Importing QML Document Directories

A local directory of QML files can be imported without any additional setup or configuration. A remote directory of QML files can also be imported, but requires a directory listing qmldir file to exist. A local directory may optionally contain a directory listing qmldir file in order to define the type names which should be provided to clients which import the directory, and to specify JavaScript resources which should be made available to importers.

Local Directory Imports

Any QML file on the local file system can import a local directory as using an import statement that refers to the directory's absolute or relative file system path, enabling the file to use the object types defined within that directory.

If the local directory contains a directory listing qmldir file, the types will be made available with the type names specified in the qmldir file; otherwise, they will be made available with type names derived from the filenames of the QML documents. Only filenames beginning with an uppercase letter and ending with ".qml" will be exposed as types if no qmldir file is specified in the directory.

An Example

Consider the following QML project directory structure. Under the top level directory myapp, there are a set of common UI components in a sub-directory named mycomponents, and the main application code in a sub-directory named main, like this:

myapp
    |- mycomponents
        |- CheckBox.qml
        |- DialogBox.qml
        |- Slider.qml
    |- main
        |- application.qml

The main/application.qml file can import the mycomponents directory using the relative path to that directory, allowing it to use the QML object types defined within that directory:

import "../mycomponents"

DialogBox {
    CheckBox {
        // ...
    }
    Slider {
        // ...
    }
}

The directory may be imported into a qualified local namespace, in which case uses of any types provided in the directory must be qualified:

import "../mycomponents" as MyComponents

MyComponents.DialogBox {
    // ...
}

The ability to import a local directory is convenient for cases such as in-application component sets and application prototyping, although any code that imports such modules must update their relevant import statements if the module directory moves to another location. This can be avoided if QML modules are used instead, as an installed module is imported with a unique identifier string rather than a file system path.

Remotely Located Directories

A directory of QML files can also be imported from a remote location if the directory contains a directory listing qmldir file.

For example, if the myapp directory in the previous example was hosted at "http://www.my-example-server.com", and the mycomponents directory contained a qmldir file defined as follows:

CheckBox CheckBox.qml
DialogBox DialogBox.qml
Slider Slider.qml

Then, the directory could be imported using the URL to the remote mycomponents directory:

import "http://www.my-example-server.com/myapp/mycomponents"

DialogBox {
    CheckBox {
        // ...
    }
    Slider {
        // ...
    }
}

Note that when a file imports a directory over a network, it can only access QML and JavaScript files specified in the qmldir file located in the directory.

Warning: When importing directories from a remote server, developers should always be careful to only load directories from trusted sources to avoid loading malicious code.

Directory Listing qmldir Files

A directory listing qmldir file distinctly different from a module definition qmldir file. A directory listing qmldir file allows a group of QML documents to be quickly and easily shared, but it does not define a type namespace into which the QML object types defined by the documents are registered, nor does it support versioning of those QML object types.

The syntax of a directory listing qmldir file is as follows:

RoundedButton RoundedBtn.qml

internal HighlightedButton HighlightedBtn.qml

MathFunctions mathfuncs.js

A local file system directory may optionally include a qmldir file. This allows the engine to only expose certain QML types to clients who import the directory. Additionally, JavaScript resources in the directory are not exposed to clients unless they are declared in a qmldir file.