Build errors while trying to debug OSCAR in Qt on Windows 10 [resolved, see Post #19]

[Scarmen]

Hi all, I'm trying to run OSCAR in debug mode from Qt on Windows 10. I have followed the instructions as best I could in both Contributing.md and Build-win.md, but I am still getting build errors, so I thought it best to supply the full compile output below:

13:20:28: Running steps for project OSCAR_QT...
13:20:28: Configuration unchanged, skipping qmake step.
13:20:29: Starting: "C:\Program-files\Qt\Tools\mingw730_64\bin\mingw32-make.exe" -j8
cd oscar/ && ( test -e Makefile || C:/Program-files/Qt/5.12.8/mingw73_64/bin/qmake.exe -o Makefile C:/Users/geoff/Documents/GitHub/OSCAR-code/oscar/oscar.pro -spec win32-g++ CONFIG+=debug CONFIG+=qml_debug ) && C:/Program-files/Qt/Tools/mingw730_64/bin/mingw32-make -f Makefile
fatal: no tag exactly matches '0b754b3a447283fcb1277d0f5cb7aa5ad3b34cac'
Update_gtinfo.bat: GIT_BRANCH=scarmen-bugfixes, GIT_REVISION=0b754b3a, GIT_TAG=
The filename, directory name, or volume label syntax is incorrect.
Project MESSAGE: Platform is C:/Program-files/Qt/5.12.8/mingw73_64/mkspecs/win32-g++
Project MESSAGE: Building with regular OpenGL gGraphView
Project MESSAGE: Updating gitinfo.h for Windows build
Project ERROR: Failed to run: 'C:\Program-files\Qt\5.12.8\mingw73_64\bin\lrelease.exe' -removeidentical C:/Users/geoff/Documents/GitHub/OSCAR-code/oscar/../Translations/Afrikaans.af.ts -qm C:/Users/geoff/Documents/GitHub/OSCAR-code/oscar/translations/Afrikaans.af.qm
mingw32-make: *** [Makefile:43: sub-oscar-make_first-ordered] Error 3
13:20:30: The process "C:\Program-files\Qt\Tools\mingw730_64\bin\mingw32-make.exe" exited with code 2.
Error while building/deploying project OSCAR_QT (kit: Desktop Qt 5.12.8 MinGW 64-bit)
When executing step "Make"
13:20:30: Elapsed time: 00:02.

[GuyScharf]

The "fatal: no tag ..." is normal, but normally occurs after the Project MESSAGE lines.

Are you building from within QT Creator or from the command line?  From a batch or script file of your own?  I always build and run debug versions from within QT Creator.  The buildall.bat file in oscar-code/building/windows should build a release version from the command line (though I have not tested it recently).

I suspect the problem is either that you did not install all required QT components or there is something wrong with the way you are attempting to build OSCAR.

The "The filename, directory name, or volume label syntax is incorrect." is highly unusual and represents an error.  Often that can be caused by missing or double quotes, sometimes forward vs back slashes (though I use Windows back-slashes everywhere and it builds ok).

Does this file exist? -- C:\Program-files\Qt\5.12.8\mingw73_32\bin\lrelease.exe

What is the name of your C: volume?

Please post the contents of oscar-code\oscar\git_info.h

[GuyScharf]

I have updated BUILD-WIN.md and buildall.bat in the oscar-code/building/windows directory.  I compared the instructions there with how I have QT set up and found two items missing.  Also, I updated the documentation to refer to QT 5.12.8 instead of 5.12.5.

The changes have been merged and are in the repository.

[Scarmen]

The "fatal: no tag ..." is normal, but normally occurs after the Project MESSAGE lines.

Are you building from within QT Creator or from the command line? 

QT Creator.

From a batch or script file of your own? 

No, just the vanilla GUI.

I always build and run debug versions from within QT Creator.  The buildall.bat file in oscar-code/building/windows should build a release version from the command line (though I have not tested it recently).

I suspect the problem is either that you did not install all required QT components or there is something wrong with the way you are attempting to build OSCAR.

The "The filename, directory name, or volume label syntax is incorrect." is highly unusual and represents an error.  Often that can be caused by missing or double quotes, sometimes forward vs back slashes (though I use Windows back-slashes everywhere and it builds ok).

Does this file exist? -- C:\Program-files\Qt\5.12.8\mingw73_32\bin\lrelease.exe

Yes, it does.

What is the name of your C: volume?

Windows (that is, when I look at it in the file Explorer, the text beside the drive icon is Windows (C). 

Please post the contents of oscar-code\oscar\git_info.h

// This is an auto generated file 
#define GIT_BRANCH "scarmen-bugfixes" 
#define GIT_REVISION "0b754b3a"

[Scarmen]

I have updated BUILD-WIN.md and buildall.bat in the oscar-code/building/windows directory.  I compared the instructions there with how I have QT set up and found two items missing.  Also, I updated the documentation to refer to QT 5.12.8 instead of 5.12.5.

The changes have been merged and are in the repository.

Thanks Guy, I've looked at the additions you made to BUILD-WIN.md, and I already have those other components installed in Qt. I note that since buildall.bat does not get executed when building from Qt Creator, it does not affect the build outcome.

[GuyScharf]

I note that since buildall.bat does not get executed when building from Qt Creator, it does not affect the build outcome.

That is correct.  buildall.bat is a batch file to build the Windows version from the command line, without using QT Creator.  I haven't tested it recently, so it may need some updates.  I'll try to do that soon.

[GuyScharf]

Here is the compile output from a build of the debug version.  I selected the Win64 project and set the build type to Debug.  Then I built the project.

I have removed many extra lines, showing compilation of each module etc., to make the sequence of events clearer.  Hope this will be some help in figuring out what is going on.

I'm done for the night!

[GuyScharf]

P.S., I have confirmed that buildall.bat builds both 32-bit and 64-bit release versions of OSCAR and installers correctly. So I won't be making any changes to it.

[Scarmen]

Here is the compile output from a build of the debug version.

Thanks Guy, I've been using that file to make my own setup on Windows as close as I can to yours. From what I can see, however, the problem from my compile output is that the build script, for whatever reason, is using the wrong syntax when it is trying to run lrelease.exe. Instead of putting the file path for lrelease.exe in double quotes, it is using single quotes. When I try to do this in the command prompt, I get the same error as is indicated in my compile output: The filename, directory name, or volume label syntax is incorrect. On the other hand, when I use the same command as is listed in my compile output except that I put the executable path in double quotes, I get successful output: 

Updating 'C:/Users/geoff/OneDrive/Documents/Git/OSCAR-code/oscar/translations/Afrikaans.af.qm'...
Removing translations equal to source text in 'C:/Users/geoff/OneDrive/Documents/Git/OSCAR-code/oscar/translations/Afrikaans.af.qm'...
    Generated 1421 translation(s) (1420 finished and 1 unfinished)
    Ignored 49 untranslated source text(s)

Any idea why it would be trying to run the command lrelease.exe using single quotes for the file path instead of double quotes?

[GuyScharf]

The lrelease command is run by qmake when processing the oscar/oscar.pro file. See lines 157-158 of oscar.pro. This code is from the QT cookbook for handling language translations (see https://wiki.qt.io/Automating_generation_of_qm_files for example). You are seeing an error message, not what qmake is actually doing in the system() command, so I doubt that the single quotes you are seeing in the message is an issue, especially since oscar.pro seems to be working for everyone else and on other platforms.

I'll ask a developer more familiar with QT and qmake to take a look at this thread.