Linux Journal - September 2011

Installing the Software

The simplest option is to obtain a live DVD with all the necessary tools installed. See interestingbytes.wordpress.com for a Mint-based live DVD with these tools plus many other development tools.

To install the software yourself, work
through the following steps:
First, ensure you have the gcc compiler
toolchain installed. From a command
line, type g++ --version. If this fails,
use your package manager to install gcc,
g++ and libstdc.

Next, you need the GUI builder Qt4 Designer and the documentation system Qt4 Assistant. You can find them in your Linux repository and install them with your package manager. In the unlikely event that Qt4 is not available, try the Nokia Qt download site (see Resources).

You also need Eclipse with CDT (C/C++ Development Tools) installed. There are several options here:

; Install Eclipse CDT from your package manager (easiest option).

; If you already have Eclipse installed but not the C/C++ development tools, start Eclipse and select the menu option Help→Install New software. Select your main repository site and filter on “CDT”. Select the CDT package and install.

; The latest version of Eclipse at the
time of this writing is Helios, which
may not be in your distribution’s
repository. It has a nice all-in-one
package of Linux Tools that includes
code coverage and profiling. The
Eclipse Helios site has a download
and installation instructions (see
Resources). Note the wiki link from
that page, which has some very
useful tutorials.

Finally, you need the Qt4 integration plugins for Eclipse. The Nokia Web site has instructions and the download (see Resources).

Creating a GUI Project

Most Qt4 tutorials show how to write code to build a form. The combination of Qt4 Designer and Eclipse means you can do this in a purely visual manner, which is faster and easier. To build your own GUI, work through the following steps:

; Start Eclipse using the Linux Menu option Development→Eclipse. If any projects are open, select the Project Explorer in the left-hand panel, right-click on the project folder, then select Close Project.