desktop application doesn't run when build is completed

[mirtaqi07]

What happened?

I am trying to build the desktop application by running yarn make in packages/frontend/electron, it builds the artifacts but when I open the exe, following error shows up saying can't find electron-updater but electron-updater is in the node modules although the yarn install was a success. I couldn't figure out, kindly help me to build the desktop app.

Distribution version

Windows x64

What browsers are you seeing the problem on if you're using web version?

No response

Are you self-hosting?

• [ ] Yes

Relevant log output

E:\AFFiNE\packages\frontend\electron>yarn make
(node:7940) ExperimentalWarning: `--experimental-loader` may be removed in the future; instead use `register()`:
--import 'data:text/javascript,import { register } from "node:module"; import { pathToFileURL } from "node:url"; register("ts-node/esm/transpile-only", pathToFileURL("./"));'
(Use `node --trace-warnings ...` to show where the warning was created)
√ Checking your system
(node:7748) ExperimentalWarning: `--experimental-loader` may be removed in the future; instead use `register()`:
--import 'data:text/javascript,import { register } from "node:module"; import { pathToFileURL } from "node:url"; register("ts-node/esm/transpile-only", pathToFileURL("./"));'
(Use `node --trace-warnings ...` to show where the warning was created)
√ Loading configuration
√ Resolving make targets
√ Loading configuration
√ Resolving make targets
  › Making for the following targets: ,
√ Running package command
  √ Preparing to package application
  √ Running packaging hooks
    √ Running generateAssets hook
      √ Running generateAssets hook from forgeConfig
    √ Running prePackage hook
      √ Running prePackage hook from forgeConfig
  √ Packaging application
    √ Packaging for x64 on win32 [4m29s]
  √ Running postPackage hook
√ Running preMake hook
√ Making distributables
  √ Making a zip distributable for win32/x64 [32s]
  √ Making a squirrel distributable for win32/x64 [1m56s]
√ Running postMake hook
  › Artifacts available at: E:\AFFiNE\packages\frontend\electron\out\canary\make

E:\AFFiNE\packages\frontend\electron>

Anything else?

No response

[affine-issue-bot[bot]]

Issue Status: 🆕 *Untriaged

*🆕 Untriaged**

The team has not yet reviewed the issue. We usually do it within one business day. Docs: https://github.com/toeverything/AFFiNE/blob/canary/docs/issue-triaging.md

^{_{This is an automatic reply by the bot.}}

[pengx17]

Due to some issues on the package manager (hoisting) + electron compatibility issues, the electron build will be done in two stages.

1. build frontend (with default yarn settings)
2. build electron (reinstall with hoisting off)

Below is a script that I used for debugging build issues on MacOS. I think you can easily adopt it for windows as well.

#!/bin/bash

echo "step 1: clean up"
find . -name "node_modules" -prune -exec rm -rf '{}' +
# git clean -dfX
git checkout .
build_type=canary

echo "step 2: install web dependencies"
# firstly, build web static
PLAYWRIGHT_SKIP_BROWSER_DOWNLOAD=1 SENTRYCLI_SKIP_DOWNLOAD=1 PLAYWRIGHT_SKIP_BROWSER_DOWNLOAD=1 HUSKY=1 yarn

echo "step 3: generate assets"
BUILD_TYPE="$build_type" yarn workspace @affine/electron generate-assets

# cleanup node_modules
find . -name "node_modules" -prune -exec rm -rf '{}' +

echo "step 4: install electron dependencies"
# install electron deps
yarn config set nmHoistingLimits workspaces
yarn config set enableScripts false
yarn config set nmMode classic
PLAYWRIGHT_SKIP_BROWSER_DOWNLOAD=1 HUSKY=0 yarn workspaces focus @affine/electron @affine/monorepo

echo "step 5: build native"
# build native
yarn workspace @affine/native build
yarn workspace @affine/storage build

echo "step 6: build electron"
# build electron
yarn workspace @affine/electron build

echo "step 7: package electron"
# package
SKIP_GENERATE_ASSETS=1 BUILD_TYPE="$build_type" HOIST_NODE_MODULES=1 yarn workspace @affine/electron package

[mirtaqi07]

Thanks. I've tried cleared all the cache and follow the instructions. At yarn workspace @affine/storage build,

