using hard-coded paths first and see if you can get that to work. After you succeed, replace the hard-coded paths with variables.

(I haven't used INSTALLS before and don't currently have access to a computer to try it myself)

mzimmers

Now using:

C:\Qt\5.7\mingw53_32\bin

Same results.

mrjj

well I was under the impression that make install was a unix thing as doc mentioned but
then i read that mingw-make does have "install". I have however never tried it.

But the plugandpaint example has

target.path = $$[QT_INSTALL_EXAMPLES]/widgets/tools/plugandpaint
INSTALLS += target
which maps to
C:/Qt/Examples/Qt-5.7/widgets/tools/plugandpaint
But nothing is copied there so Im not sure it does work.

kshegunov

@mrjj said in copying .dlls into target directory:

well I was under the impression that make install was a unix thing as doc mentioned but

No, it's a make thing. Any self-respecting make implementation (including MS's nmake) should provide the install target out of the box. :)

But the plugandpaint example has

Well, how did you install? Did you call make install (or equivalent) from the Qt source's base path? If not, you've erred, because there's a chain of pro files (and mkspecs and other goodies that get included and ultimately the QT_INSTALL_EXAMPLES is set for you). But anyway, that's another matter altogether.

@mzimmers

I suggest you run qmake manually with -d or -d -d to get some debug info back. It is possible that the qmake's makefile generator doesn't respect the INSTALLS variable (although I see no reason it shouldn't).

Kind regards.

mzimmers

@kshegunov - thank you for the suggestion. I tried this and got ~6700 error messages; I'm not sure I did it correctly.

I do have another question: my build steps are to run make first, then qmake. If qmake is a "meta-make" tool, shouldn't the order be 1) qmake and 2) make?

Thank you.

jsulm

@mzimmers Yes qmake should be the first one

mzimmers

Well, somehow they got switched (I probably fat-fingered it). I put them in the correct order (qmake, make, make install) and still it doesn't copy the files. Here's the compiler output:

08:42:17: Running steps for project storefile_client...
08:42:17: Configuration unchanged, skipping qmake step.
08:42:17: Starting: "C:\Qt\Tools\mingw530_32\bin\mingw32-make.exe" 
C:/Qt/Tools/mingw530_32/bin/mingw32-make -f Makefile.Debug
mingw32-make[1]: Entering directory 'C:/Users/mzimmers/Wideband/Peninsula/build-storefile_client-Desktop_Qt_5_7_0_MinGW_32bit-Debug'
g++ -c -pipe -fno-keep-inline-dllexport -g -std=gnu++11 -frtti -Wall -Wextra -fexceptions -mthreads -DUNICODE -DQT_QML_DEBUG -I..\storefile_client -I. -I..\ARM\inc -IC:\Qt\5.7\mingw53_32\mkspecs\win32-g++  -o debug\storefile_client.o ..\storefile_client\storefile_client.cpp
g++ -Wl,-subsystem,console -mthreads -o debug\storefile.exe debug/storefile_client.o  "C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Kits\8.0\Lib\win8\um\x86\ws2_32.lib" 
mingw32-make[1]: Leaving directory 'C:/Users/mzimmers/Wideband/Peninsula/build-storefile_client-Desktop_Qt_5_7_0_MinGW_32bit-Debug'
08:42:18: The process "C:\Qt\Tools\mingw530_32\bin\mingw32-make.exe" exited normally.
08:42:18: Starting: "C:\Qt\Tools\mingw530_32\bin\mingw32-make.exe" install
C:/Qt/Tools/mingw530_32/bin/mingw32-make -f Makefile.Debug install
mingw32-make[1]: Entering directory 'C:/Users/mzimmers/Wideband/Peninsula/build-storefile_client-Desktop_Qt_5_7_0_MinGW_32bit-Debug'
**mingw32-make[1]: Nothing to be done for 'install'.**
mingw32-make[1]: Leaving directory 'C:/Users/mzimmers/Wideband/Peninsula/build-storefile_client-Desktop_Qt_5_7_0_MinGW_32bit-Debug'
08:42:19: The process "C:\Qt\Tools\mingw530_32\bin\mingw32-make.exe" exited normally.
08:42:19: Elapsed time: 00:02.

To my layman eyes, it's looking more like the make that comes with mingw doesn't honor installs?

kshegunov

Honestly, I have no idea. Could you attach the make file and the pro you're currently using?

mzimmers

@kshegunov : I don't know how to attach files, so I uploaded them to here.

You should be able to view and/or download from there. If not, please let me know.

Thanks...

kshegunov

I don't know how to attach files

That's what I meant - upload and post the link.

From what I can see in the makefile your install target is empty (FORCE goes to the end):

install:  FORCE

And there's something suspicious about the .pro, you've commented INSTALLS += libs_to_copy and used INSTALLS += C:\Qt\5.7\mingw53_32\bin\libgcc_s_dw2-1.dll instead.

I suggest setting a hard path (not through a var) for the libs_to_copy contents and trying with INSTALLS += libs_to_copy. After modifying the file, don't forget to run qmake and then make, make install.

mzimmers

I tried this:

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

and I get this error:

:-1: warning: libs_to_copy.path is not defined: install target not created

When I do this:
libs_to_copy.files = $$(QMAKE_LIBDIR_QT)/libgcc_s_dw2-1.dll
libs_to_copy.path = $$(OUT_PWD)/$$(OUTDIR)
INSTALLS += libs_to_copy

I don't get the error, but the file doesn't copy.

kshegunov

@mzimmers said in Copying .dlls into target directory:

libs_to_copy.files = $$(QMAKE_LIBDIR_QT)/libgcc_s_dw2-1.dll
libs_to_copy.path = $$(OUT_PWD)/$$(OUTDIR)
INSTALLS += libs_to_copy

I don't get the error, but the file doesn't copy.

What about this:

libs_to_copy.files = C:/Qt/5.7/mingw53_32/bin/libgcc_s_dw2-1.dll
libs_to_copy.path = $$(OUT_PWD)

INSTALLS += libs_to_copy

?

Alternatively you could try to add an additional target.

mzimmers

@kshegunov said in Copying .dlls into target directory:

@mzimmers said in Copying .dlls into target directory:
libs_to_copy.files = $$(QMAKE_LIBDIR_QT)/libgcc_s_dw2-1.dll
libs_to_copy.path = $$(OUT_PWD)/$$(OUTDIR)
INSTALLS += libs_to_copy
I don't get the error, but the file doesn't copy.
What about this:
libs_to_copy.files = C:/Qt/5.7/mingw53_32/bin/libgcc_s_dw2-1.dll
libs_to_copy.path = $$(OUT_PWD)

INSTALLS += libs_to_copy
?

That gives me this error:

:-1: warning: libs_to_copy.path is not defined: install target not created

Alternatively you could try to add an additional target.

I may have to fall back to this, if it turns out that the INSTALLS directive doesn't work.

Thanks...

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/