Introduction
Bootstrap and package your project with Angular 8 and Electron (Typescript + SASS + Hot Reload) for creating Desktop applications.
Currently runs with:
- Angular v8.2.12
- Electron v7.0.0
- Electron Builder v21.2.0
With this sample, you can :
- Run your app in a local development environment with Electron & Hot reload
- Run your app in a production environment
- Package your app into an executable file for Linux, Windows & Mac
/!\ Angular 8.x CLI needs Node 10.9 or later to works correctly.
Getting Started
Clone this repository locally :
git clone https://github.com/maximegris/angular-electron.git
Install dependencies with npm :
npm install
There is an issue with yarn and node_modules when the application is built by the packager. Please use npm as dependencies manager.
If you want to generate Angular components with Angular-cli , you MUST install @angular/cli in npm global context.
Please follow Angular-cli documentation if you had installed a previous version of angular-cli.
npm install -g @angular/cli
To build for development
- in a terminal window -> npm start
Voila! You can use your Angular + Electron app in a local development environment with hot reload !
The application code is managed by main.ts. In this sample, the app runs with a simple Angular App (http://localhost:4200) and an Electron window.
The Angular component contains an example of Electron and NodeJS native lib import.
You can disable "Developer Tools" by commenting win.webContents.openDevTools(); in main.ts.
Included Commands
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
npm run ng:serve:web |
Execute the app in the browser |
npm run build |
Build the app. Your built files are in the /dist folder. |
npm run build:prod |
Build the app with Angular aot. Your built files are in the /dist folder. |
npm run electron:local |
Builds your application and start electron |
npm run electron:linux |
Builds your application and creates an app consumable on linux system |
npm run electron:windows |
On a Windows OS, builds your application and creates an app consumable in windows 32/64 bit systems |
npm run electron:mac |
On a MAC OS, builds your application and generates a .app file of your application that can be run on Mac |
Your application is optimised. Only /dist folder and node dependencies are included in the executable.
You want to use a specific lib (like rxjs) in electron main thread ?
YES! You can do it! Just by importing your library in npm dependencies section (not devDependencies) with npm install --save. It will be loaded by electron during build phase and added to your final package. Then use your library by importing it in main.ts file. Quite simple, isn't it ?
Browser mode
Maybe you want to execute the application in the browser with hot reload ? Just run npm run ng:serve:web.
Note that you can't use Electron or NodeJS native libraries in this case. Please check providers/electron.service.ts to watch how conditional import of electron/Native libraries is done.