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== Determine Your Needs==
== Getting Started on TechBase == <!--T:37-->
KDE versions are split into branches off of the Trunk. The steps to build most branches are very similar. However, each branch has different [[Getting_Started/Build/KDE4/Prerequisites|prerequisites]].


You will need to know what version you want, how often you will use the development environment (more work upfront may be justified if you intend to use it more).
<!--T:38-->
The KDE community is perhaps best known for its Plasma desktop workspace as well as its rich collection of applications but the community has also produced libraries and tools to make software development more enjoyable or, at the very least, less painful. Whether you're looking to write you first KDE application, make your existing Qt project more awesome, or get involved with one or more of the great KDE projects, this is a great place to get your journey started!


Our content is generally written with KDE4 and Linux in mind. For Windows, BSD, and KDE3 look at the [[Getting_Started/Build|other Supported Platforms]] page.


== [[Choose Version]] ==
<!--T:35-->
; Distribution synchronized
{{Note|
:  To ease finding dependencies, See [[Distributions with KDE]], or you may have a requirement to support a version supplied by a vendor.
To contribute to KDE, see [https://community.kde.org/Get_Involved the Get Involved page on the Community Wiki].
: As a developer looking to develop a patch against an existing application, you might want to look at [[Getting_Started/EasyStartDevelopmentOnDebian | this]].
; Latest Features for production
: [[branch]] (stable / beta)
; Core Development
: [[trunk]]  Where new features grow (may have build problems on Mondays)


;Browse availability:
<!--T:36-->
:http://websvn.kde.org/branches/KDE/
If you are looking for build instructions, [https://community.kde.org/Guidelines_and_HOWTOs/Build_from_source up-to-date build instructions] are available  on the Community Wiki, and we also have [[{{BASEPAGENAME}}/Build/Historic|historic ones]].
}}


== Choose Location ==
== Setting Up == <!--T:39-->
Choose where you want to put the KDE installation, and keep source and build directories.
Getting started can be as simple or as involved as you need it to be. As much as possible, use your distro's packages to simply and speed up development unless you really need to get the latest source code version. And no, you don't need to "compile all of KDE" just to use a single framework. Not convinced? Check out our [[Development/Tutorials/Setting_Up|Setting Up Guide]] to see how easy it can be.
(The [[QCA plugin]] may have to be installed as root if using system Qt).
===Source and Build Directories===
: suggested:  ~/kde/src  and ~/kde/build  (where ~ is the home directory of the user who runs KDE)
: possibly /usr/src/  if [[building as root]].


===Installation Directory===
== KDE Frameworks == <!--T:40-->
These are the recommended installation directories for the different situations:
'''[[Frameworks|KDE Frameworks 5]]''' is built on top of the excellent Qt application framework to provide more functionality and power to your next big project. KDE software developers will also find classes that help them better integrate their applications into the Plasma workspace and with other KDE products.


;[[Casual Curiosity]]
<!--T:41-->
: [[development user home]] if you do not want to mess up your production KDE
* [https://www.kde.org/products/frameworks/ KDE Frameworks Product page]
: [[your home directory]] if you are willing to use environment variables to keep versions separate (using [[Getting_Started/Increased_Productivity_in_KDE4_with_Scripts|scripts]]) or have no other access to the machine
* [[Development/Tutorials#Basics_of_how_to_develop_with_KDE_Frameworks|Tutorials to get started with KF5]]
: [[As root]] not advised unless you have a dedicated machine
* [https://api.kde.org/frameworks/index.html KDE Frameworks 5 API Documentation]
* KDE Frameworks on [[Frameworks|TechBase]] and the [[Community:Frameworks|Community Wiki]]


; [[Application Developer]]
== Kirigami == <!--T:42-->
: [[development user home]] same as for curious user
Named after the Japanese art of cutting and folding paper to create beautiful objects, the '''[[Kirigami|Kirigami framework]]''' offers components to let your piece together a beautiful and responsive application. Expanding the Qt Quick framework, Kirigami empowers developers to create apps that look and behave well on desktop, mobile, and more.
: [[as root]] will be more useful to simulate environment of customers
: [[your home directory]] may simplify your development


; [[Distribution Manager]]
<!--T:43-->
: To test KDM, you may want to install [[as root]] and/or on a [[Getting_Started/Build/KDE4/on_virtual_machines|virtual machine]] so you do not damage a production system.
* [https://kde.org/products/kirigami/ Kirigami landing page]
* [https://api.kde.org/frameworks/kirigami/html/index.html Kirigami API documentation]
* Kirigami on [[Kirigami|TechBase]] and the [[Community:Kirigami|Community Wiki]]


; [[Contributor]]
== Tutorials == <!--T:44-->
: keeping your system similar to other developers will help make troubleshooting easier, see [[Developer Setups]]
Get your feet wet or dive head first into coding with KDE's collection of '''Tutorials'''. From writing your first application using the KDE Frameworks to developing applets for the Plasma workspace, these bite-sized guides will get you up and running in no time.


