Add Built-in AppImage Maker

[malept]

See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AppImage

I would rather not have code that calls the AppImage creator inside of Electron Forge, but rather it should be a separate package like the ones for .deb, .rpm, and Flatpak. (electron-installer-appimage?)

[probonopd]

Possibly @develar can share some insights or even code from his work with Electron and AppImage.

[develar]

@probonopd Mantainers of this package decided to reinvent the wheel and declined the idea to use electron-builder under the hood — #1 (comment) In any case electron-builder will provide such API in the future (well, it is possible even now, just not documented / polished to be used standalone).

[malept]

@develar I would avoid talking about "reinventing the wheel", given how electron-builder evolved.

In any event, if you (or another contributor) would like to extract the electron-builder AppImage code into a standalone NPM package (as mentioned in a related issue, preferably in the same style as the electron-installer-* packages), we would be happy to investigate integrating that package into Electron Forge.

[develar]

@malept develar/electron-builder@9a3aee1#diff-9e7c5502a6b152427a4c43b0cd7d65d6

You can use electron-builder only to build prepackaged app into distributable format (AppImage, Snaps).

./node_modules/.bin/build --prepackaged <packed dir>

Do you like this solution (not yet merged to electron-builder)? Do you like CLI option name?

[malept]

The main problem I have with this approach is that I don't want to add a heavyweight dependency where we'll only use a small fraction of the functionality. We're adhering to the Node community/UNIX convention where modules should ideally be created for one particular concept, and then meshed together in higher-level modules.

To reiterate what I said in an earlier comment:

if you (or another contributor) would like to extract the electron-builder AppImage code into a standalone NPM package (as mentioned in a related issue, preferably in the same style as the electron-installer-* packages), we would be happy to investigate integrating that package into Electron Forge.

[develar]

@malept The only heavyweight dependency is request from electron-download (nugget) :)

electron-builder downloads required binaries for various targets on the fly — so, if you build AppImage, nsis (or squirrel.windows, or anything else) will be not downloaded.

Ok, I got your point, thanks (e.g. currently archiver is required only for squirrel.windows, but installed in any case).

[probonopd]

Please check and possibly merge https://www.npmjs.com/package/electron-forge-maker-appimage

[develar]

@probonopd All electron-builder targets now are available for electron-forge — electron-userland/electron-builder#1193 (comment) (strictly speaking not all, but rest will be published in several days).

User just install mentioned module and can specify appimage target in the electron-forge config.

[mdrx-io]

@develar am I missing an extra step to add the appimage make target besides:

1. yarn add electron-forge-maker-appimage
2. add "appimage" to make_targets.linux

I get this error when I try to electron-forge make:

┌─ 08:40 AM in ~/work/eforge 
└───> electron-forge make
✔ Checking your system
✔ Resolving Forge Config

An unhandled rejection has occurred inside Forge:
Could not find a build target with the name: appimage for the platform: linux
Error: Could not find a build target with the name: appimage for the platform: linux
    at _callee3$ (/usr/local/share/.config/yarn/global/node_modules/electron-forge/dist/api/make.js:170:19)
    at tryCatch (/usr/local/share/.config/yarn/global/node_modules/regenerator-runtime/runtime.js:65:40)
    at Generator.invoke [as _invoke] (/usr/local/share/.config/yarn/global/node_modules/regenerator-runtime/runtime.js:303:22)
    at Generator.prototype.(anonymous function) [as next] (/usr/local/share/.config/yarn/global/node_modules/regenerator-runtime/runtime.js:117:21)
    at Generator.tryCatcher (/usr/local/share/.config/yarn/global/node_modules/bluebird/js/release/util.js:16:23)
    at PromiseSpawn._promiseFulfilled (/usr/local/share/.config/yarn/global/node_modules/bluebird/js/release/generators.js:97:49)
    at Async._drainQueue (/usr/local/share/.config/yarn/global/node_modules/bluebird/js/release/async.js:138:12)
    at Async._drainQueues (/usr/local/share/.config/yarn/global/node_modules/bluebird/js/release/async.js:143:10)
    at Immediate.Async.drainQueues (/usr/local/share/.config/yarn/global/node_modules/bluebird/js/release/async.js:17:14)
    at runCallback (timers.js:672:20)
    at tryOnImmediate (timers.js:645:5)
    at processImmediate [as _immediateCallback] (timers.js:617:5)

