`pattern is too long` minimatch error during `electron/universal` auto-detect unpack logic

Start by reading src/asar-utils.ts around lines 96-109 and src/asar.ts around lines 92-95 to understand the ordering and unpack-detection paths. Inspect the linked electron/asar PR #350 and reproduce the universal build with realm if needed. Done means the universal build no longer fails with minimatch's “pattern is too long” error.

Hello all, I've encountered this bug repeatedly on universal builds

The issue seems to stem from the electron/universal unpack detection.

  ⨯ pattern is too long  failedTask=build stackTrace=TypeError: pattern is too long
    at assertValidPattern (/Users/mikemaietta/Development/electron-builder-test/node_modules/minimatch/minimatch.js:279:11)
    at minimatch (/Users/mikemaietta/Development/electron-builder-test/node_modules/minimatch/minimatch.js:116:3)
    at shouldUnpackPath (/Users/mikemaietta/Development/electron-builder-test/node_modules/@electron/asar/src/asar.ts:152:8)
    at handleFile (/Users/mikemaietta/Development/electron-builder-test/node_modules/@electron/asar/src/asar.ts:171:22)
    at next (/Users/mikemaietta/Development/electron-builder-test/node_modules/@electron/asar/src/asar.ts:199:5)
    at createPackageFromFiles (/Users/mikemaietta/Development/electron-builder-test/node_modules/@electron/asar/src/asar.ts:203:2)
    at Object.createPackageWithOptions (/Users/mikemaietta/Development/electron-builder-test/node_modules/@electron/asar/src/asar.ts:57:10)
    at mergeASARs (/Users/mikemaietta/Development/electron-builder-test/node_modules/@electron/universal/src/asar-utils.ts:215:5)
    at makeUniversalApp (/Users/mikemaietta/Development/electron-builder-test/node_modules/@electron/universal/src/index.ts:245:7)

Steps to repro:

• Install realm to electron-quick-start project
• Assemble project with electron-builder (which internally uses electron/asar) using universal target

Internal logic:

1. electron-builder is executing electron/asar with unpack minimatch (logged from within electron/asar's shouldUnpackPath internal function for debugging purposes')

 {node_modules/realm,/private/var/folders/y3/r1xf5xzn5pddms2gslqh14sh0000gn/T/t-wh5lzR/asar-app-2/node_modules/realm/prebuilds/node/realm.node}

4. 2 asars are successfully generated with electron/asar
5. execute electron/universal on the two .apps.What seems to happen is that electron/universal is autodetecting what to unpack, and passes in a minimatch with over 2.8k minimatch entries
   https://github.com/electron/universal/blob/caa0567b76bc06d0014e6fc5afb6d70d47651971/src/asar-utils.ts#L96-L109

Excerpt:

