[Qt5-feedback] Build system requirements for Qt5

[Marcus D. Hanwell]

Hi,

I have been considering this for quite some time, and we have been
talking about this at Kitware. There is discussion of replacing Qt's
build system, possibly writing a new one or modifying an existing one.
What I would really like to know is what you want the declarative
language to look like. Is the general consensus a JSON structure?
Would looping and conditional constructs from JavaScript be used, or
purely the data container format?

Unfortunately we cannot make it to the Qt Contributor Summit in June,
but I would certainly like to understand the requirements for the
input syntax. I will be at the Desktop Summit in August, and so maybe
we could set aside some time then to discuss requirements and
possibilities for working on this together? I think there is potential
to add the required features to CMake, leverage all of the existing
features and code while building something even more powerful for the
wider community.

I use Qt Creator everyday, and have written large CMake build systems.
I know tighter integration with Qt Creator is one of the larger goals.
I would like to engage with the developers working on the requirements
for a Qt build system, and discuss the scope for modifying CMake. I
think a great starting point would be some examples of the format and
syntax of the proposed declarative input required.

Is any potential build system change still slated for after Qt 5.0? I
would certainly be interested in any new developments coming out of
the Randa event, or the Qt Contributor Summit.

Marcus