Publish app on f-droid

[sedrubal]

Summary

Some users don't have google play store but f-droid. Is it possible to provide free builds (with only free and open source libraries)? I don't know if it's possible to build this app with the tools provided by f-droid...

[licaon-kter]

Started to update the recipe for 2.0.0 (fyi 1.56.0 builds fine):

  - versionName: 2.0.0
    versionCode: 446
    commit: ca1f6df1c65f1f0609874afbbd9fd83dfb4d9a51
    subdir: android/app
    sudo:
      - sdkmanager 'build-tools;31.0.0' 'build-tools;30.0.3'
      - cp /opt/android-sdk/build-tools/30.0.3/lib/dx.jar /opt/android-sdk/build-tools/31.0.0/lib/dx.jar
      - cp /opt/android-sdk/build-tools/30.0.3/dx /opt/android-sdk/build-tools/31.0.0/dx
      - sysctl fs.inotify.max_user_watches=524288 || true
      - curl -Lo node.tar.gz https://nodejs.org/dist/v18.12.1/node-v18.12.1-linux-x64.tar.gz
      - echo "a8fcacb8033504e6d704bdee821f7005ee3774db25c799bcf2a13b5bda7de172  node.tar.gz"
        | sha256sum -c -
      - tar xzf node.tar.gz --strip-components=1 -C /usr/local/
      - npm -g install yarn
      - npm -g install npm@7
    init:
      - cd ../..
      - sed -i -e '/react-native-youtube/d' -e 's|git://github.com/||' package.json
      - sed -i -e "/fs.existsSync('dist')/,+2d" scripts/generate-assets.js
      - mkdir -p dist/assets
      - sed -i -e '/mmjstool":\ {/,/^    },/d' package-lock.json
      - npm install --ignore-scripts
    gradle:
      - yes
    srclibs:
      - react-native-reanimated@2.13.0
    rm:
      - ios
      - app/components/post_list/post/body/content/youtube/
      - node_modules/react-native-notifications/lib/android/app/src/main/java/com/wix/reactnativenotifications/fcm/FcmInstanceIdListenerService.java
      - node_modules/react-native/sdks/hermesc/win64-bin
    prebuild:
      - sed -i -e '/gms/d' ../build.gradle build.gradle
      - sed -i -e 's|$rootDir.*Detox-android|https://jitpack.io|' ../build.gradle
      - sed -i -e '/bundleCommand/a nodeExecutableAndArgs:["node","--max-old-space-size=12000"],'
        -e '/firebase/d' -e '/detox/d' build.gradle
      - cd ../..
      - npx patch-package --error-on-fail
      - sed -i -e '/if (isYoutubeLink/,/^\s\{8\}}/d' -e '/YouTube/d' app/components/post_list/post/body/content/index.tsx
      - sed -i -e "/dependencies {/aimplementation 'im.conversations.webrtc:webrtc-android:104.0.0'"
        node_modules/react-native-webrtc/android/build.gradle
      - sed -i -e '/bintray/d' node_modules/@rudderstack/rudder-sdk-react-native/android/build.gradle
      - sed -E -i '/installreferrer/,+11d' node_modules/react-native-device-info/android/build.gradle
      - sed -i -e 's|maven.fabric.io/public|jitpack.io|' node_modules/react-native-math-view/android/build.gradle
      - cp node_modules/@mattermost/compass-icons/font/compass-icons.ttf assets/fonts/
      - cp node_modules/@mattermost/compass-icons/font/compass-icons.ttf android/app/src/main/assets/fonts
      - cd node_modules/react-native-notifications/lib/android/app
      - sed -i -e '/firebase-messaging/d' build.gradle
      - sed -i -e '/google-services/d' ../build.gradle
      - sed -i -e '/FcmInstanceIdListenerService/,/<service/d' src/main/AndroidManifest.xml
      - sed -i -e '/FirebaseApp/d' src/main/java/com/wix/reactnativenotifications/RNNotificationsPackage.java
      - sed -i -e '/FirebaseMessaging.getInstance/,/});/d' -e '/FirebaseMessaging/d'
        src/main/java/com/wix/reactnativenotifications/fcm/FcmToken.java
    scanignore:
      - android/build.gradle
      - node_modules/jsc-android
      - node_modules/react-native/android
      - node_modules/@react-native-community/netinfo/android/build.gradle
      - node_modules/react-native-document-picker/android/build.gradle
      - node_modules/react-native-device-info/android/build.gradle
      - node_modules/react-native-localize/android/build.gradle
      - node_modules/react-native-navigation/lib/android/build.gradle
      - node_modules/react-native-notifications/lib/android/build.gradle
      - node_modules/react-native-permissions/android/build.gradle
      - node_modules/react-native-safe-area-context/android/build.gradle
      - node_modules/react-native-screens/android/build.gradle
      - node_modules/react-native-share/android/build.gradle
      - node_modules/react-native-svg/android/build.gradle
      - node_modules/react-native-vector-icons/android/build.gradle
      - node_modules/react-native-webview/android/build.gradle
      - node_modules/detox/android/build.gradle
      - node_modules/detox/android/detox/publishing.gradle
      - node_modules/@mattermost/react-native-paste-input/android/build.gradle
      - node_modules/@react-native-cookies/cookies/android/build.gradle
      - node_modules/react-native-math-view/android/build.gradle
      - node_modules/react-native-fast-image/android/build.gradle
      - node_modules/react-native/ReactAndroid/build.gradle
      - node_modules/@mattermost/react-native-emm/android/build.gradle
      - node_modules/@mattermost/react-native-network-client/android/build.gradle
      - node_modules/@mattermost/react-native-turbo-log/android/build.gradle
      - node_modules/@mattermost/react-native-turbo-mailer/android/build.gradle
      - node_modules/@react-native-camera-roll/camera-roll/android/build.gradle
      - node_modules/react-native-create-thumbnail/android/build.gradle
      - node_modules/react-native-in-app-review/android/build.gradle
      - node_modules/react-native-linear-gradient/android/build.gradle
      - node_modules/react-native/ReactAndroid/hermes-engine/build.gradle
      - node_modules/react-native-reanimated/android/build.gradle
      - node_modules/react-native/template/android/build.gradle
      - node_modules/@stream-io/flat-list-mvcp/android/build.gradle
    scandelete:
      - node_modules
    build:
      - pushd ../..
      - node scripts/generate-assets.js
      - ./node_modules/.bin/jetify
      - popd
      - pushd $$react-native-reanimated$$
      - yarn add react-native@0.70.6
      - gradle :assembleRelease
      - popd
      - mv $$react-native-reanimated$$/build/outputs/aar/android-release.aar ../../node_modules/react-native-reanimated/android/react-native-reanimated-70-jsc.aar
    ndk: r21e

