electron-vite-react/README.md

vite-react-electron

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Overview

• Very simple Vite, React, Electron integration template.

• Contains only the basic dependencies.

• The extend is very flexible.

Run Setup

# clone the project
git clone git@github.com:caoxiemeihao/vite-react-electron.git

# enter the project directory
cd vite-react-electron

# install dependency
npm install

# develop
npm run dev

Directory

Once dev or build npm-script executed will be generate named dist folder. It has children dir of same as src folder, the purpose of this design can ensure the correct path calculation.

├
├── dist                      After build, it's generated according to the "src" directory
├   ├── main
├   ├── preload
├   ├── renderer
├
├── scripts
├   ├── build.mjs             Build script, for -> npm run build
├   ├── vite.config.mjs       Marin-process, Preload-script vite-config
├   ├── watch.mjs             Develop script, for -> npm run dev
├
├── src
├   ├── main                  Main-process source code
├   ├── preload               Preload-script source code
├   ├── renderer              Renderer-process source code
├       ├── vite.config.ts    Renderer-process vite-config
├

Use Electron, NodeJs API

🚧 By default, Electron don't support the use of API related to Electron and NodeJs in the Renderer-process, but someone still need to use it. If so, you can see the template 👉 electron-vite-boilerplate

All Electron, NodeJs API invoke passed Preload-script

• src/preload/index.ts

  import fs from 'fs'
  import { contextBridge, ipcRenderer } from 'electron'
  
  // --------- Expose some API to Renderer-process. ---------
  contextBridge.exposeInMainWorld('fs', fs)
  contextBridge.exposeInMainWorld('ipcRenderer', ipcRenderer)
  

• src/renderer/src/global.d.ts

  // Defined on the window
  interface Window {
    fs: typeof import('fs')
    ipcRenderer: import('electron').IpcRenderer
  }
  

• src/renderer/src/main.ts

  // Use Electron, NodeJs API in Renderer-process
  console.log('fs', window.fs)
  console.log('ipcRenderer', window.ipcRenderer)
  

Use SerialPort, SQLite3 or other node-native addons in Main-process

• First, yout need to make sure the deps in "dependencies". Because the project still needs it after packaged.

• Main-process, Preload-script are also built with Vite, and they are just built as build.lib.
  So they just need to configure Rollup.

Click to view more 👉 scripts/vite.config.mjs

export default {
  build: {
    // built lib for Main-process, Preload-script
    lib: {
      entry: 'index.ts',
      formats: ['cjs'],
      fileName: () => '[name].js',
    },
    rollupOptions: {
      // configuration here
      external: [
        'serialport',
        'sqlite3',
      ],
    },
  },
}

dependencies vs devDependencies

• First, you need to know if deps(npm package) are still needed after packaged.

• Like serialport, sqlite3 they are node-native module and should be placed in dependencies. In addition, Vite will not build them, but treat them as external modules.

• Like vue, react they are pure javascript module and can be built with Vite, so they can be placed in devDependencies. This reduces the volume of the built project.

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