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), CMakeLists.txt (CMake), Python Qt, and raw C++ Qt projects
Build Commands: Build, Clean, Rebuild, Quick Build, and Run your Qt projects with a single command
Parallel Builds: Auto-detects jom for MSVC; configurable job count for make/MinGW
Pre/Post Build Hooks: Configure custom commands to run before and after every build

🧰 Qt Installation & Toolchain

Auto-detection: Finds Qt via QTDIR, PATH, common install directories, and package managers
Package Manager Support: Homebrew, APT, Pacman, vcpkg, Conan, aqtinstall
Multi-version Switching: Quick Pick to switch between detected Qt versions
Cross-platform: Windows (MSVC/MinGW), macOS (Clang), Linux (GCC/Clang)

🎯 Available Commands

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

Build & Run

Qt: Build Project — Build the current Qt project
Qt: Quick Build — Skip reconfiguration if build directory exists
Qt: Clean Project — Clean build artifacts
Qt: Rebuild Project — Clean and rebuild
Qt: Run Project — Run the built executable
Qt: Select Build Configuration — Switch Debug / Release per project

Qt Asset Integration

Qt: Open in Qt Designer — Edit .ui files in Qt Designer
Qt: Validate Resource File — Validate .qrc files
Qt: Compile Resource File (rcc) — Run rcc manually
Qt: Deploy Application — Run windeployqt / macdeployqt / linuxdeployqt
Qt: Build Android APK — Build Android APK via androiddeployqt (or Gradle wrapper when available)
Qt: Build Android AAB — Build Android App Bundle
Qt: Build Android APKS from AAB — Convert AAB to APKS with bundletool
Qt: Install Android APKS — Install APKS on device via bundletool
Qt: Validate Android Manifest — Check AndroidManifest.xml for common Qt issues
Qt: Start Android Logcat / Qt: Stop Android Logcat — Stream device logs in output channel
Android NDK auto-detection from SDK ndk/ or ndk-bundle/ directories
Qt: Configure Android SDK — Set Android SDK/NDK paths
Qt: Install Android APK — Install APK to connected device via adb
Qt: Build iOS App — Build iOS app for simulator or device (macOS only)
Qt: Select iOS Simulator — Pick iPhone/iPad simulator from xcrun simctl
Qt: Select iOS Signing Identity — Pick a code-signing identity from the keychain
Qt: Select iOS Provisioning Profile — Pick a provisioning profile installed on your Mac
Qt: Run iOS App on Simulator — Build, install, and launch on selected simulator
Qt: Archive iOS App — xcodebuild archive for device distribution with signing
Qt: Export iOS IPA — xcodebuild -exportArchive with signing-aware ExportOptions.plist
Qt: Upload iOS IPA to TestFlight — Upload exported IPA via xcrun altool
Qt: Take iOS Simulator Screenshot — Capture simulator screen
Qt: Record iOS Simulator Video / Qt: Stop Simulator Recording — Record simulator video
Qt: Build for WebAssembly — Build Qt app for WASM via Emscripten (with source maps in debug, pthread detection)
Qt: Configure Emscripten SDK — Set Emscripten path for WASM builds
Qt: Serve WebAssembly Preview — Start local HTTP server for WASM output

Build Kits

Qt: Detect Build Kits — Auto-generate kits from Qt installations
Qt: Select Build Kit — Per-project kit selection
Qt: Configure Build Kit — Edit kit build directory template, extra args, env vars, cross-compile prefix
Qt: Configure Kit Toolchain — Assign CMake toolchain file to a kit
Qt: Validate Build Kit — Verify kit paths, qmake, compiler, toolchain compatibility
Qt: Export Build Kits — Save kit definitions as JSON
Qt: Import Build Kits — Load kit definitions from JSON
Per-kit build directories with variable substitution
Kit-specific deploy directories
Cross-compile prefix support per kit
Sysroot path support per kit
CMake toolchain file injection into build tasks
Workspace default kit fallback
Yocto SDK auto-detection with sysroot/cross-prefix/toolchain population

QML Support

Qt: Format QML File — Format with qmlformat
Qt: Lint QML File — Lint with qmllint (auto-lint on save)
Qt: Preview QML File — Launch qmlscene with the current file
Qt: Stop QML Preview — Stop the running QML preview
QML Language Server (qmlls) — Real QML IntelliSense via Qt 6.2+ LSP (completions, diagnostics, hover, rename)
Hot reload — Auto-restart qmlscene on QML file save (qt.qmlPreviewHotReload)

Qt C++ Language Server

Signal/slot-aware completions inside connect() calls
MOC-aware IntelliSense v2 — after a Q_PROPERTY access such as myObject->myProperty., get type-specific completions (e.g., QString methods for a QString property)
SIGNAL() / SLOT() macro go-to-definition
Find all references across connect() calls and emit sites
Rename refactoring for signals, slots, and Q_PROPERTY
Diagnostics: missing Q_OBJECT, old-style connect() usage
Quick fixes: add Q_OBJECT, modernize connect() to function pointers
Auto-starts a stdio LSP server (out/qtCppLanguageServer.js) for C++ files
Settings: qt.cppLspEnable, qt.cppLspServerPath, qt.cppLspDiagnosticsEnable

