172 lines
5.4 KiB
Markdown
172 lines
5.4 KiB
Markdown
# Snapcraft Guide (Ubuntu Software Center & More)
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This guide provides information on how to package your Electron application
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for any Snapcraft environment, including the Ubuntu Software Center.
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## Background and Requirements
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Together with the broader Linux community, Canonical aims to fix many of the
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common software installation problems with the [`snapcraft`](snapcraft.io)
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project. Snaps are containerized software packages that include required
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dependencies, auto-update, and work on all major Linux distributions without
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system modification.
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There are three ways to create a `.snap` file:
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1) Using `electron-installer-snap`, which takes `electron-packager's` output
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2) Using an already created `.deb` package
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3) Using [`electron-forge`](electron-forge) or
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[`electron-builder`](electron-builder), both tools that come with `snap`
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support out of the box. This is the easiest option.
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In all cases, you will need to have the `snapcraft` tool installed. We
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recommend building on Ubuntu 16.04 (or the current LTS).
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```sh
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snap install snapcraft --classic
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```
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While it _is possible_ to install `snapcraft` on macOS using Homebrew, you are
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less likely to encounter issues when running `snapcraft` on an actual Linux
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distribution. As of today, it is not able ot build `snap` packages, for instance.
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# Using `electron-installer-snap`
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The module works like `electron-winstaller` and similar modules in that its
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scope is limited to building snap packages. You can install it with:
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```sh
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npm install --save-dev electron-installer-snap
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```
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## Step 1: Package Your Electron Application
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Package the application using [electron-packager](electron-packager) (or a
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similar tool). Make sure to remove `node_modules` that you don't need in your
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final application, since any module you don't actually need will just increase
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your application's size.
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The output should look roughly like this:
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```text
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.
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└── dist
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└── app-linux-x64
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├── LICENSE
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├── LICENSES.chromium.html
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├── content_shell.pak
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├── app
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├── icudtl.dat
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├── libgcrypt.so.11
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├── libnode.so
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├── locales
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├── natives_blob.bin
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├── resources
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├── snapshot_blob.bin
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└── version
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```
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## Step 2: Running `electron-installer-snap`
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From a terminal that has `snapcraft` in its `PATH`, run `electron-installer-snap`
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with the only required parameter `--src`, which is the location of your packaged
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Electron application created in the first step.
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```sh
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npx electron-installer-snap --src=out/myappname-linux-x64
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```
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If you have an existing build pipeline, you can use `electron-installer-snap`
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programmatically. For more information, see the [API docs](snapcraft-syntax).
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```js
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const snap = require('electron-installer-snap')
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snap(options)
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.then(snapPath => console.log(`Created snap at ${snapPath}!`))
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```
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# Using an Existing Debian Package
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Snapcraft is capable of taking an existing `.deb` file and turning it into
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a `.snap` file. The creation of a snap is configured using a `snapcraft.yaml`
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file that describes the sources, dependencies, description, and other core
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building blocks.
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## Step 1: Create a Debian Package
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If you do not already have a `.deb` package, using `electron-installer-snap`
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might be an easier path to create snap packages. However, multiple solutions
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for creating Debian packages exist, including [`electron-forge`](electron-forge),
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[`electron-builder`](electron-builder) or
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[`electron-installer-debian`](electron-installer-debian).
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## Step 2: Create a snapcraft.yaml
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For more information on the available configuration options, see the
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[documentation on the snapcraft syntax](https://docs.snapcraft.io/build-snaps/syntax).
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Let's look at an example:
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```yaml
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name: myApp
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version: 2.0.0
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summary: A little description for the app.
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description: |
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You know what? This app is amazing! It does all the things
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for you. Some say it keeps you young, maybe even happy.
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grade: stable
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confinement: classic
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parts:
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slack:
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plugin: dump
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source: my-deb.deb
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source-type: deb
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after:
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- desktop-gtk2
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build-packages:
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- patchelf
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stage-packages:
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- libasound2
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- libgconf2-4
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- libnotify4
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- libnspr4
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- libnss3
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- libpcre3
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- libpulse0
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- libxss1
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- libxtst6
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electron-launch:
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plugin: dump
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source: files/
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prepare: |
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chmod +x bin/electron-launch
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apps:
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myApp:
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command: bin/electron-launch $SNAP/usr/lib/myApp/myApp
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desktop: usr/share/applications/myApp.desktop
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# Correct the TMPDIR path for Chromium Framework/Electron to ensure
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# libappindicator has readable resources.
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environment:
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TMPDIR: $XDG_RUNTIME_DIR
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```
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As you can see, the `snapcraft.yaml` instructs the system to launch a file
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called `electron-launch`. In this example, it simply passes information on
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to the app's binary:
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```sh
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#!/bin/sh
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exec "$@" --executed-from="$(pwd)" --pid=$$ > /dev/null 2>&1 &
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```
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[snapcraft.io]: https://snapcraft.io/
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[snapcraft-store]: https://snapcraft.io/store/
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[snapcraft-syntax]: https://docs.snapcraft.io/build-snaps/syntax
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[electron-packager]: https://github.com/electron-userland/electron-packager
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[electron-forge]: https://github.com/electron-userland/electron-forge
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[electron-builder]: https://github.com/electron-userland/electron-builder
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[electron-installer-debian]: https://github.com/unindented/electron-installer-debian
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