Qt Creator Sticky Scroll

Pins the enclosing scope headers to the top of the editor while you scroll, so the context of the code on screen — the function, class, block, key, or heading you are inside — always stays visible. Click a pinned line to jump to it. Toggle the feature and set the maximum number of pinned lines on the Sticky Scroll page in the text editor settings.

The panel is visually separated from the code: it gets a subtle background tint and a separation line, and the pinned lines themselves are dimmed on two levels — the innermost scope slightly, the outer scopes more — so they read as context rather than code. Hovering a pinned line restores its full contrast. Both the tint and the dimming are configurable (see Settings).

Which lines get pinned is derived from the document structure; the strategy is chosen automatically per file type:

• Brace / fold-based — C, C++, JavaScript/TypeScript, JSON, CMake, Python, and any other language whose Qt Creator highlighter provides code folding. Uses the editor's folding data; handles nested scopes, multi-line signatures, and brace-on-own-line.
• YAML — derived from indentation, since Qt Creator's YAML highlighter only folds block scalars, e.g. jobs → build → steps → - name → run:. Block-sequence entries flush with their parent key are handled.
• Markdown — derived from ATX heading levels (#, ##, …), since the highlighter provides no folding, e.g. # Title → ## Usage → ### Configuration. # inside fenced code blocks is ignored.

Configure the plugin under Settings → Text Editor → Sticky Scroll:

• Enable sticky scroll — turn the pinned headers on or off (enabled by default).
• Maximum number of pinned lines — how many scope headers may stay pinned at once (1–10, default 5).
• Horizontal pinning — should pinned follow to horizontal scroll
• De-emphasize pinned scope lines — dim the pinned lines so they read as context, not code: the innermost scope lightly, all outer scopes more (enabled by default). The percentage field scales the dimming strength (0–100%, default 100%); hovering a line always shows it at full contrast.
• Panel background tint — how strongly the panel background is tinted relative to the editor background (0–25%, default 6%; 0 disables the tint). The separation line and shadow are always drawn.

Extension repository

From Qt Creator 20 you can find Sticky Scroll plugin in extension list in Qt Creator and install from there

Prebuilt plugins are attached to every release.

1. Download the archive for your platform. It is named StickyScroll-<tag>-QtC<version>-<platform>.7z and must match your exact Qt Creator version (releases currently target Qt Creator 20.0.0).
2. In Qt Creator open the About Plugins… dialog (under Help on Windows/Linux, under the Qt Creator menu on macOS) and click Install Plugin….
3. Select the downloaded .7z archive, confirm, and restart Qt Creator.

To build from source instead, follow the steps below.

Create a build directory and run

cmake -DCMAKE_PREFIX_PATH=<path_to_qtcreator> -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=RelWithDebInfo <path_to_plugin_source>
cmake --build .

where <path_to_qtcreator> is the relative or absolute path to a Qt Creator build directory, or to a combined binary and development package (Windows / Linux), or to the Qt Creator.app/Contents/Resources/ directory of a combined binary and development package (macOS), and <path_to_plugin_source> is the relative or absolute path to this plugin directory.

From the command line run

cmake --build . --target RunQtCreator

RunQtCreator is a custom CMake target that will use the referenced above to start the Qt Creator executable with the following parameters

-pluginpath <path_to_plugin>

where <path_to_plugin> is the path to the resulting plugin library in the build directory (<plugin_build>/lib/qtcreator/plugins on Windows and Linux, <plugin_build>/Qt Creator.app/Contents/PlugIns on macOS).

You might want to add -temporarycleansettings (or -tcs) to ensure that the opened Qt Creator instance cannot mess with your user-global Qt Creator settings.

The plugin ships unit tests for the scope-chain logic. They are compiled in only when the WITH_TESTS option is enabled, so release binaries stay test-free. Configure a separate build directory and run the tests through Qt Creator's plugin test runner:

cmake -B build-tests -DWITH_TESTS=ON -DCMAKE_PREFIX_PATH=<path_to_qtcreator> <path_to_plugin_source>
cmake --build build-tests
"Qt Creator" -pluginpath <path_to_plugin> -test StickyScroll -tcs

where <path_to_plugin> is the plugin directory inside build-tests (see "How to Run" above). The run prints QtTest output and exits; expect Totals: ... 0 failed.

The panel logs its state (scope chain, push offset, and capture decisions) under the qtc.stickyscroll category. Enable that logging rule to debug the panel interactively:

QT_LOGGING_RULES='qtc.stickyscroll.debug=true' \
    "Qt Creator" -pluginpath <path_to_plugin> -tcs <file>

If you find this project helpful, there are several ways you can support it:

• Report issues — if you encounter any bugs or have suggestions for improvements, please open an issue.
• Contribute — feel free to submit pull requests with bug fixes or new features.
• Spread the word — star the GitHub repository and share the plugin with your fellow developers.
• Financial support — if you'd like to support the development financially, you can make a donation using one of the following:
  • PayPal: paypal.me/palm1r
  • Bitcoin (BTC): bc1qndq7f0mpnlya48vk7kugvyqj5w89xrg4wzg68t
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  • USDT (TRC20): THdZrE7d6epW6ry98GA3MLXRjha1DjKtUx

MIT © 2026 Petr Mironychev

Sticky Scroll is a plugin for Qt Creator and incorporates certain components (plugin templates, API headers, and related boilerplate) originating from Qt Creator, which are copyright (C) The Qt Company Ltd.

These components are provided by The Qt Company under the GNU General Public License version 3, annotated with The Qt Company GPL Exception 1.0. This exception permits the development and distribution of Qt Creator plugins under licenses of the plugin author's own choosing, notwithstanding the GPL's general linking requirements. It is this exception that allows Sticky Scroll to be distributed under the MIT license.

The original copyright and license notices of The Qt Company are preserved in the relevant source files and must not be removed.