Qt Creator doesn't load settings from external

Question

I am trying to generate .creator.user files for many generic Qt Creator projects. I am using a custom build tool and would like to have each Qt Creator project use custom build commands to call this tool, which is why I'm messing with .creator.user files. Unfortunately, the .creator.user files I'm generated are being renamed .creator.user.1.3 and ignored by Qt Creator, which then generates default .creator.user files that don't use my settings. Any suggestions for how to make Qt Creator correctly load my settings?

EDIT: Here is a sample .creator.user file. I have changed the working directory names to @DIRECTORY@; in the real files this is an actual directory.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE QtCreatorProject>
<!-- Written by SwT 0.8.0, 12/21/2012 15:17:33. -->
<qtcreator>
 <data>
  <variable>ProjectExplorer.Project.Target.0</variable>
  <valuemap type="QVariantMap">
   <value type="QString" key="ProjectExplorer.ProjectConfiguration.DefaultDisplayName">SwT</value>
   <value type="QString" key="ProjectExplorer.ProjectConfiguration.DisplayName">SwT</value>
   <value type="QByteArray" key="ProjectExplorer.ProjectConfiguration.Id">{86eb24f3-777f-41df-b796-d5d8d9a9739a}</value>
   <value type="int" key="ProjectExplorer.Target.ActiveBuildConfiguration">0</value>
   <value type="int" key="ProjectExplorer.Target.ActiveDeployConfiguration">0</value>
   <value type="int" key="ProjectExplorer.Target.ActiveRunConfiguration">0</value>
   <valuemap type="QVariantMap" key="ProjectExplorer.Target.BuildConfiguration.0">
    <value type="QString" key="GenericProjectManager.GenericBuildConfiguration.BuildDirectory"></value>
    <valuemap type="QVariantMap" key=with open(creatorf,'w') as f:
                    f.write('[General'"ProjectExplorer.BuildConfiguration.BuildStepList.0">
     <valuemap type="QVariantMap" key="ProjectExplorer.BuildStepList.Step.0">
      <value type="bool" key="ProjectExplorer.BuildStep.Enabled">true</value>
      <value type="QString" key="ProjectExplorer.ProcessStep.Arguments">build -j3</value>
      <value type="QString" key="ProjectExplorer.ProcessStep.Command">swt</value>
      <value type="QString" key="ProjectExplorer.ProcessStep.WorkingDirectory">@DIRECTORY@</value>
      <value type="QString" key="ProjectExplorer.ProjectConfiguration.DefaultDisplayName">Custom Process Step</value>
      <value type="QString" key="ProjectExplorer.ProjectConfiguration.DisplayName"></value>
      <value type="QByteArray" key="ProjectExplorer.ProjectConfiguration.Id">ProjectExplorer.ProcessStep</value>
     </valuemap>
     <value type="int" key="ProjectExplorer.BuildStepList.StepsCount">1</value>
     <value type="QString" key="ProjectExplorer.ProjectConfiguration.DefaultDisplayName">Build</value>
     <value type="QString" key="ProjectExplorer.ProjectConfiguration.DisplayName"></value>
     <value type="QByteArray" key="ProjectExplorer.ProjectConfiguration.Id">ProjectExplorer.BuildSteps.Build</value>
    </valuemap>
    <valuemap type="QVariantMap" key="ProjectExplorer.BuildConfiguration.BuildStepList.1">
     <valuemap type="QVariantMap" key="ProjectExplorer.BuildStepList.Step.0">
      <value type="bool" key="ProjectExplorer.BuildStep.Enabled">true</value>
      <value type="QString" key="ProjectExplorer.ProcessStep.Arguments">clean</value>
      <value type="QString" key="ProjectExplorer.ProcessStep.Command">swt</value>
      <value type="QString" key="ProjectExplorer.ProcessStep.WorkingDirectory">@DIRECTORY@</value>
      <value type="QString" key="ProjectExplorer.ProjectConfiguration.DefaultDisplayName">Custom Process Step</value>
      <value type="QString" key="ProjectExplorer.ProjectConfiguration.DisplayName"></value>
