Automatic increment of build number in Qt Creator

Question

I would like to have a variable (or #define) in C++ source that will increment each time I use Qt Creator to build source code. Is there any way I can do this,

Answer 1

Here's a solution for Win7 I came up with based on handle's solution. This solution also makes Windows give yer version # when you right-click yer target, and choose Properties | Details. It works in Win7, and probably most earlier versions.

Ok, you make yer build_inc.bat:

@echo off
copy /b myapp.rc +,,
set /p var= build.txt
echo #define BUILD %var% >build.h

and put it in yer proj folder. (copy /b myapp.rc +,, is inscrutable Microsoft-eese for "touch" - to update a file's time-stamp.) So far, so good - so what?!!

This part is optional, if you don't need the version encoded into the binary. Create a .rc file, e.g.:

#include "build.h"

1 VERSIONINFO
FILEFLAGS 32
FILEVERSION 1, 0, BUILD, 0
PRODUCTVERSION 1, 0, BUILD, 0
FILEOS 4
FILETYPE 1

{
    BLOCK "StringFileInfo"
    {
        BLOCK "040904B0"
        {
            VALUE "FileDescription", "program"
            VALUE "OriginalFilename", "program.exe"
            VALUE "CompanyName", "you"
            VALUE "FileVersion", "Release"
            VALUE "LegalCopyright", "Copyright (c) 2016, you, fool!"
            VALUE "ProductName", "Yer proggie"
            VALUE "ProductVersion", "Release"
        }
    }
    BLOCK "VarFileInfo"
    {
        VALUE "Translation", 0x0409, 0x04B0
    }
}

A more full-blown version is available here: Versioning DLLs. BTW: It won't work without the VarFileInfo block. This .rc is used for stuff like right-clicking and getting this info in Properties | Details. I have both a M$ .rc file for this info and the app icon, and add other resources in Qt Creator under Resources.

Not so optional: Here's the part I've spent some time hacking to find. In Qt Creator, with yer proj opened, click the little computer icon and put it in release mode. Click on "Projects". Click on "Add Build Step", choose Custom Process Step, and click the hat icon "^" until it is at the top of the list. Say you've named yer .rc, "myapp.rc". Make tha build step read as follows:

Command: cmd.exe
Arguments:/c build_inc.bat
Working Directory: %{CurrentProject:Path}

While a qmake-based version might work well from the command line or command line tools called from an IDE, in Qt Creator, the build steps are preferable, I believe. Qt Creator doesn't actually run qmake for each build; but build steps are run every build.

Now, add this to yer .pro file:

RC_FILE +=  myapp.rc

Also, add myapp.rc to yer proj. It'll show up under "Other Files".

Now rebuild. Every rebuild will trigger a touch of the resource file, thereby running "rc" every time. Otherwise, the build number won't get encoded into the binary right. It runs quickly for me. Every rebuild will increment this number. I've only bothered to add them to the "Release" build; so debug builds don't increment this. They'll just use the number of the last build. You will need to run it once in release to avoid an error, I believe. This works without separately re-running qmake each time in Qt Creator; and gives you a different build number each time. It doesn't trigger any other recompiles. You have the overhead of running "rc" and linking each time, as opposed to doing nothing if everything is up to date; but OTOH, I do it for release builds only; you almost always link for a build or run anyway; and again, "rc" is fast.

Optional: You can move the BUILD preprocessor symbol wherever you want in yer vers. #. (Note: You can also add yer app icon with something like this:

IDI_ICON1 ICON DISCARDABLE "Icons/myicon.ico"

This makes it show up in Explorer even before the file is run.)

You can also add "build.h" to yer proj formally in Qt Creator, include it in a file you want to use the build # in, and use it as a string, e.g. with:

#include 
#include "build.h"

#define STR_EXPAND(tok) #tok
#define STR(tok) STR_EXPAND(tok)

qDebug() << QString("(build ")+STR(BUILD)+")";

I just noticed a side effect: If you do it this way, it will rebuild before every run in Release. I guess that's not too bad a price to pay. I guess I can always copy the runtimes into the release directory, and run it from Explorer; or just put up with the extra compile of my about.h, the run of "rc" and the link with each run in release. For that matter, I could just create an external tool to run it with a keyboard shortcut. I'm certainly open to any improvements on this. For the time being, I'm not bothering, as just compiling "about.cpp", running "rc" and linking with every run doesn't take very long. Still, people: automatic build numbers!

☮!

Edit: Optional: In order to get it to increment the build number only when you build or rebuild your project, but not when you run it (even though a build will always occur in Release), go to Projects | Build and Run | Run, click "Add a Deploy Step" and choose "Custom Process Step":

Command: cmd.exe
Arguments: /c if exist build.old copy /y build.old build.txt
Working Directory: %{CurrentProject:Path}

Then, add

copy /y build.txt build.old

after @echo off in the .bat file. It is even possible, although involved, to make custom new project templates: Extending Qt Creator Manual

Edit: I've now made it work with one, not two, custom build steps.