Any way to automate a folder delete before building? - qt-creator

Basically, I want to delete the folder named:
build-[Project Name]-Desktop_Qt_5_0_2_MSVC2010_32bit-Debug
before compiling.

Go to project settings (Ctrl+5, a.k.a. 5th mode), and add new build step with custom command 'rmdir', and arguments '/s /q path-to-target-directory'.
Don't forget that custom build step should be on top of list, before 'qmake' step.

Take a look at system command for qmake, which allows executing any shell command of the operating system:
http://harmattan-dev.nokia.com/docs/library/html/qt4/qmake-function-reference.html#system-command
In windows you can put
system(rmdir /Q /S "build-[Project Name]-Desktop_Qt_5_0_2_MSVC2010_32bit-Debug")
in your .pro file. If you need other platforms, you can check which platform it is and call appropriate shell command for that platform using same syntax.

Related

running an exe from NppExec

I'm making a script to compile and run an entire project on Notepad++ using NppExec.
I keep each project on a folder and each folder has a makefile to compile the entire project, the compiler will produce a single .exe file so in each folder there is just one executable that has the same name of the folder (with the .exe extension).
I made the first part of the script (compiling with the makefile) but I don't know how to make the second part (running the executable). I know how to run an executable in NppExec but I'm trying to do something different: I want to compile the exe without specifying its name in the commands so that I can use the script to compile and run every project organized as I explained above (each folder with only one .exe that has the same name of the folder).
How can I do it?
If you don't know how to do that in NppExec, how can I do the same thing in cmd? (I can then write that in NppExec by adding cmd \c at the and of the command)
There are some special targets make knows about:
all: to compile everything
run: to run the program, if this depends on all, then the program is recompiled if necessary
clean: for necessary clean ups
So what you need are two npp_exec scripts which you can bind to different keyboard shortcuts (save the scripts under some names, in the menu use Plugins, Nppexec, Advanced options: add the scripts to the menu using the controls on the left; give the menu items different menu_names; restart notepad++; goto Settings, Shortcut mapper, Plugins commands: you will find the menu_names somewhere in this list, you can assign keyboard shortcuts to them).
The second ingredient are the targets in the makefile:
all: depends on your binary
run: depends on all, the command would normally be something like
./$(ProgName)
but in your case (windows with mingw32-make, as explained in the comments, and you need a command window) your run target would look like
run: all
cmd /C $(ESEGUIBILE)
This way you have one setup in Notepad++ that works for all your folders, the interface is
make all
make run
The makefiles in each folder know the name of the folder specific binary, you only need to add the run section to each makefile.

Finding build output in Visual Studio 6 (visual basic)

I realize this is going to be an exotic question, but I just can't find the answer.
I'm trying to fix up and enhance an old visual basic-based application.
My problem is: where is the output directory with the compiled binaries?
Thanks.
If some clarification is needed, please ask.
In the .VBP, if there is a line specifying the path like this
Path32="C:\"
Then the resulting EXE will be built at that location. Otherwise, it will be built in the same directory as the .VBP file. The path can be relational as well and may not be a fully qualified path.
I think you want the /outdir switch. This overrides the Path32 setting in the Project file.
VB6[.EXE] [[{/run | /r}] | [/runexit] | [{/make | /m}] projectname]
[/out filename] [/outdir path] [/d const=value{[:constN=valueN]}]
[/mdi | /sdi] [{/cmd argument | /c argument}]
Options:
/run or /r projectname Tells Visual Basic to compile projectname and run it,
using the arguments stored in the Command Line
Arguments field of the Make tab of the Project
Properties dialog box.
/runexit projectname Tells Visual Basic to compile projectname and run it.
Visual Basic will exit when the project returns to
design mode.
/make or /m projectname Tells Visual Basic to compile projectname and make an
executable file from it, using the existing settings
stored in the project file.
/out filename Specifies a file to receive errors when you build using
/m or /runexit. If you do not use /out, command line
bild errors are displayed in a message box.
/outdir path Specifies a directory path to place all output files in
when using /make. This path must already exist.
/d or /D const=value... Tells Visual Basic which values to use for conditional
compilation constants when making an .EXE or ActiveX
component with the /make switch. Separate multiple
constants with colons.
/cmd or /c argument Specifies a command string to be passed to the Command$
function. When used, it must be the last switch on the
command line.
/mdi or /sdi Changes the Visual Basic environment to either Single
Document Interface (SDI) or Multiple Document Interface
(MDI) mode. Visual Basic remains in this mode until
you change it.
/? Displays a list of valid command line switches.
You may use a group name in place of projectname in any of the above switches.
Works fine here.
There is no equivalent 'bin/lib' output directory for VB6. When you compile a VB6 project, the default is to compile to the same folder as the project (vbp file). It is also possible to compile to any other folder available to the user.