      <value type="QByteArray" key="ProjectExplorer.ProjectConfiguration.Id">ProjectExplorer.ProcessStep</value>
     </valuemap>
     <value type="int" key="ProjectExplorer.BuildStepList.StepsCount">1</value>
     <value type="QString" key="ProjectExplorer.ProjectConfiguration.DefaultDisplayName">Clean</value>
     <value type="QString" key="ProjectExplorer.ProjectConfiguration.DisplayName"></value>
     <value type="QByteArray" key="ProjectExplorer.ProjectConfiguration.Id">ProjectExplorer.BuildSteps.Clean</value>
    </valuemap>
    <value type="int" key="ProjectExplorer.BuildConfiguration.BuildStepListCount">2</value>
    <value type="bool" key="ProjectExplorer.BuildConfiguration.ClearSystemEnvironment">false</value>
    <valuelist type="QVariantList" key="ProjectExplorer.BuildConfiguration.UserEnvironmentChanges"/>
    <value type="QString" key="ProjectExplorer.ProjectConfiguration.DefaultDisplayName"></value>
    <value type="QString" key="ProjectExplorer.ProjectConfiguration.DisplayName">Debug</value>
    <value type="QByteArray" key="ProjectExplorer.ProjectConfiguration.Id">GenericProjectManager.GenericBuildConfiguration</value>
   </valuemap>
   <value type="int" key="ProjectExplorer.Target.BuildConfigurationCount">1</value>
   <valuemap type="QVariantMap" key="ProjectExplorer.Target.DeployConfiguration.0">
    <valuemap type="QVariantMap" key="ProjectExplorer.BuildConfiguration.BuildStepList.0">
     <value type="int" key="ProjectExplorer.BuildStepList.StepsCount">0</value>
     <value type="QString" key="ProjectExplorer.ProjectConfiguration.DefaultDisplayName">Deploy</value>
     <value type="QString" key="ProjectExplorer.ProjectConfiguration.DisplayName"></value>
     <value type="QByteArray" key="ProjectExplorer.ProjectConfiguration.Id">ProjectExplorer.BuildSteps.Deploy</value>
    </valuemap>
    <value type="int" key="ProjectExplorer.BuildConfiguration.BuildStepListCount">1</value>
    <value type="QString" key="ProjectExplorer.ProjectConfiguration.DefaultDisplayName">Deploy locally</value>
    <value type="QString" key="ProjectExplorer.ProjectConfiguration.DisplayName"></value>
    <value type="QByteArray" key="ProjectExplorer.ProjectConfiguration.Id">ProjectExplorer.DefaultDeployConfiguration</value>
   </valuemap>
   <value type="int" key="ProjectExplorer.Target.DeployConfigurationCount">1</value>
   <valuemap type="QVariantMap" key="ProjectExplorer.Target.RunConfiguration.0">
    <value type="bool" key="Analyzer.Project.UseGlobal">true</value>
    <valuelist type="QVariantList" key="Analyzer.Valgrind.AddedSuppressionFiles"/>
    <value type="bool" key="Analyzer.Valgrind.Callgrind.CollectBusEvents">false</value>
    <value type="bool" key="Analyzer.Valgrind.Callgrind.CollectSystime">false</value>
    <value type="bool" key="Analyzer.Valgrind.Callgrind.EnableBranchSim">false</value>
    <value type="bool" key="Analyzer.Valgrind.Callgrind.EnableCacheSim">false</value>
    <value type="bool" key="Analyzer.Valgrind.Callgrind.EnableEventToolTips">true</value>
    <value type="double" key="Analyzer.Valgrind.Callgrind.MinimumCostRatio">0.01</value>
    <value type="double" key="Analyzer.Valgrind.Callgrind.VisualisationMinimumCostRatio">10</value>
    <value type="bool" key="Analyzer.Valgrind.FilterExternalIssues">true</value>
    <value type="int" key="Analyzer.Valgrind.NumCallers">25</value>
    <valuelist type="QVariantList" key="Analyzer.Valgrind.RemovedSuppressionFiles"/>
    <value type="bool" key="Analyzer.Valgrind.TrackOrigins">true</value>
    <value type="QString" key="Analyzer.Valgrind.ValgrindExecutable">valgrind</value>
    <valuelist type="QVariantList" key="Analyzer.Valgrind.VisibleErrorKinds">
     <value type="int">0</value>
     <value type="int">1</value>
     <value type="int">2</value>
     <value type="int">3</value>
