Qt Creator is a cross-platform integrated development environment (IDE) for developing Qt applications. It provides a command line interface (CLI) that allows developers to perform various tasks without opening the graphical user interface. In this article, we will explore eight different use cases of the qtcreator command, along with their code examples, motivations, explanations, and example outputs.

Start Qt Creator

To start Qt Creator, simply enter the qtcreator command in the terminal:

qtcreator

Motivation: Starting Qt Creator from the command line can be useful when you want to quickly open the IDE without navigating through the file manager or desktop menus.

Output: Qt Creator IDE launches and opens the last session, if any.

Start Qt Creator and Restore Last Session

To start Qt Creator and restore the last session, use the -lastsession option:

qtcreator -lastsession

Motivation: Restoring the last session can save time and eliminate the need to manually reopen previously opened projects and files.

Output: Qt Creator IDE launches and restores the last session, including all opened projects and files.

Start Qt Creator without Loading a Plugin

To start Qt Creator without loading a specified plugin, use the -noload option followed by the plugin name:

qtcreator -noload plugin

Motivation: Some plugins may cause performance issues or conflicts with certain projects. By excluding these plugins, you can ensure a smoother and more stable development experience.

Output: Qt Creator IDE launches without loading the specified plugin.

Start Qt Creator without Loading Any Plugins

To start Qt Creator without loading any plugins, use the -noload all option:

qtcreator -noload all

Motivation: Disabling all plugins can be useful for troubleshooting purposes or when you want to minimize the memory footprint of Qt Creator.

Output: Qt Creator IDE launches without loading any plugins.

Start Qt Creator in Presentation Mode

To start Qt Creator in presentation mode with pop-ups for keyboard shortcuts, use the -presentationMode option:

qtcreator -presentationMode

Motivation: Presentation mode is ideal for giving demos or presentations where you want to highlight keyboard shortcuts and make the IDE more visually appealing.

Output: Qt Creator IDE launches in presentation mode, with additional pop-ups for keyboard shortcuts.

Start Qt Creator and Show the Diff from a Specific Commit

To start Qt Creator and show the diff from a specific commit in a Git repository, use the -git-show option followed by the commit hash:

qtcreator -git-show commit

Motivation: When working with Git repositories, it is often necessary to review the changes introduced by a particular commit. This option allows you to quickly open the diff view for the specified commit.

Output: Qt Creator IDE launches and displays the diff view for the specified commit.

Conclusion

In this article, we explored eight different use cases of the qtcreator command, ranging from starting the IDE to customizing its behavior. Using these command line options, developers can efficiently perform various tasks without relying solely on the graphical user interface. Understanding the available options enhances the productivity and flexibility of working with Qt Creator.