How to use QMake's subdirs template?

Question

I'm starting to learn Qt. I'm moving from the Visual Studio world and I am looking for a way to organize my project's structure using QMake. I've found the 'subdirs' template but I have quite a hard time understanding it.

My project structure looks like this:

project_dir/     main.cpp     project.pro     logic/       logic.pro       some logic files     gui/       gui.pro       gui files 

My project.pro looks like this

TEMPLATE = subdirs SUBDIRS = logic \           gui SOURCES += main.cpp 

In the .pro files for the subdirectories I have appropriate SOURCES, HEADERS and RESOURCES variables set.

Please tell me what TARGET, TEMPLATE and other necessary values I should set in the .pro files.

Also, is there some good QMake tutorial other than the official one?

Answer 1

In addition to Troubadour's comment, I would note that the SUBDIRS target is only good for specifying subdirectories. Therefore, your extra line of

SOURCES += main.cpp 

in your project.pro file is incorrect, and will likely fail to build your main.cpp file, at worst. At best, qmake will refuse to parse the file, since it has conflicting specifications in it.

I've used the SUBDIRS template a few times, and it does well if you can build parts into more-or-less independent libraries, apparently like you have with the logic and the gui separate. Here is one way to do this:

project_dir/ -project.pro -common.pri -logic/ ----logic.pro ----some logic files -gui/ ----gui.pro ----gui files -build/ ----build.pro ----main.cpp 

project.pro:

TEMPLATE = subdirs SUBDIRS = logic \           gui  # build must be last: CONFIG += ordered SUBDIRS += build 

common.pri:

#Includes common configuration for all subdirectory .pro files. INCLUDEPATH += . .. WARNINGS += -Wall  TEMPLATE = lib  # The following keeps the generated files at least somewhat separate  # from the source files. UI_DIR = uics MOC_DIR = mocs OBJECTS_DIR = objs 

logic/logic.pro:

# Check if the config file exists ! include( ../common.pri ) {     error( "Couldn't find the common.pri file!" ) }  HEADERS += logic.h SOURCES += logic.cpp  # By default, TARGET is the same as the directory, so it will make  # liblogic.a (in linux).  Uncomment to override. # TARGET = target 

gui/gui.pro:

! include( ../common.pri ) {     error( "Couldn't find the common.pri file!" ) }  FORMS += gui.ui HEADERS += gui.h SOURCES += gui.cpp  # By default, TARGET is the same as the directory, so it will make  # libgui.a (in linux).  Uncomment to override. # TARGET = target 

build/build.pro:

TEMPLATE = app  SOURCES += main.cpp  LIBS += -L../logic -L../gui -llogic -lgui  # Will build the final executable in the main project directory. TARGET = ../project