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EXECUTABLE.md

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How to create an executable of a web-application

This guideline assumes that:

  • A run.py file has been created. Check out the run.py file in this repository.
  • Flask serves static files from an automatically created temporary folder. The exact location of this folder is saved in the environment variable _MEIPASS when the PyInstaller-created standalone exectuable is started. Typically it will be located inside the current user's AppData\Local\Temp folder. Check out the app.py file in this repository.
  • The frontend and backend are located in neighboring directories

Prepare the Python virtual environment for the backend

  • Create a virtual environment
  • Install the required dependencies: pip install flask flask-restplus pyqmix. The executable will only work if flask and flask-restplus are installed via pip.
  • Install PyInstaller: pip install PyInstaller
  • The newest jsonschema module does not work with PyInstaller. Instead, use jsonchema in an older version, for example: 2.6.0.
  • Install pyqmix-web: Browse to the pyqmix-web root directory and run pip install .

Create a production build of the React frontend

  1. Open a terminal
  2. Browse to the pyqmix_frontend directory
  3. Type: npm run build

This will create a build-folder in the current directory

Create a specification file

Specification files can be reused to generate executables so keep the file for the next build. Skip this step if you already have a specification file.

  1. Open a terminal
  2. Browse to the pyqmix_backend directory
  3. Activate the virtual environment
  4. Type: pyinstaller --onefile run.py This will create a run.spec file in the backend directory.
  5. Open the run.spec file and edit it:
    • Add the following to the top of the script: 
      import os
spec_root = os.path.abspath(SPECPATH)
    • Edit pathex to: pathex=[spec_root]
    • Edit datas to: datas=[('../name_of_frontend_folder/build', 'name_of_web_application')]
    • Optionally, you can add an icon to your standalone. Add icon='../pyqmix_frontend/public/pyqmixweb_desktop_icon.ico' to the EXE-section of run.spec.

Build the executable

  1. Open a terminal
  2. Browse to the pyqmix_backend directory
  3. Activate the virtual environment
  4. Type: pyinstaller --clean run.spec

This generates an .exe file inside the backend's dist folder.