Visual C++ 2005 Express Edition compiling instructions

This page gives you some instructions how getting the Q../Free compiled with the free as beer "Microsoft Visual C++ 2005 Express Edition" tool.

Requirements

• Windows 2000 or XP
• Microsoft Visual C++ 2005 Express Edition
• latest Platform SDK
• A svn client for svn checkouts (for example Subversion or TortoiseSVN)

Installing "Microsoft Visual C++ 2005 Express Edition" (MSVC8)

• download Visual C++ 2005 Express and follow the installation instructions.

Installing latest Platform SDK

• Follow install instructions from Platform-SDK download site

Get the Q... sources

• by downloading a Qt 3 source snapshot from the qtwin download area
• or from the svn repository (qtwin.svn.sourceforge.net)

  checkout the sources with

  c:\source>  svn co https://qtwin.svn.sourceforge.net/svnroot/qtwin/qt-3/trunk qt-3

Compiling Q... with command line tools

• Open 'Visual Studio 2005 Express Command Prompt
• Setup Q... environment (here sources in C:\source\qt-3, please adjust the path to your needs)

  C:\source> set QTDIR=C:\source\qt-3
  C:\source> set PATH=%QTDIR%\bin;%PATH%
  C:\source> set QMAKESPEC=win32-msvc.net

• Configure and build the source
  The script first creates link_includes.exe and configure.exe which are needed for bootstrap the build process. link_includes copies all relevant Qt headers into the include-directory. configure.exe is the replacement for the ./configure-script under Unix/Linux. After that, qmake.exe is build and the compilation gets started.

  C:\source> cd C:\source\qt-3
  C:\source\qt-3> configure.bat [-fast] [-verbose]

  configure knows some of the parameters of the x11 release configure script like -fast or -verbose.
  For a full list see bin\configure.exe -help.

  This should build the whole Q../Free release. If it breaks you can restart compiling with

  C:\source\qt-3> nmake [< target >]

  for a list of all available targets see the toplevel Makefile

• Start Q... applications

  C:\source\qt-3> designer
  C:\source\qt-3> assistant
  C:\source\qt-3> linguist
  C:\source\qt-3> cd tutorial\t1
  C:\source\qt-3\tutorial\t1> t1

Compiling Q... with the IDE

• Setup Q... environment in Arbeitsplatz/Eigenschaften/Umgebungsvariablen (german windows)

QTDIR=C:\source\qt-3
QMAKESPEC=win32-msvc.net

and add C:\source\qt-3\bin to the PATH variable
• Add the Platform SDK path (e.g. C:\Programme\Microsoft SDK\Include) at the end of the list to the options in

  menu: Tools/Options: Projects and Solutions/VC++ Directories/Incude Files.

  add also in "/Library Files" the library path (e.g. C:\Programme\Microsoft SDK\Lib)
• run the configure.bat until it has builded the moc tool and stop it then
• open and compile the C:\sources\qt-3\src\qt_mt.vcproj and qtmain.vcproj with the IDE
• use other *.vcproj files

Notes

• Do not use spaces in the Qt source path, it will produce weired results
• incremental link does not work
• use static linkage for faster link processes
• You don't have to download all the files - it is sufficent to go to http://www.microsoft.com/msdownload/platformsdk/sdkupdate and tell it to install the Core SDK (you have to use IE). So you don't have to fetch all of the 340 MB. Provided of course you trust Microsoft not to transfer whatever from your computer to somewhere else ;-)
The eula says:
(b) Time Sensitive Prerelease Code
(i) PORTIONS OF THE SOFTWARE ARE DESIGNED TO CEASE FUNCTIONING ON MAY 1, 2006. OTHER PORTIONS OF THE SOFTWARE ARE DESIGNED TO CEASE FUNCTIONING 365 DAYS FROM THE DATE FIRST INSTALLED. NOTICE OF EXPIRATION WILL NOT BE GIVEN, SO RECIPIENT NEEDS TO PLAN FOR THE EXPIRATION DATE AND REMOVE RECIPIENT?S DATA PRIOR TO SUCH EXPIRATION. This Agreement may terminate prior to expiration of the time-sensitive portions of the SOFTWARE. A later expiration date does not extend the term of this Agreement or Recipient?s license under this Agreement.