Target flag for build task

[JayGray]

The problem:
With the current folder structure it is not possible to eg. use git or yeoman to build an app. Especially with yeoman we run in the situation that Gruntfile and package.json will be overwritten.

Possible solution:
Add a target flag to the build task. grunt dist-mac --app "/app/<myAppFolder>"
With this flag it is possible to use own folder structure within the app folder.

Current folder structure:

<project root>
| - app
| -   | - js
| -   | - css
| -   | - packages.json
| - resources
...

$grunt dist-mac

Will copy all content of the app folder to build a nw app.

Examples:

<project root>
| - app
|     | - <myapp>
|     |         | - css
|     |         | - js
|     |         | - package.json
|     |  - node-modules
|     |  - Gruntfile.js
| - resources
...

$grunt dist-mac --app "app/<myapp>"

Now we can use other tools to setup an app structure.
E.g. use git clone or yo angular inside the app folder and the app will build with the <myapp> folder as project.

[0gust1]

Actually, imho, the biggest issue is the /app/ folder's package.json : it should obey to node-webkit conventions, and could be erased by a yeoman task or a git checkout in the /app/ folder.

As node-webkit-generator does not create a gruntFile.js in the app folder, I don't see gruntfiles as a problem. It's quite common (and good) to have several grunfiles in a project : the /app/folder gruntfile is about building the embedded app only and the the root gruntfile is about building the whole node-webkit container.

In your scenario, the target directory structure wouldn't be something like that ?

<project root>
| - app
|     | - <myapp>
|     |         | - css
|     |         | - js
|     |         | - package.json <= embedded app's package.json (from by a git checkout or a yeoman gen)
|     |         | - Gruntfile.js <= embedded app's gruntFile (from by a git checkout or a yeoman gen)
|     |  -package.json <= node-webkit app's package.json (with `main` and `window` entries)
| - resources
| - package.json <= global package.json
| - Gruntfile.js <= global gruntfile (builds the target application executables files)

It's not an easy subject, as I don't see well the breadth of all use cases of node-webkit-generator. Maybe we have to dig in git submodules or npm submodules ?

[mschaaf]

@Chris2011 could you please add a pull request and describe a little bit more what it does and how. So that we can decide if we include it to improve the generator. Thank you.

[Chris2011]

Ok I wanted to try this out, but I thought it's already implemented but It was not, my failure. What do you want for the pull request? As I described it in the other ticket, is that I want to use an other yeoman template (for example generator-angular) to use this to create my app and then I want to use your template to create the node-webkit executable.

For now I tested the thing, that I create an app with yo node-webkit, created a folder inside app called ui and did -> cd ui; yo angular. I moved the index.html file from the angular template into the views folder from the node-webkit app and changed the paths to the scripts and style.

I did grunt dist-win, waited for it and than I decompressed the myApp.7z and started myApp.exe. I saw this (See my screenshot)

[mschaaf]

@Chris2011 It would be nice to have this as an option. Using this option should create your preferred structure.
If you supply the app folder with the option it should create everything in this specified folder.

[Chris2011]

So as I understand it right, atm it is not possible to have this structure with other yeoman templates wihtout having conflicts with grunt or packages and so on, right?

[mschaaf]

Its not possible with the plain grunt and packes.json files the generator provides.

[Chris2011]

hm ok, I understand. Thx for the feedback, this will be a big improvements for this generator.