/var/folders/y3/r1xf5xzn5pddms2gslqh14sh0000gn/T/x64-w0n63V/node_modules/realm/PrivacyInfo.xcprivacy
/var/folders/y3/r1xf5xzn5pddms2gslqh14sh0000gn/T/x64-w0n63V/node_modules/realm/RealmJS.podspec
/var/folders/y3/r1xf5xzn5pddms2gslqh14sh0000gn/T/x64-w0n63V/node_modules/realm/bindgen/src/realm_js_jsi_helpers.h
/var/folders/y3/r1xf5xzn5pddms2gslqh14sh0000gn/T/x64-w0n63V/node_modules/realm/bindgen/src/realm_js_node_helpers.h
/var/folders/y3/r1xf5xzn5pddms2gslqh14sh0000gn/T/x64-w0n63V/node_modules/realm/bindgen/vendor/realm-core/bindgen/src/realm_helpers.h
/var/folders/y3/r1xf5xzn5pddms2gslqh14sh0000gn/T/x64-w0n63V/node_modules/realm/binding/android/CMakeLists.txt
/var/folders/y3/r1xf5xzn5pddms2gslqh14sh0000gn/T/x64-w0n63V/node_modules/realm/binding/android/build.gradle
/var/folders/y3/r1xf5xzn5pddms2gslqh14sh0000gn/T/x64-w0n63V/node_modules/realm/binding/android/settings.gradle
/var/folders/y3/r1xf5xzn5pddms2gslqh14sh0000gn/T/x64-w0n63V/node_modules/realm/binding/android/src/main/AndroidManifest.xml
/var/folders/y3/r1xf5xzn5pddms2gslqh14sh0000gn/T/x64-w0n63V/node_modules/realm/binding/android/src/main/cpp/io_realm_react_RealmReactModule.cpp
/var/folders/y3/r1xf5xzn5pddms2gslqh14sh0000gn/T/x64-w0n63V/node_modules/realm/binding/android/src/main/cpp/jni_utils.cpp
/var/folders/y3/r1xf5xzn5pddms2gslqh14sh0000gn/T/x64-w0n63V/node_modules/realm/binding/android/src/main/cpp/jni_utils.hpp
/var/folders/y3/r1xf5xzn5pddms2gslqh14sh0000gn/T/x64-w0n63V/node_modules/realm/binding/android/src/main/cpp/platform.cpp
/var/folders/y3/r1xf5xzn5pddms2gslqh14sh0000gn/T/x64-w0n63V/node_modules/realm/binding/android/src/main/java/io/realm/react/RealmReactModule.java
/var/folders/y3/r1xf5xzn5pddms2gslqh14sh0000gn/T/x64-w0n63V/node_modules/realm/binding/android/src/main/java/io/realm/react/RealmReactPackage.java
/var/folders/y3/r1xf5xzn5pddms2gslqh14sh0000gn/T/x64-w0n63V/node_modules/realm/binding/android/src/main/java/io/realm/react/util/SSLHelper.java
/var/folders/y3/r1xf5xzn5pddms2gslqh14sh0000gn/T/x64-w0n63V/node_modules/realm/binding/apple/RealmReactModule.h
/var/folders/y3/r1xf5xzn5pddms2gslqh14sh0000gn/T/x64-w0n63V/node_modules/realm/binding/apple/RealmReactModule.mm
/var/folders/y3/r1xf5xzn5pddms2gslqh14sh0000gn/T/x64-w0n63V/node_modules/realm/binding/apple/platform.mm
/var/folders/y3/r1xf5xzn5pddms2gslqh14sh0000gn/T/x64-w0n63V/node_modules/realm/binding/jsi/jsi_externs.hpp
/var/folders/y3/r1xf5xzn5pddms2gslqh14sh0000gn/T/x64-w0n63V/node_modules/realm/binding/jsi/jsi_init.cpp
/var/folders/y3/r1xf5xzn5pddms2gslqh14sh0000gn/T/x64-w0n63V/node_modules/realm/binding/jsi/jsi_init.h
/var/folders/y3/r1xf5xzn5pddms2gslqh14sh0000gn/T/x64-w0n63V/node_modules/realm/binding/jsi/react_scheduler.cpp
/var/folders/y3/r1xf5xzn5pddms2gslqh14sh0000gn/T/x64-w0n63V/node_modules/realm/binding/jsi/react_scheduler.h
...waaaay more entries like this

Proposed resolution options:

1. Only pass in the common root folder of each File Set (in this case /node_modules/realm) to minimatch (this requires changes to electron/universal detection logic)
2. Bypass minimatch with more explicit control over packaging options, similar as to asar ordering logic. (requires changes in electron/asar) Options:
   a. Implement property that allows us to pass unpackPaths: string[] which allows explicit control
   b. Leverage options.ordering configuration of electron/asar to pass in JSON config for each file to be unpacked

Personally, I'd highly advocate for 2b, as it's relatively light of a change that is not breaking. AND it also makes sure this minimatch pattern is too long issue won't be ever be a roadblock for advanced users. electron-builder has a very complex copy-unpack-detection logic flow and we've hit the pattern is too long a few times previously, which we solved by implementing the approach of #1 before passing the unpack minimatch into electron/asar, but I can imagine this issue will be hit again if I'm just receiving it on electron/universal for an electron-quick-start project installing only realm.

Implementation Proposal:

Right now, the "ordering" file is simply of format:

<file name>:<anything>

Right now, electron/asar only pulls the filename value before the :
https://github.com/electron/asar/blob/121efebd2d02e374713cb513eb56a0e3db9534e9/src/asar.ts#L92-L95

The proposal is to leverage <anything> to be JSON.stringify of Type:

{
	unpack: boolean // the required property for resolve this issue
	// allows for future properties to be added for advanced usage without a breaking change
}

Taking this approach allows future configuration options to be allowed on a per-file basis should electron/asar need/desire to support more advanced usage

[UPDATE] PR Fix https://github.com/electron/asar/pull/350