Can't compile Qt with Microsoft compiler

Question

I want to build Qt (4.7.3) with the VS2010 compiler but ran into a problem while configuring.

I’m using the VS-command-shell. My configure-command looks like this:

configure.exe -platform win32-msvc2010 -no-webkit -no-phonon -no-phonon-backend -no-script -no-scripttools -no-multimedia -no-qt3support

This happens like a second after starting configure. What is going wrong?

C:\qt-everywhere-opensource-src-4.7.3\qmake\qbitarray.obj couldn't be found
werden
        del project.obj main.obj makefile.obj unixmake.obj unixmake2.obj mingw_m
ake.obj  option.obj winmakefile.obj projectgenerator.obj property.obj meta.obj
makefiledeps.obj metamakefile.obj xmloutput.obj pbuilder_pbx.obj  borland_bmake.
obj msvc_nmake.obj msvc_vcproj.obj msvc_vcxproj.obj  msvc_objectmodel.obj msbuil
d_objectmodel.obj symmake.obj initprojectdeploy_symbian.obj  symmake_abld.obj sy
mmake_sbsv2.obj symbiancommon.obj registry.obj epocroot.obj
C:\qt-everywhere-opensource-src-4.7.3\qmake\project.obj couldn't be found 
        del qmake_pch.obj
C:\qt-everywhere-opensource-src-4.7.3\qmake\qmake_pch.obj couldn't be found
        del qmake_pch.pch
C:\qt-everywhere-opensource-src-4.7.3\qmake\qmake_pch.pch couldn't be found
        del qsystemlibrary.obj
C:\qt-everywhere-opensource-src-4.7.3\qmake\qsystemlibrary.obj couldn't be found
        del vc60.pdb
C:\qt-everywhere-opensource-src-4.7.3\qmake\vc60.pdb couldn't be found
        del vc70.pdb
C:\qt-everywhere-opensource-src-4.7.3\qmake\vc70.pdb couldn't be found
        del qmake.pdb
C:\qt-everywhere-opensource-src-4.7.3\qmake\qmake.pdb couldn't be found
        del qmake.ilk
C:\qt-everywhere-opensource-src-4.7.3\qmake\qmake.ilk couldn't be found
        del qmake.tds
C:\qt-everywhere-opensource-src-4.7.3\qmake\qmake.tds couldn't be found

Microsoft (R) Program Maintenance Utility, Version 10.00.30319.01
Copyright (C) Microsoft Corporation. Alle Rechte vorbehalten.

        cl -c -Fo./  -W3 -nologo -O2  /MP  -I. -Igenerators -Igenerators\unix -I
generators\win32 -Igenerators\mac -Igenerators\symbian  -IC:\qt-everywhere-opens
ource-src-4.7.3\include -IC:\qt-everywhere-opensource-src-4.7.3\include\QtCore
-IC:\qt-everywhere-opensource-src-4.7.3\include -IC:\qt-everywhere-opensource-sr
c-4.7.3\include\QtCore  -IC:\qt-everywhere-opensource-src-4.7.3\src\corelib\glob
al  -IC:\qt-everywhere-opensource-src-4.7.3\src\corelib\xml  -IC:\qt-everywhere-
opensource-src-4.7.3\mkspecs\win32-msvc2008   -IC:\qt-everywhere-opensource-src-
4.7.3\tools\shared  -DQT_NO_TEXTCODEC -DQT_NO_UNICODETABLES -DQT_LITE_COMPONENT
-DQT_NODLL -DQT_NO_STL  -DQT_NO_COMPRESS -DUNICODE -DHAVE_QCONFIG_CPP -DQT_BUILD
_QMAKE -DQT_NO_THREAD  -DQT_NO_QOBJECT -DQT_NO_GEOM_VARIANT -DQT_NO_DATASTREAM -
DQT_NO_PCRE -DQT_BOOTSTRAPPED  -DQLIBRARYINFO_EPOCROOT -c -Yc -Fpqmake_pch.pch -
TP qmake_pch.h
qmake_pch.h
c:\qt-everywhere-opensource-src-4.7.3\include\qtcore\../../src/corelib/global/qg
lobal.h(45) : fatal error C1083: File (Include) couldn't be opened: "st
ddef.h": No such file or directory
NMAKE : fatal error U1077: ""C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio 10.0
\VC\BIN\cl.EXE"": return code "0x2"
Stop.
Building qmake failed, return code 2

Answer 1

Microsoft Visual Studio by default doesn't put #include search paths and/or library link paths into the global environment at installation, but leaves that to either the IDE to set up, or the user to explicitly do so when using the command line compilers.

For the latter purpose, Microsoft provides a batch file, see Setting the Path and Environment Variables for Command-Line Builds in the Visual Studio documentation.

You need to run the VCVARS32.BAT script mentioned there before the configure.exe.