Creating a Desktop App of mcode


The desktop app of mcode is created using 'neutralino'
which is a light version of 'electron'.  Neutralino
uses the operating system web browser or a desktop browser
application, while 'electron' also provides an embedded
Chromium web browser.

Neutralino acts a local web server, and mcode runs in
the desktop browser.  Resources that are loaded in can be mixed between
the web and the desktop.  Files can be read and saved
to the desktop.

Local files provided to the desktop web browser are
contained in a neutralino resources file and are read-only.


Build notes:

This document from: website: docs/creating_an_app.txt

(on Windows, Git bash shell is recommended)


First time:

On the desktop machine,
Install npm and Neutralino per docs:
    nodejs.org/
      https://nodejs.org/en/download/prebuilt-installer/current
    neutralino.js.org
      https://neutralino.js.org/docs/getting-started/your-first-neutralinojs-app

Create new app in folder 'mcode'
    cd to a development folder
    neu create mcode


For First time and for Updates:

Unzip mcode.zip into mcode/resources/

cd mcode/resources

Copy mcode/favicon.ico to ../

Copy mcode/docs/neutralino.config.json to ../../resources/.

Copy js/neutralino.js to mcode/lib/.

Close any running built-app, eg. mcode, then, in shell:

neu build --release

now you can run the binary in
mcode/dist


To update the desktop binary release:
upload dist/mcode-release.zip to website
  (requires website upload and write access)


Changelog:
-none-



Windows Tip:

Locate dist/mcode-win-x64.exe
Create a shortcut, or pin to start, or pin to taskbar


MacOS Tip: Creating a portable application package

The neu build process creates a binary file for macOS, but that file can not be executed by a double-click action on macOS as a normal application. The following steps shows how to create a simple double-clickable executable on macOS.

1. Open Terminal.

2. cd dist/mcode

3. Change the binary file type to .app file type:
mv mcode-mac_universal mcode-mac_universal.app

4. Give the app file the required execution permissions:
chmod +x mcode-mac_universal.app

Now you can execute the app by double-click.

see:
https://neutralino.js.org/docs/distribution/overview/#