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== Getting Started on TechBase ==


{{Warning|These build instructions are outdated as of 2012. Please visit irc://chat.freenode.net/kde-devel for assistance building. Then please come back here to help update these files.}}
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!


== Introduction ==


There are many different ways to become [http://community.kde.org/Getinvolved involved in the KDE Community], ranging all the way from a simply using our software through to being a core platform developer.
{{Note|
To contribute to KDE, see [https://community.kde.org/Get_Involved the Get Involved page on the Community Wiki].


This section of KDE TechBase is designed to help get you started in participating in the technical side of the KDE community.  It will explain to you how KDE Software is structured and built, and how you can participate by building KDE for yourself.
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]].
}}


== Using KDE Software ==
== 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 [[Development/Tutorials/Setting_Up|Setting Up Guide]] to see how easy it can be.


If you just want to use stable KDE software for your everyday computing needs, then you do not need to build KDE Software for yourself.  You should instead use the software installer provided by your Linux distribution to install KDE package.
== KDE Frameworks ==
'''[[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.


The best place to learn how to do this is through your distributions normal support channels, although you may find some useful information on the following pages:
* [https://www.kde.org/products/frameworks/ KDE Frameworks Product page]
* [http://www.kde.org/download/distributions.php Distributions shipping KDE]
* [[Development/Tutorials#Basics_of_how_to_develop_with_KDE_Frameworks|Tutorials to get started with KF5]]
* [[Special:myLanguage/Getting_Started/Build/Distributions|Install KDE Software on Linux and BSD Distributions]]
* [https://api.kde.org/frameworks/index.html KDE Frameworks 5 API Documentation]
* [[Special:myLanguage/Projects/KDE_on_Windows/Installation|Install KDE Software on Windows]]
* KDE Frameworks on [[Frameworks|TechBase]] and the [[Community:Frameworks|Community Wiki]]
* Mac OS X does not currently have an installer available for KDE Software, but you can simplify building it by using [http://community.kde.org/Mac#Installing_KDE_on_Mac_OSX MacPorts, Fink or Homebrew]


== Getting Help ==
== Kirigami ==
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.


If you are looking for help in using the KDE Workspace or KDE Applications then please visit the [http://userbase.kde.org/ KDE UserBase].
* [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]]


If you have any questions or problems with building or developing KDE Software please feel free to [[Special:myLanguage/Development/Getting_Help|ask for help]].  However, be patient while waiting for a response, and try to work through the problem yourself, we aren't going to do it ''all'' for you. Working your way through and understanding why something doesn't work is a good way to learn how to do things the right way.
== 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.


== Browsing the code ==
* [[Development/Tutorials|Development Tutorials]]
The KDE project is all free and open source. You can view its source code and make changes.
* [[Development|TechBase Development Hub]]
* [[Community:Get_Involved|Get involved with the KDE Community]]


http://projects.kde.org hosts the source for many KDE-related initiatives, including [https://projects.kde.org/projects/kde KDE itself].  Choose a piece of KDE such as KDE Libraries, then click Repository to browse its source. [[Getting_Started/Sources]] explains the organization of KDE source code.
== 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. [[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.


There are other utilities to browse the source code:
* [https://kde.org/plasma-desktop.php Plasma Desktop website]
* [[Development/Tutorials/Plasma5|Plasma Tutorials]]
* [https://www.plasma-mobile.org/ Plasma Mobile website]


* http://lxr.kde.org/search lets you search the code ''(may be out of date?)''
== It's just the beginning ==
* http://api.kde.org lets you browse API documentation generated from the code. You can search for class names, but not filenames.
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.


== Building and Running KDE Software From Source ==
* 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.


There are several possible ways to build and install KDE software and the method you choose depends on what you want to do with the software.  In particular if you are only wanting to build and develop a single application you may not need to build the entire KDE Development Platform to do so.  You can read more about this on the [[Special:myLanguage/Getting_Started/Build/Methods|Build Methods page]].


If you simply want to build one application, the simple tutorial [[Development/Tutorials/Building_An_Existing_Application|Building an Existing Application]] might be enough already.
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.


{{Note|'''Quickstart:''' If you are impatient to get started without understanding what you are doing then you can skip straight to using a [[Special:myLanguage/Getting_Started/Build#Scripted_Builds|Build Script]], but it is strongly recommended you read this documentation first.}}


<!-- what about https://launchpad.net/project-neon that used to be linked here in 2010, does that still apply? - User:Skierpage -->
[[Category:Needs_Attention]]
 
The following sections explain the steps you need to understand and give the instructions you need to follow to successfully build KDE Software from source:
 
* [[Special:myLanguage/Getting_Started/Sources|How the KDE Source Code is structured]]
* [[Special:myLanguage/Getting_Started/Build|How to Build and Install the software]]
* [[Special:myLanguage/Getting_Started/Run/Nested_Session|How to Run a nested session of KDE]]
* [[Special:myLanguage/Getting_Started/Run/Full_Session|How to Run a full session of KDE]]
 
== Development Tools ==
 
There are a number of [[Special:myLanguage/Development/Tools|Development Tools]] that are either required or helpful when building KDE Software.  For these you will usually want to use the stable packages provided by your distribution.
 
You may want to use a graphical IDE for your development work:
* [[Special:myLanguage/Development/Tutorials/Using_Qt_Creator|Qt Creator]]
* [http://www.kdevelop.org/ KDevelop 4]
* [[Special:myLanguage/Development/Tools/Eclipse|Eclipse]]
* [[Special:myLanguage/Getting_Started/Using_an_IDE_with_KDE4|Using an IDE with KDE4]]
 
== Contributing To KDE ==
 
Once you have a copy of KDE built you can then start contributing back to KDE.  The pages below will help you find out how you can help make KDE even better.
 
[[Image:Action_tool.svg|right|32px]]
* [[Special:myLanguage/Contribute|Contribute]]
* [[Special:myLanguage/Contribute/Send_Patches|Send Patches]]
* [[Special:myLanguage/Contribute/Bugsquad|Bugsquad]]
 
 
== Development and Release Model ==
 
This is information for release schedules, justification of why KDE has chosen the tools and policies that it has, and so on.  It used to be very important since KDE releases were done as big coordinated simutaneous efforts.  This is all completely outdated since the policy changed with KDE Frameworks 5.  Now, various parts of KDE have their own release cadences, ranging from regular monthly releases for Frameworks, every 3- or 4-months for Plasma, to "it happens when it happens" for applications like Krita.
 
TODO: completely rewrite everything here.
 
* [[Special:myLanguage/Schedules/Release_Schedules_Guide|The KDE Release Schedule]]
* [[Special:myLanguage/Development/Software_Engineering_Framework|The KDE Software Engineering Framework]]
* [[Special:myLanguage/Policies|KDE Development Policies and Procedures to follow]]
* [[Special:myLanguage/Policies/Application_Lifecycle|The development lifecycle for a new application]]
 
[[Category:Build_KDE]]

Latest revision as of 15:59, 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.

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