but I had to stop since react-native-in-app-review depends on non-FOSS libs: https://github.com/MinaSamir11/react-native-in-app-review/blob/master/android/build.gradle#L56-L57

Also this fail when building reanimated

> Task :verifyReleaseResources FAILED

FAILURE: Build failed with an exception.

* What went wrong:
Execution failed for task ':verifyReleaseResources'.
> A failure occurred while executing com.android.build.gradle.tasks.VerifyLibraryResourcesTask$Action
   > Android resource linking failed
     ERROR:/home/vagrant/build/srclib/react-native-reanimated/android/build/intermediates/merged_res/release/values/values.xml:2732: AAPT: error: resource android:attr/lStar not found.

[licaon-kter]

2.0.0 will come to F-Droid soon thanks to @linsui , but not recommended yet so users are not updated unless they opted in for "unstable versions" or "beta versions (F-Droid Client 1.16)". Will promote to recommended when this is tagged here (feel free to ping us).

Of note, we've also split the APK into "per arch" APKs so each is now 50Mb or less. For this to work we've bumped versionCode as versionCode * 100 + arch, eg. arm64 ends up as 44903

ref: https://gitlab.com/fdroid/fdroiddata/-/commit/7c0f7023efb492171a229db587cab681824b8494

/LE: fix typo

[licaon-kter]

Tagged and updated recipe: https://gitlab.com/fdroid/fdroiddata/-/commit/7297f48cfe8eb6ef90af5369f2fd35d528688849

[okias]

I assume this can be closed as DONE? https://f-droid.org/en/packages/com.mattermost.rnbeta/

[larkox]

We're excited to see our app on f-droid; however, the f-droid version is community maintained and not officially supported or tested by Mattermost. You are most welcome to discuss this on the Mattermost Community Server (we have an f-droid channel), and we encourage you to share f-droid updates on the Mattermost Discussion Forum site.

With all that being said, since the objective of this issue seems met, and I see agreement on the thread, I will mark it as done.

[licaon-kter]

however, the f-droid version is community maintained and not officially supported or tested by Mattermost.

Does that mean you'll clean up a flavor that won't be .beta and will be official soon? :)

[larkox]

@licaon-kter sadly, quite the opposite I guess :sweat_smile:

[einarpersson]

Could the apk be published (signed) directly in the repo/releases so that you can install with Obtainium without f-droid even?

[licaon-kter]

@einarpersson you mean with Google proprietary libs?

[einarpersson]

Sorry I am a bit new to the android ecosystem. I guess I am talking about the version that is published on f droid? But I now understand that that is an unofficial fork right now.

Anyhow: The reason I wanted Mattermost for my team(s) was to get away from Slack, Google etc. as much as possible. I cannot imagine I am the only one thinking like that. And then being able to use something like Obtainium to install apps (like Mattermost) directly from repository is exactly what I want.

[licaon-kter]

I guess I am talking about the version that is published on f droid?

As the issue title says...

But you can always get Mattermost from F-Droid directly, why install Obtainium but not F-Droid Client instead? :slightly_smiling_face:

But I now understand that that is an unofficial fork right now.

It is, because F-Droid cleans up non-FOSS libs by Google used for Push and etc