- Please note: On M1 Macs, unless an arm64 version of brew is used to install nodejs, the version installed will be an `x64` version run through Rosetta, and will result in an `x64` app being generated. If this is not desired, either specify `-a arm64` to build for M1, or re-install node with an arm64 version of brew. See https://github.com/nativefier/nativefier/issues/1089
- When specifying `universal` you must be building for the `darwin`, `mas`, `mac`, or `osx` platforms. This will generate a universal (M1 and x86) app.
Note: careful to not conflate _platform_ with _architecture_. If you want for example a Linux or Mac build, it's `--platform` you are looking for. See its documentation for details.
Specifies if the source code within the nativefied app should be packaged into an archive, defaults to false, [read more](https://www.electronjs.org/docs/latest/glossary#asar).
If your `PATH` has our image-conversion dependencies (`iconutil`, and either ImageMagick `convert` + `identify`, or GraphicsMagick `gm`), Nativefier will automatically convert the `.png` to a `.icns` for you.
To retrieve the `.icns` file from the downloaded file, extract it first and press File > Get Info. Then select the icon in the top left corner of the info window and press `⌘-C`. Open Preview and press File > New from clipboard and save the `.icns` file. It took me a while to figure out how to do that and question why a `.icns` file was not simply provided in the downloaded archive.
Note to Linux users: do not put spaces if you define the app name yourself with `--name`, as this will cause problems (tested on Ubuntu 14.04) when pinning a packaged app to the launcher.
Note: careful to not conflate _platform_ with _architecture_. If you want for example a 32bit build or an ARM build, it's `--arch` you are looking for. See its documentation for details.
For backwards compatibility, less-clear values `win32` (for Windows) and `darwin`, `mac` (for macOS) are supported.
_[New in 43.1.0]_ Make your app store its user data (cookies, cache, etc) inside the app folder, making it "portable" in the sense popularized by [PortableApps.com](https://portableapps.com/): you can carry it around e.g. on a USB key, and it will work the same with your data.
_IMPORTANT SECURITY NOTICE_: when creating a portable app, all data accumulated after running the app (including login information, cache, cookies), will be saved in the app folder. If this app is then shared with others, THEY WILL HAVE THAT ACCUMULATED DATA, POTENTIALLY INCLUDING ACCESS TO ANY ACCOUNTS YOU LOGGED INTO.
_Important data safety note_: This action is an in-place upgrade, and will REPLACE the current application. In case this feature does not work as intended or as the user may wish, it is advised to make a backup of the app to be upgraded before using, or specify an alternate directory as you would when creating a new file.\*\*
The provided path must be the "executable" of an application packaged with a previous version of Nativefier, and to be upgraded to the latest version of Nativefier. "Executable" means: the `.exe` file on Windows, the executable on Linux, or the `.app` on macOS. The executable must be living in the original context where it was generated (i.e., on Windows and Linux, the exe file must still be in the folder containing the generated `resources` directory).
Note: some sites using Widevine (like Udemy or HBO Max) may still refuse to load videos, and require EVS-signing your Nativefier app to work. Try signing your app using CastLabs tools. See https://github.com/castlabs/electron-releases/wiki/EVS and [#1147](https://github.com/nativefier/nativefier/issues/1147#issuecomment-828750362). TL;DR:
_[New in 43.1.0]_ Path to a JSON file defining a bookmarks menu. In addition to containing a list of bookmarks, this file customizes the name of the menu and (optionally) allows assigning keyboard shortcuts to bookmarks.
Your `menuLabel` can be bound to a `Alt + letter` shortcut using the letter `&` before the `letter` you want. Be careful to not conflict with the letter of other menus!
Keyboard shortcuts can use the modifier keys `Cmd`, `Ctrl`, `CmdOrCtrl`, `Alt`, `Option`, `AltGr`, `Shift`, and `Super`. See [the Electron documentation](https://www.electronjs.org/docs/api/accelerator) for more information.
See [Electron's BrowserWindow API Documentation](https://electronjs.org/docs/api/browser-window#new-browserwindowoptions) for the complete list of options.
_[New in 7.6.4]_ (macOS only) Sets the style for the app's title bar. See more details at electron's [Frameless Window](https://www.electronjs.org/pt/docs/latest/api/frameless-window) documentation.
Consider injecting a custom CSS (via `--inject`) for better integration. Specifically, the CSS should specify a draggable region. For instance, if the target website has a `<header>` element, you can make it draggable like so.
When the optional argument `start-in-tray` is provided, i.e. the application is started using `--tray start-in-tray`, the main window will not be shown on first start.
