How do I compile a html javascript package into a single, static binary? - eviltoast

Title. I’m trying to compile this but I can’t seem to do so with node.js.

Thanks in advance.

  • blackstampede@sh.itjust.works
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    1 year ago

    That’s not how JavaScript works. You have to run it with node.js or in a browser to get it to do stuff. Are you asking how to bundle JavaScript?

    • GustavoM@lemmy.worldOP
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      1 year ago

      Frankly, I know little to none regarding js, but I suppose I’m trying to “bundle” everything into a single binary so it can run in CLI, or in an external window if the former is not possible.

      • JakenVeina@lemm.ee
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        1 year ago

        JavaScript does not compile to binary. It’s a scripting language that is run by an interpreter, which may or may not compile it on the fly to run alongside whatever else the interpreter is doing.

        The most obvious JS interpreter is a browser, which runs JS alongside an HTML/CSS rendering engine, do draw stuff for you.

        Node.js is a JS interpreter that runs JS inside/alongside an HTTP server, mainly in the interest of of web developers wanting to share JS code between both the server and client.

        Electron is a JS interpreter that essentially launches a trimmed-down version of Chrome inside a window on your OS desktop, whuch became popular among web developers already familiar with JS wanting to or being forced to expand into desktop app development.

        It looks like you’re essentially trying to create a screensaver? HTML/CSS/JS is simply not the tool for that.

        • GustavoM@lemmy.worldOP
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          1 year ago

          Thank you for your explanation. Not “create”, but use that specific package in the OP as a command to run it as a “lightweight screensaver” of sorts. And I honestly thought it was possible considering nexe and pkg exists and both can “compile” .js files into a binary. And the possibility of displaying pictures in true color (even in the CLI).

          • blackstampede@sh.itjust.works
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            1 year ago

            I think generally when a tool says that it’s compiling JavaScript into a binary, it’s just packaging it with a lightweight browser basically. Python has kind of the same thing - they have compilers that build executables, but really they’re just packaging a Python interpreter with your script.

      • moreeni@lemm.ee
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        1 year ago

        JS is an interpeted language, you can’t bundle stuff into a single binary. A “single binary” will require an interpreter to be bundled too, like Electton does

  • Shaner@programming.dev
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    1 year ago

    You could do it pretty easily in Go.

    Basically just use embedfs to add your javascript and HTML.

    https://pkg.go.dev/embed

    Here’s a complete working example with a http server from that page:

    package main
    
    import (
    	"embed"
    	"log"
    	"net/http"
    )
    
    //go:embed internal/embedtest/testdata/*.txt
    var content embed.FS
    
    func main() {
    	mutex := http.NewServeMux()
    	mutex.Handle("/", http.FileServer(http.FS(content)))
    	err := http.ListenAndServe(":8080", mutex)
    	if err != nil {
    		log.Fatal(err)
    	}
    }
    
    • Shaner@programming.dev
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      1 year ago

      I see you want a screen saver and this just runs an app to view in your browser. There are other methods but they are a bit trickier. It’s not too hard to add an embedded interpreter but you’d probably have to do some porting to get it drawing to a native canvas.