mirror of
https://github.com/tiyn/wiki.git
synced 2025-10-31 10:21:16 +01:00
92 lines
3.4 KiB
Markdown
92 lines
3.4 KiB
Markdown
# Nativefier
|
|
|
|
[Nativefier](https://github.com/nativefier/nativefier) is an command-line tool to create desktop
|
|
apps from websites.
|
|
This way a single website can be used as an application in contrast to opening it in a
|
|
[browser](/wiki/web_browser.md).
|
|
It uses [Electron](https://www.electronjs.org/) which in turn uses
|
|
[Chromium](https://www.chromium.org/).
|
|
|
|
## Setup
|
|
|
|
Nativefier is available on [GitHub](https://github.com/nativefier/nativefier).
|
|
Additionally for some [Linux distributions](/wiki/linux.md#distributions) like
|
|
[Arch Linux' AUR](/wiki/linux/package_manager.md#arch-linux-pacman-and-yay) it is available via a
|
|
package often called `nodejs-nativefier`.
|
|
|
|
## Usage
|
|
|
|
This section addresses various usages of Nativefier.
|
|
|
|
### Creating an Application from a Website
|
|
|
|
The following command example creates an Electron desktop application in a folder inside the home
|
|
directory.
|
|
The app will be named `Mastodon` will be `x64` compatible with a resolution
|
|
of `1024`x`768` pixel.
|
|
It will create an icon in the systems `tray` and disable the Chromium developer tools
|
|
(`disable-dev-tools`).
|
|
The website to make into the application will be `https://mastodon.technology`.
|
|
Change these values accordingly.
|
|
|
|
```sh
|
|
nativefier --name Mastodon \
|
|
--platform linux --arch x64 \
|
|
--width 1024 --height 768 \
|
|
--tray --disable-dev-tools \
|
|
--single-instance https://mastodon.technology
|
|
```
|
|
|
|
By default URLs that are not belonging to the one that is given by `--single-instance` will be
|
|
blocked.
|
|
There is an unchangeable whitelist.
|
|
Single URLs that are not on the whitelist can be excluded and so not be blocked by using the
|
|
`--internal-urls` flag.
|
|
A complete example using this flag can look like the following.
|
|
|
|
```sh
|
|
nativefier --name Mastodon \
|
|
--platform linux --arch x64 \
|
|
--width 1024 --height 768 \
|
|
--tray --disable-dev-tools \
|
|
--internal-urls 'outlook.office365.com/*' \
|
|
--single-instance https://mastodon.technology
|
|
```
|
|
|
|
Afterwards if a [Linux](/wiki/linux.md)-based system is used the created app can be added to the
|
|
path.
|
|
An example for this is the following command which
|
|
[links](/wiki/linux/shell.md#symbolic-links-using-ln) the applicatoin to a specifically created
|
|
directory.
|
|
|
|
```sh
|
|
ln -s mastodon-linux-x64/mastodon ~/.local/bin/links
|
|
```
|
|
|
|
### Navigating Back and Forward
|
|
|
|
In a normal [browser](/wiki/web_browser.md) there are buttons to navigate back and forth through
|
|
the history of a tab.
|
|
On Nativefier this can be achieved by pressing the `Alt`-key and selecting `View` and `Back` - or
|
|
`Forward`.
|
|
This can also be achieved by pressing `Alt`+`Left Arrow` for going back and `Alt`+`Right Arrow` for
|
|
going forwards.
|
|
|
|
## Troubleshooting
|
|
|
|
This section focusses on various errors that can appear by using Nativefier.
|
|
|
|
### `Skia shader compilation error` When Starting an Application
|
|
|
|
This section is based on
|
|
[a GitHub issue by RJVB](https://github.com/ferdium/ferdium-app/issues/1265).
|
|
|
|
When starting an application that has been set up using nativefier it is possible that the error
|
|
`Skia shader compilation error` or a similar error regarding Skia can occur.
|
|
An easy way to fix this is by clearing the GPU cache which can be found inside the `~/.config`
|
|
directory.
|
|
For example a nativefied app named [mtg-companion](/wiki/game/magic%3A_the_gathering.md#resources)
|
|
can be found in the directory `~/.config/mtg-companion-nativefier-8fcad7` and its GPU cache inside
|
|
the directory named `~/.config/mtg-companion-nativefier-8fcad7/GPUCache`.
|
|
The whole directory `GPUCache` can just be moved or removed to clear the cache.
|