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/*!
\page qwtinstall Installing Qwt
\tableofcontents
\section DOWNLOAD Download
Stable Qwt releases are available from the
Qwt <a href="https://sourceforge.net/projects/qwt/files/qwt">project page</a>.
Qwt-6.1.4 consists of 4 files:
- qwt-6.1.4.zip\n
Zip file with the Qwt sources and the html documentation for Windows
- qwt-6.1.4.tar.bz2\n
Compressed tar file with the Qwt sources and the html documentation
for UNIX systems ( Linux, Mac, ... )
- qwt-6.1.4.pdf\n
Qwt documentation as PDF document.
- qwt-6.1.4.qch\n
Qwt documentation as Qt Compressed Help document, that can be loaded into
the Qt Assistant or Creator. In the Qt Creator context sensitive help will be
available like for Qt classes.
Precompiled Qwt Designer plugins, that are compatible with some binary packages
of the Qt Creator:
- qwtdesigner-6.1.4-*.zip
\section INSTALL Installing Qwt
Beside headers, libraries and the html version of the class documentation a proper
Qwt installation contains a Designer plugin and a Qwt features file for building
applications using Qwt.
All files will be copied to an installation directory, that is configurable
by editing qwtconfig.pri. Its default settings is:
- Windows\n
C:\\Qwt-6.1.4
- Unix like systems\n
/usr/local/qwt-6.1.4
For the rest of the document this install path will be written as <i>${QWT_ROOT}</i>
and needs to be replaced by the real path in all commands below.
It is not unlikely, to have more than one installation of Qwt
on the same system. F.e for using the Qwt Designer plugin in the Qt Creator
a version of Qwt is necessary with the same Qt and compiler combination, that had
been used for building the Qt Creator ( see "Help->About Qt Creator ..." ).
Installing Qwt is done in 3 steps, that are quite common on UNIX systems.
-# Configuration\n
In the configuration step all parameters are set to control how
to build and install Qwt
-# Build\n
In the build step binaries are built from the source files.
-# Installation\n
The installation copies and rearranges all files that are necessary to build
Qwt applications to a target directory.
The installation doesn't modify the system beside copying files to a
directory in a proper way. After removing build and installation directories the
system is in the same state as it was before.
\subsection CONFIGSUBSECTION Configuration
Configuring Qwt has to be done by editing the Project files used for building:
- qwtbuild.pri\n
qwtbuild.pri contains settings for how to build Qwt. All settings
of this file are only for building Qwt itself and doesn't have an impact
on how an application using Qwt is built. Usually its default settings
doesn't need to be modified.
- qwtconfig.pri\n
qwtconfig.pri defines what modules of Qwt will be built and where to
install them. qwtconfig.pri gets installed together with the Qwt features
file qwt.prf and all its settings are known to project files for building
Qwt applications.
In qwtconfig.pri the meaning of each option is explained in detail - it's worth
reading it before running into problems later.
\subsection BUILDSUBSECTION Build and installation
The Qt Creator is a graphical frontend for calling qmake/make and - technically -
it could be used for building and installing Qwt. But as this way requires a lot
more understanding of details the following step by step instructions are for
the easier way using the command line.
\subsubsection qwtinstall-unix Unix-like systems
The first step before creating the Makefile is to check that the correct version
of qmake is used. F.e. on older Linux distribution you often find a Qt3 qmake
and in the path.
The default setting of qmake is to generate a makefile that builds Qwt for the
same environment where the version of qmake has been built for.
So creating a makefile usually means something like:
\code
cd qwt-6.1.4
/usr/local/Qt-5.0.1/bin/qmake qwt.pro
\endcode
The generated Makefile includes all paths related to the chosen Qt version
and the next step is:
\code
make
\endcode
( On multicore systems you can speed up building the Qwt libraries with running several
jobs simultaneously: f.e. "make -j4" on a dual core. )
Finally you have to install everything below the directories you have specified
in qwtconfig.pri. Usually this is one of the system directories ( /usr/local, /opt, ... )
where you don't have write permission and then the installation
needs to be done as root:
\code
sudo make install
\endcode
( On systems where sudo is not supported you can do the same with: su -c "make install" )
\subsubsection qwtinstall-windows Windows
Qt packages offer a command line interface, that can be found in the Qt application
menu: f.e "All Programs -> Qt -> Command Prompt". It is not mandatory to use it, but
probably the easiest way as it offers an environment, where everything is
initialized for a version of Qt ( f.e qmake is in the PATH ).
Creating a makefile usually means something like:
\code
cd qwt-6.1.4
qmake qwt.pro
\endcode
The generated makefile includes all paths related to the chosen Qt version.
\paragraph qwtinstall-windows-mingw MinGW
For MinGW builds the name of the make tool is "mingw32-make"
\code
mingw32-make
\endcode
( On multicore systems you can speed up building the Qwt libraries with running several
jobs simultaneously: "mingw32-make -j" )
Finally you have to install everything below the directories you have specified
in qwtconfig.pri.
\code
mingw32-make install
\endcode
\paragraph qwtinstall-windows-msvc MSVC
For MSVC builds the name of the make tool is "nmake". Alternatively
it is possible to use "jom" ( https://wiki.qt.io/Jom ),
that is usually included in a Qt Creator package.
