How to package this electron app for distribution?

[alokmahor]

How to package this electron app for distribution? I tried to package using electron-builder but that does not work.

[hrueger]

Hi @alokmahor, What issue do you have with electron-builder? I use it in AGView and it works fine.

[alokmahor]

I tried to generate installer by adding electron-build related entries in package.json.

{
  "name": "obs-studio-node-example",
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "description": "Electron and OBS together. As simple as possible.",
  "main": "index.js",
  "scripts": {
    "start": "electron .",
    "test": "echo \"Error: no test specified\" && exit 1",
    "pack": "electron-builder --dir",
    "dist": "electron-builder",
    "postinstall": "electron-builder install-app-deps"
  },
  "keywords": [
    "streaming"
  ],
  "author": "",
  "license": "GPL-2.0",
  "dependencies": {
    "obs-studio-node": "https://obsstudionodes3.streamlabs.com/osn-0.10.10-release-win64.tar.gz",
    "rxjs": "^6.6.3",
    "uuid": "^8.3.0"
  },
  "devDependencies": {
    "electron": "^10.2.0",
    "electron-builder": "^22.10.5"
  },
  "build": {
    "appId": "com.something.app"
  }
}

I run yarn dist to generate installer. I am able to see installer in dist directory. I am able to run it but it get closed automatically. When I run this installer it install at C:\Users\alokm\AppData\Local\Programs\obs-studio-node-example\obs-studio-node-example.exe

When I try to run C:\Users\alokm\AppData\Local\Programs\obs-studio-node-example\obs-studio-node-example.exe this open for about one second then it get closed automatically.

I am on master branch of code.

What I am missing to make it working?

[hrueger]

If you start a terminal / command prompt, navigate to C:\Users\alokm\AppData\Local\Programs\obs-studio-node-example\ and run the exe, what is the output?

[alokmahor]

I dont see any error message. GUI opens for only about one second then closes itself. I see only only log line

PS C:\Users\alokm\tmp\streamlabs\obs-studio-node-example> cd C:\Users\alokm\AppData\Local\Programs\obs-studio-node-example
PS C:\Users\alokm\AppData\Local\Programs\obs-studio-node-example> .\obs-studio-node-example.exe
PS C:\Users\alokm\AppData\Local\Programs\obs-studio-node-example>
Initializing OBS...

PS C:\Users\alokm\AppData\Local\Programs\obs-studio-node-example>

I guess execution is getting stuck in

function initOBS() {
  console.debug('Initializing OBS...');
  osn.NodeObs.IPC.host(`obs-studio-node-example-${uuid()}`);
  osn.NodeObs.SetWorkingDirectory(path.join(__dirname, 'node_modules', 'obs-studio-node'));

  const obsDataPath = path.join(__dirname, 'osn-data'); // OBS Studio configs and logs
  // Arguments: locale, path to directory where configuration and logs will be stored, your application version
  const initResult = osn.NodeObs.OBS_API_initAPI('en-US', obsDataPath, '1.0.0');

  if (initResult !== 0) {
    const errorReasons = {
      '-2': 'DirectX could not be found on your system. Please install the latest version of DirectX for your machine here <https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=35?> and try again.',
      '-5': 'Failed to initialize OBS. Your video drivers may be out of date, or Streamlabs OBS may not be supported on your system.',
    }

    const errorMessage = errorReasons[initResult.toString()] || `An unknown error #${initResult} was encountered while initializing OBS.`;

    console.error('OBS init failure', errorMessage);

    shutdown();

    throw Error(errorMessage);
  }

Code is running fine but distribution is not running. What can be the reason?

[hrueger]

I found the problem. In the path generated by path.join we have to replace app.asar by app.asar.unpacked. I remember that I had to do this in AGView, too: https://github.com/hrueger/AGView/blob/0de69a75ad308959f152480a53099cd72706d1f5/src/worker/obs.ts#L61-L62

@Envek Should I create a PR? It doesn't break anything when run in dev mode as in that case there is no app.asar in the path, so nothing will be replaced.

Edit: They even do this in streamlabs-obs: https://github.com/stream-labs/streamlabs-obs/blob/93a61df3d3b9419749150931c9ba1887e6e30db4/app/app.ts#L287-L293 😅

[Envek]

Should I create a PR?

@hrueger oh, yes, please! :pray:

Thank you for the investigation!

[alokmahor]

Thank you @hrueger and @Envek :) replacing app.asar by app.asar.unpacked sovled my problem 🙏

[hrueger]

@Envek The videos folder does not exist when packaged. Should we use the default videos folder? https://www.electronjs.org/docs/api/app#appgetpathname

[alokmahor]

Since this is a different problem, would you mind creating a separate issue for that? I am sorry. I have created new issue

[hrueger]

Since this is a different problem, would you mind creating a separate issue for that?