And here is my config in a test program, "eforge":

{
    "name": "eforge",
    "productName": "eforge",
    "version": "1.0.0",
    "description": "My Electron application description",
    "main": "src/index.js",
    "scripts": {
        "start": "electron-forge start",
        "package": "electron-forge package",
        "make": "electron-forge make",
        "lint": "eslint src"
    },
    "keywords": [],
    "author": "crunchex",
    "license": "MIT",
    "config": {
        "forge": {
            "make_targets": {
                "win32": [
                    "squirrel"
                ],
                "darwin": [
                    "zip"
                ],
                "linux": [
                    "deb",
                    "rpm",
                    "appimage"
                ]
            },
            "electronPackagerConfig": {},
            "electronWinstallerConfig": {
                "name": "eforge"
            },
            "electronInstallerDebian": {},
            "electronInstallerRedhat": {},
            "github_repository": {
                "owner": "",
                "name": ""
            },
            "windowsStoreConfig": {
                "packageName": "",
                "name": "eforge"
            }
        }
    },
    "dependencies": {
        "electron-compile": "^6.4.1",
        "electron-forge-maker-appimage": "^17.0.1"
    },
    "devDependencies": {
        "babel-plugin-transform-async-to-generator": "^6.24.1",
        "babel-preset-env": "^1.4.0",
        "babel-preset-react": "^6.24.1",
        "electron-prebuilt-compile": "1.6.6",
        "eslint": "^3.19.0",
        "eslint-config-airbnb": "^14.1.0",
        "eslint-plugin-import": "^2.2.0",
        "eslint-plugin-jsx-a11y": "^3.0.0",
        "eslint-plugin-react": "^6.10.3"
    }
}

[MarshallOfSound]

@crunchex Can you run with the DEBUG=electron-forge* environment variable

And actually thinking about it, we just went through a breaking change in the API that our maker logic expects (hence the recent 3.0.0 bump)

Makers now need to export an async function which determines if the maker can be used on the current system. Internal example and arguments are passed to the maker in one object instead of as multiple arguments example

The breaking change bump was made as per semver so if you want to use the existing electron-builder makers until they are updated to the new API you can stick with electron-forge@^2.0.0 (anything in the 2.x.x major version)

/cc @develar

[develar]

electron-forge-maker-appimage 18.2.0 published.

[mdrx-io]

@develar looks like you added support for 3.0.0, but if I go through the same process and electron-forge init a new test project and yarn add electron-forge-maker-appimage with the latest version I still get the same error.

@MarshallOfSound here's the output with the latest version of the appimage package:

