webdrop-bridge/PHASE_3_BUILD_SUMMARY.md

Phase 3: Build & Distribution - Completion Summary

Status: ✅ WINDOWS BUILD COMPLETE | ⏳ MACOS PENDING | ⏳ CI/CD PENDING

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What Was Implemented

1. PyInstaller Specification File

File: build/webdrop_bridge.spec

• Cross-platform spec supporting Windows and macOS
• Uses SPECPATH variable for proper path resolution
• Bundles all dependencies: PySide6, Qt6 libraries, Chromium
• Includes data files: webapp/, resources/
• Configured for GUI mode (no console window)
• Status: ✅ Functional

2. Windows Build Script

File: build/scripts/build_windows.py (315 lines)

• Encapsulated in WindowsBuilder class
• Methods:
  • clean() - Remove previous builds
  • build_executable() - Run PyInstaller
  • create_msi() - WiX Toolset integration (optional)
  • sign_executable() - Code signing (optional)
• CLI Arguments:
  • --msi - Create MSI installer
  • --sign - Sign executable
• Unicode emoji support (UTF-8 encoding for Windows console)
• Status: ✅ Tested & Working

3. macOS Build Script

File: build/scripts/build_macos.sh (240+ lines)

• Creates .app bundle and DMG image
• Functions:
  • check_prerequisites() - Verify required tools
  • clean_builds() - Remove previous builds
  • build_executable() - PyInstaller compilation
  • create_dmg() - DMG image generation (professional or fallback)
  • sign_app() - Code signing support
  • notarize_app() - Apple notarization support
• Color-coded output for visibility
• Comprehensive error handling
• Status: ✅ Implemented (untested - requires macOS)

4. Documentation

File: resources/icons/README.md

• Icon requirements and specifications
• Tools and commands for icon creation
• Design guidelines for both platforms
• Status: ℹ️ Reference documentation

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Build Results

Windows Executable (✅ Complete)

Build Output Directory: build/dist/windows/
├── WebDropBridge.exe (195.66 MB) - Main executable
└── WebDropBridge/                 - Dependency directory
    ├── PySide6/ (Qt6 libraries)
    ├── python3.13.zip (Python runtime)
    └── [other dependencies]

Characteristics:

• Standalone executable (no Python installation required on user's machine)
• Includes Chromium WebEngine (explains large file size)
• All dependencies bundled
• GUI application (runs without console window)
• Ready for distribution or MSI packaging

Verification:

# File size
PS> Get-Item "build\dist\windows\WebDropBridge.exe" | 
    Select-Object Name, @{N='SizeMB';E={[math]::Round($_.Length/1MB,2)}}
# Result: WebDropBridge.exe (195.66 MB)

# Execution test
PS> .\build\dist\windows\WebDropBridge.exe --version
# Exit code: 0 ✅

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Next Steps

Immediate (Phase 3 Continuation)

1. Test Windows Executable Functionality

   # Run the application
   .\build\dist\windows\WebDropBridge.exe
   
   # Verify:
   # - Main window opens
   # - Web view loads
   # - Settings accessible
   # - Drag-and-drop works
   

2. macOS Build Testing (requires macOS machine)

   bash build/scripts/build_macos.sh
   # Should create: build/dist/macos/WebDropBridge.dmg
   

3. Optional: Create MSI Installer

   # Install WiX Toolset first
   python build/scripts/build_windows.py --msi
   # Output: WebDropBridge-Setup.exe
   

Deferred Tasks

4. GitHub Actions CI/CD Pipeline (.github/workflows/build.yml)

   • Automated Windows builds on release tag
   • macOS builds on release tag
   • Checksum generation
   • Upload to releases

5. Code Signing & Notarization

   • Windows: Requires code signing certificate
   • macOS: Requires Apple Developer ID and notarization credentials

---

Configuration Files Added

For Windows Builds

# build/scripts/build_windows.py
class WindowsBuilder:
    def __init__(self, project_root: Path):
        self.project_root = project_root
        self.build_dir = project_root / "build"
        ...

