nwjsnw-gyp
Native addon build tool for NW.js (node-webkit)
nw-gyp is a hack on node-gyp to build native modules for NW.js (node-webkit). We are
trying to provide a smooth way for developers rather than specifying a lot of
command line arguments.
It supports NW.js starts from v0.3.2 and users need to manually specify the version of NW.js currently.
Please see NW.js document for usage
Features:
- Easy to use, consistent interface
- Same commands to build your module on every platform
- Supports multiple target versions of Node
Installation
You can install with npm:
$ npm install -g nw-gypYou will also need to install:
- On Unix:
python(v2.7recommended,v3.x.xis not supported)make- A proper C/C++ compiler toolchain, like GCC
- On Mac OS X:
python(v2.7recommended,v3.x.xis not supported) (already installed on Mac OS X)- Xcode
- You also need to install the
Command Line Toolsvia Xcode. You can find this under the menuXcode -> Preferences -> Downloads - This step will install
gccand the related toolchain containingmake
- You also need to install the
On Windows:
- Option 1: Install all the required tools and configurations using Microsoft's windows-build-tools using
npm install --global --production windows-build-toolsfrom an elevated PowerShell or CMD.exe (run as Administrator). Option 2: Install tools and configuration manually:
Visual C++ Build Environment:
Option 1: Install Visual C++ Build Tools using the Default Install option.
Option 2: Install Visual Studio 2015 (or modify an existing installation) and select Common Tools for Visual C++ during setup. This also works with the free Community and Express for Desktop editions.
:bulb: [Windows Vista / 7 only] requires .NET Framework 4.5.1
Install Python 2.7 (
v3.x.xis not supported), and runnpm config set python python2.7(or see below for further instructions on specifying the proper Python version and path.)- Launch cmd,
npm config set msvs_version 2015
If the above steps didn't work for you, please visit Microsoft's Node.js Guidelines for Windows for additional tips.
- Option 1: Install all the required tools and configurations using Microsoft's windows-build-tools using
If you have multiple Python versions installed, you can identify which Python
version nw-gyp uses by setting the '--python' variable:
$ nw-gyp --python /path/to/python2.7If nw-gyp is called by way of npm and you have multiple versions of
Python installed, then you can set npm's 'python' config key to the appropriate
value:
$ npm config set python /path/to/executable/python2.7Note that OS X is just a flavour of Unix and so needs python, make, and C/C++.
An easy way to obtain these is to install XCode from Apple,
and then use it to install the command line tools (under Preferences -> Downloads).
How to Use
To compile your native addon, first go to its root directory:
$ cd my_node_addonThe next step is to generate the appropriate project build files for the current
platform. Use configure for that:
$ nw-gyp configure --target=<0.3.2 or other nw version>Auto-detection fails for Visual C++ Build Tools 2015, so --msvs_version=2015
needs to be added (not needed when run by npm as configured above):
$ nw-gyp configure --msvs_version=2015Note: The configure step looks for the binding.gyp file in the current
directory to process. See below for instructions on creating the binding.gyp file.
Now you will have either a Makefile (on Unix platforms) or a vcxproj file
(on Windows) in the build/ directory. Next invoke the build command:
$ nw-gyp buildNow you have your compiled .node bindings file! The compiled bindings end up
in build/Debug/ or build/Release/, depending on the build mode. At this point
you can require the .node file with Node and run your tests!
Note: To create a Debug build of the bindings file, pass the --debug (or
-d) switch when running either the configure, build or rebuild command.
Note: nw.js is packed with Node.js version 0.11.13 and a different version of V8 (3.28.71.2) than the one Node.js 0.11.13 has (3.24.35.22), it might lead to some inconsistent behaviour when building your native modules (see [rvagg/nan#285][nanrepo]).
The "binding.gyp" file
Previously when node had node-waf you had to write a wscript file. The
replacement for that is the binding.gyp file, which describes the configuration
to build your module in a JSON-like format. This file gets placed in the root of
your package, alongside the package.json file.
A barebones gyp file appropriate for building a node addon looks like:
{
"targets": [
{
"target_name": "binding",
"sources": [ "src/binding.cc" ]
}
]
}Some additional resources for addons and writing gyp files:
- "Going Native" a nodeschool.io tutorial
- "Hello World" node addon example
- gyp user documentation
- gyp input format reference
- "binding.gyp" files out in the wild wiki page
Commands
nw-gyp responds to the following commands:
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
help |
Shows the help dialog |
build |
Invokes make/msbuild.exe and builds the native addon |
clean |
Removes the build directory if it exists |
configure |
Generates project build files for the current platform |
rebuild |
Runs clean, configure and build all in a row |
install |
Installs node header files for the given version |
list |
Lists the currently installed node header versions |
remove |
Removes the node header files for the given version |
Command Options
nw-gyp accepts the following command options:
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
-j n, --jobs n |
Run make in parallel |
--target=v6.2.1 |
Node version to build for (default=process.version) |
--silly, --loglevel=silly |
Log all progress to console |
--verbose, --loglevel=verbose |
Log most progress to console |
--silent, --loglevel=silent |
Don't log anything to console |
debug, --debug |
Make Debug build (default=Release) |
--release, --no-debug |
Make Release build |
-C $dir, --directory=$dir |
Run command in different directory |
--make=$make |
Override make command (e.g. gmake) |
--thin=yes |
Enable thin static libraries |
--arch=$arch |
Set target architecture (e.g. ia32) |
--tarball=$path |
Get headers from a local tarball |
--devdir=$path |
SDK download directory (default=~/.nw-gyp) |
--ensure |
Don't reinstall headers if already present |
--dist-url=$url |
Download header tarball from custom URL |
--proxy=$url |
Set HTTP proxy for downloading header tarball |
--cafile=$cafile |
Override default CA chain (to download tarball) |
--nodedir=$path |
Set the path to the node binary |
--python=$path |
Set path to the python (2) binary |
--msvs_version=$version |
Set Visual Studio version (win) |
--solution=$solution |
Set Visual Studio Solution version (win) |
Configuration
nw-gyp responds to environment variables or npm configuration
- Environment variables take the form
npm_config_OPTION_NAMEfor any of the options listed above (dashes in option names should be replaced by underscores). These work also whennw-gypis invoked directly:$ export npm_config_devdir=/tmp/.gyp
or on Windows> set npm_config_devdir=c:\temp\.gyp - As
npmconfiguration, variables take the formOPTION_NAME. This way only works whennw-gypis executed bynpm:$ npm config set [--global] devdir /tmp/.gyp$ npm i buffertools
License
(The MIT License)
Copyright (c) 2012 Nathan Rajlich <nathan@tootallnate.net>
Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy of this software and associated documentation files (the 'Software'), to deal in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:
The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all copies or substantial portions of the Software.
THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED 'AS IS', WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.