┌─ 05:09 PM in ~/work/eforge 
└───> DEBUG=electron-forge* npm run make

> eforge@1.0.0 make /home/mtl/work/eforge
> electron-forge make

WARNING: DEBUG environment variable detected.  Progress indicators will be sent over electron-forge:lifecycle
  electron-forge:lifecycle Process Started: Checking your system +0ms
  electron-forge:lifecycle Process Succeeded: Checking your system +14ms
  electron-forge:runtime-config setting key: verbose to value: false +6ms
WARNING: DEBUG environment variable detected.  Progress indicators will be sent over electron-forge:lifecycle
  electron-forge:lifecycle Process Started: Resolving Forge Config +0ms
  electron-forge:project-resolver searching for project in: /home/mtl/work/eforge +2ms
  electron-forge:project-resolver electron-forge compatible package.json found in /home/mtl/work/eforge/package.json +5ms
  electron-forge:lifecycle Process Succeeded: Resolving Forge Config +5ms
  electron-forge:require-search searching [ '../makers/linux/appimage.js',
  '../makers/generic/appimage.js',
  'electron-forge-maker-appimage',
  'appimage',
  '/home/mtl/work/eforge/appimage',
  '/home/mtl/work/eforge/node_modules/appimage',
  '/usr/local/share/.config/yarn/global/node_modules/electron-forge/dist/makers/linux/appimage.js',
  '/usr/local/share/.config/yarn/global/node_modules/electron-forge/dist/makers/generic/appimage.js',
  '/usr/local/share/.config/yarn/global/node_modules/electron-forge/dist/api/electron-forge-maker-appimage',
  '/usr/local/share/.config/yarn/global/node_modules/electron-forge/dist/api/appimage',
  '/home/mtl/work/eforge/appimage',
  '/home/mtl/work/eforge/node_modules/appimage',
  '/usr/local/share/.config/yarn/global/node_modules/electron-forge/dist/api/makers/linux/appimage.js',
  '/usr/local/share/.config/yarn/global/node_modules/electron-forge/dist/api/makers/generic/appimage.js',
  '/usr/local/share/.config/yarn/global/node_modules/electron-forge/dist/api/node_modules/electron-forge-maker-appimage',
  '/usr/local/share/.config/yarn/global/node_modules/electron-forge/dist/api/node_modules/appimage',
  '/home/mtl/work/eforge/appimage',
  '/home/mtl/work/eforge/node_modules/appimage' ] relative to /usr/local/share/.config/yarn/global/node_modules/electron-forge/dist/api +0ms
  electron-forge:require-search testing ../makers/linux/appimage.js +3ms
  electron-forge:require-search testing ../makers/generic/appimage.js +0ms
  electron-forge:require-search testing electron-forge-maker-appimage +0ms
  electron-forge:require-search testing appimage +0ms
  electron-forge:require-search testing /home/mtl/work/eforge/appimage +0ms
  electron-forge:require-search testing /home/mtl/work/eforge/node_modules/appimage +0ms
  electron-forge:require-search testing /usr/local/share/.config/yarn/global/node_modules/electron-forge/dist/makers/linux/appimage.js +0ms
  electron-forge:require-search testing /usr/local/share/.config/yarn/global/node_modules/electron-forge/dist/makers/generic/appimage.js +1ms
  electron-forge:require-search testing /usr/local/share/.config/yarn/global/node_modules/electron-forge/dist/api/electron-forge-maker-appimage +0ms
  electron-forge:require-search testing /usr/local/share/.config/yarn/global/node_modules/electron-forge/dist/api/appimage +0ms
  electron-forge:require-search testing /home/mtl/work/eforge/appimage +0ms
  electron-forge:require-search testing /home/mtl/work/eforge/node_modules/appimage +0ms
  electron-forge:require-search testing /usr/local/share/.config/yarn/global/node_modules/electron-forge/dist/api/makers/linux/appimage.js +0ms
  electron-forge:require-search testing /usr/local/share/.config/yarn/global/node_modules/electron-forge/dist/api/makers/generic/appimage.js +0ms
  electron-forge:require-search testing /usr/local/share/.config/yarn/global/node_modules/electron-forge/dist/api/node_modules/electron-forge-maker-appimage +0ms
  electron-forge:require-search testing /usr/local/share/.config/yarn/global/node_modules/electron-forge/dist/api/node_modules/appimage +0ms
  electron-forge:require-search testing /home/mtl/work/eforge/appimage +1ms
  electron-forge:require-search testing /home/mtl/work/eforge/node_modules/appimage +0ms
  electron-forge:require-search failed to find a module in [ '../makers/linux/appimage.js',
  '../makers/generic/appimage.js',
  'electron-forge-maker-appimage',
  'appimage',
  '/home/mtl/work/eforge/appimage',
  '/home/mtl/work/eforge/node_modules/appimage',
  '/usr/local/share/.config/yarn/global/node_modules/electron-forge/dist/makers/linux/appimage.js',
  '/usr/local/share/.config/yarn/global/node_modules/electron-forge/dist/makers/generic/appimage.js',
  '/usr/local/share/.config/yarn/global/node_modules/electron-forge/dist/api/electron-forge-maker-appimage',
  '/usr/local/share/.config/yarn/global/node_modules/electron-forge/dist/api/appimage',
  '/home/mtl/work/eforge/appimage',
  '/home/mtl/work/eforge/node_modules/appimage',
  '/usr/local/share/.config/yarn/global/node_modules/electron-forge/dist/api/makers/linux/appimage.js',
  '/usr/local/share/.config/yarn/global/node_modules/electron-forge/dist/api/makers/generic/appimage.js',
  '/usr/local/share/.config/yarn/global/node_modules/electron-forge/dist/api/node_modules/electron-forge-maker-appimage',
  '/usr/local/share/.config/yarn/global/node_modules/electron-forge/dist/api/node_modules/appimage',
  '/home/mtl/work/eforge/appimage',
  '/home/mtl/work/eforge/node_modules/appimage' ] +0ms

