2018-02-19 18:25:38 +00:00
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# Developer Environment
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Electron development is essentially Node.js development. To turn your operating
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system into an environment capable of building desktop apps with Electron,
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you will merely need Node.js, npm, a code editor of your choice, and a
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rudimentary understanding of your operating system's command line client.
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## Setting up macOS
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2018-06-20 12:27:55 +00:00
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> Electron supports Mac OS X 10.9 (and all versions named macOS) and up. Apple
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2018-02-21 18:12:19 +00:00
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does not allow running macOS in virtual machines unless the host computer is
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already an Apple computer, so if you find yourself in need of a Mac, consider
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using a cloud service that rents access to Macs (like [MacInCloud][macincloud]
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or [xcloud](https://xcloud.me)).
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2018-02-19 18:25:38 +00:00
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First, install a recent version of Node.js. We recommend that you install
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either the latest `LTS` or `Current` version available. Visit
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[the Node.js download page][node-download] and select the `macOS Installer`.
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2018-02-21 18:12:19 +00:00
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While Homebrew is an offered option, but we recommend against it - many tools
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will be incompatible with the way Homebrew installs Node.js.
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2018-02-19 18:25:38 +00:00
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Once downloaded, execute the installer and let the installation wizard guide
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you through the installation.
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Once installed, confirm that everything works as expected. Find the macOS
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`Terminal` application in your `/Applications/Utilities` folder (or by
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2018-05-08 05:16:09 +00:00
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searching for the word `Terminal` in Spotlight). Open up `Terminal`
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2018-02-19 18:25:38 +00:00
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or another command line client of your choice and confirm that both `node`
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and `npm` are available:
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```sh
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# This command should print the version of Node.js
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node -v
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# This command should print the version of npm
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npm -v
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```
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If both commands printed a version number, you are all set! Before you get
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started, you might want to install a [code editor](#a-good-editor) suited
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for JavaScript development.
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## Setting up Windows
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> Electron supports Windows 7 and later versions – attempting to develop Electron
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applications on earlier versions of Windows will not work. Microsoft provides
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free [virtual machine images with Windows 10][windows-vm] for developers.
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First, install a recent version of Node.js. We recommend that you install
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either the latest `LTS` or `Current` version available. Visit
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[the Node.js download page][node-download] and select the `Windows Installer`.
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Once downloaded, execute the installer and let the installation wizard guide
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you through the installation.
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On the screen that allows you to configure the installation, make sure to
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select the `Node.js runtime`, `npm package manager`, and `Add to PATH`
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options.
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Once installed, confirm that everything works as expected. Find the Windows
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2018-05-08 05:16:09 +00:00
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PowerShell by opening the Start Menu and typing `PowerShell`. Open
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2018-02-19 18:25:38 +00:00
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up `PowerShell` or another command line client of your choice and confirm that
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both `node` and `npm` are available:
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```powershell
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# This command should print the version of Node.js
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node -v
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# This command should print the version of npm
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npm -v
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```
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If both commands printed a version number, you are all set! Before you get
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started, you might want to install a [code editor](#a-good-editor) suited
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for JavaScript development.
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## Setting up Linux
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> Generally speaking, Electron supports Ubuntu 12.04, Fedora 21, Debian 8
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and later.
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First, install a recent version of Node.js. Depending on your Linux
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distribution, the installation steps might differ. Assuming that you normally
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install software using a package manager like `apt` or `pacman`, use the
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official [Node.js guidance on installing on Linux][node-package].
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You're running Linux, so you likely already know how to operate a command line
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client. Open up your favorite client and confirm that both `node` and `npm`
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are available globally:
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```sh
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# This command should print the version of Node.js
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node -v
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# This command should print the version of npm
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npm -v
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```
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If both commands printed a version number, you are all set! Before you get
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started, you might want to install a [code editor](#a-good-editor) suited
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for JavaScript development.
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## A Good Editor
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We might suggest two free popular editors built in Electron:
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GitHub's [Atom][atom] and Microsoft's [Visual Studio Code][code]. Both of
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them have excellent JavaScript support.
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If you are one of the many developers with a strong preference, know that
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virtually all code editors and IDEs these days support JavaScript.
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[macincloud]: https://www.macincloud.com/
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[xcloud]: https://xcloud.me
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[node-download]: https://nodejs.org/en/download/
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[node-package]: https://nodejs.org/en/download/package-manager/
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[atom]: https://atom.io/
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[code]: https://code.visualstudio.com/
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2018-05-08 05:16:09 +00:00
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[windows-vm]: https://developer.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/downloads/virtual-machines
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