Cross Platform Packages

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Alex Flint edited this page Jan 27, 2017 · 5 revisions

Packages

We need use some cross platform Golang Packages for some of the common functionality we need outside of the main Browser window.

Embedded assets

https://github.com/shurcooL/vfsgen

efficient one.
useful for the assets needed to be served inside the browser over http File system.
Also has links to all the other ones.

https://github.com/hyangah/mgodoc

Not of interest for desktop, but for mobile using webviews.
Its out of scope for now, but its perfectly possible that we can also support building apps for Android and IOS, with a Golang backend and a Web based GUI contained in a Webview.
The point is that it uses the golang.org/x/tools/godoc/vfs/zipfs like others, but does not return a reader, but instead a []byte to it can be used on mobile, whilst allow Golang templates etc.

Systems Paths

https://github.com/kardianos/osext

cross platform paths
Need to also get cross platform data folder that is independent of application upgrades.

Desktop notifications

https://github.com/getlantern/systray

cross platform
well supported as its a big project using it.

Packager / Installer

Some projects demand a proper installer for users to install the software.

The Golang library itself has a very nice installer. It uses golang with templates, etc This is a very good starting point, that can be used as a base. https://github.com/golang/build/tree/master/cmd/release

windows wix
osx pck
linux debian

Updater

Also you want to be able to do remote updates of the software too.

https://github.com/inconshreveable/go-update

simple and works

https://github.com/keybase/go-updater

complex and handles lots more edge cases.
should be well supported as Keybase is a heavy golang user.

Logging

https://github.com/kirillDanshin/dlog

compile-time enabling. saves release runtime performance by excluding any logging logic if it wasn't enabled in compile-time.
supports three modes: default, buffered (thread-safe) and WithCaller. the last shows where dlog functions was called from
allows to simply Dump any variables

Alternative Webviews

https://github.com/knq/chromedp https://github.com/sourcegraph/go-webkit2