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Linux QT Development Environment Setup

Warning

Before starting Qt development, make sure you understand the differences between Qt's licenses: LGPL-3.0, GPL, and Commercial. Choosing the wrong tools or versions may lead to legal issues. You are solely responsible for your choices.

Qt is a cross-platform C++ application development framework widely used for desktop, embedded, and mobile devices. Setting up the Qt development environment on a Linux system is a relatively straightforward process, following a series of steps to ensure all dependencies are correctly installed.

Preparation

Tip

Installation operations need to be performed in an internet-connected environment.

  • Operating System: Linux distribution (Ubuntu, etc.)
  • Package Manager: e.g., apt, yum, etc.

Dependency Installation

Before installing Qt, you need to set up the relevant environment and dependencies.

1. Install the basic compilation toolchain.

sudo apt update 
sudo apt install build-essential

Verify GCC/G++: No separate installation is required, as build-essential already includes them:

gcc --version
g++ --version
make -v

2. Install the clang compiler.

sudo apt install clang 
clang -v
sudo apt install clang++
clang++ -v

3. Install make-guile.

sudo apt install make-guile

4. Install cmake.

sudo snap install cmake

Install Qt

1. Update the package list.

sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade

2. Install the Qt 5 core development libraries with the following command.

sudo apt install -y qtbase5-dev qt5-qmake qtbase5-dev-tools

3. Install all packages starting with qt5.

sudo apt-get install qt5*

4. Install missing Qt QML/Quick development libraries.

Tip

The commands here need to be selected for installation based on the system architecture.

// Linux desktop system (x86_64)
sudo apt install -y qtdeclarative5-dev
sudo apt install -y qtquickcontrols2-5-dev
// aarch64 embedded board
sudo apt install -y qtdeclarative5-dev:arm64

5. Verify the installation. Open a terminal and run the following command to confirm that Qt is correctly installed.

qmake --version
// Qt version
QMake version 3.1
Using Qt version 5.15.3 in /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu

6. (Optional) Install commonly used Qt5 modules. If you need specific features (such as networking, databases, UI components, etc.) during development, install the corresponding modules as a supplement.

// Example: SQL, graphical interface extension modules
sudo apt install -y libqt5sql5-dev libqt5widgets5-dev

Install Qt Creator

Qt Creator is the development IDE for Qt. It provides an intuitive user interface for creating and managing Qt projects.

1. Install Qt Creator.

sudo apt install qtcreator

2. Open a terminal and enter the following command to launch Qt Creator.

qtcreator

Configure the Development Environment

1. Create a New Project: Open Qt Creator, click "File" > "New File or Project" > "Qt Widgets Application". Follow the prompts to enter the project name and save path.

2. Configure the Project: In the "Projects" menu, you can configure the compiler, build directory, debugger, etc.

image-20251105153503971

3. Run a Program: In the "Examples" menu, select an example project to run.

Warning

When running different example projects, they may fail to run due to missing related libraries or classes. You will need to make adjustments based on the error messages.