goldendict-ng/website/docs/developer.md

If you know some C++ and optionally some Qt, you can start to modify GoldenDict right now.

This page is a brief introduction on how to get started.

For technical details see how to build from source.

1. Install Qt

To install Qt on macOS or Windows, uses the Qt Online Installer. It can be downloaded from Qt for Open Source.

Those Qt components are needed

• Qt
  • 6.7.2 (Or another version)
    • MSVC 2019 (or MSVC 2022)
    • Qt5 Compatible Module
    • Additional Libraries
      • Qt Image formats
      • Qt MultiMedia
      • Qt Positioning
      • Qt SerialPort (? super weird here, but it is needed.)
      • Qt Speech
      • Qt Webchannel
      • Qt Webengine
  • Qt Creator (optional)
    • CMake
    • Ninja

Note that MinGW is not supported.

CMake and Ninja are needed.

2. Install a compiler

For windows, MSVC can be obtained by installing Visual Studio's "Desktop development with C++".

For macOS, install XCode.

3. Obtain dependencies

For Windows, prebuilt libraries will be automatically downloaded.

For macOS, install Homebrew and install related packages as described in how to build from source or search brew install command in macOS release's build file.

4. Build

First, get GoldenDict's source code by Cloning a repository.

Then choose your favorite IDE/editor and load the CMakeLists.txt. If unsure, just use Qt Creator.

Qt Creator

Open CMakeLists.txt from Qt Creator, then you wil choose a "Kit" which is pretty much a Qt installation.

Qt Creator usually can auto detect your Qt installation. In case it doesn't, check out "Kit" settings. Note that, the compiler must be set to MSVC on Windows.

By default everything will be built, you can disable ffmpeg, epwing...

Then, hit the "Run" button at bottom-right corner should build and run GoldenDict.

Command Line only

See how to build from source.

Qt's doc: Building projects on the command line

Visual Studio

VS2022 has CMake support. After opening the source code folder, VS will starts to configure CMake but likely won't succeed.

You need to add Qt's path and other options to "CMake command arguments". Then, "save" the dialog with Ctrl+S or click one of the many "(re)configure cache" buttons.

Click run will build the project, but the .exe would not run, because the dependencies are not copied.

Simply click "install", which is actually copying dependencies.

Visual Studio Code

Install CMake Tools.

Then open GoldenDict's folder, and the CMake extension will kicks in.

Then add Qt's path and various other options to configure arguments.

-DCMAKE_PREFIX_PATH={Your Qt install path}\6.7.2\msvc2019_64

CLion

XCode

CMake GUI

LSP + Editor?

Related Things

Please follow C++ Core Guidelines and write modern C++ code.

Qt's documentation