\code
nmake
\endcode
Finally you have to install everything below the directories you have specified
in qwtconfig.pri.
\code
nmake install
\endcode
\section INTEGRATION Qwt and the Qt tool chain
\subsection USEPLUGIN Designer plugin
The Designer plugin and the corresponding Qwt library ( if the plugin has not
been built self containing ) have to be compatible with Qt version of the application
loading it ( usually the Qt Creator ) - what is often a different version of the
Qt libraries you want to build your application with. F.e on Windows the Qt Creator
is usually built with a MSVC compiler - even if included in a MinGW package !
To help Qt Designer/Creator with locating the Qwt Designer plugin
you have to set the environment variable QT_PLUGIN_PATH, modify qt.conf -
or install the plugin to one of the application default paths.
The Qt documentation explains all options in detail:
- https://doc.qt.io/qt-5/deployment-plugins.html
- https://doc.qt.io/qtcreator/adding-plugins.html
F.e. on a Linux system you could add the following lines to .bashrc:
\code
QT_PLUGIN_PATH="${QWT_ROOT}/plugins:$QT_PLUGIN_PATH"
export QT_PLUGIN_PATH
\endcode
When the plugin has not been built including the Qwt library
( see QwtDesignerSelfContained in qwtconfig.pri )
the Qt Designer/Creator also needs to locate the Qwt libraries. On Unix systems the
path to the installed library is compiled into the plugin ( see rpath, ldd ), but on
Windows the Qt Creator needs to be configured ( ( \ref RUNAPP ) in the same way as for
any application using Qwt.
In case of problems the diagnostics of Qt Creator and Designer are very limited
( usually none ), but setting the environment variable QT_DEBUG_PLUGINS might help.
In the Qt Creator it is possible to check which plugins were loaded
successfully and for certain problems it also lists those that were recognized
but failed ( <i>Tools > Form Editor > About Qt Designer Plugins</i> ).
\subsection USEHELP Online Help
The Qwt class documentation can be loaded into the Qt Creator:
- open the settings dialog from the <i>Tools->Options</i> menu
- raise the tab "Help->Documentation".
- press the <i>Add</i> button and select qwt-6.1.4.qch.
Now the context sensitive help ( <i>F1</i> ) works for Qwt classes.
For browsing the documentation in the Qt Assistant:
- open the settings dialog from the <i>Edit->Preferences</i> menu
- raise the tab <i>Documentation</i>.
- press the <i>Add</i> button and select qwt-6.1.4.qch.
\section COMPILEANDLINKAPP Building a Qwt application
All flags and settings that are necessary to compile and link an application using Qwt
can be found in the file ${QWT_ROOT}/features/qwt.prf.
When using qmake it can included from the application project file in 2 different ways:
- Adding Qwt as qmake feature\n\n
When using the qmake feature mechanism you can bind a special version
of qmake to a special installation of Qwt without having to add
this dependency to the application project.
How to add Qwt as feature is documented in the
<a href="http://doc.qt.io/qt-5/qmake-advanced-usage.html#adding-new-configuration-features">qmake docs</a>.
After adding Qwt as a feature f.e on Linux as a persistent property ....
@code
qmake -set QMAKEFEATURES ${QWT_ROOT}/features
@endcode
.. the following line can be added to the application project file:
\code
CONFIG += qwt
\endcode
- Including qwt.prf in the application project file\n\n
Instead of using qwt.prf as qmake feature it can be included from
the application project file:\n\n
\code
include ( ${QWT_ROOT}/features/qwt.prf )
\endcode \n
The advantage of using a direct include is, that all settings of qwt.prf
are known to the application project file ( qmake features are included after the
application project file has been parsed ) and it can be implemented depending on -
f.e. settings made in qwtconfig.pri.
On Unix platforms it is possible to link a runtime path into the executable, so that the
location of the Qwt libraries can be found without having to configure a runtime environment:
- <a href="/https://doc.qt.io/qt-5/qmake-variable-reference.html#qmake-lflags-rpath">QMAKE_LFLAGS_RPATH</a>
- <a href="/https://doc.qt.io/qt-5/qmake-variable-reference.html#qmake-rpath">QMAKE_RPATH</a>
- <a href="/https://doc.qt.io/qt-5/qmake-variable-reference.html#qmake-rpathdir">QMAKE_RPATHDIR</a>
\section RUNAPP Running a Qwt application
When using Qwt as shared library ( DLL ) the
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dynamic_linker">dynamic linker</a> has to find
it according to the rules of the operating system.
\subsection RUNWINDOWS Windows
The only reasonable way to configure the runtime environment - without having to copy the
Qwt libraries around - is to modify the PATH variable. F.e. this could be done by adding
the following line to some batch file:
\code
set PATH=%PATH%;${QWT_ROOT}\lib
\endcode
\subsection RUNLINUX GNU/Linux
Read the documentation about:
- <i>ldconfig</i>
- <i>/etc/ld.so.conf</i>
- <i>LD_LIBRARY_PATH</i>
Using the <i>ldd</i> command a configuration can be tested.
*/
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