An unhandled rejection has occurred inside Forge:
Could not find a build target with the name: appimage for the platform: linux
Error: Could not find a build target with the name: appimage for the platform: linux
    at _callee3$ (/usr/local/share/.config/yarn/global/node_modules/electron-forge/dist/api/make.js:170:19)
    at tryCatch (/usr/local/share/.config/yarn/global/node_modules/regenerator-runtime/runtime.js:65:40)
    at Generator.invoke [as _invoke] (/usr/local/share/.config/yarn/global/node_modules/regenerator-runtime/runtime.js:303:22)
    at Generator.prototype.(anonymous function) [as next] (/usr/local/share/.config/yarn/global/node_modules/regenerator-runtime/runtime.js:117:21)
    at Generator.tryCatcher (/usr/local/share/.config/yarn/global/node_modules/bluebird/js/release/util.js:16:23)
    at PromiseSpawn._promiseFulfilled (/usr/local/share/.config/yarn/global/node_modules/bluebird/js/release/generators.js:97:49)
    at Promise._settlePromise (/usr/local/share/.config/yarn/global/node_modules/bluebird/js/release/promise.js:574:26)
    at Promise._settlePromise0 (/usr/local/share/.config/yarn/global/node_modules/bluebird/js/release/promise.js:614:10)
    at Promise._settlePromises (/usr/local/share/.config/yarn/global/node_modules/bluebird/js/release/promise.js:693:18)
    at Async._drainQueue (/usr/local/share/.config/yarn/global/node_modules/bluebird/js/release/async.js:133:16)
    at Async._drainQueues (/usr/local/share/.config/yarn/global/node_modules/bluebird/js/release/async.js:143:10)
    at Immediate.Async.drainQueues (/usr/local/share/.config/yarn/global/node_modules/bluebird/js/release/async.js:17:14)
    at runCallback (timers.js:672:20)
    at tryOnImmediate (timers.js:645:5)
    at processImmediate [as _immediateCallback] (timers.js:617:5)

npm ERR! Linux 4.4.0-77-generic
npm ERR! argv "/usr/bin/nodejs" "/usr/bin/npm" "run" "make"
npm ERR! node v7.9.0
npm ERR! npm  v4.2.0
npm ERR! code ELIFECYCLE
npm ERR! errno 1
npm ERR! eforge@1.0.0 make: `electron-forge make`
npm ERR! Exit status 1
npm ERR! 
npm ERR! Failed at the eforge@1.0.0 make script 'electron-forge make'.
npm ERR! Make sure you have the latest version of node.js and npm installed.
npm ERR! If you do, this is most likely a problem with the eforge package,
npm ERR! not with npm itself.
npm ERR! Tell the author that this fails on your system:
npm ERR!     electron-forge make
npm ERR! You can get information on how to open an issue for this project with:
npm ERR!     npm bugs eforge
npm ERR! Or if that isn't available, you can get their info via:
npm ERR!     npm owner ls eforge
npm ERR! There is likely additional logging output above.

npm ERR! Please include the following file with any support request:
npm ERR!     /home/mtl/.npm/_logs/2017-05-03T00_10_17_252Z-debug.log