Batch: Running exe, copying file to appdata, and put it in startup

For example, I have 2 exe's. Let's call them 1.exe and 2.exe, to keep it simple.
And I want to make a zip file, with 3 things in it, 1.exe, 2.exe and setup.bat.
First off, I want to know that the user is okay that we start the first exe (1.exe). So we type:
#echo off
cls
echo Are you sure you want to install 1.exe?
echo If not, click exit right now. If you are okay with it,
pause
Here comes the first question. So we want to start 1.exe. How do I start 1.exe, that is in the same folder as the bat file?
Okay, lets continue. When 1.exe is finished, I want to copy 2.exe, place it in %appdata%, and then add it to startup. And that's the second question. How do i do that.
So the questions are:
How do I start 1.exe, which is in the same map as setup.bat
How do I copy 2.exe which is in the same map as setup.bat to %appdata%
How do I properly add 2.exe which is in %appdata% now to startup?
Note: Just using C:\documents and settings\all users\desktop\1.exe isn't going to work. I want it to work in all sorts of languages, and in some languages the folders might be called different.
1.exe will run 1.exe, just like on the command line.
copy 2.exe %appdata% will copy 2.exe.
I don't know what question 3 means.
Define "work in all sorts of languages"? If you need to pass in an argument to the batch file, do so: http://commandwindows.com/batch.htm
You are right you should never hard code "Documents and Settings" or "Program Files" in a BAT file, because these folder names don't "work in all sorts of languages". You need to refer to them using special folder ids or environment variables.
In your case, you need to create a program shortcut (.LNK file) in the startup folder. There are two parts.
creating a shortcut. Unfortunately there is no way to create a shortcut using only windows commands. You need to rely on a third party tool, there are many free command line tools that may do it; or write your own.
locating the Startup folder and placing the shortcut there. There are two startup folders. The common startup and the user startup folder. Choose one. Then, you need to use either the %ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Start Menu\Programs\StartUp or the %USERPROFILE%\Start Menu\Programs\StartUp.
So putting all pieces together in your SETUP.BAT , it would look something like this...
#echo off
echo Are you sure you want to install 1.exe?
echo If not, click exit right now. If you are okay with it,
pause
1
copy 2.exe %appdata%
makelink %appdata%\2.exe %USERPROFILE%\Start Menu\Programs\StartUp\2.lnk
One suggestion. Avoid all this mess. It seems to me that you need to install a program. If so, I'd recommend you to try Inno Setup. http://www.jrsoftware.org/ .
Inno Setup is a free installer for Windows. First introduced in 1997, Inno Setup today rivals and even surpasses many commercial installers in feature set and stability.
...
Supports creation of a single EXE to install your program for easy online distribution. Disk spanning is also supported.
Standard Windows 2000/XP-style wizard interface.
Customizable setup types, e.g. Full, Minimal, Custom.
Complete uninstall capabilities.
Installation of files: Includes integrated support for "deflate", bzip2, and 7-Zip LZMA/LZMA2 file compression. The installer has the ability to compare file version info, replace in-use files, use shared file counting, register DLL/OCX's and type libraries, and install fonts.
Creation of shortcuts anywhere, including in the Start Menu and on the desktop.
Creation of registry and .INI entries.
Running other programs before, during or after install.
...
This should do what you want.
#echo off
cls
echo Are you sure you want to install 1.exe?
echo If not, click exit right now. If you are okay with it,
pause
start /wait 1.exe
xcopy 2.exe %appdata% /y
reg add HKCU\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run /v "2" /d %appdata%\2.exe
The last line will make a reg entry instead of copying it to the startup folder which will not create a shortcut on the desktop and you don't need anything more than batch.

