QMake - how to copy a file to the output

You can use a qmake function for reusability:

# Copies the given files to the destination directory
defineTest(copyToDestdir) {
    files = $$1

    for(FILE, files) {
        DDIR = $$DESTDIR

        # Replace slashes in paths with backslashes for Windows
        win32:FILE ~= s,/,\\,g
        win32:DDIR ~= s,/,\\,g

        QMAKE_POST_LINK += $$QMAKE_COPY $$quote($$FILE) $$quote($$DDIR) $$escape_expand(\\n\\t)
    }

    export(QMAKE_POST_LINK)
}

then use it as follows:

copyToDestdir($$OTHER_FILES) # a variable containing multiple paths
copyToDestdir(run.sh) # a single filename
copyToDestdir(run.sh README) # multiple files

Qt 5.6 added this as an undocumented feature:

CONFIG += file_copies

Invent a name to describe the files you want to copy:

COPIES += myDocumentation

List the files that you want to copy, in its .files member:

myDocumentation.files = $$files(text/docs/*.txt)

Specify the destination path in the .path member:

myDocumentation.path = $$OUT_PWD/documentation

Optionally specify a base path to be trimmed from the source paths:

myDocumentation.base = $$PWD/text/docs

It basically works by doing the same things as many of the other answers here. See file_copies.prf for the gory details.

The interface is very similar to that for INSTALLS.

First, define the following two function for supporting both Windows/Unix.

defineReplace(nativePath) {
    OUT_NATIVE_PATH = $$1
    # Replace slashes in paths with backslashes for Windows
    win32:OUT_NATIVE_PATH ~= s,/,\\,g
    return($$OUT_NATIVE_PATH)
}

# Copies the given files to the destination directory
defineReplace(copyToDestDirCommands) {
    variable_files = $$1
    files = $$eval($$variable_files)
    DDIR = $$nativePath($$2)
    win32:DDIR ~= s,/,\\,g
    POST_LINK = echo "Copying files to $$DDIR" $$escape_expand(\\n\\t)

    win32 {
        POST_LINK += $$QMAKE_MKDIR $$quote($$DDIR) 2>&1 & set errorlevel=0 $$escape_expand(\\n\\t)
    }
    !win32 {
        POST_LINK += $$QMAKE_MKDIR -p $$quote($$DDIR) $$escape_expand(\\n\\t)
    }

    for(ORIGINAL_FILE, files) {
        FILE = $$nativePath($$ORIGINAL_FILE)
        POST_LINK += $$QMAKE_COPY $$quote($$FILE) $$quote($$DDIR) $$escape_expand(\\n\\t)
    }

    return ($$POST_LINK)
}

Then you can use the following code to call the funcitons that defined before to copy files into specific folder, and also creating the directory when necessary. This is tested under Win32, Linux tests are welcome.

BATOS_FILES = \
    $$BATOS_BIN_ROOT/batos-core.dll \
    $$BATOS_BIN_ROOT/batos-pfw.dll \
    $$BATOS_BIN_ROOT/dre.dll \
    $$BATOS_BIN_ROOT/log4qt.dll

QMAKE_POST_LINK += $$copyToDestDirCommands(BATOS_FILES, $$DESTDIR)

BATOS_PLUGINS_FILES = \
    $$BATOS_BIN_ROOT/plugins/com.xaf.plugin-manager.dll \
    $$BATOS_BIN_ROOT/plugins/org.commontk.eventadmin.dll

QMAKE_POST_LINK += $$copyToDestDirCommands(BATOS_PLUGINS_FILES, $$DESTDIR/plugins)

First, define below (which is from XD framework) somewhere, like inside functions.prf file:

# --------------------------------------
# This file defines few useful functions
# --------------------------------------

#copyDir(source, destination)
# using "shell_path()" to correct path depending on platform
# escaping quotes and backslashes for file paths
defineTest(copyDir) {
    #append copy command
    !isEmpty(xd_copydir.commands): xd_copydir.commands += && \\$$escape_expand(\n\t)
    xd_copydir.commands += ( $(COPY_DIR) \"$$shell_path($$1)\" \"$$shell_path($$2)\" || echo \"copy failed\" )
    #the qmake generated MakeFile contains "first" and we depend that on "xd_copydir"
    first.depends *= xd_copydir
    QMAKE_EXTRA_TARGETS *= first xd_copydir

    export(first.depends)
    export(xd_copydir.commands)
    export(QMAKE_EXTRA_TARGETS)
}

#copy(source, destination) (i.e. the name "copyFile" was reserved)
defineTest(copyFile) {
    #append copy command
    !isEmpty(xd_copyfile.commands): xd_copyfile.commands += && \\$$escape_expand(\n\t)
    xd_copyfile.commands += ( $(COPY_FILE) \"$$shell_path($$1)\" \"$$shell_path($$2)\" || echo \"copy failed\" )
    #the qmake generated MakeFile contains "first" and we depend that on "xd_copyfile"
    first.depends *= xd_copyfile
    QMAKE_EXTRA_TARGETS *= first xd_copyfile

    export(first.depends)
    export(xd_copyfile.commands)
    export(QMAKE_EXTRA_TARGETS)
}

and use it in your project like:

include($$PWD/functions.prf) #optional

copyFile($$PWD/myfile1.txt, $$DESTDIR/myfile1.txt)
copyFile($$PWD/README.txt, $$DESTDIR/README.txt)
copyFile($$PWD/LICENSE, $$DESTDIR/LICENSE)
copyDir($$PWD/redist, $$DESTDIR/redist) #copy "redist" folder to "$$DESTDIR"

