QElectroTech Historical Information - Source Materials
Gathered from: qelectrotech.org, qelectrotech.org/wiki_new/, qelectrotech.org/forum/
From Main Website (qelectrotech.org)
- Description: "A free software to create industrial complex electric diagrams"
- Scope: Supports electrical diagrams, plumbing, geothermal, air-conditioning, layout, hydraulics, pneumatics, domotic, PID, photovoltaic, swimming pool plumbing
- Latest Version: 0.100 (with over 8,000 symbols)
- License: GNU/GPL
- Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux
- Copyright: 2026 - the QElectroTech Team
- Note: Suggests ongoing collective development rather than single creator
From Wiki (qelectrotech.org/wiki_new/)
- Last Documentation Update: July 5, 2020
- Version References: Notes for version 0.2 documented
- Major Initiative: QElectrotech 2.0 and code redesign ("Refonte du code") were planned
- Features: Tracking system for "what has been done and what will be done"
- Structure: Includes version-specific documentation and roadmap tracking
From Forum (qelectrotech.org/forum/)
- Community Size: 3,747 registered users, 21,856 total posts, 2,959 topics
- Most Active Categories:
- FR: Aide, suggestions — 1,124 topics, 7,571 posts
- EN: Help, suggestions — 850 topics, 4,815 posts
- Code/Programming — 91 topics, 1,231 posts
- Languages: French, English, German support
- Specialized Areas: CAD element sharing, DXF import/export, Python plugins, platform-specific help
- Activity: Posts dated through September 2026 (currently active)
From GitHub Repository
Origins & Founding
- Founded: 2007
- Founders: Xavier and Benoit (French students)
- First Release: Version 0.1 (March 9, 2008)
- Xavier's Role: Primary architect, base application development, key technical decisions
- Founder Exit: Xavier and Benoit stopped participating around 2013
Post-Founder Development
- After 2013, new developers and contributors took over stewardship
- Project transitioned to community-driven model
- Maintained by collaborative team (current: "QElectroTech Team")
- Kept alive and actively developed with regular updates
Release Timeline
Recent Releases:
-
0.100 (January 25, 2024) — Latest stable
- Terminal Strip/Terminal Strip Editor
- 8,000+ symbols
- Improved export/print handling
- Better rotation, flip, mirror operations
-
0.9.0 (January 6, 2024)
- Speed improvements (launch, open project)
- DXF import in element editor via dxf2elmt
- HDPI scaling support
- 8,274 elements across 1,097 categories
-
0.8.0 (May 5, 2022)
-
0.7.0 (May 5, 2022)
-
0.6, 0.61 (May 6, 2022) — Imported from SVN
Development:
- Nightly builds available (May 10 onwards)
- Qt6 port in active development
Current State
- User base: Individuals, educators, students, professional electricians globally
- License: GNU/GPL
- Actively maintained with regular features and translations
- Version 0.100.1 or 0.200.0 planned with newer Qt6 framework
From QET Code Refactoring Wiki (refonte_du_code_de_qelectrotech)
QET 2.0 Refactoring Initiative
This is a major architectural redesign effort to address accumulated technical debt and modernize the codebase.
Historical Context
- 2006 — QET started as a student project with architectural limitations
- 2012 — Original creator left, Joshua inherited the project
- Problem: "Spaghetti code" and poor modularity accumulated over time
- Solution: Comprehensive refactoring (QET 2.0)
Refactoring Goals
- Decouple code into distinct, well-separated modules
- Remove band-aid solutions
- Improve code clarity
- Restructure for modern functionality
- Enhance maintainability for external contributors
Major Technical Changes
File Format Redesign:
-
.elmt→.selmt(with proper SVG namespace) -
Direct SVG import capability in element editor
-
Separate graphical from non-graphical data (dynamic text, terminals, info)
-
.qet→ zipped structure with SQLite database- Simplified .qet file with folio lists and element coordinates
- SQLite database for comprehensive metadata
- Separate folders for images, elements, title blocks
- UUID-based cross-referencing
Architectural Improvements:
- ActionPool singleton — Centralize QActions from QetDiagramEditor
- Persistence layer abstraction — Separate serialization from domain logic
- Conductor system redesign — Electrical potential as first-class concept with inheritance
- Element prefix standardization — Unified system
- Auto-numbering simplification — Intelligent formula support
- Xref flexibility — Enhanced cross-reference system
- Text rendering — Switch from points to pixels
- Independent text handling — Simplified structure
Getting Started
🌐 Languages — English · Français · Deutsch
Guides
Conductors — wire properties, what feeds which export, and cables
Wire & cable catalogue — cable types, IEC 60757 core colours, assigning a core to a conductor
Printing and exporting — paper, PDF, images, and what each path does differently
Linking elements — master, slave, terminal
PLC modules — I/O tables and linking a wire to a specific point
Using the element editor — drawing tools, saving, checks
Preferences reference — what each settings page does
Keyboard-only control — mouseless QET, and the one real gap
Mouse modifiers — what Shift, Ctrl and Alt change while you drag
Managing collections — folders, writability, building your own shortlist
Templates — reusable multi-element blocks, and why clicking one does nothing
Search & Replace — bulk property changes
Building a nomenclature query — the BOM/summary table builder
Linking wires across pages — folio reports
Variables & formulas — %f, %{label}, sequences
Auto-numbering — schemes, sequences, freezing
Terminal strips — strips, levels, bridges
Title block templates — the .titleblock format
Importing EPLAN parts (.edz) — EPLAN Data Portal
DXF import & export — two unrelated features, one format
The project database — the in-memory SQLite cache
Development
Automating QET — CLI, XML formats, external tools
CLI Reference — command line usage
JavaScript Scripting — --run, geometry editing, undo
Vision — proposal, under discussion
