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# Installing Qtopia Core

This document describes how to install Qtopia Core in your development environment:

- Step 1: Installing the License File (commercial editions only)
- Step 2: Unpacking the Archive
- Step 3: Building the Library
- Step 4: Adjusting the Environment Variables
- Step 5: Enabling Framebuffer Support

Please see the cross compiling and deployment documentation for details on how to install Qtopia Core on your target device.

Note also that this installation procedure is written for Linux, and that it may need to be modified for other platforms.

## Step 1: Installing the License File (commercial editions only)

If you have the commercial edition of Qtopia Core, the first step is to install your license file as `$HOME/.qt-license`.

For the open source version you do not need a license file.

## Step 2: Unpacking the Archive

First uncompress the archive in the preferred location, then unpack it:

     cd <anywhere>
     gunzip qtopia-core-commercial-src-4.2.3.tar.gz
     tar xf qtopia-core-commercial-src-4.2.3.tar

This document assumes that the archive is unpacked in the following directory:

     ~/qtopia-core-commercial-src-4.2.3

## Step 3: Building the Library

Before building the Qtopia Core library, run the `./configure` script to configure the library for your development architecture. You can list all of the configuration system's options by typing `./configure -help`.

Note that by default, Qtopia Core is configured for installation in the `/usr/local/Trolltech/QtopiaCore-4.2.3` directory, but this can be changed by using the `-prefix` option. Alternatively, the `-prefix-install` option can be used to specify a "local" installation within the source directory.

The configuration system is also designed to allow you to specify your platform architecture:

     cd  ~/qtopia-core-commercial-src-4.2.3
     ./configure -embedded [architecture]

In general, all Linux systems which have framebuffer support can use the `generic` architecture. Other typical architectures are `x86`, `arm` and `mips`.

To create the library and compile all the demos, examples, tools, and tutorials, type:

     make

On some systems the `make` utility is called differently, e.g. `gmake`. The `configure` script tells you which `make` utility to use.

If you did not configure Qtopia Core using the `-prefix-install` option, you need to install the library, demos, examples, tools, and tutorials in the appropriate place. To do this, type:

     su -c "make install"

and enter the root password.

## Step 4: Adjusting the Environment Variables

In order to use Qtopia Core, the `PATH` variable must be extended to locate `qmake`, `moc` and other Qtopia Core tools, and the `LD_LIBRARY_PATH` must be extended for compilers that do not support `rpath`.

To set the `PATH` variable, add the following lines to your `.profile` file if your shell is bash, ksh, zsh or sh:

      PATH=/usr/local/Trolltech/QtopiaCore-4.2.3/bin:$PATH
      export PATH

In case your shell is csh or tcsh, add the following line to the `.login` file instead:

      setenv PATH /usr/local/Trolltech/QtopiaCore-4.2.3/bin:$PATH

If you use a different shell, please modify your environment variables accordingly.

For compilers that do not support `rpath` you must also extend the `LD_LIBRARY_PATH` environment variable to include `/usr/local/Trolltech/QtopiaCore-4.2.3/lib`. Note that on Linux with GCC, this step is not needed.

## Step 5: Enabling Framebuffer Support

For development and debugging, Qtopia Core provides a virtual framebuffer as well as the option of running Qtopia Core as a VNC server. For a description of how to install the virtual framebuffer and how to use the VNC protocol, please consult the documentation at:

- Qtopia Core's Virtual Framebuffer
- The VNC Protocol and Qtopia Core

Note that the virtual framebuffer requires a Qt/X11 installation. See Installing Qt/X11 for details.

The Linux framebuffer, on the other hand, is enabled by default on all modern Linux distributions. For information on older versions, see http://en.tldp.org/HOWTO/Framebuffer-HOWTO.html. To test that the Linux framebuffer is set up correctly, use the program provided by the Testing the Linux Framebuffer document.

That's all. Qtopia Core is now installed.

Customizing the Qtopia Core Library When building embedded applications on low-powered devices, reducing the memory and CPU requirements is important. A number of options tuning the library's performance are available. But the most direct way of saving resources is to fine-tune the set of Qt features that is compiled. It is also possible to make use of accelerated graphics hardware. Fine-Tuning Features in Qtopia Core Qtopia Core Performance Tuning Adding an Accelerated Graphics Driver in Qtopia Core