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Third-Party Library Build Guide

  • ✅ QWindowKit native windows: supports Windows snap-to-edge, Snap Layouts, and multi-monitor relocation
  • ✅ Multi-IDE support: three build routes — Qt Creator, Visual Studio, and command-line
  • ✅ Auto local install: compiled library auto-installs into the same version-isolated directory as SARibbon

Warning

Skip this document if you do not plan to enable QWindowkit.
QWindowkit offers a superior borderless-window solution that respects native OS behaviors (snap, maximize animations, etc.) and handles multi-monitor / mixed-DPI relocation correctly.

Building the QWindowkit library

QWindowkit must be built with CMake; no qmake project is provided.

For your convenience a ready-to-use CMakeLists.txt is placed in
src/SARibbonBar/3rdparty.
Open or invoke that file to build and install the library.

The steps are almost identical for Qt Creator and Visual Studio.

Qt Creator route

  1. Open src/SARibbonBar/3rdparty/CMakeLists.txt in Qt Creator.
    build-cmake-qwk-qtc

  2. Press Run (Ctrl+R).
    build-cmake-qwk-qtc

  3. Switch to Projects mode (Ctrl+5).

  4. In the Build steps tick install.
    (Some Creator versions cannot select all and install together; build all first, then install).
    build-cmake-qwk-qtc

  5. Press Run again.

When finished you will find a folder such as
bin_qt5.14.2_MSVC_x64 in the SARibbon root; QWindowkit is installed inside.
build-cmake-qwk-qtc

Done.

Visual Studio route

  1. Open the folder src/SARibbonBar/3rdparty as a CMake project in Visual Studio.
    build-cmake-vs

  2. Choose Build → Build All (or right-click CMakeLists.txt → Build).
    build-cmake-vs

  3. Choose Build → Install (same right-click alternative).
    build-cmake-vs
    build-cmake-vs

The same bin_qt5.14.2_MSVC_x64-style folder appears in the SARibbon root.
build-cmake-qwk-qtc

Done.

Command-line route (Qt 5, VS ≤ 2019)

QWindowkit needs a recent CMake.
The bundled CMake in VS 2019 (or older) is often too old, so build from the terminal:

  1. Install CMake ≥ 3.20 and note its path, e.g.
    C:\Program Files (x86)\CMake\cmake-3.27.9\bin\cmake.exe

  2. Know your Qt kit, e.g. Qt 5.14.2 / MSVC 2017 64-bit.

  3. Locate Qt5Config.cmake, typically
    C:\Qt\Qt5.14.2\5.14.2\msvc2017_64\lib\cmake\Qt5

  4. Open a Developer Command Prompt for your compiler, cd to
    src/SARibbonBar/3rdparty and run:

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cmake -B build -S . -G "Visual Studio 15 2017" -A x64 ^
      -DQt5_DIR=C:\Qt\Qt5.14.2\5.14.2\msvc2017_64\lib\cmake\Qt5

(Use quotes if the path contains spaces.)

Output similar to:
cmd-build-qwk

  1. Build and install both configurations:
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cmake --build build --target install --config Debug
cmake --build build --target install --config Release

The same local install folder (bin_qt5.14.2_MSVC_x64) is produced.