F:\AFFiNE>yarn workspace @affine/storage build Compiling cfg-if v1.0.0 Compiling windows_x86_64_msvc v0.48.5 Compiling syn v2.0.38 Compiling libm v0.2.8 Compiling getrandom v0.2.10 Compiling windows-targets v0.48.5 Compiling num-traits v0.2.17 Compiling once_cell v1.18.0 Compiling rand_core v0.6.4 Compiling typenum v1.17.0 Compiling ppv-lite86 v0.2.17 Compiling generic-array v0.14.7 Compiling rand_chacha v0.3.1 Compiling smallvec v1.11.1 Compiling radium v0.7.0 Compiling zerocopy v0.7.31 Compiling serde v1.0.193 Compiling scopeguard v1.2.0 Compiling lock_api v0.4.11 Compiling ahash v0.8.6 Compiling serde_derive v1.0.193 Compiling parking_lot_core v0.9.9 Compiling rand v0.8.5 Compiling windows-sys v0.48.0 Compiling hashbrown v0.14.2 Compiling tap v1.0.1 Compiling wyz v0.5.1 Compiling libloading v0.8.1 Compiling dashmap v5.5.3 Compiling hashbrown v0.13.2 Compiling thiserror-impl v1.0.50 Compiling block-buffer v0.10.4 Compiling crypto-common v0.1.6 Compiling itoa v1.0.9 Compiling pin-project-lite v0.2.13 Compiling num_cpus v1.16.0 Compiling ryu v1.0.15 Compiling memchr v2.6.4 Compiling funty v2.0.0 Compiling minimal-lexical v0.2.1 Compiling thiserror v1.0.50 Compiling bitvec v1.0.1 Compiling nom v7.1.3 Compiling napi-derive-backend v1.0.59 Compiling affine_storage v1.0.0 (F:\AFFiNE\packages\backend\storage) Compiling tokio v1.34.0 Compiling serde_json v1.0.108 Compiling digest v0.10.7 Compiling lasso v0.7.2 Compiling napi-sys v2.3.0 Compiling nanoid v0.4.0 Compiling rand_distr v0.4.3 Compiling ordered-float v4.1.1 Compiling ctor v0.2.5 Compiling bitflags v2.4.1 Compiling byteorder v1.5.0 Compiling log v0.4.20 Compiling keccak v0.1.4 Compiling smol_str v0.2.1 Compiling napi v2.14.1 Compiling sha3 v0.10.8 Compiling napi-derive v2.15.0 Compiling y-octo v0.0.1 (https://github.com/y-crdt/y-octo.git?branch=main#01ec08ac) Compiling chrono v0.4.31 error: expected item, found .. --> packages\backend\storage\src\hashcash.rs:1:1	1	../../../frontend/native/src/hashcash.rs	^^ expected item

= note: for a full list of items that can appear in modules, see https://doc.rust-lang.org/reference/items.html

error: could not compile affine_storage (lib) due to 1 previous error Internal Error: Build failed with exit code 101 at ChildProcess. (file:///F:/AFFiNE/node_modules/@napi-rs/cli/dist/api/build.js:184:28) at Object.onceWrapper (node:events:629:26) at ChildProcess.emit (node:events:526:35) at ChildProcess._handle.onexit (node:internal/child_process:294:12)

F:\AFFiNE>

[pengx17]

Oh, I forgot that you also need to install rust toolchain and then run yarn workspace @affine/storage build and yarn workspace @affine/native build before running make for the electron module

[mirtaqi07]

it is installed in my system. Can you plz build in your system and tell me the steps. I'm stuck here for days.

[pengx17]

Oh, sorry I missed the log you pasted. The issue here is that on Windows you may need to turn on symlink for git, otherwise packages/backend/storage/src/hashcash.rs will not be correctly be read from git. You can turn it on by running

1. remove your packages/backend/storage/src/hashcash.rs from your local machine
2. git config --global core.symlinks true
3. git checkout packages/backend/storage/src/hashcash.rs

Afterwards you can try build storage and native package again.

[mirtaqi07]

I've done that, but still the error is same.

F:\AFFiNE>git config --get core.symlinks false

F:\AFFiNE>git checkout packages/backend/storage/src/hashcash.rs Updated 1 path from the index