How can I rename a VB6 executable?

I'm trying to automate a VB6 build where different apps are built from the same source by:
Changing "Conditional Compilation Arguments".
"Make Project" to a different executable name.
I can do part of this on the command line:
VB6.EXE /m Project.VBP /d BUILD_OTHER_APP=1
but the executable still has the name "Project.exe". If I rename the .EXE it stops working (doesn't seem to run). VB6 doesn't seem to have a command line option to set the executable name and I can't get round this problem with renaming.
I'm using VB6 on Win7 32-bit.
If you run VB6 /? from the command line a dialog box pops up to tell you all the options, and no, it seems that there isn't an option to specify the output filename.
I can't as yet see any reason for a rename to stop an executable working, but I'll try this later on today on Win XP.
The other workaround to renaming is to move the executables into folders of different names and create shortcuts or batch files of different names to call the correct executable.
edit: I'm working on Win XP and these two solutions are available to me:
Rename the executable - You might be able to develop on XP and run on Win7?
Add the .exe name to the build command line. This does override the .vbp:
VB6 /m Project1 /d conHello=-1 Hello.exe
VB6 /m Project1 /d conHello=0 World.exe
The hack that we are forced to do to create a different named output (and to change other aspects of the project) is to create a copy of the VBP (Project_tmp.vbp), and then change the name in the copy and build from that copy.

