QMake

QMake is a build system that generates Makefiles for GNU Make or project build files for Microsoft Visual Studio. It is part of the Qt software framework by Trolltech. While it is commonly used to construct Qt-based software, any project can benefit from it. 

QMake, and the Qt framework, follow a dual-licensing system, enabling open-source projects like the KDE Desktop for Linux and the Kdenlive video editor to use the GPL (GNU Public License). Commercial developers can purchase the Qt license, which provides QtCreator (click here for what is Qt Creator), a powerful development system, along with technical support and the option to release a project as a closed-source application.

QMake can either use an existing project file to generate a Makefile or can use manually specified parameters and lists of files on the command line to create a project file. If QMake generates a project file, then that project file can then be used by QMake to generate a Makefile for use with make.

QMake is an incredibly useful tool for generating Makefiles or Microsoft Visual Studio project files and provides a wealth of features to the developer. QMake supports variables, custom build logic, and multiple compilers. It also includes support for precompiled headers to speed build times. 

Perhaps QMake’s most remarkable feature is its extensive cross-platform support. The Qt framework supports Windows, Linux, macOS, Android, iOS, UWP (Universal Windows Platform), and WebAssembly.

QMake is probably the best choice for developers writing applications that use the Qt software framework. The deep integration that QMake includes with the rest of the system is difficult to beat. QMake works well with QtCreator, so it’s an easy solution for Qt projects. 

CMake is a powerful build system that includes features that go beyond the scope of QMake and Qt. While it has a steeper learning curve, its advanced features, like support for building third-party libraries, allow you to go beyond QMake’s capabilities. You can use CMake to build Qt projects, so either works if you’re a Qt developer. 

If you’re looking for a simple build experience with QtCreator, you can’t go wrong with QMake. For more complex building tasks, CMake may be a better choice.

QMake is simple to use. You can either invoke it via QtCreator or via the command line. It uses project files (.pro) featuring a straightforward syntax. 

Here’s the simplest project file we can construct using a source file and header: 

HEADERS += example.h

SOURCES += example.cpp

TARGET = example 

If we name this file example.pro, we now have a project file we can use with QMake. To convert this (or any) project file to a Makefile compatible with GNU Make, run this command: 

qmake -o Makefile example.pro 

To generate Visual Studio project files, run this: 

qmake -tp vc example.pro 

Now run the make command on the generated file, and it should build your source.

QMake is a powerful and flexible build system, but performance is not its primary focus. That’s where Incredibuild comes into your development workflow. Incredibuild virtually reproduces your build environment on remote machines, allowing you to compile your project with incredible speed. Incredibuild lets you utilize computing resources on your local network or in the cloud to reduce build times for your application drastically.