Development/Tools/Using kde-config

    From KDE TechBase
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    Finding about KDE's installation : kde-config

    Introduction

    kde-config is a small utility for determining how KDE is installed. It can be used for debugging purposes, or in Makefiles for simple projects that don't want to use the full autoconf/automake framework.

    Usage

    kde-config --help gives:

    Options:
     --expandvars    expand ${prefix} and ${exec_prefix} in output
     --prefix        Compiled in prefix for KDE libraries
     --exec-prefix   Compiled in exec_prefix for KDE libraries
     --libsuffix     Compiled in library path suffix
     --localprefix   Prefix in $HOME used to write files
     --version       Compiled in version string for KDE libraries
     --types         Available KDE resource types
     --path type     Search path for resource type
     --userpath type User path: desktop|autostart|trash|document
     --install type  Prefix to install resource files to
    

    kde-config --types gives:

    apps - Applications menu (.desktop files)
    config - Configuration files
    data - Where applications store data
    emoticons - unknown type
    exe - Executables in $prefix/bin
    html - HTML documentation
    icon - Icons
    kcfg - Configuration description files
    lib - Libraries
    locale - Translation files for KLocale
    mime - Mime types
    module - Loadable modules
    pixmap - unknown type
    qtplugins - Qt plugins
    services - Services
    servicetypes - Service types
    sound - Application sounds
    templates - Templates
    wallpaper - Wallpapers
    xdgconf-menu - XDG Menu layout (.menu files)
    xdgdata-apps - XDG Application menu (.desktop files)
    xdgdata-dirs - XDG Menu descriptions (.directory files)
    xdgdata-icon - unknown type
    

    These are valid inputs of --path and --install. --install gives the paths kdelibs was compiled for, while --path gives the whole set of paths as they are searched in the current environment.

    So while --path config can return

    /home/joe/.kde/share/config:/etc/kde3:/opt/kde3/share/config
    

    --install config will return

    ${prefix}/share/config
    

    you can ask for --prefix too, and --expandvars expands this right for you and gives:

    /home/joe/KDE/share/config