nannou-org/nannou

Provide an easy way of generating universal binaries for each platform

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#450 opened on Feb 15, 2020

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 (1 comment) (2 reactions) (0 assignees)Rust (4,662 stars) (254 forks)batch import
good first issueuser experience

Description

It would be great if there was an easy way to package nannou exes into easily distributable apps. Perhaps nannou-package could be progressively enhanced to be capable of doing this.

It will likely be the case that users will only be able to generate apps for the platform they are currently building on, however it may be possible to cross-compile and build for other targets in some cases.

  • Determine what universal binary format we should target on each platform. E.g. .app fat binary on macOS, perhaps AppImage on Linux, not sure about Windows.
  • Determine what the process is for building each of these. I believe macOS requires xcode to do this. I would imagine AppImage is easy on Linux. Not sure about Windows.
  • Investigate how other Rust libraries/frameworks currently approach this. See if there are already efforts at automating this process.
  • Add a section to the guide so that users can easily find out how to do this manually in the meantime.
  • Automate the process where possible within nannou-package.
  • Investigate process for iOS and Android. Better to address #444 first.

Contributor guide

Tech stack
rust
Domain
toolingrelease
Issue type
feature
DifficultyEstimated implementation difficulty for a new contributor, from 1 for very small changes to 5 for expert-level work.
4
Estimated timeA rough time range for an experienced contributor to investigate, implement, test, and prepare a pull request.
over 1 week
Activity statusHow available the issue appears right now: fresh, active, stale, blocked, or waiting on maintainer input.
stale
ClarityHow clearly the issue explains the expected change, acceptance criteria, and next step.
mostly clear
Prerequisites
Rust programmingNannou frameworkPlatform packaging formatsCross compilation concepts
Newbie friendlinessA 1-100 score estimating how approachable this issue is for first-time contributors.
25
Research direction
First, investigate the universal binary formats for each target platform (e.g., .app on macOS, AppImage on Linux, and Windows format). Then, determine the build process for each, noting that macOS requires Xcode. Look into how other Rust libraries handle packaging and cross compilation, and consider automating the process within nannou package. Additionally, explore packaging for iOS and Android, addressing issue #444 first. Finally, add a guide section for manual packaging.