| Term | Meaning |
|---|
| Qt in PATH
| This is the Qt version for the qmake command found in your PATH environment variable. This is likely to be the system's Qt version. |
| Project Qt
| The version of Qt configured in the Projects mode, Build Settings, Qt Version field. This is the Qt version that is actually used by a particular project. |
| Shadow build
| Shadow building means building a project in a separate directory, the build directory. The build directory is different from the source directory. One of the benefits of shadow building is that it keeps your source directory clean. Shadow building is the best practice if you need many build configurations for a single set of source. |
| Target
| Target means the software platform for which you develop an application. Qt Creator groups platform specific settings (such as build configurations, compatible tool chains, and supported Qt versions) as targets to make cross-platform development easier. |
| Component
| A component is an instantiable QML definition, typically contained in a .qml file. For instance, a Button component may be defined in Button.qml. The QML runtime may instantiate this Button component to create Button objects. Alternatively, a component may be defined inside a Component element. |