crowd-funder-for-time-pwa/doc/build-modernization-context.md

TimeSafari Build Modernization Context

Author: Matthew Raymer

Motivation

• Eliminate manual hacks and post-build scripts for Electron builds
• Ensure maintainability, reproducibility, and security of build outputs
• Unify build, test, and deployment scripts for developer experience and CI/CD

Key Technical Decisions

• Vite is the single source of truth for build output
  • All Electron build output (main process, preload, renderer HTML/CSS/JS) is managed by vite.config.electron.mts
• CSS injection for Electron is handled by a Vite plugin
  • No more manual HTML/CSS edits or post-build scripts
• Build scripts are unified and robust
  • Use ./scripts/build-electron.sh for all Electron builds
  • No more fix-inject-css.js or similar hacks
• Output structure is deterministic and ASAR-friendly
  • Main process: dist-electron/main.js
  • Preload: dist-electron/preload.js
  • Renderer assets: dist-electron/www/ (HTML, CSS, JS)

Security & Maintenance Checklist

• All scripts and configs are committed and documented
• No manual file hacks remain
• All build output is deterministic and reproducible
• No sensitive data is exposed in the build process
• Documentation (BUILDING.md) is up to date

How to Build Electron

1. Run:

   ./scripts/build-electron.sh
   

2. Output will be in dist-electron/:
   • main.js, preload.js in root
   • www/ contains all renderer assets
3. No manual post-processing is required

Customization

• Vite config: All build output and asset handling is controlled in vite.config.electron.mts
• CSS/HTML injection: Use Vite plugins (see electron-css-injection in the config) for further customization
• Build scripts: All orchestration is in scripts/ and documented in BUILDING.md

For Future Developers

• Always use Vite plugins/config for build output changes
• Never manually edit built files or inject assets post-build
• Keep documentation and scripts in sync with the build process

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This file documents the context and rationale for the build modernization and should be included in the repository for onboarding and future reference.