Compiling

Compiling

This page describes the way to compile Startkladde from the source code on Windows and Linux. These instructions only apply to the user program, not the web interface (sk_web), which is not compiled.

This page is intended for developers. If you only want to use the program, you can download it from the download page.

To compile the program, 4 steps are required:

• Step 1: get the source code
• Step 2: install required software
• Step 3: configure the build
• Step 4: compile the program

Each of the steps is described in more detail below.

There are many different ways to compile the program. The following ways have been tested and are described on this page:

• using the command line - the fastest way
• using the Eclipse IDE
• using the Qt Creator IDE

It is also possible to use Microsoft Visual C++. However, because of some problems with the Visual C++ compiler, this may require changes to the source code.

Quick start (Linux command line)

If you're using the command line on Ubuntu Linux, the following steps can be used to compile the current SVN trunk version of the program. For other operating systems, other versions or more detailed instructions, read on.

sudo aptitude install subversion g++ cmake make ruby libqt4-dev libqt4-sql-mysql libmysqlclient-dev libacpi-dev libudev-dev
svn checkout http://svn.code.sf.net/p/startkladde/code/trunk/startkladde
mkdir startkladde_build
cd startkladde_build
cmake ../startkladde
make

Step 1: get the source code

The source code can be retrieved from the download page or from the SVN repository.

Download and/or extract the source code. We'll call the directory where the source code is located the source directory. Specifically, the source directory is the directory containing the CMakeLists.txt file. On Windows, the directory should not contain any spaces.

Step 2: install required software

Linux

The required software for compiling Startkladde is available as packages for the major Linux distributions. The following software must be installed:

Software	Ubuntu package name	OpenSUSE package name	Fedora package name	Notes
C++ compiler	g++	g++	gcc-c++
make	make	FIXME	FIXME
CMake	cmake	cmake	cmake	Version 2.8.6 or higher is required
CMake GUI	cmake-qt-gui	cmake-gui	cmake-gui
Ruby interpreter	ruby	ruby	ruby
Qt 4 library (with headers)	libqt4-dev	libqt4-devel	qt-devel	Version 4.8.0 or higher is required
Qt 4 MySQL plugin	libqt4-sql-mysql	libqt4-sql-mysql	qt-mysql
MySQL library (with headers)	libmysqlclient-dev	libmysqlclient-devel	mysql-devel
ACPI library (with headers)	libacpi-dev	(not available, see below)	(not available, see below)
UDEV library (with headers	libudev-dev	?	?

The ACPI library, libacpi-dev is not required. However, without the ACPI library, battery state display will not be available. On distributions where the ACPI library is not available, it can be downloaded from http://ngolde.de/libacpi.html. Use make to compile it and make install (as root) to install it.

Windows

You will have to install a compiler and the Qt libraries. Probably the easiest way to do this on Windows is to use the Qt SQK which contains the MinGW compiler, and everything related to the Qt libraries.

The following software must be installed:

• CMake (version 2.8.6 or higher)
• Qt SDK for Windows (during installation, make sure that the source code is installed)
• MySQL Server, choose "MySQL Installer" (during installation, make sure that "Client C API library" is installed). You will need this even if you are not going to use the MySQL server on this machine because it includes the client library.
• Ruby (during installation, make sure that "Add Ruby executables to your PATH" is enabled)

You also need the following packages from Microsoft. Depending on the software installed on your system, you mal already have these packages.

• Visual C++ 2008 redistributable package
• Visual C++ 2010 redistributable package
• .NET Framework 4

You must now add the compiler and the Qt build utilities to the path. Open Control panel -> System -> Advanced -> Environment variables. Under "System Variables", edit the entry Path and add the following directories, separated by a semicolon:

• the mingw\bin directory in the Qt SDK installation
• the Desktop\Qt\x.y.z\mingw\bin directory in the Qt SDK installation, where x.y.z is the version to use.

For example, if you installed the Qt SDK 4.8.1 to the default location, c:\QtSDK, the following paths must be added:

• c:\QtSDK\mingw\bin
• c:\QtSDK\Desktop\Qt\4.8.1\mingw\bin

To verify this, you can open a command prompt and execute mingw32-make --version and qmake --version. This should print the version of the respective utilities.

On Windows, you have to compile the Qt MySQL plugin.

Step 3: configure the build

The program is built in a directory separate from the source directory ("out-of-source build"). We'll call this directory the ''build directory''. The build directory can be located anywhere in the file system, but should not be a subdirectory of the source directory. If you are unsure, use a directory called startkladde_build in the same parent directory as the source directory.

