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Build & Release

How to build FitFileViewer for distribution.

Development Build​

Quick Build​

# Build for current platform
npm run build

Development Package​

# Create unpacked build (faster, for testing)
npm run package

Production Build​

Single Platform​

# Windows
npm run build -- --win

# macOS
npm run build -- --mac

# Linux
npm run build -- --linux

All Platforms​

# Build for all platforms
npm run build-all

Build Configuration​

electron-builder.json​

{
    "appId": "com.example.fitfileviewer",
    "productName": "Fit File Viewer",
    "files": [
        "**/*",
        "!tests/**"
    ],
    "win": {
        "target": ["nsis", "portable", "msi"],
        "icon": "icons/favicon.ico"
    },
    "mac": {
        "target": ["dmg", "pkg"],
        "icon": "icons/favicon.icns"
    },
    "linux": {
        "target": ["AppImage", "deb", "rpm"],
        "icon": "icons/favicon.png"
    }
}

package.json Build Settings​

{
    "build": {
        "appId": "com.example.fitfileviewer",
        "artifactName": "Fit-File-Viewer-${platform}-${arch}-${version}.${ext}",
        "publish": [{
            "provider": "github",
            "owner": "Nick2bad4u",
            "repo": "FitFileViewer"
        }]
    }
}

Output Formats​

Windows​

FormatDescription
NSISStandard installer
MSIWindows Installer
PortableNo installation
SquirrelAuto-updating

macOS​

FormatDescription
DMGDisk image
PKGInstaller package
ZIPArchive

Linux​

FormatDescription
AppImageUniversal format
DEBDebian/Ubuntu
RPMFedora/RHEL
SnapSnap package

CI/CD Pipeline​

Builds are automated via GitHub Actions:

# .github/workflows/Build.yml
name: Build
on:
  push:
    branches: [main]
  release:
    types: [published]

jobs:
  build:
    runs-on: ${{ matrix.os }}
    strategy:
      matrix:
        os: [ubuntu-latest, windows-latest, macos-latest]
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
      - uses: actions/setup-node@v4
      - run: npm install
      - run: npm run build

Release Process​

1. Update Version​

# Update version in package.json
npm version patch  # or minor, major

2. Update Changelog​

npm run changelog

3. Create Release​

# Push tag
git push --tags

# GitHub Actions builds and publishes

4. Verify Release​

Check GitHub Releases for:

  • All platform builds
  • Checksums
  • Release notes

Code Signing​

Windows​

Requires certificate:

{
    "win": {
        "certificateFile": "cert.pfx",
        "certificatePassword": "${CSC_KEY_PASSWORD}"
    }
}

macOS​

Requires Apple Developer ID:

{
    "mac": {
        "hardenedRuntime": true,
        "gatekeeperAssess": true
    }
}

Troubleshooting Builds​

Common Issues​

Build fails on Windows:

# Clear cache
npm cache clean --force
rm -rf node_modules
npm install

macOS signing fails:

  • Verify certificate in Keychain
  • Check code signing identity

Linux missing dependencies:

# Install build tools
sudo apt-get install build-essential

Related: Development Setup