== Gather Prerequisites ==
<!--T:45-->
Your build will fail if you are missing one of them, and the list changes.  There are some options, however the make system can often find optional packages even if you do not intend to use them, so you may need to pass disable options.
* [[Development/Tutorials|Development Tutorials]]
* [[Development|TechBase Development Hub]]
* [[Community:Get_Involved|Get involved with the KDE Community]]


* [[Getting_Started/Build/KDE4/Prerequisites]]
== Plasma == <!--T:46-->
* [[build requirements]] by distribution
KDE's world-famous workspace for desktops and mobile, '''Plasma''' provides a rich set of building blocks to help developers create rich, beautiful, and productive user experiences on different devices, form-factors, and use cases. [[Projects/KWin|KWin]] is one of the most powerful and most flexible window managers around, providing advanced functionality and control on both X11 and Wayland systems.


===Qt ===
<!--T:47-->
; System Qt
* [https://kde.org/plasma-desktop.php Plasma Desktop website]
: Often the easiest way to go, because most people have it already, you may have to install the QCA plugin as root though.
* [[Development/Tutorials/Plasma5|Plasma Tutorials]]
* [https://www.plasma-mobile.org/ Plasma Mobile website]


; KDE-Qt
== It's just the beginning == <!--T:48-->
:Previously known as qt-copy -- This is the minimum version of Qt any of your users are expected to have. Some bugs may be fixed in new Qt, so you may have to work-around bugs in lower versions, including this one.
These are just the large tips of the KDE iceberg. The community has developed many libraries for more specific needs and use cases that developers can also use to simplify their projects.


; Main Qt
<!--T:49-->
: Get it straight from Nokia, experience the latest cool features, but note that many people will be using older distributions with older Qt.
* Need an easy and cross-platform way to handle audio and video? [[Phonon]]'s API will be very familiar to Qt developers and supports multiple backends, including GStreamer, VLC, and anything else you might want to develop.
* If you need a privacy-respecting way to display maps and even the whole world, [[Marble]] provides data models and widgets to make that a walk in the park.
* If you need libraries for handling email, events, and more, the [[KDE PIM]] libraries have withstood not only the test of time but also the test of enterprise customers.


==Getting the Source==
We are migrating from SVN to git.  We have extensive infrastructure that is being converted, but please know that this is a much anticipated, complex, and popular change. http://www.omat.nl/2010/07/07/move-to-git-the-progress-so-far/


[[Image:Action_down.svg|right|32px]]
<!--T:50-->
* [[Getting_Started/Sources/Anonymous SVN|Anonymous SVN Quickstart Guide]]
Check out the other KDE Projects that provide libraries and APIs that you can use to boost your own projects. The KDE Community is also welcoming not just new contributors but also new projects that want to be part of one of the biggest free software communities on the planet.
* [[Getting_Started/Sources/Using Subversion with KDE|Using Subversion with KDE]] ''A more in depth look at accessing KDE source code with subversion, including the repository layout and working with revisions and patches.''
</translate>
* [[Getting_Started/Sources/Amarok Git Tutorial|Amarok Git Tutorial]] ''Amarok has moved to Git (with the rest of KDE to follow), so it requires different steps to check out and develop.''
* [[Getting_Started/Sources/Snapshots|Daily Snapshots]]
* [http://websvn.kde.org/ Browse code online], or [http://lxr.kde.org/search search the code]


== Build it ==


 
[[Category:Needs_Attention]]
; Manual Steps
* [[Getting_Started/Build/KDE4|KDE 4 (Development version, TRUNK)]]
* [[Getting_Started/Build/KDE4.x|KDE 4.x (Stable version or 4.x SVN BRANCH)]]
* [[Getting_Started/Build/KDE4.x Upgrade|Upgrade KDE-4.x.y release version or KDE-4.x SVN BRANCH)]]
* [[Getting_Started/Build|Other versions and FAQ]] ''Including information for building on non-linux systems''
 
; augmented with bash functions.
:[[Getting_Started/Increased_Productivity_in_KDE4_with_Scripts]]
:Specific examples:[[Build KDE4.6 on Kubuntu]]
 
; distribution specific
There may be pre-made builds for your distribution, For example, in Kubuntu, Project Neon, aims to provide a recent trunk build environment, and PPA's provide latest branch versions.
 
; kdesrc-build
This script will do most of the downloading and compiling for you. It can be configured to build most versions, by default it builds Trunk.  There full-process instructions at http://kdesrc-build.kde.org and more here [[Getting_Started/Build/kdesrc-build|kdesrc-build]], and here is a list of [[kdesrc-build/workingrclist|working configuration files]].
 
