BuildQt - docker environment to build Qt Apps

Ready-to-use Qt cross-compile environment in Docker/GitLab-CI

The project can be used as a set of images for Qt apps building in GitLab environment. Based on mxe.cc project.

Files

• Dockerfile - for building basic image with MXE sources and dependencies (tag: qtdeps)
• Dockerfile.win64s - for building image Windows 64bit Cross-compiled Statically Linked based on qtdeps (tag: win64s)
• Dockerfile.win64d - for building image Windows 64bit Cross-compiled Dynamically Linked based on qtdeps (tag: win64d)
• .gitlab-ci.yml - YAML-file to define GitLab-CI pipelines for images building (all stages by default set to manual because MXE Qt building is time-consuming procedure, use it carefully).

How to use

• Step 0: Create new project buildqt in GitLab for Qt images building and place this project files into it.
• Step 1: Use manual action in buildqt pipeline to build qtdeps image and be sure that it is successfully built, tagged and placed into GitLab Container Registry.
• Step 2: Build based on qtdeps next one docker image (win64d or win64s) to prepare Qt build environment. Check the GitLab Container Registry and be sure that image is successfully placed to it and tagged.
• Step 3: If you don't have qmake/cmake deploy settings inside of your Qt App, place script redist_win64d.sh in the root of your Qt App repository and correct it. The redist shell script places app (EXE) and dependencies (DLLs) from container to project artifacts folder /build.
• Step 4: Use the proper build image (win64d or win64s) in your Qt App GitLab-repository for building, results will be placed in pipeline' artifacts archive.

Example of .gitlab-ci.yml file of Qt App repository (Windows 64bit Cross-compiled Dynamically Linked):

build:
  stage: build
  image: docker:19
  variables:
    GIT_SUBMODULE_STRATEGY: recursive
  services: 
    - docker:19-dind
  script:
    - docker login -u $CI_DEPLOY_USER -p $CI_DEPLOY_PASSWORD $CI_REGISTRY
    - docker run -v $(pwd):/src -v $(pwd)/build:/build -w /src $CI_REGISTRY/place project group here/buildqt/buildqt:win64d /bin/bash -c "cd /src && qmake YourApp.pro && make release -j $(nproc) && chmod +x ./redist_win64d.sh && ./redist_win64d.sh"
  artifacts:
    name: "$CI_BUILD_REF_NAME-$CI_COMMIT_SHORT_SHA"
    paths:
      - build
    expire_in: 1 week
  tags:
    - shared
    - docker

Example of redist_win64d.sh script of Qt App repository:

CWD=${PWD}
mkdir ${CWD}/build/plugins
mkdir ${CWD}/build/plugins/platforms
cp /opt/mxe/usr/x86_64-w64-mingw32.shared/qt6/plugins/platforms/qwindows.dll ${CWD}/build/plugins/platforms/
cp ${CWD}/app/release/YourApp.exe ${CWD}/build/
cd /opt/mxe/usr/x86_64-w64-mingw32.shared/bin
cp icudt66.dll icuin66.dll icuuc66.dll libbz2.dll libfreetype-6.dll libgcc_s_seh-1.dll libglib-2.0-0.dll libharfbuzz-0.dll libiconv-2.dll libintl-8.dll  libpcre-1.dll libpcre2-16-0.dll libpng16-16.dll libstdc++-6.dll libwinpthread-1.dll libzstd.dll zlib1.dll ${CWD}/build/
cp -r /opt/mxe/usr/x86_64-w64-mingw32.shared/qt6/plugins/imageformats ${CWD}/build/plugins/
cd /opt/mxe/usr/x86_64-w64-mingw32.shared/qt6/bin
cp Qt6Core.dll Qt6Gui.dll Qt6Network.dll Qt6Widgets.dll ${CWD}/build/