QString and QByteArray in VisualStudio 2013 Debugger.

Hi all!

Looking for a quick way to visualize Qt's classes in VS 2013? I was too! In my previous projects I used the Qt Add-In, and never thought about it - it was just there! But in the currentl project I don't feel like using the Add-In (several reasons, the main one is that it isn't pre-integrated in the development tols), so I looked for a simple visualizer for the VisualStudio's debugger. To my utter bewilderment, the solution didn't get disclosed in the first link of the Google query!!!??*

What should we do?  Real programmer would write an own visualizer, as described here and here. Or would they? Yes, you are right, he/she wouldn't, he/she would just try harder ;). And I was awarded a reward for my stubbornness: the code for a custom Qt visualizer for both Qt.4 and Qt.5 to be found here!

Unfortunately to the rest of you, the explanations are in russian, so you must try harder I guess ;). OK, don't despair, spending my childhood in a communist country finaly pays out ;) - here comes a short explanation how to create and install the visualizer.

1. Take this code and save it as (for example) qt4and5.natvis :

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<AutoVisualizer xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/vstudio/debugger/natvis/2010">

 <!-- Qt 4 -->
    <Type Name="QString">
        <DisplayString>{d->data,su}</DisplayString>
        <StringView>d->data,su</StringView>
        <Expand>
            <Item Name="[size]">d-&gt;size</Item>
            <Item Name="[referenced]">d-&gt;ref._q_value</Item>
            <ArrayItems>
                <Size>d-&gt;size</Size>
                <ValuePointer>d->data,c</ValuePointer>
            </ArrayItems>
        </Expand>
    </Type>
 
    <Type Name="QByteArray">
        <DisplayString>{d->data,s}</DisplayString>
        <StringView>d->data,s</StringView>
        <Expand>
            <Item Name="[size]">d-&gt;size</Item>
            <Item Name="[referenced]">d-&gt;ref._q_value</Item>
            <ArrayItems>
                <Size>d-&gt;size</Size>
                <ValuePointer>d->data,c</ValuePointer>
            </ArrayItems>
        </Expand>
    </Type>
 
    <!-- Qt 5
    <Type Name="QString">
        <DisplayString>{((reinterpret_cast&lt;unsigned short*&gt;(d)) + d->offset / 2),sub}</DisplayString>
        <StringView>((reinterpret_cast&lt;unsigned short*&gt;(d)) + d->offset / 2),sub</StringView>
        <Expand>
            <Item Name="[size]">d-&gt;size</Item>
            <Item Name="[referenced]">d-&gt;ref.atomic._q_value</Item>
            <ArrayItems>
                <Size>d-&gt;size</Size>
                <ValuePointer>((reinterpret_cast&lt;unsigned short*&gt;(d)) + d->offset / 2),c</ValuePointer>
            </ArrayItems>
        </Expand>
    </Type>
 
    <Type Name="QByteArray">
        <DisplayString>{((reinterpret_cast&lt;char*&gt;(d)) + d-&gt;offset),sb}</DisplayString>
        <StringView>((reinterpret_cast&lt;char*&gt;(d)) + d-&gt;offset),sb</StringView>
        <Expand>
            <Item Name="[size]">d-&gt;size</Item>
            <Item Name="[referenced]">d-&gt;ref.atomic._q_value</Item>
            <ArrayItems>
                <Size>d-&gt;size</Size>
                <ValuePointer>((reinterpret_cast&lt;char*&gt;(d)) + d-&gt;offset),c</ValuePointer>
            </ArrayItems>
        </Expand>
    </Type>
    -->

</AutoVisualizer>

2. Copy this file to: C:\Users\Your_User_Name_Here\Documents\Visual Studio 2013\Visualizers

3. Restart VisualStudio!

That's all! After that, I'm able to see QString's and QByteArray's contents, and I hope you're able too! At the moment I'm still using Qt 4.8 for the current project, but the switch to Qt 5.2 is pending. When it arrives, I'll just uncomment the Qt.5 section in the file, and will be happy - or at least I hope so.

--
* OK, the solution for VS 2012 + Qt 5.2 does show up, but my constraints are somehow more generic than that.