     <value type="int">4</value>
     <value type="int">5</value>
     <value type="int">6</value>
     <value type="int">7</value>
     <value type="int">8</value>
     <value type="int">9</value>
     <value type="int">10</value>
     <value type="int">11</value>
     <value type="int">12</value>
     <value type="int">13</value>
     <value type="int">14</value>
    </valuelist>
    <value type="QString" key="ProjectExplorer.CustomExecutableRunConfiguration.Arguments"></value>
    <value type="int" key="ProjectExplorer.CustomExecutableRunConfiguration.BaseEnvironmentBase">2</value>
    <value type="QString" key="ProjectExplorer.CustomExecutableRunConfiguration.Executable"></value>
    <value type="bool" key="ProjectExplorer.CustomExecutableRunConfiguration.UseTerminal">false</value>
    <valuelist type="QVariantList" key="ProjectExplorer.CustomExecutableRunConfiguration.UserEnvironmentChanges"/>
    <value type="QString" key="ProjectExplorer.CustomExecutableRunConfiguration.WorkingDirectory">%{buildDir}</value>
    <value type="QString" key="ProjectExplorer.ProjectConfiguration.DefaultDisplayName">Custom Executable</value>
    <value type="QString" key="ProjectExplorer.ProjectConfiguration.DisplayName"></value>
    <value type="QByteArray" key="ProjectExplorer.ProjectConfiguration.Id">ProjectExplorer.CustomExecutableRunConfiguration</value>
    <value type="uint" key="RunConfiguration.QmlDebugServerPort">3768</value>
    <value type="bool" key="RunConfiguration.UseCppDebugger">true</value>
    <value type="bool" key="RunConfiguration.UseMultiProcess">false</value>
    <value type="bool" key="RunConfiguration.UseQmlDebugger">false</value>
    <value type="bool" key="RunConfiguration.UseQmlDebuggerAuto">true</value>
   </valuemap>
   <value type="int" key="ProjectExplorer.Target.RunConfigurationCount">1</value>
  </valuemap>
 </data>
 <data>
  <variable>ProjectExplorer.Project.TargetCount</variable>
  <value type="int">1</value>
 </data>
 <data>
  <variable>ProjectExplorer.Project.Updater.EnvironmentId</variable>
  <value type="QString">{250c1e28-1243-4796-af2e-509ff8b0cce9}</value>
 </data>
 <data>
  <variable>ProjectExplorer.Project.Updater.FileVersion</variable>
  <value type="int">12</value>
 </data>
</qtcreator>

Answer 1

Creator generates .user.version files when it finds the .user file to be in need of upgrading. The reasoning is this: If you run an version of Creator and have your project configured for that and you want to e.g. test a new beta release, then that will most likely require changes to the configuration. So it copies your current settings to .user.version and then updates whatever is in .user.

So you seem to be generating an old version of the .user file. While creator tries to keep everything intact, upgrades can go wrong, especially when going through several steps in the conversion process (going from 1.3 to 2.0, to 2.1, ...).

I recommend using a newer template for your .user-file creator and starting with that. If you set up targets/kits/build steps, etc. creator will also throw them out and regenerate them if it thinks they are broken, so make sure they are indeed valid.

You might also consider to move some settings into .shared files. These get recombined with the .user file (the .user has precedence) and can be used to initialize settings when the project is opened for the first time. Since creator uses instance-specific ids for Qt versions, etc. that does not work too well to set up targets yet, but with 2.6 and the kits you can get pretty far there, too, if you make sure every user has kits with the same Ids (e.g. by using those from the Qt 5 version).

PS: Make sure to add ProjectExplorer.Project.Updater.FileVersion variable which defines the schema version used in the file.