Each time you pull new source to your repository you should run `git submodule update` to get the latest submodules as well. Since QGroundControl uses submodules, using the zip file for source download will not work. You must use git.
QGroundControl builds are supported for OSX, Linux, Windows, iOS and Android. QGroundControl uses [Qt](http://www.qt.io) as it's cross-platform support library and uses [QtCreator](http://doc.qt.io/qtcreator/index.html) as it's default build environment.
* Windows: Vista or higher, 32 bit, [Visual Studio 2013 compiler](http://www.visualstudio.com/downloads/download-visual-studio-vs#d-express-windows-desktop)
* Ubuntu: Set the downloaded file to executable using:`chmod +x`. Install to default location for use with ./qgroundcontrol-start.sh. If you install Qt to a non-default location you will need to modify qgroundcontrol-start.sh in order to run downloaded builds.
* Windows: Default installer not quite correct, use [this](http://download.qt.io/official_releases/qt/5.5/5.5.1/qt-opensource-windows-x86-msvc2013-5.5.1.exe) instead
A Vagrantfile is provided to build QGroundControl using the [Vagrant](https://www.vagrantup.com/) system. This will produce a native Linux build which can be run in the Vagrant Virtual Machine or on the host machine if it is compatible.
* Warnings as Errors: Specifying `CONFIG+=WarningsAsErrorsOn` will turn all warnings into errors which break the build. If you are working on a pull request you plan to submit to github for consideration, you should always run with this settings turned on, since it is required for all pull requests. NOTE: Putting this line into a file called "user_config.pri" in the top-level directory will set this flag on all builds without interfering with the GIT history.
* Location of built files: Individual build file results can be found in the `build_debug` or `build_release` directories. The built executable can be found in the `debug` or `release` directory.
* If you get this error when running qgroundcontrol: /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libstdc++.so.6: version 'GLIBCXX_3.4.20' not found. You need to either update to the latest gcc, or install the latest libstdc++.6 using: sudo apt-get install libstdc++6.
QGroundcontrol has functionality that is dependent on the operating system and libraries installed by the user. The following sections describe these features, their dependencies, and how to disable/alter them during the build process. These features can be forcibly enabled/disabled by specifying additional values to qmake.
Integration with Opal-RT's RT-LAB simulator can be enabled on Windows by installing RT-LAB 7.2.4. This allows vehicles to be simulated in RT-LAB and communicate directly with QGC on the same computer as if the UAS was actually deployed. This support is enabled by default once the requisite RT-LAB software is installed. Disabling this can be done by adding `DEFINES+=DISABLE_RTLAB` to qmake.
QGroundControl can talk to XBee wireless devices using their proprietary protocol directly on Windows and Linux platforms. This support is not necessary if you're not using XBee devices or aren't using their proprietary protocol. On Windows, the necessary dependencies are included in this repository and no additional steps are required. For Linux, change to the `libs/thirdParty/libxbee` folder and run `make;sudo make install` to install libxbee on your system (uninstalling can be done with a `sudo make uninstall`). `qmake` will automatically detect the library on Linux, so no other work is necessary.
