qt-simple-template

A modern, production-ready Qt6 application template with multiple package manager support, comprehensive testing, and CI/CD integration.

Features

✨ System Packages First: Uses system-installed packages by default with optional package manager support 🔧 Modern Build System: CMake 3.28+ with presets and cross-platform support 📦 Flexible Package Management: Optional vcpkg, Conan, or MSYS2 integration 🧪 Comprehensive Testing: Unit tests, integration tests, and benchmarks 📚 Documentation: API docs with Doxygen, user guides, and developer documentation 🚀 CI/CD Ready: GitHub Actions workflows for all platforms and package managers 🎨 Customizable Template: Automated project generation with configurable options 🌍 Cross-Platform: Windows (MSVC/MinGW), Linux (GCC/Clang), macOS (Clang) 🔒 Quality Assurance: Static analysis, code formatting, and security scanning

🏗️ MVC Architecture

The application follows a comprehensive Model-View-Controller architecture pattern:

Directory Structure

app/
├── include/
│   ├── interfaces/     # Abstract interfaces (IModel, IView, IController, IService)
│   ├── models/         # Data models (ApplicationModel, BaseModel)
│   ├── views/          # User interface (MainWindow, BaseView)
│   ├── controllers/    # Business logic (ApplicationController, BaseController)
│   ├── services/       # Application services (ConfigurationService)
│   └── utils/          # Utilities (Logger)
└── src/               # Implementation files

Key Components

• Models: Thread-safe data management with property system
• Views: Qt-based UI components with automatic updates
• Controllers: Business logic and MVC coordination
• Services: Configuration, logging, and application services
• Interfaces: Abstract contracts for extensibility

See MVC Architecture Guide for detailed information.

Quick Start

Prerequisites

• CMake 3.28 or later
• Qt 6.7.0 or later
• One of the supported package managers
• C++20 compatible compiler

Build Options

The build system uses system packages by default and provides optional package manager integration:

🏠 System Packages (Default - Recommended)

Uses packages installed through your system's package manager (apt, brew, pacman, etc.):

# Install Qt6 through your system package manager first:

# Ubuntu/Debian
sudo apt install qt6-base-dev qt6-tools-dev qt6-svg-dev

# macOS (Homebrew)
brew install qt6

# Arch Linux
sudo pacman -S qt6-base qt6-tools qt6-svg

# Windows (MSYS2)
pacman -S mingw-w64-x86_64-qt6-base mingw-w64-x86_64-qt6-tools mingw-w64-x86_64-qt6-svg

# Build with system packages (default behavior)
mkdir build && cd build
cmake ..
cmake --build .

🔷 vcpkg (Optional - Cross-platform package management)

# Install vcpkg
git clone https://github.com/Microsoft/vcpkg.git
cd vcpkg && ./bootstrap-vcpkg.sh  # Linux/macOS
cd vcpkg && .\bootstrap-vcpkg.bat  # Windows
export VCPKG_ROOT=/path/to/vcpkg

# Build with vcpkg
cmake --preset Debug-Unix -DUSE_VCPKG=ON     # Linux/macOS
cmake --preset Debug-Windows -DUSE_VCPKG=ON  # Windows
cmake --build build/Debug

🔶 Conan (Optional - Professional dependency management)

# Install Conan
pip install conan
conan profile detect --force

# Build with Conan (automated script)
python scripts/build_conan.py --build-type Debug

# Or manual with Conan
conan install . --output-folder build/Conan-Debug --build missing
cmake --preset Conan-Debug-Unix -DUSE_CONAN=ON
cmake --build build/Conan-Debug

🔧 Force Specific Package Manager

# Force system packages (explicit)
cmake -DFORCE_PACKAGE_MANAGER=SYSTEM ..

# Force vcpkg
cmake -DFORCE_PACKAGE_MANAGER=VCPKG ..

# Force Conan
cmake -DFORCE_PACKAGE_MANAGER=CONAN ..

# Force MSYS2 (Windows only)
cmake -DFORCE_PACKAGE_MANAGER=MSYS2 ..

Running the Application

# Linux/macOS
./build/app/qt_simple_template

# Windows
.\build\app\qt_simple_template.exe

📦 Comprehensive Multi-Platform Packaging

The project includes extensive packaging support for all major platforms and distribution channels:

Linux Packages

• DEB (Debian/Ubuntu) - cmake --build build --target package_deb
• RPM (RedHat/SUSE/Fedora) - cmake --build build --target package_rpm
• AppImage (Universal) - cmake --build build --target package_appimage
• Snap (Universal) - cmake --build build --target package_snap
• Flatpak (Sandboxed) - cmake --build build --target package_flatpak
• Arch (Arch Linux) - cmake --build build --target package_arch

Windows Packages

• NSIS (Traditional installer) - cmake --build build --target package_nsis
• MSI (Windows Installer) - cmake --build build --target package_msi
• Chocolatey (Package manager) - cmake --build build --target package_chocolatey
• WinGet (Microsoft package manager) - cmake --build build --target package_winget
• Portable ZIP - cmake --build build --target package_portable_zip

macOS Packages

• DMG (Disk image) - cmake --build build --target package_dmg
• PKG (Installer package) - cmake --build build --target package_pkg
• Homebrew (Package manager) - cmake --build build --target package_homebrew
• MacPorts (Package manager) - cmake --build build --target package_macports

Cross-Platform

• Docker (Container images) - cmake --build build --target package_docker
• Conda (Cross-platform) - cmake --build build --target package_conda
• Qt Installer Framework - cmake --build build --target package_qtifw

Quick Packaging Commands

# Build all packages for current platform
cmake --build build --target package_platform

# Build all possible packages
cmake --build build --target package_all

# Validate available packaging tools
./scripts/validate_packaging.sh

See the Comprehensive Packaging Guide for detailed instructions.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.