How to add path in qt .pro file via DEFINE - qt

Question

I want to add a path to my translations folder in the .pro file, which can be accessed from C++ / QML parts as well as used inside the .pro file.
I came across the DEFINES+= function and made it work with an example for the number PI. This define can be called from C++ using qDebug()<
Now i have a translations folder two directorys above the .pro file which is called translations. Therefor i tried to use something like this:
DEFINES += "TRANSPATH=\"../../translations\""
But when I try to access it via qDebug i get the errors
- expected primary expression
and
- expected unqualified id before "." token
In my .pro file I want to access the TRANSPATH as well, but using it like
TRANSLATIONS += \
$$(TRANSPATH)/test_TEST.ts \
../../translations/de_DE.ts \
../../translations/zh_CN.ts
}
only leads to this error:
Updating '../../../../../../../test_TEST.ts'...
Found 63 source text(s) (63 new and 0 already existing)
Cannot create /test_TEST.ts: Zugriff verweigert
Updating '../../translations/de_DE.ts'...
Found 63 source text(s) (0 new and 63 already existing)
I tried to find other examples online but haven´t found anything helpfull.
In the TRANSLATIONS += part i had changed the wording to:
TRANSPATH/test_TEST.ts
{TRANSPATH}/test_TEST.ts
$$TRANSPATH/test_TEST.ts
$${TRANSPATH}/test_TEST.ts
but nothing worked. This is the first time I´m trying to DEFINE something, maybe I´m doing it wrong? Please help
Example code / .pro file:
# this file will be loaded from the main import path
MAIN_QML_FILE = main.qml
INCLUDEPATH += ./Plugins
INCLUDEPATH += ./qml
DEFINES += "PI=\"3.1415926\""
DEFINES += "TRANSPATH=\"../../translations\""
QT += core
# this is only seen by the linguist tools (lupdate)
lupdate_only{
SOURCES = \
../../qml/Widgets/SomeFiles/*.qml
TRANSLATIONS += \
$$(TRANSPATH)/test_TEST.ts \
../../translations/de_DE.ts \
../../translations/zh_CN.ts
}
TRANSPATH should lead to the same folder as the ../../translations/de_DE.ts
path does. The path would be reused from C++ for a custom QTranslator object.

Answer 1

First, this error from qmake:
Cannot create /test_TEST.ts: Zugriff verweigert
comes from here:
$$(TRANSPATH)/test_TEST.ts
You're referencing an undefined variable, i.e. TRANSPATH. When you do this:
DEFINES += "TRANSPATH=\"../../translations\""
you're not defining a variable: you're appending a define to the compiler command line, using -D flag (you can check this in the compilation output pane, in creator).
So, just have a qmake variable:
TRANSPATH = ../../translations
Now you can use it elsewhere in your pro file, e.g.
TRANSLATIONS += \
$$(TRANSPATH)/test_TEST.ts \
../../translations/de_DE.ts \
../../translations/zh_CN.ts
}
You can use it in DEFINES, too, but take care of escaping:
DEFINES += "TRANSPATH=\\\"$$TRANSPATH\\\""
In your compiler out you will find
-DTRANSPATH=\"..\..\translations\"
along with the other flags.
Now you can safely do
qDebug() << TRANSPATH;
in your source code.