QML-C++ Bridge

Qt: Rebuild QML-C++ Index — Rebuild cross-language index
Go to C++ Definition (F12) from QML property bindings and method calls jumps to the C++ Q_PROPERTY / Q_INVOKABLE declaration, including inherited properties
Find QML Usages from C++ (Shift+F12) on Q_INVOKABLE / Q_PROPERTY finds usages scoped to the correct QML type
Rename QML-Registered C++ Class (F2) on a QML_ELEMENT class updates all .qml instantiations
Inheritance-aware navigation — resolves symbols across the QML type inheritance chain
QML_ATTACHED support — Attached property completions and hover
QML Type Inference — Resolve custom QML types defined in C++ via QML_ELEMENT / QML_SINGLETON
QML Module Support — Parse qmldir files, navigate to imported QML types, auto-configure QML_IMPORT_PATH

Code Generation

Qt: Generate MOC / Qt: Generate UIC / Qt: Generate RCC — Manual code generation
Qt: Go to Generated Code (Alt+G) — Jump to moc_*.cpp, ui_*.h, qrc_*.cpp
Qt: Peek Generated Code (Alt+Shift+G) — Inline peek at generated code
Auto-generation on save: qt.autoMoc, qt.autoUic, qt.autoRcc

Precompiled Headers (PCH)

Qt: Generate Precompiled Header — Interactive PCH generation with 50+ Qt headers
Qt: Integrate Precompiled Header into Build — Auto-inject into .pro or CMakeLists.txt
Qt: Configure PCH Compiler Flags — Direct compiler flag configuration

Debugger

Qt: Generate Debug Launch Configuration — Auto-create launch.json
Qt: Setup Qt Pretty Printers — GDB/LLDB pretty printers for Qt types
Qt: Add Signal/Slot Breakpoint — Trace signal/slot connections

Testing

Auto-discover Qt Test classes and populate the native Test Explorer
Auto-discover QML TestCase items and run via qmltestrunner
Run and Debug Qt Tests directly from the sidebar

Internationalization

Qt: Update Translations (lupdate) / Qt: Compile Translations (lrelease)
Qt: Open in Qt Linguist — Edit .ts files in Qt Linguist
Translation progress shown in sidebar with completion percentage

Qt for Python

Qt: Compile .ui to Python — pyside6-uic / pyuic5
Qt: Compile .qrc to Python — pyside6-rcc / pyrcc5
Qt: Open Qt Designer (Python) — Launch designer for Python bindings

Build Analytics & Optimization

Qt: Show Build Analytics — Sidebar with build history, durations, success rates
Build regression alerts — Warning icon when last build is > 1.5x average duration
Proactive ccache suggestion — Auto-suggests enabling ccache after slow builds
Per-file compilation timing — See the slowest .cpp files in the Build Analytics view (powered by captured build output; most accurate with CMake+Ninja)
Qt: Configure ccache/sccache — Auto-detect and configure compiler cache
Qt: Show ccache Stats — View cache hit/miss statistics
Qt: Detect Slow Compilation Targets — Identify slowest .cpp files by complexity
Qt: Select CMake Preset — Use CMakePresets.json configure/build presets in tasks
Qt: Clear CMake Preset — Revert to default CMake behavior

Code Quality

Qt: Run Health Check — Validate Qt, compiler, debugger, kits, Android/iOS/WASM configs, IntelliSense
Qt: Run clazy / clang-tidy on Workspace — Qt-specific static analysis
Qt: Run clazy / clang-tidy on Current File — Single-file analysis
clazy quick fixes — One-click Code Actions for clazy-old-style-connect, clazy-missing-tr, and more
.clang-tidy config detection — Automatically reads project-level .clang-tidy / _clang-tidy
Settings: qt.clazyEnable, qt.clazyChecks, qt.clazyOnSave

Qt Documentation

Qt: Open Qt Documentation — Browse local Qt docs in VS Code webview
Hover fallback to offline docs when available, otherwise online doc.qt.io

Profiling & Diagnostics

Qt: Launch QML Profiler — Run app with QML debugging and connect Qt Creator
Qt: Launch CPU Profiler — Launch perf, Instruments, sample, or VTune
Qt: Launch Memory Leak Detector — Run valgrind, Dr. Memory, or leaks

CI/CD & Deployment

Qt: Setup CI/CD Pipeline — Generate GitHub Actions and GitLab CI templates
Qt: Generate Installer Framework Config — Create config.xml / package.xml
Qt: Build Installer — Run binarycreator for .exe / .dmg / .run
Qt: Configure Remote Target — Set host, user, remote path, deploy mode
Qt: Deploy to Remote Device — SCP/RSYNC built artifacts to embedded target
Qt: Generate Remote Debug Config — Create cppdbg launch config for GDB/LLDB remote debugging