CMD: Bat to Exe Converter - Temp directory problem

i am using 'Bat to Exe Converter' to convert my batch files to exe format.
Now, i am running into some problems.
Whenever i convert something, and i set 'Working Directory' to 'Current Directory', and i start my exe in echo on mode, this is what i end up with to check if there is a specific file in the directory of my exe:
the actual command: if not exist "%~dp0\file.txt" goto :nofile
output: if not exist "C:\Users\MyUser\AppData\Local\Temp\4CBC\\file.txt" goto :nofile
Can anyone help me with this? I don't want it in the temp directory, i want it to be in the directory of my exe.
Thanks.
Without having Bat to Exe changed by the author, I think you have two options:
Remove the need for accessing %~dp0
Perhaps you can merge file.txt with the include option of Bat to Exe into the EXE file. If so, "file.txt" will automatically be unpacked in the current directory when running your compiled exe, and you can it access by %CD%\file.txt.
Get %~dp0 from outside and pass it to the exe as a command line parameter.
This can be done by a simple starter bat file that resides in the same directory as your compiled main batch file. This script schould contain the line
YourCompiled.Exe %~dp0% %%*
Your compiled exe then gets its directory from %1. So you cannot pack everything into one exe, but the main portion of it, perhaps that is sufficient for you.
Well, apparently your batch to exe converter simply packs the batch file and extracts it to a temporary directory prior to execution. Very simplistic, hard to get wrong (compared to actually understand the batch file) but it introduces errors such as the one you're describing.
Your best bet is probably to use another batch to exe converter; some of them are actually a little more sophisticated.
Generally, this is not a good idea. firstly, its prone to errors and instability of the converter on different cmd features. secondly, a determined hacker can still decode what you are doing with the batch. My suggestion, if you are so afraid of people looking into your batch,
1) let only the people who are authorized to use your batch to use it
2) give them the correct permissions.
OR, don't use batch at all
1) create a central interface such as a web interface, where all tasks to be done goes through that interface, like using an ATM machine where only buttons are allowed and all the available user options can be done by pushing buttons...etc..
2) authenticate your users through a central authentication system, eg Active Directory, or LDAP or a database.
This is an 2.5 yr old subject but there is an answer to this so I'm posting for anyone else that happens to find this in a search.
B2EC written by Fatih Kodak, has an option to "Submit current directory".
When this is used, you can reference %1 in your batch file to get the path of the EXE that was executed (instead of the path of the extracted BAT that is really being run).
Hovering over that option in the UI shows "Submit the current working directory as the last parameter". The "last parameter" in my use has always been %1 but you can test your code to be sure.
The latest version, 2.1.4 at time of writing, of Bat to Exe by Fatih Kodak creates an Environmental Variable at runtime that can be substituted in place of %~dp0 to reference the Exe's path. Therefore, you can simply replace %-dp0 with %b2eprogrampathname% in the original batch file.
You can use external folders with f2ko's batch to exe converter. Having
a separate folder for subroutines can neaten up a project folder.
To call mysubroutine that is located in mysubroutinesfolder\mysubroutine,
...
pushd mysubroutinesfolder
call mysubroutine
popd
...
The call can be made a one liner:
call xqt mysubroutine
where xqt.cmd is a program that does the call for you:
pushd mysubroutinesfolder
call %*
popd
exit /b
(the %* means "all of the arguments").
In this way your batch programs run as batch, and UNMODIFIED they will
compile with the bat to exe converter, creating a completely folder independent executable. Select "temporary directory",
and include all of the subroutines/executables in your mysubroutines folder
by "selecting them all" with your cursor as usual, then hit "copy".
Be sure to include the xqt.cmd program too; place it "outside" of your mysubroutines folder. Make sure that is is accessible by your main program. Remember to select x64 if you
are runnning on a x64 machine, or the executable will not find SYSTEM32
files. You can find f2k0's batch to exe converter at:
http://www.f2ko.de/programs.php?pid=b2e
Try this development environment for batch scripts, Batch Compiler . It has everything you need to develop a batch program.And compile into stable stand alone executable (Exe).
Friendly user interface.
Debugger, Check your code for syntax errors.
Powerful, versatile compiler.
Allows mouse input in batch files.
Use Windows Common Dialog Boxes.(BrowseFiles,BrowseFolders)
Draw graphics in batch files.
Reverse engineering proof encryption of source code.
Include Company name, Copyright info and Version info.
Make invisible(silent) executables.
Executables with administrator privileges.
Run & debug your script while editing.
Embed resources with executable.(music,images,files)
Advance Commands (BrowseFiles,LaunchSilent,MouseCMD)
Stand-alone executables.No dependencies needed.
Executables are woking on almost all windows operating systems.(98 to 10)
Quick download : http://bc.gotek.info/files/BatchCompiler159.zip
Cheers!
%cd% will give you the current directory:
if not exist "%CD%\file.txt" goto :nofile
Use %CD% instead of %~dp0.
EDIT:
B2EC is not a real converter. Creation location of equipped .cmd file was chosen to be %TEMP% and this is a good choice. Application just lacks 3rd option for working directory of the script - .exe file directory. I advise you to mail the author about adding this one.
Different paths for .exe and created .cmd lead to information loss, i.e. we are unable to know .exe directory and current directory at the same time without providing additional information to the script (e.g. using environment variable or passing it as first/last argument to the script). This script would need to handle it and we would end writing cmd scripts tailored for this converter, which is bad.
%~dp0 - script directory (%TEMP%/.../) - practically useless
%cd% - working directory (as set up in the converter) - currently there are only 2 options: current directory (working directory of .exe) and temporary directory (actually equal to %~dp0, but without trailing backslash)
I think it can be solved by patching cmd.exe instance in memory to change the script path, but that's B2EC developer's duty.
Side note: Normal executable files can be easily executed with specified 0th argument by providing appriopriate lpApplicationName and lpCommandLine to CreateProcess function. Command files are executed via cmd.exe, so 0th argument cannot be set this way.

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