Qt Creator: building and debugging engine source
Generic project, SCons, launch arguments and code-model diagnosis.
This configures Qt Creator for Reckfell 1.0.0 C/C++ source. A game's C# code needs its own managed project. The IDE invokes SCons; importing files does not build the engine.
Import source
Choose File → New Project → Import Project → Import Existing Project and select Source, which contains SConstruct. Reopen the generated .creator next time. In a generic project, .files lists project files, .includes lists header directories and .config supplies preprocessor definitions.
Use one include path per line, relative to .includes or absolute. Adding just a dot does not describe platform headers, generated headers or defines. Match these to actual compiler commands for your configuration. Do not copy Android defines into a Windows project. Indexing and building use separate settings: a clean code model does not prove successful compilation.
Build through SCons
Prepare compiler/SDK and environment using the source build guide. In Projects → Build Settings remove the default make step and add a Custom Process Step. Command is the available SCons executable; Arguments contains its options; Working directory is Source. See external process configuration.
Full command example for a Windows x86_64 editor; put only the options after scons into Arguments:
scons platform=windows target=editor arch=x86_64 dev_build=yes debug_symbols=yesLinux uses platform=linuxbsd; editor selection is target=editor, not platform=editor. Another platform requires its own toolchain and dependencies; the Windows command is not a cross-compilation recipe.
If the process cannot start, provide the actual SCons path and check PATH/SDK in the IDE environment. Selecting a kit alone does not prove SCons received the required compiler variables. Compare IDE output with a working terminal invocation. Do not leave compiledb_gen_only=yes or vsproj_gen_only=yes in a normal Build: metadata generation does not produce an executable.
Run and debug
In Projects → Run Settings → Add → Custom Executable select the actual output in Source/bin. Its name depends on platform, target, dev_build, arch and other options. Do not select a file solely from an example filename belonging to a different build; check the path and output timestamp.
For a game, pass --path to the directory containing project.reckfell; add --editor for the editor. The working directory is separate and does not replace an explicit project path. The debugger must support the compiler's symbol format; symbols and source must match the binary. When attaching, check process path and arguments: editor and Play may be separate processes.
Diagnosis
| Symptom | Check |
|---|---|
| Could not start process scons | Actual executable, PATH and build-process environment |
| Compilation cannot locate source | Working directory is Source containing SConstruct |
| Unknown types only in IDE | .includes/.config and selected platform options; these do not configure SCons |
| No new executable | Compile/link completion and target; generation-only must not replace Build |
| Project Manager opens instead of project | --path to the project.reckfell directory; --editor for the editor |
| Breakpoint never hits | Correct process, supported debugger, matching binary/symbols/source |
Use Source/.clang-format for C/C++. The .editorconfig specifies UTF-8, LF and tabs, but Python/SConstruct/SCsub use spaces. Do not apply a universal tabs setting to every language.
Verification limits
SCons options, binary suffix construction and formatting rules were checked against current source. Earlier installed-runtime CLI --path evidence was reused. The build command is configuration guidance, not an executed build; Qt Creator GUI, import, indexing, build and breakpoints remain unverified. Source, Runtime and SDK unchanged.