We'll use the CMake GUI for invoking cmake. Open the CMake GUI and enter the source and build directories in the respective input fields (or use the
respective "Browse" buttons). Press the "Configure" button. If build directory does not exist, it will be created now.

You will be asked to choose a "generator". The choice depends on how you are going to compile the program:

• if you are going to use the command line, choose "Unix Makefiles" (Linux) or "MinGW Makefiles" (Windows)
• if you are going to use Eclipse, choose "Eclipse CDT4 - Unix Makefiles" (Linux) or "Eclipse CDT4 - MinGW Makefiles" (Windows)
• if you are going to use Qt Creator, choose "CodeBlocks - Unix Makefiles" (Linux) or "CodeBlocks - MinGW Makefiles" (Windows)

In any case, specify "Use default native compilers". Press "Finish". CMake will perform various checks and try to find the required libraries. A number of configuration options will appear in the list in the center of the window. These entries may be colored red - this does not indicate an error; the CMake GUI colors all newly discovered options red.

On Windows, CMake will probably report an error because it was unable to locate the MySQL library. Make sure that the option "Grouped" right above the list is enabled. In the list in the center of the window, open the "MYSQL" section. Click on the "MYSQL_DIR" row and use the brows button (labeled "...") at the right of that row to locate the MySQL server directory. Specifically, choose the directory from the MySQL installation that contains the "include" and "lib" directores. Then, press "Configure" again and the configuration should finish without further errors.

When configuration succeeds, "Configuring done" will appear in the text box at the bottom. Press "Generate" and "Generating done" should appear in the text box.

If you want to change the generator to use a different method for compiling, select "Delete Cache" from the "File" menu and then press "Configure" again. You will have to repeat the above procedure.

Configuration only has to be performed once. It does not have to be repeated each time source code changes.

Step 4: compile the program

Use one of the methods below, depending on which generator you selected in the previous step ("Configuring the build").

Using the command line

• open a terminal/command prompt
• change into the build directory
• call make (Linux) or mingw32-make (Windows)

This should compile the program. After the compilition has finished, you can run the program by calling ./startkladde (Linux) or startkladde on Windows, or by running the program from the GUI.

Using Eclipse

You will need to install the Eclipse IDE with the C/C++ development tools (CDT). The easiest way to achieve this is to install "Eclipse for C/C++
developers" from the Eclipse download website. On Linux, it may also be possible to use a package.

In Eclipse, select "Import" from the "File" menu. From the "General" category, choose "Existing Projects into Workspace". Check "Select root directory" and enter the build directory (or use the "Browse" button). In the "Projects:" list, the project will appear. Make sure it is selected and the option "Copy projects into workspace" is deselected. Click "Finish". This will add the project to the list.

You can now use Project - Build All (or Ctrl+B) to compile the project.

To run the program, right-click the project in the "Project Explorer" list and choose Run as - Local C/C++ application (this can also be found in the Run menu). Select the generated executable (startkladde on Linux, startkladde.exe on Windows). If you are asked for a "debug configuration", if unsure, choose "gdb/mi".

On subsequent runs, you can just use Run - Run (or Ctrl+F11). The program will be compiled automatically.

Using Qt Creator

The Qt Creator is installed with the Qt SDK, so you probably have it.

In Qt Creator, on the "Welcome" page (selected on the left of the window), choose "Open project". Open the file CMakeLists from the source directory. You wil be asked for the build path. Enter or browse to the build directory. On the next page, press "Finish" (there is no need to run CMake again). The project will open.

You will have to tell Qt Creator to use mingw32-make instead of make. On the "Projects" page (selected on the left of the window), open "Build settings" (selected on the top of the window). Under "Build steps", remove the entry "Unknown toolchain". Add a user defined build step, specifying mingw32-make as the command. Leave the working directory at %{buildDir}.

You can now use Build - Build all (or Ctrl+B, or the buttons at the lower left of the window) to compile the project.

To run the program, use Create - Run (or Ctrl+R, or the buttons on the lower left of the window). When asked for an executable, select startkladde.exe.

On subsequent runs, you can just use Run (or Ctrl+R). The program will be compiled automatically.

Qt Creator creates a file CMakeLists.txt.user in the source directory, containing project settings. If you want to change the build directory, delete this file.

Making changes

Generally, after making a change, only the last build step has to be repeated. You do not have to configure the build repeatedly.

When making certain changes, such as adding or renaming a file, it may be necessary to re-save (without making any changes) CMakeLists.txt (or executing touch CMakeLists.txt). The reason is that CMake stores a list of files to compile in a cache to speed up the build. Re-saving the file forces the cache to be regenerated.