Edge: Distributing Edge.js applications

[toddpeak]

I have a WebSocket server running in my development environment using the example and the ws package. It's working great! How would I package this up for distribution on other machines without Visual Studio 2013 installed? I can't seem to figure out the prerequisites to get the application running on a non-development Windows 7 x64 machine.

[toddpeak]

I keep getting the following error message. If I install Visual Studio 2013, it goes away and functions correctly.

module.js:355
Module._extensionsextension;
^
Error: The specified module could not be found.
c:\Debug\edge\x86\edge.node
at Error (native)
at Module.load (module.js:355:32)
at Function.Module._load (module.js:310:12)
at Module.require (module.js:365:17)
at require (module.js:384:17)
at Object. (c:\Debug\edge\edge.js:41:8)
at Module._compile (module.js:460:26)
at Object.Module._extensions..js (module.js:478:10)
at Module.load (module.js:355:32)
at Function.Module._load (module.js:310:12)

[toddpeak]

As of now, the minimum set I have to install to get around this issue is .NET Framework 4.5._1_ and the Visual Studio 2013 Build Tools.
Am I missing something simpler?

[ivoloshin]

Oh hey, I have the same problem! Have you found a solution yet, by chance?

Edit: your solution does in fact work. What I'm asking is if you figured out a way to include the required binaries without having to install Build Tools? I'm going to test installing C++ redistributable - that may substitute for Build Tools and is a more standard install requirement than Build Tools.

[tjanczuk]

I'm going to test installing C++ redistributable - that may substitute for Build Tools and is a more standard install requirement than Build Tools

That should do the trick. Make sure to pick redist architecture matching the architecture of your node executable (i.e. 32 or 64 bit).

[ivoloshin]

Any idea if I can just include node.exe in same directory as node.dll or similar? I could include both 32bit and 64bit in the respective directories...

[ivoloshin]

@tjanczuk You are absolutely correct, Visual C++ Redistributable Packages for Visual Studio 2013 did the trick. And it looks like I do NOT need node.js installed at all. I'm not sure why the instructions say that I do?

[stephan-nordnes-eriksen]

So, does this mean that it is possible to distribute the edgejs based application to people who does not have installed any dependencies on their machine?

[ivoloshin]

@stephan-nordnes-eriksen, as far as I can tell, what it means is you can distribute edgejs based application with only the following two installed requirements:

1. .NET Framework 4.5.1
2. Visual C++ Redistributable Packages for Visual Studio 2013 (32 or 64 bit, depending on the machine)

Node.js does _not_ have to be installed.

[stephan-nordnes-eriksen]

So edgejs is essentially a no-go if you want to make a application you want to distribute to consumers?

[ivoloshin]

Correct. If your customers do not have and cannot install .net and c++ redistributable package and you are unable to bootstrap them into your app installer, then no, you will not be able to ship edgejs.

[tjanczuk]

AFAIK .NET comes pre-installed on virtually all Windows SKUs that ship these days. As for C++ Redistributable package, the model is to include it in your application if you depend on it, that is why it is called "redistributable".

[stephan-nordnes-eriksen]

@tjanczuk Interesting. I want to make an electron app that can be downloaded and used, and use edge to utilize some native-features of windows through C#. Would I simply include the C++ Redistributable package and "hope" they have .NET?

If this is possible, I would greatly appreciate a simple example! (I am working on one now, but I am not 100% confident it will work).

[tjanczuk]

The way I would approach it is to create an installer for your app that

• checks for presence of .NET framework 4.5 and bails out with a message if absent (and I think this will in practice only affect very few people with very old OSes),
• includes the necessary bits from VC++ Redist (note this needs to be architecture-specific, x86 or x64).

I have not created Windows installers for ages and I have no ready examples. Based on my past experiences I can say there are no silver bullets in this process. Create & test on target platforms, then rinse and repeat, and be prepared for a long slog.

[stephan-nordnes-eriksen]

So I was successfully able to bundle a .dll with an electron app and have it work on a machine which most likely did not have any installed requirements on it. (I did this remotely so I was not able to check, but the owner isn't a techie, so I doubt he have ever installed anything extra on his machine).

I had to use [email protected] to get this to work.

[ivoloshin]

I think I understand now (this confuses me every time about edge.js). You are trying to run .NET code from node.js. In which case I think you are right, no C++ redistributable is required, as node is already running via Electron.

My requirement was to run node.js script completely from a .NET assembly, without installing node.js. In this instance, since (as I understand it) @tjanczuk packaged node in a .NET library, node requires C++ to be run like that.

Sorry for the confusion! I'm glad your solution worked.

[glennblock]

Yep, the node.dll is what is called "double edge" :-)

On Sat, Sep 12, 2015 at 9:51 AM ivoloshin [email protected] wrote:

I think I understand now (this confuses me every time about edge.js). You
are trying to run .NET code from node.js. In which case I think you are
right, no C++ redistributable is required, as node is already running via
Electron.

My requirement was to run node.js script completely from a .NET assembly,
without installing node.exe. In this instance since (as I understand it)
@tjanczuk https://github.com/tjanczuk packaged node in a .NET library,
node requires C++ to be run like that.

Sorry for the confusion! I'm glad your solution worked.

—
Reply to this email directly or view it on GitHub
https://github.com/tjanczuk/edge/issues/280#issuecomment-139796419.

[woodp]

I have a win 10 fresh install, it comes with .NET Framework 4.6.1.
I installed Visual C++ Redistributable Packages for Visual Studio 2013 but it does not work, I keep getting the same error.
(also tried with vc++ redist for VS 2015)

[ivoloshin]

Did you check your app runs in the architecture mode you installed the redistributable for?

Visual C++ Redistributable Packages for Visual Studio 2013 (32 or 64 bit, depending on the machine)

[woodp]

You are right, it seems the app runs in 32 bits, installing the 32 bits redist did the trick, thanks!

[ivoloshin]

Quick update to this, we've updated from 0.10.0 to 8.2.1 and the library now requires Visual C++ Redistributable Packages for Visual Studio 2017. Not sure as of which version that change happened.

[Bhawnananda]

We are facing same issue on Production with node 8.10.0.

error: uncaughtException: The specified module could not be found.
at ..................node_modules\edge\lib\native\win32\x648.2.1\edge_nativeclr.node

We tried to replicate same on a new local machine, It worked fine till we unistall VC++ 2015 onward version. Then to be sure that VC++ 2015 is problem and required on production. we installed it again then uninstall. But now application is working without VC++ 2015.
Any thoughts??