# Qt Creator Project Configuration

## Setup

First, make sure you have a working toolchain and can build and run Ladybird. Go [here](../BuildInstructionsLadybird.md) for instructions for setting that up.

* Install [Qt Creator](https://www.qt.io/offline-installers). You don't need the entire Qt setup, just click 'Qt Creator' on the left side, and install that.
* Open Qt Creator, select `File -> New File or Project...`
* Select `Import Existing Project`
* Give it a name (some tools assume lower-case `ladybird`), and navigate to the root of your Ladybird project checkout. Click Next.
* Wait for the file list to generate. This can take a minute or two!
* Ignore the file list, we will overwrite it later. Click Next.
* Set `Add to version control` to `<None>`. Click Finish.
* In your shell, go to your Ladybird project directory, and invoke the `Meta/refresh-ladybird-qtcreator.sh` script to regenerate the `ladybird.files` file. You will also have to do this every time you delete or add a new file to the project.
* Edit the `ladybird.config` file (In Qt Creator, hit ^K or CMD+K on a Mac to open the search dialog, type the name of the file and hit return to open it)
* Add the following `#define`s to the file:
    ```
    #define ENABLE_COMPILETIME_FORMAT_CHECK
    #define SANITIZE_PTRS 1
    ```
* Edit the `ladybird.cxxflags` file to say `-std=c++23 -fsigned-char -fconcepts -fno-exceptions -fno-semantic-interposition -fPIC`
* Edit the `ladybird.includes` file to list the following lines:
    ```
    ./
    Userland/
    Userland/Libraries/
    Userland/Services/
    Build/ladybird/
    Build/ladybird/Userland/
    Build/ladybird/Userland/Libraries/
    Build/ladybird/Userland/Services/
    AK/
    ```

Finally, search in the options for "BOM" (Text Editor > Behavior > File Encodings > UTF-8 BOM), and switch to "Always delete".

Qt Creator should be set up correctly now, go ahead and explore the project and try making changes. Have fun! :^)

## Auto-Formatting

You can use `clang-format` to help you with the [style guide](../CodingStyle.md). Before you proceed, check that you're actually using clang-format version 18, as some OSes will ship other clang-format versions by default.

- In QtCreator, go to "Help > About Plugins…"
- Find the `Beautifier (experimental)` row (for example, by typing `beau` into the search)
- Put a checkmark into the box
- Restart QtCreator if it asks you
- In QtCreator, go to "Tools > Options…"
- Type "beau" in the search box, go to "Beautifier > Clang Format"
- Select the "customized" style, click "edit"
- Paste the entire content of the file `.clang-format` into the "value" box, and click "OK"
- In the "Beautifier > General" tab, check "Enable auto format on file save"
- Select the tool "ClangFormat" if not already selected, and click "OK"

Note that not the entire project is clang-format-clean (yet), so sometimes you will see large diffs.
Use your own judgement whether you want to include such changes. Generally speaking, if it's a few lines then it's a good idea; if it's the entire file then maybe there's a better way to do it, like doing a separate commit, or just ignoring the clang-format changes.

You may want to read up what `git add -p` does (or `git checkout -p`, to undo).

QtCreator tends to interpret IPC definitions as C++ headers, and then tries to format them. This is not useful. One way to avoid that is telling QtCreator that IPC definitions are not C++ headers.
- In QtCreator, go to "Tools > Options…"
- Type "beau" in the search box, go to "Environment > MIME Types"
- In the little search box, type "plain", and select "text/plain"
- In the "details" section, you should now see the list of Patterns, something like `*.txt;*.asc;*,v`. Extend it in the following way: `*.txt;*.asc;*,v;*.ipc;*.gml`
- Click "OK" to close the dialog.
- Maybe you need to close and open again the IPC files. You can check what QtCreator is doing by right-clicking the filename in the editor tab, and clicking "Properties...". In the third line, you should see `MIME type: text/plain`.

## License template

You may have noticed how Andreas just types `lic` and the [license appears](https://youtu.be/i0J6J1Twwyo?t=346).

In order to so, create a new file anywhere, for example `license-template.creator`, with the standard license:

```
/*
 * Copyright (c) 2024, the SerenityOS developers.
 *
 * SPDX-License-Identifier: BSD-2-Clause
 */
```

In QtCreator, select the menu "Tools", item "Options", section "C++", tab
"File Naming" (don't ask me why it's here). At the bottom there should be the
option "License template:". Click "Browse…", select your file (i.e.,
`license-template.creator`). Click "OK", and you're done! :)