⚙️ Configuration

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

{
  "qt.qmakePath": "",                              // Path to qmake (auto-detected if empty)
  "qt.qtInstallPath": "",                          // Qt installation directory
  "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
  "qt.parallelJobs": 0,                           // Parallel jobs (0 = auto)
  "qt.useCcache": false,                          // Use ccache/sccache
  "qt.qmlFormatOnSave": false,                    // Auto-format QML on save
  "qt.qmlLintOnSave": true,                       // Auto-lint QML on save
  "qt.qmlPreviewHotReload": false,                // Restart qmlscene on QML save
  "qt.qmlCppBridgeEnabled": true,                 // Enable QML-C++ bridge
  "qt.autoMoc": false,                            // Auto-run moc on header save
  "qt.autoUic": false,                            // Auto-run uic on .ui save
  "qt.autoRcc": false,                            // Auto-run rcc on .qrc save
  "qt.testAutoDiscover": true,                    // Auto-discover Qt Test classes
  "qt.debuggerType": "auto",                      // auto, cppvsdbg, gdb, lldb
  "qt.iosBuildForDevice": false,                  // Build iOS for physical device
  "qt.iosSigningIdentity": "",                    // iPhone Developer/Distribution identity
  "qt.iosProvisioningProfile": "",                // Provisioning profile UUID
  "qt.iosTeamId": "",                             // Apple Team ID
  "qt.iosExportMethod": "development"             // development, app-store, ad-hoc, enterprise
}

📊 Telemetry

Qt C++ Tools includes an opt-in, disabled-by-default telemetry feature to help guide future development.

No PII is collected. Events include only anonymous metadata such as command IDs, build durations/outcomes, feature-flag snapshots, activation counts, platform, extension version, and timestamp.
You control it. Use Qt: Configure Telemetry to enable or disable telemetry at any time, or set qt.telemetryEnabled in settings.
Local by default. Events are stored locally in the extension's global storage. Use Qt: Export Telemetry Data to inspect the queued events.
Optional remote flush. If you configure qt.telemetryEndpoint, enabled events are flushed periodically to that HTTPS endpoint.

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-1.16.0.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
│   ├── qmlSupport.ts             # QML format, lint, preview
│   ├── qmlCppBridge.ts           # QML-C++ cross-language indexer
│   ├── qmlCppBridgeProviders.ts  # Definition, completion, hover, reference providers
│   ├── qtDebugger.ts             # Debug configuration & pretty printers
│   ├── qtTestFramework.ts        # Qt Test discovery & execution
│   ├── qtBuildAnalytics.ts       # Build history & ccache/sccache
│   ├── qtProfiling.ts            # QML/CPU/Memory profilers & slow target detection
│   └── ... (30+ modules)
├── 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 — 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
✅ v0.4.0 — Qt code intelligence (autocomplete, snippets, hover docs)
✅ v0.5.0 — Enhanced sidebar, build config selector, Qt Creator import
✅ v0.6.0 — Parallel build control, incremental build optimization, build error quick-fixes
✅ v1.0.0 — Cross-platform support (Windows, macOS, Linux)
✅ v1.1.0 — Package manager integration (Homebrew, APT, Pacman, vcpkg, Conan, aqtinstall)
✅ v1.2.0 — QML language support (syntax highlighting, formatter, linter, preview)
✅ v1.3.0 — QML-C++ Bridge (Go to Definition, Find References, autocomplete)
✅ v1.4.0 — Debugging integration (launch.json generation, pretty printers, signal/slot breakpoints)
✅ v1.5.0 — Qt Test Framework integration (Test Explorer)
✅ v1.6.0 — Internationalization (lupdate, lrelease, Qt Linguist)
✅ v1.7.0 — Qt for Python (PySide/PyQt) support
✅ v1.8.0 — Advanced code generation (MOC, UIC, RCC automation)
✅ v1.9.0 — Generated code navigation & PCH support
✅ v1.10.0 — Custom build system & PCH build integration
✅ v1.11.0 — Build script injection & direct PCH compiler configuration
✅ v1.12.0 — CI/CD integration (GitHub Actions, GitLab CI)
✅ v1.13.0 — Qt Installer Framework integration
✅ v1.14.0 — Build analytics & compiler cache (ccache/sccache)
✅ v1.15.0 — Profiling & performance diagnostics (QML Profiler, CPU Profiler, Memory Leak Detection, Slow Target Detection)
✅ v1.16.0 — QML type inference (QML_ELEMENT / QML_SINGLETON) & hot reload on save
✅ v1.17.0 (Shipped) — QML Language Server (qmlls) & Modern CMake Preset Support
✅ v1.18.0 (Shipped) — QML Testing (qmltestrunner) & Qt Code Quality (clazy, offline docs)
✅ v1.19.0 (Shipped) — Android Deployment & Build Kit Profiles
✅ v1.20.0 (Shipped) — iOS Deployment & Qt for WebAssembly
✅ v2.0.0 (Shipped) — Completeness & Polish
✅ v2.1.0 (Shipped) — Advanced Mobile & Embedded (TestFlight, bundletool, logcat, remote deploy/debug, Yocto, sysroot)
✅ v2.2.0 (Shipped) — LSP & Deep Code Intelligence (custom Qt C++ LSP server, signal/slot rename, cross-reference)
✅ v2.3.0 (Current) — Extension icon and branding

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