c++ - What does Qt Creator `Separate debug info` means?

Question

In Qt Creator, Tools, Options, Build & Run, Default Build Properties I can see

Separate debug info (Use Project Default/Enable/Disable)

What that means?

I was guessing it will put debug/release build on separate folders but that seems to happen anyway.

question from:https://stackoverflow.com/questions/66056801/what-does-qt-creator-separate-debug-info-means

Answer 1

Separate debug info in Qt is typically used when you compile in Profile mode.

Profile mode in Qt is used mainly for analyzing your application and profiling it. This mode creates an optimized binary file (as in Release Mode) with debug symbols in a different file (Debug mode, however, puts the symbols in the same file). This allows you to analyze the optimized application. So, this option in Qt tells the compiler to generate debug symbols in a separate file.

Don't worry. Sometimes Qt Documentation is a little dense and does not explain things in detail. You'll get used to it. Here are some useful links for understanding this:

1. How it works in gdb: https://guix.gnu.org/manual/en/html_node/Separate-Debug-Info.html
2. Specifying debug settings in Qt: https://doc.qt.io/qtcreator/creator-build-settings.html
3. Using performance analyzer in Qt: https://doc.qt.io/qtcreator/creator-cpu-usage-analyzer.html#using-the-performance-analyzer