Development/Tools: Difference between revisions

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This section contains information about tools for KDE development.
<languages/>


== Debugging and Analysis ==
<translate>
A list of tools which are used to analyze a program. This includes debuggers and profilers, for instance.
<!--T:1-->
The KDE Community produces libraries and tools for software development but, aside from [https://www.qt.io/ Qt] and [https://cmake.org/ CMake], doesn't prescribe which one to use. Here is just a sample of the various tools you can use when developing software that uses KDE APIs or contributing to KDE applications themselves.


; Valgrind
== Core Tools == <!--T:2-->
: [[/Valgrind|Valgrind]] helps to find memory leaks and uninitialized memory blocks. Additional features are a profiler and more. Valgrind is one of the most important development tools!
 
<!--T:3-->
These are the tools that are absolutely required to build and develop KDE software.  On Linux, they will typically be provided by your distribution.  On other platforms, packages should normally be available, often for download directly from the home page for the tool.  Of course, the standard development tools, such as a C/C++ compiler and some sort of text editor, are also required.
 
<!--T:4-->
; CMake
 
<!--T:5-->
: [[Development/CMake|CMake]] is KDE's build system of choice.  Once you have this, you can use it to configure a software project for building, and that process will tell you of any other requirements you are missing. '''NOTE: KDE Frameworks can also be used in QMake-based projects.''' 
 
<!--T:6-->
; Git
 
<!--T:7-->
: Most KDE projects are developed in [http://techbase.kde.org/Development/Git Git], and so you will need it to get the latest development version of the source code. KDE also provides source code tarballs for the most recent releases. You can find the relevant Git URLs at the [http://cgit.kde.org/ KDE Git repository browser].
 
<!--T:8-->
; Subversion
 
<!--T:9-->
: Some KDE projects still use [[Community:Infrastructure/Subversion|Subversion]] for some things, notably translations. Third-party developers mostly don't need to bother with this but contributors should take note of it.
 
== Development Environments and Editors == <!--T:10-->


; The GNU Project Debugger (GDB)
<!--T:11-->
: [http://sources.redhat.com/gdb/ GDB] helps in debugging source code. As GDB evolved over time it is recommended to use version 6.x. Graphical frontends are available (see below). See also the debugging tutorial [[../Tutorials/Debugging/Debugging with GDB|Debugging with GDB]].
; Qt Creator


; KDbg
<!--T:12-->
: [http://www.kdbg.org/ KDbg] is a graphical user interface to GDB, which is able to set breakpoints, step through the code etc.
: Qt application developers are most likely already using Qt Creator as their IDE. The good news is that they don't need to switch away from it just to use KDE Frameworks. Simply add the appropriate module to the QMake project file as indicated by each one's API documentation and you're good to go.


== Development Tools ==
<!--T:13-->
; KDevelop
; KDevelop
: [http://www.kdevelop.org KDevelop] is an excellent IDE for developing KDE and Qt C++ applications. It includes a an integrated debugger, a powerful editor with syntax highlighting, a ''Project wizard'' to create applications from templates, the automake/autoconf gunk, and even the class documentation. Further details can also be found in the [http://kdevelop.org/mediawiki/index.php/Main_Page KDevelop wiki].


; Qt Designer
<!--T:14-->
: With Trolltechs [http://www.trolltech.com/products/qt/features/designer Qt Designer] it is easy to layout user interfaces like buttons and checkboxes. Additional features are undo/redo, checking accelerator conflicts etc. Qt Designer allows even non-programmers to help design KDE dialogs. Further details can be found in the tutorial [[Development/Tutorials/Using_Qt_Designer|Using Qt Designer]] and in the [http://doc.trolltech.com/4.2/designer-manual.html Qt documentation].
: [http://www.kdevelop.org KDevelop] is a powerful IDE for developing KDE and Qt C++ applications. Unlike Qt Creator, however, it isn't limited to just that use case and supports other languages, libraries, and tools as well.
 
<!--T:15-->
; Kate
 
<!--T:16-->
: Although not exactly an IDE, KDE's premiere [https://kate-editor.org/ Advanced Text Editor] has features and plugins that simplify the software development workflow, from syntax highlighting and code folding to project management to an embedded terminal emulator.
 
== Debugging and Analysis == <!--T:17-->
 
<!--T:18-->
There is a wide variety of tools available, especially on Linux that analyze code and profile applications. Here are some of the more popular ones.
 
<!--T:19-->
; Valgrind
 
<!--T:20-->
: [http://www.valgrind.org/ Valgrind] helps to find memory leaks and uninitialized memory blocks. Additional features are a profiler and more. Valgrind is one of the most important development tools!
 
