Qt 5.7 | QDoc Manual | Creating Help Project Files

Qt 5.7.1 Reference Documentation

Generic Configuration Variables ◦ C++ Specific Configuration Variables

# Creating Help Project Files

## Overview

Qt Assistant uses a system for managing Qt documentation that requires QDoc to generate inventories of files in a format that is similar to the old style DCF format, but with additional features.

QDoc allows configuration variables to be used to specify which pages are to be used in each documentation set it generates. These are specified as subvariables of the `qhp` variable with each set declared using a unique identifier as a subvariable.

For example, the configuration file for the Qt Quick documentation set specifies information about the set as subvariables with the `qhp.QtQuick` prefix:

      qhp.projects = QtQuick

      qhp.QtQuick.file                = qtquick.qhp
      qhp.QtQuick.namespace           = org.qt-project.qtquick.$QT_VERSION_TAG
      qhp.QtQuick.virtualFolder       = qtquick
      qhp.QtQuick.indexTitle          = Qt Quick
      qhp.QtQuick.indexRoot           =

      qhp.QtQuick.filterAttributes    = qtquick $QT_VERSION qtrefdoc
      qhp.QtQuick.customFilters.Qt.name = QtQuick $QT_VERSION
      qhp.QtQuick.customFilters.Qt.filterAttributes = qtquick $QT_VERSION

      qhp.QtQuick.subprojects         = qmltypes classes examples

      qhp.QtQuick.subprojects.qmltypes.title = QML Types
      qhp.QtQuick.subprojects.qmltypes.indexTitle = Qt Quick QML Types
      qhp.QtQuick.subprojects.qmltypes.selectors = qmlclass
      qhp.QtQuick.subprojects.qmltypes.sortPages = true

      qhp.QtQuick.subprojects.classes.title = Classes
      qhp.QtQuick.subprojects.classes.title = C++ Classes
      qhp.QtQuick.subprojects.classes.indexTitle = Qt Quick C++ Classes
      qhp.QtQuick.subprojects.classes.selectors = class fake:headerfile
      qhp.QtQuick.subprojects.classes.sortPages = true

      qhp.QtQuick.subprojects.examples.title = Examples
      qhp.QtQuick.subprojects.examples.indexTitle = Qt Quick Examples and Tutorials
      qhp.QtQuick.subprojects.examples.selectors = fake:example

The documentation set may include one or more subprojects, which are added to the table of contents under the name specified by `title`. The page in the documentation referred to by the `indexTitle` acts as the index page for the subproject. The page types to list under the subproject are specified by `selectors`. The entries are alphabetically sorted if `sortPages` is set to `true`.

### Using Selectors

The `selectors` property specifies which page types are listed under the table of contents entry for a subproject. Multiple selectors can be listed, separated by whitespace.

Selector | Description
--- | ---
`namespace` | Namespaces
`class` | Classes
`qmltype` | QML Types
`qmlclass` | Alias for `qmltype`.
`module[:name]` | C++ modules or members of the module with a specified name.
`qmlmodule[:name]` | QML modules or members of the module with a specified name.
`doc[:subtype]` | Documentation pages with a specified `subtype`. Multiple subtypes can be listed as a comma-separated list.
`fake` | Alias for `doc`.
`group[:groupname]` | Documentation pages for members of a specified group, as added using the \ingroup groupname command. Multiple group names can be listed as a comma-separated list. (Introduced in QDoc 5.6).

Available subtypes for the `doc` selector:

Subtype | Description
--- | ---
`example` | Examples
`headerfile` | Header files
`page` | Documentation pages defined with the \page command.

For example, the following configuration would select example pages and pages that include the `\ingroup tutorials` command:

      qhp.QtQuickControls.subprojects = examples
      qhp.QtQuickControls.subprojects.examples.title = Examples and Tutorials
      qhp.QtQuickControls.subprojects.examples.indexTitle = Qt Quick Controls Examples
      qhp.QtQuickControls.subprojects.examples.selectors = doc:example group:tutorials
      qhp.QtQuickControls.subprojects.examples.sortPages = true

### Adding Table of Contents

To create a table of contents for a manual, create a subproject with a `type` property and set it to `manual`. The page in the documentation referred to by the `indexTitle` property must contain a list of links that acts as a table of contents for the whole manual. QDoc will take the information in this list and create a table of contents for the subproject.

For example, the configuration file for Qt Creator defines only one subproject for its documentation, including all the documentation in a single manual:

      qhp.QtCreator.subprojects = manual
      qhp.QtCreator.subprojects.manual.title = Qt Creator Manual
      qhp.QtCreator.subprojects.manual.indexTitle = Qt Creator Manual
      qhp.QtCreator.subprojects.manual.type = manual

In this example, the page entitled "Qt Creator Manual" contains a nested list of links to pages in the documentation which is duplicated in Qt Assistant's Contents tab.