For macOS Builds

# build/scripts/build_macos.sh
PROJECT_ROOT="$(dirname "$(dirname "$( cd "$(dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")" && pwd )")")"
APP_NAME="WebDropBridge"
DMG_NAME="WebDropBridge.dmg"

PyInstaller Configuration

# build/webdrop_bridge.spec
SPECPATH = os.path.dirname(os.path.abspath(spec_file))
project_root = os.path.dirname(SPECPATH)

a = Analysis(
    [os.path.join(project_root, 'src/webdrop_bridge/main.py')],
    ...
    datas=[
        (os.path.join(project_root, 'webapp'), 'webapp'),
        (os.path.join(project_root, 'resources'), 'resources'),
    ],
)

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Technical Decisions & Rationale

1. PyInstaller Spec File (Not CLI Arguments)

• Decision: Use .spec file instead of CLI args
• Rationale: Better cross-platform compatibility, easier to maintain, supports complex bundling
• Result: Unified spec works for both Windows and macOS

2. Separate Build Scripts (Windows Python, macOS Bash)

• Decision: Python for Windows, Bash for macOS
• Rationale: Windows Python is most portable, macOS scripts integrate better with shell tools
• Result: Platform-native experience, easier CI/CD integration

3. Large Executable Size (195.66 MB)

• Expected: Yes, includes:
  • Python runtime (~50 MB)
  • PySide6/Qt6 libraries (~80 MB)
  • Embedded Chromium browser (~50 MB)
  • Application code and resources (~15 MB)
• Mitigation: Users get single-file download, no external dependencies

4. Cross-Platform Data File Bundling

• Decision: Include webapp/ and resources/ in executables
• Rationale: Self-contained distribution, no external file dependencies
• Result: Users can place executable anywhere, always works

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Known Limitations & Future Work

Windows

• MSI installer requires WiX Toolset installation on build machine
• Code signing requires code signing certificate
• No automatic updater yet (Phase 4.1)

macOS

• build_macos.sh script is implemented but untested (no macOS machine in workflow)
• Code signing requires macOS machine and certificate
• Notarization requires Apple Developer account
• Professional DMG requires create-dmg tool installation

General

• CI/CD pipeline not yet implemented
• Auto-update system not yet implemented (Phase 4.1)
• Icon files not yet created (resources/icons/app.ico, app.icns)

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How to Use These Build Scripts

Quick Start

# Windows only - build executable
cd "c:\Development\VS Code Projects\webdrop_bridge"
python build/scripts/build_windows.py

# Windows - create MSI (requires WiX)
python build/scripts/build_windows.py --msi

# macOS only - create .app and DMG
bash build/scripts/build_macos.sh

# macOS - with code signing
bash build/scripts/build_macos.sh --sign

Output Locations

Windows:

• Executable: build/dist/windows/WebDropBridge.exe
• MSI: build/dist/windows/WebDropBridge-Setup.exe (if --msi used)

macOS:

• App Bundle: build/dist/macos/WebDropBridge.app
• DMG: build/dist/macos/WebDropBridge.dmg

---

Environment Setup

Windows Build Machine

# Install PyInstaller (already in requirements-dev.txt)
pip install pyinstaller

# Optional: Install WiX for MSI creation
# Download from: https://github.com/wixtoolset/wix3/releases
# Or: choco install wixtoolset

macOS Build Machine

# PyInstaller is in requirements-dev.txt
pip install pyinstaller

# Optional: Install create-dmg for professional DMG
brew install create-dmg

# For code signing and notarization:
# - macOS Developer Certificate (in Keychain)
# - Apple ID + app-specific password
# - Team ID

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Version: 1.0.0

Build Date: January 2026
Built With: PyInstaller 6.18.0, PySide6 6.10.1, Python 3.13.11