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Desktop Platform Build Guide

This document describes how to build and package Sila for desktop platforms (macOS, Windows, Linux) using Electron.

Overview

The Sila desktop app is built using:

  • Svelte + Vite for the web layer (simple setup, no SvelteKit)
  • Electron for native desktop integration
  • Client and core packages for the actual functionality of the app

Prerequisites

Required Tools

  • Node.js (v18+)
  • Electron Builder - Included in dependencies

Platform-Specific Requirements

macOS

  • macOS for building macOS apps
  • Xcode command line tools

Windows

  • Windows for building Windows apps

Linux

  • Linux for building Linux apps

Project Structure

  packages/desktop/
├── src/
│   ├── main.ts              # Entry point
│   ├── DesktopApp.svelte    # Main app component
│   ├── electronFsWrapper.ts # Electron file system implementation
│   └── electronDialogsWrapper.ts # Electron dialogs implementation
├── src-electron/            # Electron main process files
├── static-desktop/          # Desktop-specific static assets
├── package.json
├── vite.config.js          # Vite build configuration
└── build/                  # Web build output

Build Process

1. Web Build

The desktop app starts with a standard Vite build that creates web assets in the build/ directory.

2. Electron Packaging

Electron Builder packages the web assets with the Electron runtime for each platform.

3. Platform-Specific Builds

macOS Build

  • Creates .dmg installer for macOS
  • Supports universal builds (Intel + Apple Silicon)

Windows Build

  • Creates .exe installer using NSIS
  • Supports x64 and ARM64 architectures

Linux Build

  • Creates AppImage for universal Linux compatibility
  • Supports x64 and ARM64 architectures

Development Workflow

Local Development

  1. Start development server with npm run dev
  2. Electron app launches automatically with hot reload
  3. Web assets served from Vite dev server

Native Integration

  • File System: Electron APIs for file operations and watching
  • Dialogs: Native platform dialogs for file operations
  • Auto-updater: Built-in update mechanism for production apps
  • Menu System: Native application menus and shortcuts

Automated Builds

We use GitHub Actions for automated building and packaging across all platforms. The build system automatically:

  • Builds the web assets using Vite
  • Packages for macOS, Windows, and Linux using Electron Builder
  • Creates installers and distributables
  • Publishes releases with platform-specific assets

For details about the build system, see the workflow files in .github/workflows/ in the repository.

Debug Commands

  • npm run dev:without-starting-electron - Web dev without Electron
  • npm run preview - Preview built web assets