Separate Source, Build, and Install Directories

[elemings]

This has probably been asked a bazillion times before but can you build Qt in a different directory from the source directory? And can you install from the build directory into a different 3rd directory?

While building the open source version on Windows, I see the following lines (albeit with hypothetical pathnames):

Sources are in..............C:\Source\qt-win-opensource-src-4.4.1
Build is done in............C:\Build\qt-default-cfg
Install prefix..............C:\Install\qt-4

This leads me to think that it can be done but the configure help message does not indicate options for doing such.

Thanks.

[jacek]

but the configure help message does not indicate options for doing such.

I'm not sure about the build directory, but you can change installation directory without any problems:

$ ./configure -help
[...]
Installation options:
 
 These are optional, but you may specify install directories.
 
    -prefix <dir> ...... This will install everything relative to <dir>
                         (default /usr/local/Trolltech/Qt-4.4.1)
[...]

$ ./configure -help
[...]
Installation options:

 These are optional, but you may specify install directories.

    -prefix <dir> ...... This will install everything relative to <dir>
                         (default /usr/local/Trolltech/Qt-4.4.1)
[...]

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P.S. Please don't post the same question more than once.

[lvi]

I use a directory structure like this:

/trunk
--/build
--/doc
--/res
--/src
----/include

/trunk
--/build
--/doc
--/res
--/src
----/include

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and use a .pro file like:

SRCDIR = ../src
INCDIR = $$SRCDIR/include
RESDIR = ../res
 
QT = core gui network xml
 
SOURCES += $$SRCDIR/main.cpp
SOURCES += $$SRCDIR/appsettings.cpp
SOURCES += $$SRCDIR/mainwindow.cpp
SOURCES += $$SRCDIR/settingsdialog.cpp
 
HEADERS += $$INCDIR/appsettings.h
HEADERS += $$INCDIR/mainwindow.h
HEADERS += $$INCDIR/settingsdialog.h
 
FORMS += $$RESDIR/mainwindow.ui
FORMS += $$RESDIR/settingsdialog.ui
 
RESOURCES = $$RESDIR/resources.qrc

SRCDIR = ../src
INCDIR = $$SRCDIR/include
RESDIR = ../res

QT = core gui network xml

SOURCES += $$SRCDIR/main.cpp
SOURCES += $$SRCDIR/appsettings.cpp
SOURCES += $$SRCDIR/mainwindow.cpp
SOURCES += $$SRCDIR/settingsdialog.cpp

HEADERS += $$INCDIR/appsettings.h
HEADERS += $$INCDIR/mainwindow.h
HEADERS += $$INCDIR/settingsdialog.h

FORMS += $$RESDIR/mainwindow.ui
FORMS += $$RESDIR/settingsdialog.ui

RESOURCES = $$RESDIR/resources.qrc

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and save this in the build directory.
Of course, this .pro file was created manually, but I think this is doable for most projects. You could write a simple script that creates a .pro file like this for larger projects.

[elemings]

I'm not sure about the build directory, but you can change installation directory without any problems:

$ ./configure -help
[...]
Installation options:
 
 These are optional, but you may specify install directories.
 
    -prefix <dir> ...... This will install everything relative to <dir>
                         (default /usr/local/Trolltech/Qt-4.4.1)
[...]

$ ./configure -help
[...]
Installation options:

 These are optional, but you may specify install directories.

    -prefix <dir> ...... This will install everything relative to <dir>
                         (default /usr/local/Trolltech/Qt-4.4.1)
[...]

To copy to clipboard, switch view to plain text mode 

That must be an option in the Mac and/or Linux configure command because it doesn't appear in the help message for the Windows configure command.

[jacek]

That must be an option in the Mac and/or Linux configure command because it doesn't appear in the help message for the Windows configure command.

Hmm... Indeed. I've never noticed that earlier.

Take a look at .qmake.cache file.