<!--T:21-->
; The GNU Project Debugger (GDB)


== Internationalisation (i18n) Tools ==
<!--T:22-->
: [http://sources.redhat.com/gdb/ GDB] helps in debugging source code. A graphical frontend, like the two below, might be a preferable way to use this tool.


; KBabel
<!--T:23-->
; KDbg and DDD


: [http://kbabel.kde.org/ KBabel] is a set of tools for editing and managing gettext PO files. Main part is a powerful and comfortable PO file editor which features full navigation capabilities, full editing functionality, possibility to search for translations in different dictionaries, spell and syntax checking, showing diffs and many more.
<!--T:24-->
: [http://www.kdbg.org/ KDbg] and [http://www.gnu.org/software/ddd/ DDD] are graphical user interfaces to GDB, which are able to set breakpoints, step through the code, etc.


Also included is a "Catalog Manager", a file manager view which helps keeping an overview of PO files. Last but not least it includes a standalone dictionary application as an additional possibility to access KBabel's powerful dictionaries. KBabel will help you to translate fast and also keep consistent translations.
<!--T:25-->
For some tips on KDE software analysis and profiling, please visit the [[Community:Guidelines_and_HOWTOs/Debugging|Debugging page]] of the KDE Community Wiki.


=== Dr. Klash ===
== Translation == <!--T:26-->


This little utility, once activated, can present a report about conflicting shortcuts in menus. Not only this is helpful for translators but also for developers. A little hand editing of <tt>`kde-config --localprefix`/share/config/kdeglobals</tt> activates this feature:
<!--T:27-->
Most Qt projects use the framework's built-in translation system. For KDE projects, please see the [[Community:Guidelines_and_HOWTOs/Internationalization|Community Internationalization Guide]].


[Development]
== Helper Tools == <!--T:28-->
CheckAccelerators=F12
AutoCheckAccelerators=false
AlwaysShowCheckAccelerators=false


Now pressing F12 will show a dialog containing which accelerators in the currently focussed interface conflict and provide suggestions for new accelerators. If no accelerators conflict or Dr. Klash has nothing to suggest, no popup dialog will not be displayed at all.  
<!--T:29-->
Here are some command-line tools that can assist developers in some of their day-to-day tasks.


With <tt>AutoCheckAccelerators</tt> enabled the dialog will popup automatically if a conflict exists and <tt>AlwaysShowCheckAccelerators</tt> can force the dialog to always popup even if there are no conflicts to report.
<!--T:30-->
;[[Development/Tools/Using kde-config|kf5-config]]


=== The XX language ===
<!--T:31-->
: Provides information related to the installation of KDE libraries and applications, particularly paths and prefixes.


This helper language serves as a debugging aid for people finding untranslated strings in applications. If you start your application with the ``xx'' locale, all translated strings will appear with x's. First you have to check out these ``translations'' from l10n/xx and install them.
<!--T:32-->
;[[Development/Tools/Using kfmclient|kioclient5]]


After you've built l10n/xx and installed it, run your application using the XX locale. This can be done by launching it from the command line like this:
<!--T:33-->
: Performs network-transparent operations (via the KIO framework) on the command line, like copying or even downloading files.


> KDE_LANG=xx kspread
<!--T:34-->
;[[Development/Tools/Using kconf_update|kconf_update]]


This will start KSpread using the XX locale no matter what your current language setting is. Look for strings that do not have the x's in them. If x's are missing from a string, it could be due to missing i18n calls or even missing or incorrectly generated .pot files. Consult the i18n tutorials for further information.
<!--T:35-->
: Automates updating config files.


When checking for untranslated strings, be sure to check all the WhatsThis help and tooltips.
<!--T:36-->
;[[Development/Tools/apidox|kapidox]]


=== Examining .po files ===
<!--T:37-->
: Generates API documentation for Doxygen-marked code.


You can look at the translated .po files to see if a string is present and has been translated. For example, here's a portion of l10n/de/messages/kdebase/konqueror.po:  
== Quality Assurance == <!--T:38-->


#: konq_mainwindow.cc:3707 konq_tabs.cc:84
<!--T:39-->
msgid "&New Tab"
KDE contributors and third-party developers interested in monitoring the community's software development activities can take a peek via the sites and tools below.
msgstr "Neues &Unterfenster"


The string to be translated is given on the msgid line. The translated string is on the msgstr line. Notice that the exact same string to translate came from konq_mainwindow.cc and also from konq_tabs.cc. This saves the translators from having to translate the same identical string twice.
<!--T:40-->
;Project Management


You can also use KBabel to examine .po files. KBabel is part of the kdesdk module.
<!--T:41-->
: KDE currently uses [https://phabricator.kde.org/ Phabricator] for project management but is also moving to a [https://invent.kde.org/ Gitlab instance].