_[New in 7.6.0]_ A JSON string of key/value pairs to be set as file download options. See [electron-dl](https://github.com/sindresorhus/electron-dl) for available options.
// Key is passed as first argument to globalShortcut.register
key: 'CommandOrControl+Shift+Z',
// The input events exactly match the event config in Electron for contents.sendInputEvent(event)
inputEvents: [
{
// Available event types: mouseDown, mouseUp, mouseEnter, mouseLeave, contextMenu, mouseWheel, mouseMove, keyDown, keyUp or char
type: 'keyDown',
// Further config depends on your event type. See docs at: https://github.com/electron/electron/blob/master/docs/api/web-contents.md#contentssendinputeventevent
_Note regarding modifier keys:_ If you want to trigger key events which include a modifier (Ctrl, Shift,...), you need to keyDown the modifier key first, then keyDown the actual key _including_ the modifier key as modifier property and then keyUp both keys again. No idea what this means? See the example for `MediaPreviousTrack` below! For more details, please see the Electron documentation:
- List of available keys: https://github.com/electron/electron/blob/master/docs/api/accelerator.md
- Details about how to create input event objects: https://github.com/electron/electron/blob/master/docs/api/web-contents.md#contentssendinputeventevent
On MacOS 10.14+, if you have set a global shortcut that includes a Media key, the user will need to be prompted for permissions to enable these keys in System Preferences > Security & Privacy > Accessibility.
_Note about JS injection:_ injected JS is loaded _after_`DOMContentLoaded`, so you can assume the DOM is complete & available.
_Note about CSS injection:_ to override existing CSS rules, you need to use the `!important` CSS keyword. Example: `#id_to_hide { display: none !important; }` , not just `#id_to_hide { display: none; }` .
-`edge` will generate a Microsoft Edge user agent matching the Chrome version of Electron being used
-`firefox` will generate a Mozilla Firefox user agent matching the latest stable release of that browser
-`safari` will generate an Apple Safari user agent matching the latest stable release of that browser
#### [user-agent-honest]
```
--user-agent-honest, --honest
```
By default, Nativefier uses a preset user agent string for your OS and masquerades as a regular Google Chrome browser, so that for some sites, it will not say that the current browser is unsupported.
If this flag is passed, it will not override the user agent, and use Electron's default generated one for your app.
Forbid navigation to URLs not considered "internal" (see '--internal-urls'). Instead of opening in an external browser, attempts to navigate to external URLs will be blocked, and an error message will be shown. Default: false
To turn off base domain matching, use [`--strict-internal-urls`](#strict-internal-urls). Or, if you never expect Nativefier to open an "external" page in your OS browser,
Note: While .com is specified, for most of these we try to match even on non-US
based domains such as `.co.uk` as well
If you think this list is missing a login page that you think should be internal, feel free to submit an [issue](https://github.com/nativefier/nativefier/issues/new?assignees=&labels=bug&template=bug_report.md&title=[New%20internal%20login%20page%20request]%20Your%20login%20page%20here) or even better a pull request!
Disables base domain matching when determining if a link is internal. Only the `--internal-urls` regex and login pages will be matched against, so `app.foo.com` will be external to `www.foo.com` unless it matches the `--internal-urls` regex.
_[New in 7.5.0]_ Set basic http(s) auth via the command line to have the app automatically log you in to a protected site. Both fields are required if one is set.
Disables the warning shown when opening a Nativefier app made a long time ago, using an old and probably insecure Electron. Nativefier uses the Chrome browser (through Electron), and remaining on an old version is A. performance sub-optimal and B. dangerous.
However, there are legitimate use cases to disable such a warning. For example, if you are using Nativefier to ship a kiosk app exposing an internal site (over which you have control). Under those circumstances, it is reasonable to disable this warning that you definitely don't want end-users to see.
More description about the options for `nativefier` can be found at the above [section](#command-line).
Forces the packaged app to ignore web security errors, such as [Mixed Content](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Security/Mixed_content) errors when receiving HTTP content on a HTTPS site.
_[New in 7.5.0]_ The human-readable copyright line for the app. Maps to the `LegalCopyright` metadata property on Windows, and `NSHumanReadableCopyright` on OS X.
_[New in 7.5.0]_ (macOS and Windows only) The release version of the application. By default the `version` property in the `package.json` is used but it can be overridden with this argument. If neither are provided, the version of Electron will be used. Maps to the `ProductVersion` metadata property on Windows, and `CFBundleShortVersionString` on OS X.