Note that all files would get copied before the link operation is done (which can be useful).

xd_functions.prf full script

But when you need something like copyFileLater(source, destination), to only copy files once build is done then consider using below code (which is from XD framework under Apache 2.0 license):

# --------------------------------------
# This file defines few useful functions
# --------------------------------------

xd_command_count = 0

#xd_prebuild(prefix, command)
defineTest(xd_prebuild) {
    #generate target name with number
    xd_command_count = $$num_add($$xd_command_count, 1)
    name = $$1$$xd_command_count
    #append command
    eval( $${name}.commands += ( \$\$2 ) );
    #the qmake generated "MakeFile" should contain "first"
    #   and we depend that on new command
    !contains( first.depends, $$name ) {
        !isEmpty(first.depends): first.depends += \\$$escape_expand(\\n)
        first.depends += $$name
    }

    QMAKE_EXTRA_TARGETS *= first $$name

    export(xd_command_count)
    export($${name}.commands)
    export(first.depends)
    export(QMAKE_EXTRA_TARGETS)

    #eval( warning(xd_push_command: $${name}.commands += \$\${$${name}.commands}) )
}
#xd_postbuild(command)
defineTest(xd_postbuild) {
    !isEmpty(QMAKE_POST_LINK): QMAKE_POST_LINK = $$QMAKE_POST_LINK$$escape_expand(\\n\\t)
    QMAKE_POST_LINK = $${QMAKE_POST_LINK}$$quote(-$$1)

    export(QMAKE_POST_LINK)
}
#xd_escape(path)
#   resolves path like built-in functions (i.e. counts input relative to $$PWD)
defineReplace(xd_escape) {
    1 = $$absolute_path($$1)
    #using "shell_path()" to correct path depending on platform
    #   escaping quotes and backslashes for file paths
    1 = $$shell_path($$1)
    return($$quote($$1))
}

#copyFile(source, destination)
#   this will both copy and rename "source" to "destination", However like "copy_file()":
#       if "destination" is path to existing directory or ends with slash (i.e. "/" or "\\"),
#       will just copy to existing "destination" directory without any rename
#
#   note: this is executed before build, but after qmake did exit
#       so use "copy_file(...)" instead if the output file is required in qmake script
#       like for example if "write_file(...)" is called on the output...
defineTest(copyFile) {
    #note that "$(COPY_FILE)" is generated by qmake from "$$QMAKE_COPY_FILE"
    xd_prebuild(xd_copyfile, $(COPY_FILE) $$xd_escape($$1) $$xd_escape($$2) || echo copyFile-failed)
}

#copyFileLater(source, destination = $(DESTDIR))
#   note: this is executed after build is done, hence the name copy-later
defineTest(copyFileLater) {
    destDir = $$2
    isEmpty(destDir): destDir = $(DESTDIR)
    #append copy command
    xd_postbuild($(COPY_FILE) $$xd_escape($$1) $$xd_escape($$destDir) || echo copyFileLater-failed)

    #!build_pass:warning(copyFile: $$1 to: $$destDir)
}

#copyDir(source, destination)
defineTest(copyDir) {
    xd_prebuild(xd_copydir, $(COPY_DIR) $$xd_escape($$1) $$xd_escape($$2) || echo copyDir-failed)
}
#copyDirLater(source, destination = $(DESTDIR))
#   note: this is executed after build is done, hence the name copy-later
defineTest(copyDirLater) {
    destDir = $$2
    isEmpty(destDir): destDir = $(DESTDIR)
    #append copy command
    xd_postbuild($(COPY_DIR) $$xd_escape($$1) $$xd_escape($$destDir) || echo copyDirLater-failed)

    #!build_pass:warning(copyFile: $$1 to: $$destDir)
}

#makeDir(destination)
defineTest(makeDir) {
    xd_prebuild(xd_makedir, $(MKDIR) $$xd_escape($$1) || echo makeDir-failed: \"$$1\")
}
defineTest(makeDirLater) {
    xd_postbuild( $(MKDIR) $$xd_escape($$1) || echo makeDirLater-failed )
    #!build_pass:warning(makeDirLater: $$1)
}

defineTest(deleteFile) {
    xd_prebuild(xd_delfile, $(DEL_FILE) $$xd_escape($$1) || echo deleteFile-failed)
}
defineTest(deleteFileLater) {
    xd_postbuild( $(DEL_FILE) $$xd_escape($$1) || echo deleteFileLater-failed )
    #!build_pass:warning(deleteFileLater: $$1)
}
defineTest(deleteDir) {
    xd_prebuild(xd_delfile, $(DEL_DIR) $$xd_escape($$1) || echo deleteDir-failed)
}
defineTest(deleteDirLater) {
    xd_postbuild( $(DEL_DIR) $$xd_escape($$1) || echo deleteDirLater-failed )
    #!build_pass:warning(deleteFileLater: $$1)
}

#qmakeLater(qmake-script-file-path-to-run)
#   note that inside the script runned by this method
#   $$OUT_PWD will be same as original $$OUT_PWD of qmakeLater(...) caller project
#   since there is the "Makefile" that executes our custom qmake
defineTest(qmakeRun) {
    xd_postbuild( $(QMAKE) $$xd_escape($$1) -r -spec \"$$shell_path($$QMAKESPEC)\" )
    #!build_pass:warning(qmakeLater: $$1)
}
defineTest(qmakeLater) {
    xd_postbuild( $(QMAKE) $$xd_escape($$1) -r -spec \"$$shell_path($$QMAKESPEC)\" )
    #!build_pass:warning(qmakeLater: $$1)
}