Some help with launch configurations

[Andreas Pakulat]

On 10.07.09 16:07:07, Kishore wrote:
> On Friday 10 Jul 2009 1:46:48 pm Andreas Pakulat wrote:
> > On 10.07.09 12:08:03, Vladimir Prus wrote:
> > > On Friday 10 July 2009 Kishore wrote:
> > > > I am currently unable to understand the concept of launch
> > > > configurations. Is there a document that explains this? Or could come
> > > > dev be kind enough to explain the concept. The final plan and the
> > > > current state?
> > >
> > > Hmm, somebody probably should write this up, with rationale and what not.
> > >
> > > > One of the main confusions i have is the difference between "Project
> > > > Target" and "Executable". No matter which target (library or executable
> > > > in the project) that i specify in "Project Target" it always shows in
> > > > red.
> > >
> > > This is probably some bug -- are you using cmake as build system?
> >
> > Note that you really need to specify the target, not just the folder. So
> > for example to start kdevelop (where the executable target is 'kdevelop' in
> > the folder "app" in the kdevelop project) it is:
> >
> > kdevelop/app/kdevelop
> 
> OK. I was missing the leading "kdevelop". Seems redundant given that the 
> configuration is specific for the project (selected by the tree view to the 
> left).

ACK. On my todo list and also in bugzilla already, just need to find the
time to implement it :)
 
> > However I'm pretty sure that project target doesn't work with custom
> > makefiles as that project type has no information about the targets that
> > exist in the project.
> >
> > > > What is
> > > > the meaning of Launch mode: "Execute" vs "Debug"? etc.
> > >
> > > In the dialog or in the menu? I am not exactly sure about dialog -- that
> > > combo appears to only select what settings you want to edit -- it does
> > > not change how the launch configuration is launched -- you pick the
> > > relevant item from the menu. However, it's a bit confusing to myself,
> > > too. Andreas, can you clarify what this combobox is supposed to mean?
> >
> > The combobox in the dialog is indeed there to enable certain configuration
> > options for the various launch modes. For example in "Execute" mode I only
> > need a very simple set of things to define, for "Debug" (usually with gdb)
> > I additionally want to define gdb options. To profile the same app with say
> > valgrind memcheck I again need other options.
> >
> > So the combobox just allows to switch between the different launch modes
> > and the additional config options that are supplied for a launch mode. I'm
> > open for suggestions on improving the Ui though.
> 
> Hmmm... It seems that it would be nicer to remove the launch mode combo box. 
> Each entry should be an "always there" tab. If a certain launch mode supports 
> multiple launchers, then the first entry within the tab could be the launcher 
> combo box that allows choosing the launcher and depending on the launcher 
> chosen the contents below the launcher combo box can update/change. Just my 
> two cents.

Well, for native apps that would mean having 8 tabs there (IIRC) because
valgrind plugin supplies 6 new launchmodes for the different valgrind
backends. Don't like that very much. Additionally its not necessarily the
case that there is only 1 page for each launch mode or only 1 page supplied
by the launch configuration type itself. The combobox scales a lot better
there.

> Still, what is the purpose of the combo box in the type column of the tree 
> view to the left?

Thats the launch configuration type. The only one available currently is
"Native Application", which just executes via QProcess. Other possible
types are Python Application (executed via python interepreter). Remote
Web App etc. Each configuration type can have a number of launchers and
each launcher can support a number of launch modes.

Andreas

-- 
Don't you wish you had more energy... or less ambition?