_[New in 7.6.2]_ (macOS only) When the counter increases, the dock icon will bounce for one second. This only works if the `--counter` option is active.
_[New in 7.5.0]_ (macOS and Windows only) The build version of the application. Maps to the `FileVersion` metadata property on Windows, and `CFBundleVersion` on OS X.
(macOS only) Use a counter that persists even with window focus for the application badge for sites that use an "(X)" format counter in the page title (i.e. Gmail).
#### [darwin-dark-mode-support]
```
--darwin-dark-mode-support
```
(macOS only) Enables Dark Mode support on macOS 10.14+.
#### [fast-quit]
```
-f, --fast-quit
```
(macOS only) Specifies to quit the app after closing all windows, defaults to false.
### Debug Options
#### [crash-reporter]
```
--crash-reporter <value>
```
Enables crash reporting and set the URL to submit crash reports to
Flash is triply dead upstream: at Adobe, in Chrome, and now in Electron.
Nativefier 43.0.0 was just released, and defaults to Electron 12, which
[removes support for Flash](https://www.electronjs.org/blog/electron-12-0#breaking-changes):
> Removed Flash support: Chromium has removed support for Flash, which was also
> removed in Electron 12. See [Chromium's Flash Roadmap](https://www.chromium.org/flash-roadmap).
Your best bet now is on [Ruffle, "a Flash Player emulator built in Rust"](https://ruffle.rs/).
It's usable to play `.swf`s, and that's [what Archive.org does](https://blog.archive.org/2020/11/19/flash-animations-live-forever-at-the-internet-archive/).
It's an emulator, so it's not the real perfect deal, but it already works well
for many swfs, and will get better with time.
You _might_ still be able to use Nativefier's existing Flash flags while they work,
by adding a `--electron-version 11.3.0` to your flags, but it's only downhill
from here and our Flash flags will be removed at some point in the future,
when maintaining compatibility with old Electrons becomes impossible.
```
--flash
```
If `--flash` is specified, Nativefier will automatically try to determine the
location of your Google Chrome flash binary. Take note that the version of Chrome
on your computer should be the same as the version used by the version of Electron
for the Nativefied package.
Note that if this flag is specified, the `--insecure` flag will be added automatically,
to prevent Mixed Content errors on sites such as [Twitch.tv](https://www.twitch.tv/).
```
--flash-path <value>
```
You can also specify the path to the Chrome flash plugin directly with this flag.
The path can be found at [chrome://plugins](chrome://plugins), under
`Adobe Flash Player` > `Location`. This flag automatically enables the `--flash` flag.
Sometimes there are Electron features that are exposed via the [Electron `session` API](https://www.electronjs.org/docs/api/session), that may not be exposed via Nativefier options. These can be accessed with an injected javascript file (via the `--inject` command line argument when building your application). Within that javascript file, you may send an ipcRenderer `session-interaction` event, and listen for a `session-interaction-reply` event to get any result. Session properties and functions can be accessed via this event. This event takes an object as an argument with the desired interaction to be performed.
**Warning**: using this feature in an `--inject` script means using Electron's `session` API, which is not a standard web API and subject to potential [Breaking Changes](https://www.electronjs.org/docs/breaking-changes) at each major Electron upgrade.
If neither a `func` nor a `property` is provided in the event, an error will be returned.
### Important Note On funcArgs
PLEASE NOTE: `funcArgs` is ALWAYS an array of arguments to be passed to the function, even if it is just one argument. If `funcArgs` is omitted from a request with a `func` provided, no arguments will be passed.
### session-interaction-reply
The results of the call, if desired, can be accessed one of two ways. Either you can listen for a `session-interaction-reply` event, and access the resulting value like so:
Or the result can be retrieved synchronously, though this is not recommended as it may cause slowdowns and freezes in your apps while the app stops and waits for the result to be returned. Heed this [warning from Electron](https://www.electronjs.org/docs/api/ipc-renderer):
> ⚠️ WARNING: Sending a synchronous message will block the whole renderer process until the reply is received, so use this method only as a last resort. It's much better to use the asynchronous version.
Due to the nature of how these events are transmitted back and forth, session functions and properties that return full classes or class instances are not supported.
For example, the following code will return an error instead of the expected value:
This javascript, when injected as a file via `--inject`, will attempt to call the `isSpellCheckerEnabled` function to make sure the spell checker is enabled, enables it via the `spellCheckerEnabled` property, gets the value of the `availableSpellCheckerLanguages` property, and finally will call `setSpellCheckerLanguages` to set the `fr` language as the preferred spellcheck language if it's supported.
