I just started a new job where I have to ssh into a remote linux vm to work on a qt driven c++ project. I don’t really have a lot of leeway on what can be added to the remote environment, and I don’t think local development is possible. The vm has vim and qtcreator.

I’m from a Java background and I’m learning c++ for this role, while I’m comfortable in vim, I’d really like to have a tool that can give me autocomplete, jump to definition and linting. I know these things can be set up in neovim, but I asked about having that put on the box and was not given a good reaction.

I also know tools like vscode and possibly clion can be set up to do remote work via ssh. Does anyone have experience with this and suggestion on a good setup?

  • onlinepersona@programming.devEnglish
    4·
    5 days ago

    A few questions:

    • why do you have to SSH into a remote box?
    • do you know how the VM was created? can you recreate the dependencies?
    • which OS are you on?
    • you mention qtcreator - do you have remote desktop session?

    I ask these questions because my preliminary solutions without knowing all the details would be

    • recreate the VM locally, install the tools you need
    • mount the project on your machine with sshfs, use the tools you require locally
    • use the VM as a proxy if you’re using it to access an internal git to clone the repo to your local machine and use local tools there
    • create a remote desktop session and forward it locally either via ssh x11 forwarding or connect to it via some RDP client like remmina, krdc, or whatever your OS uses

    qtcreator has code completion btw, so you can use it for your development tasks.

    Anti Commercial-AI license

    • sacredfire@programming.devOP
      2·
      4 days ago

      The application is very resource heavy and is also designed for specific hardware, it can’t be run on the windows laptops we are provided. There are security concerns as well, which limit what I am allowed to do.

      Currently I’m using vnc viewer to open a shell where I can run applications like qtcreator and get a gui interface. I’m sure I could run a local ide and ssh into the vm with it, but I know that can be tricky getting proper code coverage for jump to references to work. I guess I’ll try it and see what happens!

      • onlinepersona@programming.dev
        2·
        4 days ago

        Sshfs should work with a local IDE like CLion from Jetbrains (although that’s pay to use, it’s the best C++ IDE I know of).

        Out of curiosity, what’s wrong with qtcreator in VNC viewer? Qtcreator should provide code completion, going to definitions, expanding macros, and so on.

        Anti Commercial-AI license

        • sacredfire@programming.devOP
          2·
          4 days ago

          Ok that is good to know. As for qtcreator, it’s probably fine, just the first time I’ve used it and it didn’t have any of those features working correctly. And I already am familiar with jetbrains tools from Java development. I’ll just have to get it set up correctly. I know for sure I’ll be using it for its UI editing features.