{{note|More onformation on writing and translating documentation can be found on [http://i18n.kde.org/ the i18n project site].}}
<!--T:42-->
;Continuous Building


== Helper Tools ==
<!--T:43-->
: To ensure high-quality, KDE software operates a [http://build.kde.org continuous integration system] powered by [https://jenkins.io/ Jenkins].


; [[/Using kde-config|Get information about KDE's installation - kde-config]] ([http://developer.kde.org/documentation/other/kde-config.html port me!])
<!--T:44-->
: The tool kde-config helps to find out more about a KDE installation.
;Static Analysis


; [[/Using kfmclient|Driving Konqueror From Scripts - kfmclient]] ([http://developer.kde.org/documentation/other/kfmclient.html port me!])
<!--T:45-->
: kfmclient is a small tool to communicate with Konqueror.
: KDE's continuous integration tooling performs static code analysis, see [[community::Infrastructure/GitLab/CI/Static Code Analysis]]
</translate>

Latest revision as of 22:42, 8 September 2022

Other languages:

The KDE Community produces libraries and tools for software development but, aside from Qt and CMake, doesn't prescribe which one to use. Here is just a sample of the various tools you can use when developing software that uses KDE APIs or contributing to KDE applications themselves.

Core Tools

These are the tools that are absolutely required to build and develop KDE software. On Linux, they will typically be provided by your distribution. On other platforms, packages should normally be available, often for download directly from the home page for the tool. Of course, the standard development tools, such as a C/C++ compiler and some sort of text editor, are also required.

CMake
CMake is KDE's build system of choice. Once you have this, you can use it to configure a software project for building, and that process will tell you of any other requirements you are missing. NOTE: KDE Frameworks can also be used in QMake-based projects.
Git
Most KDE projects are developed in Git, and so you will need it to get the latest development version of the source code. KDE also provides source code tarballs for the most recent releases. You can find the relevant Git URLs at the KDE Git repository browser.
Subversion
Some KDE projects still use Subversion for some things, notably translations. Third-party developers mostly don't need to bother with this but contributors should take note of it.

Development Environments and Editors

Qt Creator
Qt application developers are most likely already using Qt Creator as their IDE. The good news is that they don't need to switch away from it just to use KDE Frameworks. Simply add the appropriate module to the QMake project file as indicated by each one's API documentation and you're good to go.
KDevelop
KDevelop is a powerful IDE for developing KDE and Qt C++ applications. Unlike Qt Creator, however, it isn't limited to just that use case and supports other languages, libraries, and tools as well.
Kate
Although not exactly an IDE, KDE's premiere Advanced Text Editor has features and plugins that simplify the software development workflow, from syntax highlighting and code folding to project management to an embedded terminal emulator.

Debugging and Analysis

There is a wide variety of tools available, especially on Linux that analyze code and profile applications. Here are some of the more popular ones.

Valgrind
Valgrind helps to find memory leaks and uninitialized memory blocks. Additional features are a profiler and more. Valgrind is one of the most important development tools!
The GNU Project Debugger (GDB)
GDB helps in debugging source code. A graphical frontend, like the two below, might be a preferable way to use this tool.
KDbg and DDD
KDbg and DDD are graphical user interfaces to GDB, which are able to set breakpoints, step through the code, etc.

For some tips on KDE software analysis and profiling, please visit the Debugging page of the KDE Community Wiki.

Translation

Most Qt projects use the framework's built-in translation system. For KDE projects, please see the Community Internationalization Guide.

Helper Tools

Here are some command-line tools that can assist developers in some of their day-to-day tasks.

kf5-config
Provides information related to the installation of KDE libraries and applications, particularly paths and prefixes.
kioclient5
Performs network-transparent operations (via the KIO framework) on the command line, like copying or even downloading files.
kconf_update
Automates updating config files.
kapidox
Generates API documentation for Doxygen-marked code.

Quality Assurance

KDE contributors and third-party developers interested in monitoring the community's software development activities can take a peek via the sites and tools below.

Project Management
KDE currently uses Phabricator for project management but is also moving to a Gitlab instance.
Continuous Building
To ensure high-quality, KDE software operates a continuous integration system powered by Jenkins.
Static Analysis
KDE's continuous integration tooling performs static code analysis, see community::Infrastructure/GitLab/CI/Static Code Analysis
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