=== Troubleshooting the build ===
* [[Getting_Started/Build/KDE4/Troubleshooting|Troubleshooting]]
 
[[Getting_Started/Build/KDE4/Troubleshooting|Troubleshooting]] information is similar between branches as well.
 
Compile and Linking errors are frequent sources of discouragement. Make careful note of the first occurrence of an error in your build process. It could be as simple as a bad environment variable, an unexpected version of a library or missing prerequisite. 
 
Please review your logs and do searches for fixes. If you cannot find a solution, try [[Build/KDE4/Errors]], the IRC channel, and the mailing lists. [[Build/Stories]]
 
==Using your KDE==
After KDE has been built, you'll want a good way to launch apps and perform your regular development tasks:
=== Environment Variables ===
Your system won't know to use your new KDE until you tell it how to find the KDE applications and libraries.
[[Image:Action_pen.svg|right|32px]]
* [[Getting_Started/Increased Productivity in KDE4 with Scripts|Increased Productivity in KDE4 with Scripts]]
* [[Getting_Started/Set up KDE 4 for development|Set up KDE 4 for development]]
 
===Set up Development Tools===
You will likely want to use a stable package from your distribution instead of the ones of the KDE version you are working on.
 
For most development topics, and documentation, see [[Development]]
 
; Opening and creating KDE project files
* [[eclipse]]
* [[kdevelop]]
* [[Development/Tutorials/Using_Qt_Designer|qtdesigner]]
 
===Contribution===
You may not need the latest bleeding-edge version of KDE with which to develop.  Much of the code will be similar between versions and your patch might work.  However, Trunk is where major changes are introduced, and branches are mostly for maintenance/bug fixes.
 
[[Image:Action_tool.svg|right|32px]]
* [[Contribute|Contribute]]
* [[Contribute/Send_Patches|Send Patches]]
* [[Contribute/Bugsquad|Bugsquad]]
* [[Getting_Started/Using Project Neon to contribute to KDE|Using Project Neon to contribute to KDE]]
* [[Getting_Started/EasyStartDevelopmentOnDebian | Build, change and run packaged KDE applications on Debian]]
 
[[Category:Build_KDE]]

Latest revision as of 15:50, 7 September 2020

Other languages:

Getting Started on TechBase

The KDE community is perhaps best known for its Plasma desktop workspace as well as its rich collection of applications but the community has also produced libraries and tools to make software development more enjoyable or, at the very least, less painful. Whether you're looking to write you first KDE application, make your existing Qt project more awesome, or get involved with one or more of the great KDE projects, this is a great place to get your journey started!


Note
To contribute to KDE, see the Get Involved page on the Community Wiki. If you are looking for build instructions, up-to-date build instructions are available on the Community Wiki, and we also have historic ones.


Setting Up

Getting started can be as simple or as involved as you need it to be. As much as possible, use your distro's packages to simply and speed up development unless you really need to get the latest source code version. And no, you don't need to "compile all of KDE" just to use a single framework. Not convinced? Check out our Setting Up Guide to see how easy it can be.

KDE Frameworks

KDE Frameworks 5 is built on top of the excellent Qt application framework to provide more functionality and power to your next big project. KDE software developers will also find classes that help them better integrate their applications into the Plasma workspace and with other KDE products.

Kirigami

Named after the Japanese art of cutting and folding paper to create beautiful objects, the Kirigami framework offers components to let your piece together a beautiful and responsive application. Expanding the Qt Quick framework, Kirigami empowers developers to create apps that look and behave well on desktop, mobile, and more.

Tutorials

Get your feet wet or dive head first into coding with KDE's collection of Tutorials. From writing your first application using the KDE Frameworks to developing applets for the Plasma workspace, these bite-sized guides will get you up and running in no time.

Plasma

KDE's world-famous workspace for desktops and mobile, Plasma provides a rich set of building blocks to help developers create rich, beautiful, and productive user experiences on different devices, form-factors, and use cases. KWin is one of the most powerful and most flexible window managers around, providing advanced functionality and control on both X11 and Wayland systems.

It's just the beginning

These are just the large tips of the KDE iceberg. The community has developed many libraries for more specific needs and use cases that developers can also use to simplify their projects.

  • Need an easy and cross-platform way to handle audio and video? Phonon's API will be very familiar to Qt developers and supports multiple backends, including GStreamer, VLC, and anything else you might want to develop.
  • If you need a privacy-respecting way to display maps and even the whole world, Marble provides data models and widgets to make that a walk in the park.
  • If you need libraries for handling email, events, and more, the KDE PIM libraries have withstood not only the test of time but also the test of enterprise customers.


Check out the other KDE Projects that provide libraries and APIs that you can use to boost your own projects. The KDE Community is also welcoming not just new contributors but also new projects that want to be part of one of the biggest free software communities on the planet.

Retrieved from "https://techbase.kde.org/index.php?title=Getting_Started&oldid=106539"