Building Ascendara from Source

Before building Ascendara, ensure you have the following installed:

• Node.js
  • Version 18 or higher recommended
  • Required for JavaScript runtime
• Windows Build Tools
  • Visual Studio Build Tools with Windows SDK
  • Required for native dependencies (diskusage and electron-related builds)

While not required, the following tools can make the development experience easier:

• Git: Optional - You can either clone the repository or simply download the files directly from GitHub
• Python 3.x: Optional - Provides automated build scripts to simplify the development process, but all steps can be performed manually

When running from source, Ascendara will run in Development Mode. Please be aware of the following limitations while in Development Mode, or while using a public build:

• API Features:
  • Feature reporting
  • Game reporting
  • Download reporting
• Analytics Service: The analytics service will be completely non-functional in the public version
• Game Execution: You will not be able to run games in development mode

These limitations exist to protect Ascendara's infrastructure from potential abuse. The reporting and analytics services are essential for monitoring health, detecting issues, and ensuring Ascendara stays secure. For these reasons, these features are restricted to official builds only. You can still run games off the public version of Ascendara you just have to be running the built version. Thank you for your understanding.

Note: You may use any compatible package manager such as npm, yarn, deno, etc.

1. Clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/ascendara/Ascendara.git

2. Install dependencies:

npm install
# or
yarn

3. Set up Python environment and install dependencies:

Note: It is recommended to use Python's venv feature to isolate your development environment from the base Python installation. Ensure you have Python version 3.5 or higher installed.

To create a virtual environment, run:

python -m venv .venv

If you are using PowerShell, you may need to set the execution policy for the current user before activating the virtual environment. Use the following command:

Set-ExecutionPolicy -ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned -Scope CurrentUser

Activate the virtual environment:

.venv\Scripts\activate

Once activated, install the required Python dependencies:

pip install -r requirements.txt

To preview the application in development mode:

1. Open the project directory in Visual Studio Code or a terminal.
2. Start the development server:

npm run start
# or
yarn start

This command will concurrently run both Electron and Vite, providing a live development environment.

Automatic Build (Recommended)#

The automatic build script provided in the repository supports the following package managers:

• npm
• yarn
• pnpm
• bun

If you are using a different package manager, you can use the manual build process below.

yarn dist
# or
npm run dist

This script will automatically build the react app, then electron app and then move all contents to the dist/ directory before deleting the build/ directory and other temporary files.

Manual Build Process#

If you need more control, you can build manually:

1. Build the React app:

yarn build
# or
npm run build

2. After building, the React app will be in the "build" directory:

   • Modify "index.html" to use relative paths by replacing "/assets/" with "assets/"
   • Copy "index.html" to the "electron" directory
   • Copy the "assets" directory to the "electron" directory
   • Copy any other required assets (guide directory, icon.png, etc.) to the "electron" directory

3. Build the Electron app:

yarn buildwithelectron
# or
npm run buildwithelectron

5. Clean up temporary files:
   • Remove the "build" directory
   • Remove the copied files from the "electron" directory (index.html, assets, guide, etc.)

Your compiled executable will be available in the "dist/win-unpacked" directory.