Details

F:\AFFiNE>yarn workspace @affine/storage build Compiling cfg-if v1.0.0 Compiling windows_x86_64_msvc v0.48.5 Compiling getrandom v0.2.10 Compiling windows-targets v0.48.5 Compiling once_cell v1.18.0 Compiling rand_core v0.6.4 Compiling typenum v1.17.0 Compiling ppv-lite86 v0.2.17 Compiling smallvec v1.11.1 Compiling zerocopy v0.7.31 Compiling rand_chacha v0.3.1 Compiling scopeguard v1.2.0 Compiling generic-array v0.14.7 Compiling lock_api v0.4.11 Compiling ahash v0.8.6 Compiling rand v0.8.5 Compiling parking_lot_core v0.9.9 Compiling windows-sys v0.48.0 Compiling block-buffer v0.10.4 Compiling dashmap v5.5.3 Compiling crypto-common v0.1.6 Compiling hashbrown v0.13.2 Compiling minimal-lexical v0.2.1 Compiling libloading v0.8.1 Compiling itoa v1.0.9 Compiling pin-project-lite v0.2.13 Compiling num_cpus v1.16.0 Compiling ryu v1.0.15 Compiling tokio v1.34.0 Compiling nom v7.1.3 Compiling serde_json v1.0.108 Compiling lasso v0.7.2 Compiling napi-sys v2.3.0 Compiling rand_distr v0.4.3 Compiling nanoid v0.4.0 Compiling digest v0.10.7 Compiling log v0.4.20 Compiling bitflags v2.4.1 Compiling keccak v0.1.4 Compiling napi v2.14.1 Compiling y-octo v0.0.1 (https://github.com/y-crdt/y-octo.git?branch=main#01ec08ac) Compiling sha3 v0.10.8 Compiling chrono v0.4.31 Compiling affine_storage v1.0.0 (F:\AFFiNE\packages\backend\storage) error: expected item, found `..` --> packages\backend\storage\src\hashcash.rs:1:1 | 1 | ../../../frontend/native/src/hashcash.rs | ^^ expected item | = note: for a full list of items that can appear in modules, see error: could not compile `affine_storage` (lib) due to 1 previous error Internal Error: Build failed with exit code 101 at ChildProcess. (file:///F:/AFFiNE/node_modules/@napi-rs/cli/dist/api/build.js:184:28) at Object.onceWrapper (node:events:629:26) at ChildProcess.emit (node:events:526:35) at ChildProcess._handle.onexit (node:internal/child_process:294:12) F:\AFFiNE>

And do you think that this error could cause the exe upon yarn make to not open which gives this error.

[pengx17]

Sorry, i made a mistake about the git command you should use, which should be git config core.symlinks true. After turning symlink on, you can then run git checkout packages/backend/storage/src/hashcash.rs and try to build storage & native again.

The issue in your screenshot looks like you did not disable hoisting for the packager manager. As I said earlier:

Due to some issues on the package manager (hoisting) + electron compatibility issues, the electron build will be done in two stages.

• build frontend (with default yarn settings)
• build electron (reinstall with hoisting off)

Between each build steps, you have to remove all node_modules (including nested one)

You need to follow https://github.com/toeverything/AFFiNE/issues/6645#issuecomment-2068367804 carefully.

[mirtaqi07]

I followed these; the final build didn't give any error, but the app is stuck & displays nothing. Kindly correct me what I've done wrong.

# these to build the frontend
yarn install
yarn run dev
yarn workspace @affine/native build
yarn run dev:electron

Then these steps;

# these to build the electron
@echo off

echo step 1: clean up...
for /d /r .\ %%i in (node_modules) do if exist "%%i" rd /s /q "%%i"
git checkout .
set build_type=canary

echo step 2: install web dependencies
set PLAYWRIGHT_SKIP_BROWSER_DOWNLOAD=1
set SENTRYCLI_SKIP_DOWNLOAD=1
set PLAYWRIGHT_SKIP_BROWSER_DOWNLOAD=1
set HUSKY=1 
yarn

echo step 3: generate assets
set BUILD_TYPE=%build_type%
yarn workspace @affine/electron generate-assets

# cleanup node_modules
for /d /r .\ %%i in (node_modules) do if exist "%%i" rd /s /q "%%i"

echo step 4: install electron dependencies
yarn config set nmHoistingLimits workspaces
yarn config set enableScripts false
yarn config set nmMode classic
set PLAYWRIGHT_SKIP_BROWSER_DOWNLOAD=1
set HUSKY=0
yarn workspaces focus @affine/electron @affine/monorepo

echo step 5: build native
git config core.symlinks true
git checkout packages/backend/storage/src/hashcash.rs

yarn workspace @affine/native build
yarn workspace @affine/storage build

echo step 6: build electron
yarn workspace @affine/electron build

echo step 7: package electron
set SKIP_GENERATE_ASSETS=1
set BUILD_TYPE=%build_type%
set HOIST_NODE_MODULES=1
yarn workspace @affine/electron package

Initially I got the error at yarn workspace @affine/storage build while using yarn workspaces focus @affine/electron @affine/monorepo

Error

D:\AFFiNE>yarn workspace @affine/storage build 'napi' is not recognized as an internal or external command, operable program or batch file. command not found: napi

Then I followed the same procedure with yarn add instead of yarn workspaces focus @affine/electron @affine/monorepo and didn't get that napi error.

So, at the end, the build was success with yarn workspace @affine/electron package and it didn't give that previous error on opening the exe. But the software somehow is stuck, and it displays nothing.

Software

Task Manager

[mirtaqi07]

@pengx17 I've tried again today from start, but its same; the final app is stuck. I don't know what I'm doing wrong. Kindly help me.