Qt C++ Tools for VS Code

A comprehensive VS Code extension that brings Qt Creator's essential features to Visual Studio Code, making it Qt C++ developer-friendly on Windows.

Features

🔨 Build System Integration

Auto-detect Qt Projects: Automatically finds .pro (QMake) and CMakeLists.txt (CMake) Qt projects
Build Commands: Build, Clean, and Rebuild your Qt projects with a single command
Run Projects: Execute built applications directly from VS Code
Smart Detection: Automatically detects Qt installation paths and compiler toolchains (MSVC/MinGW)

🎯 Available Commands

Access these commands via Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P):

Qt: Build Project - Build the current Qt project
Qt: Clean Project - Clean build artifacts
Qt: Rebuild Project - Clean and rebuild
Qt: Run Project - Run the built executable
Qt: Configure Qt Installation Path - Manually set Qt path
Qt: Select Qt Version - Choose from detected Qt installations
Qt: Create New QMake Project - Create a new QMake-based project (coming soon)
Qt: Create New CMake Project - Create a new CMake-based project (coming soon)

⚙️ Configuration

Configure the extension via VS Code settings (File > Preferences > Settings or Ctrl+,):

{
  "qt.qmakePath": "",                              // Path to qmake.exe (auto-detected if empty)
  "qt.qtInstallPath": "",                          // Qt installation directory (auto-detected if empty)
  "qt.autoDetect": "on",                           // Auto-detect Qt projects
  "qt.buildDirectory": "${workspaceFolder}/build", // Build output directory
  "qt.defaultBuildType": "debug",                  // debug or release
  "qt.makeCommand": "auto",                        // auto, nmake, mingw32-make, jom, or make
  "qt.additionalQMakeArguments": "",              // Extra qmake arguments
  "qt.additionalCMakeArguments": "",              // Extra CMake arguments
  "qt.showBuildOutput": true,                     // Show build output
  "qt.clearOutputBeforeBuild": true               // Clear terminal before build
}

Requirements

Software Requirements

VS Code: Version 1.85.0 or higher
Node.js: Version 18.x or higher (for development only)
Qt: Qt 5.x or Qt 6.x installation
Compiler:
- MSVC (Visual Studio 2017/2019/2022) or
- MinGW (typically bundled with Qt)

Qt Installation Detection

The extension automatically searches for Qt in:

Configured paths (qt.qmakePath or qt.qtInstallPath)
QTDIR environment variable
System PATH
Common installation directories:
- C:\Qt
- C:\Program Files\Qt
- %USERPROFILE%\Qt

Installation

Method 1: From VSIX (Recommended for Testing)

Build and Install Using Script:

# Navigate to extension directory
cd "C:\Users\Akhil\OneDrive\Documents\Github Projects\Qt-VSC-Extension"

# Run installation script
.\install.ps1

Restart VS Code or reload window (Ctrl+Shift+P → "Reload Window")

Method 2: Manual Installation

Install Dependencies:
```
npm install
```
Compile TypeScript:
```
npm run compile
```
Package Extension:
```
npm run package
```

Install VSIX:

code --install-extension qt-vsc-extension-0.0.1.vsix --force

Method 3: Development Mode

For development and testing:

Open this folder in VS Code
Press F5 to launch Extension Development Host
Test the extension in the new window

Quick Start

For Existing Qt Projects

Open Your Qt Project:
- Open a folder containing .pro or CMakeLists.txt files
Build Your Project:
- Press Ctrl+Shift+P
- Type "Qt: Build Project"
- Or use Ctrl+Shift+B to see all build tasks
Run Your Application:
- Press Ctrl+Shift+P
- Type "Qt: Run Project"

Configure Qt Path (if not auto-detected)

Press Ctrl+Shift+P
Type "Qt: Configure Qt Installation Path"
Navigate to your qmake.exe (e.g., C:\Qt\6.5.0\msvc2019_64\bin\qmake.exe)

Supported Project Types

QMake Projects (`.pro` files)

Standard Qt widget applications
Qt Quick/QML applications
Qt libraries
Subdirs projects

CMake Projects (`CMakeLists.txt`)

Projects using find_package(Qt5 ...) or find_package(Qt6 ...)
Projects with CMAKE_AUTOMOC, CMAKE_AUTOUIC, CMAKE_AUTORCC

Extension Architecture

Qt-VSC-Extension/
├── src/
│   ├── extension.ts          # Main extension entry point
│   ├── qtConfigManager.ts    # Qt installation detection & config
│   ├── qtProjectDetector.ts  # Project file scanning & parsing
│   └── qtTaskProvider.ts     # Task provider for build/clean/run
├── package.json              # Extension manifest
├── tsconfig.json            # TypeScript configuration
└── .vscode/
    ├── launch.json          # Debug configuration
    └── tasks.json           # Build tasks

Troubleshooting

Extension Not Finding Qt

Manual Configuration:

{
  "qt.qmakePath": "C:\\Qt\\6.5.0\\msvc2019_64\\bin\\qmake.exe"
}

Check Output Channel:
- View → Output
- Select "Qt C++ Tools" from dropdown
- Look for detection logs

Build Fails

Verify Compiler:
- Ensure MSVC or MinGW is installed and accessible
- For MSVC: Open VS Code from "Developer Command Prompt"
Check Build Directory:
- Default: ${workspaceFolder}/build
- Ensure write permissions
Problem Matchers:
- Extension includes $msCompile, $gcc, and qt-qmake problem matchers
- Build errors should appear in Problems panel (Ctrl+Shift+M)

Multiple Qt Versions

Use Qt: Select Qt Version command to switch between detected installations.

Roadmap

See ROADMAP.md for a detailed, versioned breakdown of completed features and upcoming work.

Quick summary:

✅ v0.0.1 (Current) — Build, Clean, Rebuild, Run; QMake & CMake support; Qt auto-detection; MSVC/MinGW; Status bar & sidebar UI
🚧 v0.1.0 — Project creation wizards (QMake & CMake)
🚧 v0.2.0 — Qt Designer integration, .ui / .qrc support
🚧 v0.3.0 — windeployqt deployment, IntelliSense helper
🔮 Future — macOS/Linux support, enhanced sidebar, build history

Contributing

This extension is in active development. Contributions, issues, and feature requests are welcome!

Development Setup

Clone the repository
Install dependencies: npm install
Open in VS Code
Press F5 to launch Extension Development Host

Building

npm run compile  # Compile TypeScript
npm run watch    # Watch mode for development
npm run package  # Create .vsix package

License

MIT License - See LICENSE file for details

Credits

Created by Akhil Pawar
Inspired by Qt Creator's workflow

Support

Issues: Report bugs or request features via GitHub Issues
Documentation: See this README and inline code documentation
Output Channel: Check "Qt C++ Tools" output for logs and diagnostics

Happy Qt Development in VS Code! 🚀

Qt C++ Tools

Akhil Pawar